Q&A with Michael Callahan

 

 

 

Michael Callahan is the author of the new novel The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard. His other books include the novel Searching for Grace Kelly. He lives in Los Angeles.

 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard, and how did you create your characters Mercy and Kit?

 

A: It’s a crazy story, and speaks to the randomness that can accompany developing a narrative.

 

Since 2015 I have been part of the Martha’s Vineyard Writers Residency, a writing colony where authors come to work on their books and build community with other writers.

 

I was there finishing my second novel in 2016 when, strolling around, I thought, I should write a book about here. Ideas began rolling around in my head. Two nights later I literally sat up in bed in the middle of the night, struck with a plot, and I knew if I didn’t write it down right then I would lose it. So I got out of bed, sat at the desk, and began the outline for what would become the story of Mercy and Kit.

 

Eagle-eyed readers have noticed that the main characters’ names are an homage to The Witch of Blackbird Pond, which I read when I was 11 and which changed my life.

 

Q: Much of the novel is set on Martha’s Vineyard—how important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: It’s everything. I always, always start with the setting first, which is unusual, I think. Most writers start with the characters. But I always start with where, because if it isn’t a place I want to spend time, that I want to explore, I can’t write a story about it.

 

I always pick places with history and a touch of intrigue and glamour. God bless those authors who can write about suburban Cincinnati and make it utterly compelling—I do not have that skill.

 

Q: The writer Louis Bayard said of the book, “Michael Callahan’s The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard grabs from the first line and doesn’t let go until the last. This delicious mystery will be a particular treat for fans (guilty!) of vintage Hollywood and Nancy Drew.” What do you think of that description?

A: It's really interesting that you flagged that blurb, specifically, because when Louis first sent it to me I was a bit mixed about it. It’s lovely, of course, but I wondered whether the Nancy Drew reference might make the book seem unserious.

 

But the truth is that I adored Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys growing up—those books opened up a whole world of adventure and possibility for me, and I was hardly alone. There’s a reason why they’re still in print, and why they’ve been a life and literary influence on so many people.

 

In many ways my novel is sort of a grown-up Nancy Drew story—Nancy is even a small plot point—in that it’s a romantic mystery that, I hope, gallops along with twists and turns until it climaxes with a satisfying finish. There are worse comparisons.

 

Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: I spent a lot of time on Martha’s Vineyard, obviously, and was blessed to have had the help of some local historians and researchers who really got what I was trying to do and pointed me to incredible archival materials.

 

Of my three novels this one took the longest to write, in part because it was split between the past and present, which was tricky in terms of pacing, and also because the research into 1959 Martha’s Vineyard was exhaustive, and I wanted to be sure I really had the details down.

 

I think what surprised me the most was how sleepy the island was back then—today it has this patina of glamour from the celebrities and presidents who own places there, but back in 1959 it was really just this quiet little seashore resort that was mostly a weekend place for Bostonians. The one constant is that the island has always held a particular, unique kind of New England charm, then and now.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have just begun research for a new book, this one set in Beverly Hills in 1957. I moved to Los Angeles in 2021, so it seemed logical to set a book here, where I could research the time period easily.

 

I have a general plot sketched out, but now comes the hard part: figuring out how all of these pieces fit together into one big picture. But the research has been really fun. My God, the clothes! It’s a kick to be able to go back in time and rotate through these fizzy worlds.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Michael Callahan.

Q&A with Bobi Conn

 

 

 

Bobi Conn is the author of the new novel Someplace Like Home. Her other books include the memoir In the Shadow of the Valley. She was born and raised in Appalachia.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Someplace Like Home, and how much of the story was based on your own family history?

 

A: When I told my mother that I had written a memoir a couple of days before it came out in 2020, she surprised me with her response. I thought she might be angry with me for telling our stories and for revealing the ways she failed to protect me as a child.

 

Instead, she acknowledged that failing right away and asked if she had ever done anything else to hurt me. We had never discussed her role in my experience of childhood abuse before—our conversations had always centered around my father, who terrorized us all for years.

 

As we continued talking about the book and her perspective of that traumatic era of our lives, I realized she had grappled with so much that I couldn’t comprehend in childhood. I remember a lot of terrible things my father did to her, but I wouldn’t have been present for all of them, and my set of memories wouldn’t capture each and every affront.

