Q&A with Adriana Trigiani

Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani. She's not only a fabulous writer, she's a warm and charming person. See for yourself (and get a chance to win her new book) here: What Women Write


When fourteen-year-old Viola is sent from her beloved Brooklyn to boarding school in Indiana for ninth grade, she overcomes her initial reservations as she makes friends with her roommates, goes on a real date, and uses the unsettling ghost she keeps seeing as the subject of a short film—her first.

With Pain, My Gain

When I twisted my back into a spasm yesterday, I spent the day in the only chair not causing more pain and started reading Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle. And reading. (Thanks to my cousin Carole for the recommendation!)

If someone would have told me I’d be so into a book about a drug-addict porn star who drives off a cliff and suffers burns on 90% of his body, I’d have told them to check my coffee for hallucinogens. I'm on page 285 (out of 465), so I'm still not sure where it's going, but that's the beauty. The writing is so good, I don't care.

It was not unlike the feeling I had while reading Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants. Why should I want to read about a Cornell vet school dropout joining the circus and meeting up with gritty nutjobs? So different from anything I normally read. But every word was incredible. And then, on the back of The Gargoyle, I found a blurb from Sara Gruen: "I was blown away by Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle. It reminded me of Life of Pi, with its unanswered (and unanswerable) contradictions. A hypnotic, horrifying, astonishing novel that manages, against all odds, to be redemptive." Now that she mentions it--of course. Life of Pi was another of those deeply affecting, unforgettable stories. There you go, a trifecta of oddly wonderful novels.

The kind that has me wondering how on earth I can call myself a writer, while at the same time, making me work that much harder to hone my craft. I'd never have spent the whole day reading (well, never isn't entirely accurate) if I hadn't hurt my back, but I'm glad I did. My gain. And my chiropractor's.

Q&A with Jamie Ford

I had the good fortune of interviewing bestselling author, Jamie Ford.

Jamie's an engaging guy and his debut novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is one of the best books I've read this year.

Stop by What Women Write to win an autographed copy of his novel.

From his publisher:
In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.

This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.

Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel’s dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice–words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago.

Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.

Falling In Love With Reading

Check out Pamela's blog about her daughter falling in love with reading. Beautiful!

What book did you fall in love with as a kid? Or an adult? I don't remember being a kid, so I'll just share the book that affected me most: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

Frank McCourt

Sad news that Frank McCourt has died. Dani Shapiro's post today is a lovely tribute to the gifted author and his generosity of spirit.

Dani's a beautiful writer. Check out her books and her blog when you get a chance.

Time

We all complain about not having enough time. Time to write, time to read, time to sleep, time to slice the summer peaches, time to watch another BBC DVD. I wonder how much time I waste worrying about how much time I don't have.

Both manuscripts safely under submission, I realized it's about time to get back to my new projects. Five Days to Kill Bob is on hold until Pamela frees up her time, so I finally opened my other WIP file, working title The Architect at Highgate. After breaking from it, I was happy to find I still like the premise and the characters, although I did change a few names. And I was pleased to see I had already written 28,000 words, 1/3 of the way to a first draft. I've no excuse now--I will write 1,500 words a day, a goal I committed to earlier this year. It turns out, it won't take me as much time to finish as I thought.


A few years ago, when I was still writing The Cemetery Garden, I worried that I wouldn't have any further ideas to write about. Now, I worry about not having enough time to write the ideas I have. A much better place to be, if you ask me.

But instead of worrying about time, I'm going to manage and appreciate the time I have.

The Meaning of Rejection

I finally had a few minutes to catch up on blog reading. Today I ran across two great posts on rejection. (No, I'm not gearing up--I'm actually feeling quite positive since submitting my full manuscript last night at 1:00am, despite my late change, but that's another post). The QueryTracker.net blog led me to Simon Haynes blog (a.k.a. Space Jock).

Now I know why blue is my favorite color. But that little yellow triangle at the top of the pyramid is looking pretty good!