 

And my mother expressed a desire for her story to be known, so the audience who read my memoir would understand that she wasn’t a monster, herself—she didn’t fail her children due to a lack of love.

 

From there, I offered to write her story, or the best approximation of it possible. To get started, she sent me a list of her most significant memories and we spent hours on the phone, with her telling stories and me taking notes.

 

It took a while to nail down the structure of this story, and I ultimately felt that it was best to render it through fiction because she didn’t remember enough details to paint a vivid story for readers.

 

However, when I listened to her stories, I could see them all so clearly; almost all of them took place in the same places where I spent my childhood, with the same main characters. Some of those stories are also memories I share with her, though I remember them from my own vantage point.

 

To me, this novel is a strong representation of actual history, but I think it’s important to note that any attempt to tell someone else’s story carries the risk of getting something wrong that fundamentally undermines that story for their owner.

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: This title came to me after I had been writing the novel for quite some time. I was thinking about Jenny’s character and how she longed for freedom as a teenager but when she tried to escape the confines of home, she entered another, more dangerous prison.

 

One of the central questions I grappled with as I wrote was whether Jenny’s—and my mother’s—parents were to blame for her choices. We know that sometimes, people repeat their family dynamics and end up in abusive relationships because that’s what they grew up with.

 

However, my mother and her siblings have always proclaimed that their parents, my grandparents, were wonderful people who gave them a great life.

 

Ultimately, I don’t think my mother’s home life as an adult was a direct reflection of the home she grew up in, but rather that our choices are driven by a more complex set of factors, including cultural influences and a collection of personal beliefs that most people aren’t fully aware of.

 

Q: Can you say more about the relationship between this novel and your memoir In the Shadow of the Valley?

 

A: As I mentioned above, this novel came about as a direct result of my memoir. Even though the novel is fictional, I see it as a sort of prequel to my novel, and I want it to help people understand how the basis of my life story was put into motion by my parents’ experiences.

 

I am fascinated with the ways generations of people create a family history, sometimes perpetuating cycles and other times breaking them.

 

I view my own life as a triumph over the vast amount of pain I was born into, and I think this novel helps clarify that pain, while also highlighting the different world my children now occupy—one in which, despite my own mistakes and imperfections, they have always known they are loved and wanted.

Q: What impact did it have on you to write this novel, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: I set out with a couple of intentions for this book. One, I had a vague concept of knowing that I wanted to cultivate more compassion for my mother. I thought I had forgiven both my parents when my memoir came out, but writing Someplace Like Home quickly showed me that I still resented them for not giving me what I needed as a child.

 

I chose to write the majority of the novel from Jenny’s first-person point of view because I thought that would be the best way to draw readers into her psychology.

 

It’s hard to develop a deep empathy with a character who is clearly mistaken in how they see the world but—similar to writing from an anti-hero’s perspective—I thought this choice would draw readers in and help them relate to her.

 

It shouldn’t have surprised me, but doing that made me feel a lot more empathy for her as well, and I ended up seeing her story as something important not just in relation to me. And my new understanding of who she is (even if it’s not fully accurate) helped me forgive and fully let go of my childhood longing.

 

I hope this book helps other people who can relate to me by helping them look at their own parents as not just parents who failed them, but as people with their own stories that may have limited their ability to adequately care for a child.

 

And in those cases, when we can let go of the past, I think we turn to our present, knowing we are empowered to create a better future.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I currently have proposals out for a new memoir and another novel.

 

The purpose of the new memoir is to answer a question a lot of readers asked me in response to In the Shadow of the Valley, which was essentially, “How did you get out?”

 

That is, they wanted to know how I broke cycles of poverty and violence, and how I found a way to create a good life for myself and my children with no blueprint and no support.

 

I didn’t really know how to answer that question in the past; I was still working through certain aspects of trauma and couldn’t articulate my journey in a way that could help others. Now, however, I am in a position to do so and I’m eager to share it with the world.

 

The new novel will be related thematically to everything I’ve written thus far, but it will have a more dramatic feel to it.

 

I want to continue exploring psychological phenomena and personality development through this book, which will focus on a romantic relationship and the main character’s unconscious beliefs that drive her to sabotage herself, until she is forced to confront the demons she has long ignored.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I would like to draw attention to another theme in Someplace Like Home, which are the limitations imposed upon us by our local culture. Appalachia is a rural region, and there are a lot of rural communities throughout America that share a lot of the same struggles we do.

 

The characters in this novel are not only facing challenges from their family dynamics and personal belief systems; there are inherent limitations to living in a rural place. Those limitations have changed a lot in my lifetime, but there are still obstacles to communicating, accessing information, and traveling that a lot of readers may not fully understand.

 

I think it’s interesting to look at all the different facets of an individual life to see the forces they were shaped by—and I think it’s critical to seek this kind of understanding when we talk about any social or political issue so we can have productive conversations, regardless of our own backgrounds.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Bobi Conn.

Q&A with Susan Elia MacNeal

 

 

 

Susan Elia MacNeal is the author of the new novel The Last Hope, the final volume of her Maggie Hope series, set in the World War II period. She lives in Brooklyn.

 

Q: Why did you decide to end your Maggie Hope series with this new novel, The Last Hope?

 

A: In The Last Hope, Maggie is dealing with nuclear weapons, the plans for the D-Day invasion, and beginnings of the Cold War. The war is basically won at this point (early 1944), so it seemed a good time to wrap things up. And I have so many new stories to tell…

 

Still, it’s also heartbreaking. I am and will continue to grieve the ending of the Maggie Hope series. I’ll really miss her and her friends and her world.

Q: Why did you bring back fashion designer Coco Chanel, who's appeared in an earlier book, as a key player in this novel?

 

A: I’d always wanted to write more about Coco Channel, who’s such a fascinating human. The timing of the book and her undercover mission to Spain on behalf of the Nazis (yes, this is true, not fiction!) was at the end of 1943/beginning of 1944, so it seemed perfect to set a novel around.

 

Q: How did you research the story, and what did you learn that particularly surprised you?

A: So many things were surprising! Truth truly is stranger than fiction… That the Nazis running Coco Chanel’s mission actually thought they could convince Winston Churchill to negotiate a separate peace with them. That a Red Sox shortstop, Mo Berg, was asked to assassinate Nazi nuclear physicist Werner Heisenberg. That, with British NVKD undercover spies like Kim Philby in Intelligence, the Cold War had already begun.

 

I was also lucky enough to get to go to Spain, a neutral country during the war. It’s mind-blowing to think about how people from Allied and Axis nations could (and would!) intermingle in places like Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland. Literally living and working cheek-by-jowl, at the same hotels, restaurants, and bars.

 

Q: How do you think Maggie has changed over the course of the series, and will you miss writing about her?

 

A: Oh, Maggie’s definitely grown up during the course of the series! I loved writing this book, The Last Hope, because it provides the cap to so many of the issues she was dealing with in Mr. Churchill’s Secretary.

 

She’s gone from stopping an assassination attempt to being an assassin herself. She’s learned to work well with people and achieve goals. She’s learned emotional intelligence. She’s taken responsibility for her life. She’s managed her PTSD. And she’s learned to love.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Delighted to say I’ve signed a contract for a new stand-alone novel and mystery series with Minotaur Books!

 

The stand-alone will take place in London, 1966—so a familiar place, but a whole new time—the Swinging Sixties. And, after that, I’ll be starting a noirish mystery series set in late ‘50s New York City. They’ll both feature amazing locations, quirky characters, strong female leads, and—of course—murder.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I want to thank the readers of the Maggie Hope series for reading and following Maggie and her friends along her journey. I’ll miss Maggie, too…. But I’m truly thrilled to be writing and sharing new stories.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Susan Elia MacNeal.

Q&A with Elaine Dimopoulos

 

Elaine Dimopoulos is the author of the new middle grade novel The Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow. Her other books include The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow. She lives in Massachusetts.   Q: This is your second book featuring the Milkweed Meadow characters--did you know when you started the first book that there would be a sequel?   A: No. I was certainly not thinking of a series when I began the first novel. As I neared the end of writing it, I had a brainwave of a way I could continue the story.   I’m so fortunate that my publisher, Charlesbridge, offered me a two-book deal when they acquired The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow, so there was a natural opening for me to pitch the idea for book 2. Fortunately, they liked it!   Q: What inspired the plot of The Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow?   A: In The Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow a troupe of wild turkeys arrives in the meadow and engages the creatures in putting on a big theatrical performance.   Butternut the rabbit, who comes from a family of storytellers, isn’t cast in the show, and she struggles with feelings of inadequacy. She wonders how a single storyteller like her can ever compete with a dazzling performance.   But then the playhouse in the oak forest burns down on opening night, and the reader must guess which creature is behind the fire.   Growing up, I did a lot of theater, so writing about a show felt natural. I had a lot of fun thinking about how a bunch of meadow animals could put together a performance with scenes, songs, sets, props, and costumes. Butternut’s creative self-doubt is also something every writer faces, so I wanted to include that.   As it came together, I figured out that this is a story about trust: trusting yourself and your talents, trusting family and dear friends, not trusting those who don’t have your best interests at heart, and being willing to forgive if trust is broken.   Q: How did you create your character Butternut?   A: The Eastern cottontail rabbits that hop in our yard all year long inspired me. I knew I wanted to write an animal story, and I selected a rabbit for my main character for two reasons.   First, there are already so many incredible rabbit stories written for children, so I’m following in a long, well-trodden tradition. Second, I wanted my main character Butternut to suffer from anxiety, which she describes as “brambles” growing and twisting in her mind. Since rabbits are naturally skittish, I thought that a rabbit would be a convincing choice of an animal with anxiety!   Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, in part, “Dimopoulos is as gifted a storyteller as her endearing hero, and she deftly folds in alliteration, theater terms, nature facts, and sparkling humor. Butternut’s musings and observations are thought provoking and perceptive.” What do you think of that description?   A: Clearly, Kirkus is the most eminent and accurate review journal out there—ha ha! This is incredibly flattering praise, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude and much embarrassment when I read it. I do think it captures the way Butternut and I are truly telling this story together, hand in paw.   Q: What are you working on now?   A: Next, I’ve got another middle-grade animal story called Catch the Cat Burglar. It’s a whodunnit set in an apartment building on a boarding school campus filled with humans, cats, and possibly a ghost. One of the cats is a thief. So readers not only have to guess who the thief is but also wrestle with the question of whether stealing might sometimes be justified.   Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I do want to mention that the Milkweed Meadow books are illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Doug Salati. He does a beautiful job bringing the animal cast of characters to life. His pictures are full of action and drama, and he gives each character such tender facial expressions.

 

The art adds a beautiful layer to the story, and I feel so lucky that Doug signed on to this project.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

May 21

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
May 21, 1688: Alexander Pope born.

Q&A with Sue Wallman

 

 

 

Sue Wallman is the author of the young adult novel Such a Good Liar. Her other books include the YA novel Lying About Last Summer. She lives near London.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Such a Good Liar, and how did you create your character Lydia/Shannon?

 

A: The challenge for me with Such a Good Liar was to write a book from the point of view of a villain. Shannon is a 17-year-old fraudster who is hellbent on revenge. She pretends to be Lydia Cornwallis so she can wriggle her way into the inner circle of the two rich, privileged sisters who she believes are responsible for the death of her mother.

 

I’ve long been fascinated by the case of Anna Sorokin/Delvey, who in her 20s pretended to be a German heiress and fooled many prominent people in New York before everything unravelled for her.

 

Reading about it and watching the Netflix series Inventing Anna helped me work out how Shannon could defraud people through a mix of confidence, nerve, and resourcefulness.

 

I don’t like reading books or watching movies where I don’t care about any of the characters. I want readers to really root for Shannon despite the fact she’s plotting murder and that took a while to work out.

Q: The novel is set on an island--how did you choose this location, and how important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: Fengari is a fictional island in the Caribbean although there are embellished elements of Mustique, where I visited in my 20s. I wanted Shannon to be in a setting that was the complete opposite to her frugal, urban life in South London.

 

Fengari is beautiful but she’s constantly having to worry about blending in and understanding the class codes. Setting is everything in a thriller. Give me any setting and I can make it feel uneasy!

 

Q: What do you think the book says about wealth?

 

A: The bubble of those born into extreme wealth and privilege can be toxic.

 

Q: How was the book's title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: My UK publisher chose the title. My original title was much less effective. I think Such a Good Liar works very well. Shannon is good at lying. Is she a “good” person despite her intentions? That’s something the reader needs to decide!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Such A Good Liar is my first young adult thriller to be published in the States. In the UK, I have seven young adult thrillers published and I’m currently working on my eighth.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: This is a nice question! I have been a magazine journalist and a secondary school librarian and as of a few months ago, I am now pretty much working as an author full-time, which is daunting but exciting.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Leanne Lieberman

 

 

 

 

Leanne Lieberman is the author of the young adult novel Cleaning Up. Her other YA novels include Gravity. Also an educator, she lives in Kingston, Ontario.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Cleaning Up, and how did you create your character Jess?

 

A: I began Cleaning Up by imaging why one character would read the diary of another. As I started to think about the characters, I realized one girl, Jess, was cleaning the room of another girl, Quinn. From there the characters’ class backgrounds became evident and that became an important part of the book.

 

The character of Jess was initially based on some of the features I had seen in students I had taught over the years from at-risk backgrounds. For example, Jess always carries a backpack with her mother’s things from when she and her mom lived in a shelter. I had a student who did this too.

 

Then, as I started writing about Jess, she became her own character with her own personality, goals, and interests. I saw her love of plants and gardening, her obsession with The Secret Garden, and her plan to become a landscape designer as her way of changing her life.

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The working title for the novel was Who Is Quinn Gupta, which highlighted Jess’s obsession with Quinn, whose room she cleans. When I finished the book, this title didn’t feel fitting anymore. Jess did figure out the story behind Quinn Gupta and her room, but the book is really about Jess.

 

Cleaning Up refers to both Jess’s summer job cleaning houses, but also to the drug addictions that affect both Jess’s father and other characters in the book.

Q: In an interview with Open Book, you said, “I hadn’t set out to write a book about the growing wealth inequality in Canada, but issues of class difference and privilege, and how they affect our identity became an important part of the story.” Can you say more about that?

 

A: Class difference and wealth inequality are a big part of Cleaning Up. Jess’s family struggles to make ends meet and Jess works hard cleaning the houses of wealthier people to save money for an education she hopes will help her create a more financially secure future.

 

These financial and class issues were influenced by the widening income gap I’ve seen in Ontario schools over the last 20 years. In every school where I’ve taught –rural, suburban, and urban – I’ve seen students and families struggle with food and housing insecurity.

 

Often we only know about these struggles through foodbank numbers or other statistics. Cleaning Up hopefully personalizes the story and gives a more personal experience to a life some children and teens live.

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I had a clear plan for writing this novel. I knew Jess was going to read Quinn’s diary and that she would be caught in some way and that there would be repercussions. However, I hadn’t planned Jess’s emotional development, and so that was something I created as I wrote.

 

I like to take this middle approach when I write a book.  I know the arc of the story and where I need to end up, but how I get there is the exciting part. This gives me both structure and room for creativity.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am working on a YA book called The Luckiest Girl. It’s about a girl named Rafah who washes up on the shore of an imaginary island that has decided to isolate itself from the rest of the world. The book is about how Rafah navigates her new life on an island that isn’t sure it wants her as a citizen.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: I was so lucky to work with editor Shelley Tanaka from Groundwood Books on Cleaning Up. Tanaka is the author of many children’s nonfiction titles and the editor of 13 Governor General’s Award winning books. She worked tirelessly on my book and Cleaning Up was greatly improved by her efforts and enthusiasm.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Kari Ann Gonzalez

 

 

 

Kari Ann Gonzalez is the author of the new children's picture book How to Hatch a Reader. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write How to Hatch a Reader?

 

A: This story was inspired by my two emerging readers. As I looked for creative ways to help my daughters learn to read during the pandemic, we began taking our books outside for a bit of fresh air.

 

Amazingly, our six chickens always flocked to be near the action of my daughters reading aloud and often perched in their laps listening to the stories and looking at the pages. I could swear every time our chickens bokked, they were begging for more “B-B-B-book, books.”

 

Q: What do you think Rachel Suzanne’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: I adore Rachel’s illustration style. The colors are warm, rich, and inviting and the characters she developed are far beyond anything I could have envisioned. Happy coincidence - the farmer in the book looks just like a mix of my two daughters!

 

Rachel planted so many lovely Easter eggs to discover in the book, like what the fox is up to and the funky feel of the disco ball scene. I had a vision for the text, but as a picture book author, so much of the story is told through the illustrations and she did a phenomenal job bringing our book to life.

Q: The School Library Journal review of the book says, “While the story is suited to a read-aloud and young children will enjoy the bright animated farmyard full of chickens learning to read, parents and guardians may find the most delight and support from the practical guidance this book offers about teaching emerging readers.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Great question! I am a strong believer that picture books are made to be enjoyed by everyone, so my books will always have nods to kids and adults for that very reason. Creating a book to help encourage and support emerging readers and their caregivers is exactly what I set out to do, so I am thrilled to receive this great review acknowledging it and even more thrilled when I won the Northern Lights Picture Book Award for humor!

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the book?

 

A: I would love for kids to take away that learning to read takes practice and they should celebrate every milestone and success along the way, preferably with a funky chicken dance party!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m always working on a new picture book or two. This time, a book about my recent travel on a family vacation to Florida. So much inspiration! I’m also working through edits on a middle grade and I’m currently writing a young adult novel as well.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I adore puns and idioms and had such an egg-cellent time crafting every word of this story. I hope you enjoy it!

 

Also, be sure to check out the free educator guide and printable activities, they are a great pairing for the book on my website www.karianngonzalez.com.

 

I have five books coming out in the next few years, including How To Hatch A Writer, so keep an eye out for new books hatching soon. Happy reading!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

May 20

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
May 20, 1882: Sigrid Undset born.

Q&A with Debbie Hines

 

Debbie Hines is the author of the new book Get Off My Neck: Black Lives, White Justice, and a Former Prosecutor's Quest for Reform. She is a former Baltimore prosecutor, assistant attorney general for Maryland, and trial attorney.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Get Off My Neck?

 

A: As a former Baltimore prosecutor, assistant attorney general for Maryland and trial attorney representing individuals accused of crimes plus seeing family friends impacted by the prosecutorial system, I had a rare background as a Black woman to see the system.

 

In 2017, I was asked to speak as a guest lecturer at Johns Hopkins University on any topic of my choice.  At that time, I chose the topic of racial disparities in the criminal justice system from 1619 to the present. The presentation was more historical and academic in nature than the book I chose to write. My initial research and presentation at Johns Hopkins became the precursor for Get Off My Neck.

 

I kept putting off the thought of writing a book as it seemed that I needed more hours in the day to process thoughts for writing a book, research, and the process of writing it. My work as a trial lawyer did not allow for a lot of extra hours in the day or night. Then March 2020 and the pandemic came. Everything shut down. I finally had the time to think about writing a book. The writing started later.

 

My true inspiration for writing the book is my mother for whom I dedicate the book. My mother always felt that I could do anything if I put my mind to it—as she would say. By her life’s example, I was inspired to write this book and tell my truth.

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book called it a “forceful plea to reform the toxic entanglement of prosecution, policing, and probation in the criminal justice system.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Get Off My Neck is more than a book about reforming prosecution, policing, and probation. It is plea to reform the entire prosecutorial system from how we prosecute, who we prosecute and why we prosecute disproportionate numbers of Black people.

 

It is not only a plea to reform the prosecutorial system but a roadmap of how we can work in alliances to transform a system aimed at spending billions to prosecute millions of people every year without making us any safer.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: When Rev. Al Sharpton gave the eulogy for George Floyd in June 2020, his words resonated with me and what I experienced in the criminal justice system. 

 

Sharpton spoke of how the story of George Floyd was the story of African Americans for over 400 years in this country. He said that African Americans could be anything that we wanted to be or dreamed about but you wouldn’t get off our necks. 

 

The title signifies that the criminal system has kept its knee on the necks of Black people since slavery up to today. I explain it in more detail in the introduction of Get Off My Neck. As some people may believe, the American dream is available to any one regardless of race, I know another version of the American dream that is not available to disproportionate numbers of Black people due to police, prosecutors, and an unjust system.

 

Q: What do you see looking ahead when it comes to criminal justice reform?

 

A: I see that we can accomplish the reforms that I discuss in Get Off My Neck. It will not be done overnight. I see that once the 26 million folks who protested in 2020 in the largest protest in US history realize that the power for change lies within the people uniting with racial justice organizations, progressive lawmakers, and others that major change will take place. The power lies with us –we the people.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Every day, I read to stay current on the happenings of the criminal system. As I give talks around the country and virtually, I give updates on issues since my book was published. I’m looking for ways to partner with other racial justice organizations just as I suggest that readers do. The book is one medium.  I also see how the criminal stories of injustice in Get Off My Neck could be more widely explored in other mediums.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Anyone who would like to know more about my work can check out my website @ https://iamdebbiehines.com/, follow me on Twitter/X @iamdebbiehines    https://twitter.com/iamdebbiehines or Instagram @iamdebbiehines https://www.instagram.com/iamdebbiehines. I’d love to connect with readers!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb