Q&A with Sue Fliess

 

 

 

Sue Fliess is the author of the new children's picture books Beauty and the Beaker and Kid Scientist: Zoologists on the Trail. Her many other books include Octopus Acrobatics. She lives in Northern Virginia.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Beauty and the Beaker, and how did you create your character Beauty?

 

A: My publisher wanted another fractured fairytale, so I started brainstorming with a list of existing fairytales. I first thought of something with Snow White, then Beauty and the Beast, which I thought could be Beauty and the Beach. And it could have an ocean conservation angle.

 

But then–and it’s always good to have creative friends!--my friend Julie Hedlund emailed me and said I thought of a title and you are the one to write the book for it: Beauty and the Beaker. Of course, I thanked her profusely and wished I’d thought of it myself, but that is how it goes sometimes!

 

But then I had the challenge of creating a story around this Beauty. What would she do with her beaker? I’d already been thinking about something with a body of water, so I started researching what types of things she might collect from the ocean, or lakes, or ponds. 

 

When I started reading about algae, both my husband and my scientist/librarian friend suggested I look into biofuels. So, it really takes many minds to pull a story together.

 

I always want my characters in these STEM fairytales to solve a problem, or create something fantastic, so I had Beauty live on an island, the cyclone is the beast, and she discovers a biofuel through harvesting algae to power her town. 

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

 

A: Stay curious, try new things, research can be fun, dream big and don’t be afraid to fail. And, because the story is based on real science, maybe they’ll be inspired to find help our planet like Beauty did, and learn something too! 

 

Q: You also have another new picture book, Kid Scientist: Zoologists on the Trail. What's the story behind that book?

 

A: In Zoologists on the Trail, a group of zoologists are returning to Yellowstone National Park to observe a pack of wolves that were introduced there years before. They are watching to see if the pack is healthy, has grown, and to check on the surrounding environment/habitats.

 

When they arrive, they learn that two of the wolf tracking collars are broken, and decide to track them using bioacoustics instead. This means they howl at the pack, then record the wolf pack’s responding howls. Each wolf has an individual howl, so they can tell if the pack has more members, and can count them. 

Q: What do you think the illustrations, by Petros Bouloubasis and Mia Powell respectively, add to the books?

 

A: Petros has a way with drawing quirky characters that are still impossibly cute. Beauty may just be my favorite! He also adds such wonderful details. Some I notice on the fourth or fifth read, for the first time. There is always so much to look at. 

 

Mia’s artwork has a wonderful playfulness about it, so the characters are very sweet and relatable. This also lets the reader focus on the core information in the book, while still enjoying the great color palette and details in the illustrations. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on finishing a middle grade manuscript, reviewing some artwork for a picture book I have coming out next year with author and friend Ann Marie Stephens called So Many Books!, and also fine-tuning some board book pitches.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Sue Fliess.

Q&A with Andrew Maraniss

 

 

 

Andrew Maraniss is the author of the new children's Beyond the Game biography series, which began with books about basketball stars LeBron James and Maya Moore. Maraniss's other books include Inaugural Ballers. He is director of special projects at the Vanderbilt University Athletic Department, and he lives in Brentwood, Tennessee.

 

Q: Why did you decide to focus on basketball stars LeBron James and Maya Moore in your new books?

 

A: The Beyond the Game series focuses on athletes who have done important work outside of sports to help other people. The books on Moore and James are the first two books in a continuing series, and I wanted to get the series off on a strong foot by writing about athletes who are well known and clearly illustrate the concept.

 

Maya Moore was arguably the best player in women’s basketball and gave up her professional career to help free an innocent man from prison. LeBron famously refused to “shut up and dribble” and has used his platform to speak out on issues ranging from voter suppression to gun violence to Black Lives Matter.

 

The goal is for the series to continue to be equally divided between male and female subjects, to feature current athletes rather than retired or deceased heroes, and to highlight a diverse range of subjects.

 

Q: How did you research the books, and what did you learn about these athletes that especially surprised you?

 

A: Since these books are meant for first- to third-graders, there wasn’t quite as much research involved as there has been for my longer books for older readers. For example, I spent four years doing the research for my first book, Strong Inside.

 

With these first two books in the Beyond the Game series, I read books and articles about the subjects, watched documentaries and other video clips, and talked to people who know LeBron and Maya.

 

In the case of LeBron, I’ve always been surprised that he has to deal with so many haters. He’s lived his life in public since he was a teenager and consistently makes good decisions. He’s a good teammate, a winner, community minded. I don’t get the hate, other than people like to bring down the same people they’ve built up.

 

With Maya, like a lot of people, I was surprised when she married Jonathan Irons, the man she was working to free from prison. I was in the middle of writing the book when they made the announcement.

Q: What do you think DeAndra Hodge’s illustrations add to the books?

 

A: This was my first time writing an illustrated biography, and I am so pleased to partner with a talented illustrator like DeAndra Hodge on this series.

 

When writing for kids who are just beginning to read chapter books on their own, the illustrations are incredibly important. They help to make the book accessible to a wider range of young readers and they help tell the story in a fun way. The illustrations add depth and context not only to the athletic lives of the subjects, but also their social justice work.

 

It’s been a lot of fun for me to visit classrooms and share DeAndra’s illustrations while I’m reading the books to students.

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from learning about the lives of these athletes?

 

A: There are several things I hope they take away from these books.

 

At one basic level, I just hope they enjoy reading them and find the stories and illustrations interesting and entertaining. It is so important to get kids hooked on reading at an early age.

 

In terms of the social messages, I hope these books spark family conversations about the serious social issues at the heart of the books – racism, voter suppression, police violence, two systems of justice, the political choice to allow kids to grow up in poverty, and mass incarceration, among others.

 

I hope that kids will see there are different reasons to admire athletes. Sometimes we admire them purely for their athletic achievements, and that’s fine. But the transcendent athletes represent something more, and that’s what this series is all about.

 

Finally, I hope these books help kids develop a sense of empathy and a desire to use their own voice to speak up for justice. Kids have a strong sense of what is right and wrong and it’s important for them to see examples of adults who are committed to justice when so many people in our society seem to be celebrated and rewarded for taking the exact opposite positions.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m continuing the Beyond the Game series with illustrated biographies of Pat Tillman, the NFL star who enlisted in the army after Sept. 11 and was tragically killed by his own men (coming Oct. 1, 2024) and of Indigenous runner Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Whetstone, who raises awareness of the issue of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (coming in 2025).

 

I’ve also begun writing my first fiction series for Scholastic about a group of diverse neighborhood kids who learn lessons by trying out different sports.

 

And I’m writing a book for teens and adults on the first Special Olympics, which took place in 1968 in Chicago.

 

This is on top of my job as director of special projects at the Vanderbilt University Athletic Department, where I manage the Sports & Society Initiative. I’m staying busy and I enjoy all of it.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I have testified on behalf of teachers and school librarians at the Tennessee legislature as they have been attacked by Moms for Liberty and conservative legislators.

 

Earlier this summer I had the opportunity to participate in the Children’s Defense Fund’s Read Aloud program commemorating the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer 1964. The focus was on banned books and protecting the freedom to read and learn. I know many other authors and illustrators who are active on these issues all over the country.

 

I would encourage your readers to speak up in their communities and to support authors writing the kinds of truthful, important books that are under fire. That could mean buying books for schools or community programs, inviting authors to speak, speaking up at school board meetings, voting for the right candidates, running for office.

 

Now’s not the time to just sit back and take comfort in believing the right things. The subjects of these books may have large platforms due to their position as athletes, but the point of the books is to inspire everybody to act in their own way.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Andrew Maraniss.

Q&A with Alison Rand

 

 

Alison Rand is the author of the new memoir Walking Alison: A Poodle's Mostly True Story of Helping Her Human Navigate Life. She also has written the memoir A Place Called Grace. She lives in Manhattan.

 

Q: What inspired you to write this new memoir from the perspective of your poodle, Dea?

 

A: After I published my first memoir, A Place Called Grace, I heard from many people that they were curious as to what happened to me because it ended in a bittersweet way, not a fairytale ending.

 

I knew I had more of a story to tell but didn’t feel that telling it from my own point of view was the right way to go.

 

So, as I looked for a different angle I realized that my dog, Dea, my beloved and opinionated black poodle, knows me as well as I know myself!

 

Plus, we have a lot in common—we have the same birthday, we both love exercise and we both suffer from bouts of anxiety. I then thought why not write this second memoir entirely from her point of view.

 

I tried not to anthropomorphize Dea because Dea is a dog and it needed to be told from a poodle’s perspective, but I also needed to keep my own persona as her number one character. I knew it would be a challenge, but Dea had to tell my continuing story.

 

As I researched other books narrated by dogs and one narrated by a cat, they were all terrific stories but they were fiction and mine was a memoir. I couldn’t find anything that was comparable to what I wanted to do, so that was scary. Would anyone be interested in an opinionated poodle narrating her mama’s memoir? I decided yes.

 

My memoir is really like two different books in one. It is my continuing memoir, but because it is told by my dog, my story had to intertwine her voice and personality and our lives into telling my story—not an easy feat.

 

Q: How would you describe the relationship between you and Dea?

 

A: Dea and I are bonded at the hip. While her puppyhood was a bit challenging, and at one point I wasn’t sure I could manage such a smart, feisty puppy, once I was “trained” properly I fell madly in love with my amazing poodle.

 

She has separation anxiety which she exhibited even at six weeks old when I first met her. But we have mostly worked that out and she understands I will come back inside the big front door-- one day!

 

Dea is extremely social and when she takes me out on our walks she introduces me to all her dog friends and to all that she notices outside, like the beady-eyed squirrels who run up trees or that new patch of grass that has not been marked recently so she does the honors.

 

I also have a master’s in social work so communication verbally and non-verbally is part of my training and Dea and I are so bonded that we communicate beautifully together. I am as in tune with her non-verbal abilities to communicate as she is with mine.

 

After Alba, my first dog as an adult, died, I didn’t think I could ever love another dog again. The pain was just too immense. So when I first got Dea, only a few months after Alba had gone over the Rainbow Bridge, I thought it might have been too soon for another dog. But soon enough once again, after I got trained I fell madly in love with my little monkey girl. We are now together almost all the time.

Q: Was the writing process very different with this book than with A Place Called Grace?

 

A: A Place Called Grace was my first memoir and it was a difficult venture because my editor pushed me to be as open and honest as I could. At times it was painful to write about my difficult childhood where my family was severed at an early age and I was separated from my brother and sister during my parents’ divorce. Then writing about my own divorce, the loss of my beloved brother, David, my mother and then my dog Alba.

 

Yes, it was cathartic but I also knew it didn’t feel finished and I also recognized it would end in a bittersweet manner, not in a Hollywood ending.

 

In contrast, writing Walking Alison: A Poodle’s Mostly True Story of Helping Her Human Navigate Life was also an open and honest memoir showing my vulnerabilities and foibles but because Dea was telling the story it was the most joyful experience because through her voice and opinions about my life I was able to laugh at myself and add humor to my story.

 

Even while I confessed to telling Dea how scared I was with the fear of my breast cancer recurrence, she has a different take on life and changes the dynamics.

 

While writing the book I had to begin to notice even more behaviors about Dea. So, we took more walks in the park, looking at every tree, every fallen leaf, every squirrel and we engaged with many strangers. It then became second nature for me to look at life through her eyes and not my own because I was only focused on Dea.

 

Plus, while I was writing the story Dea was seated on my lap and her presence there helped to enhance and really get into her doggie mindset!

 

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

 

A: Writing Walking Alison had a huge impact on me because first and foremost, my beloved dog, Dea, is the star of the book. Of course, I want the reader to love her feisty, comical, and opinionated ways.

 

As I was writing the most difficult scenes, such as when my breast cancer came back, I tried not to make it too sad by allowing Dea to recount the situation and add her own spin to it.

 

In fact, Dea adds her own spin to all my situations—falling in love, internet dates, Covid, isolation, my brother’s death, my mother and the loss of my first poodle, Alba. Because Dea has such wit and strong opinions about the strange ways of humans and how we deal with life, I ended up agreeing with her most of the time!

 

My story has layers of universal themes that I hope the reader will relate to. For me personally but also for so many others this story deals with serious illness, loneliness, isolation, fear, and love—and being able to love and care for someone apart from yourself.

 

The goal of my memoir is for the reader to hopefully relate and engage with my story and especially care about my dog as the narrator. Also, because I write in an open and honest manner showing my insecurities, I hope some people will see themselves in me and resonate with my journey.

 

Dea gave me a feeling of internal safety and I want the reader to think about the power of the human-animal bond that can help in so many ways via the complete selflessness of a dog

 

Q: What are you working on ow?

 

A: Dea and I are thinking about how to continue with another story!

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I recently read an article in The New York Times called “How Science Went to The Dogs and Cats.” The author, Emily Anthes,  reported that the research suggested dogs were extremely adept at interpreting human signals and signs even more so than wolves who were raised by humans. Plus, she also reported that at times dogs read human cues better than even great apes.

 

Dogs are earthly angels and we underestimate all that they can and do give us as humans. We are so fortunate to have them in our lives.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Patricia A. Roos

 

 

 

Patricia A. Roos is the author of the new book Surviving Alex: A Mother's Story of Love, Loss, and Addiction. Her son Alex died in 2015 of a heroin overdose at age 25. Her other books include Job Queues, Gender Queues. She is a professor emerita of sociology at Rutgers University. 

 

Q: First of all, I'm so sorry for the loss of your son...

 

Why did you decide to write this memoir?

 

A: Thank you for your kind words. I wrote this memoir because I didn't want Alex to be simply yet another 2015 statistic. I wrote to honor him, so that his life would make a difference. And of course, research and writing was therapy and I needed questions answered.

 

Q: The writer David Herzberg said of the book, “Both a memorial and a sociological analysis, Surviving Alex shows us that addiction is indeed something to fear, but not for the reasons many of us assume.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Interesting question. I don't know historian David Herzberg, so I'm not sure what he meant. But here is my take on it.

 

Many fear addiction, and consequently stigmatize those who use substances, and their families. Their stigma arises because they view users as "choosing" addiction because of personal "defects of character." Or they may believe that "addicts" have a brain disease, which reflects a compulsion that occurs from drug use (as the belief goes, once you take that first hit, you have the compulsion to keep taking drugs).

 

It's easy to stigmatize substance users if you buy that personalistic view of humanity. And if you share that view, the solution is relatively easy: send the users to jail and shun them and their families.

 

I most assuredly do not believe that addiction is due simply to choice, or to a broken brain. Alex asked many times, "Do you think I want this life?" We knew he didn't, but like many suffering in the insanity of addiction we had little access to what could have saved his life. 

 

Viewing addiction as a sociologist, I believe that substance use arises because choices occur within specific contexts. What are those contexts?

 

People use drugs because they are self-medicating for psychological issues (e.g., anxiety, depression, trauma) and/or for socioeconomic reasons (e.g., poverty, unemployment, incarceration, racism).

 

Moreover, data suggest that most people who use drugs do not become addicted. Estimates are that only 10 percent of those who take drugs become addicted. So the question for Alex is why did he feel the need to self-medicate first through anorexia and then later in his life with heroin. We need to raise our eyes beyond personalistic to systemic explanations.

 

Q: What do you see as your son’s legacy?

 

A: Legacy is hard to describe for someone who was only 25 when he died. But as I wrote in my epilogue, I strongly believe that if that we had lived in a compassionate harm reduction world, as opposed to a punishing, criminal justice one, Alex might have survived.

 

Ultimately he needed more time. He needed more time to let his prefrontal cortex develop, to find solutions, and to learn to hope again. A different historical context, steeped in harm reduction compassion, might well have given him that extra time. 

 

So perhaps Alex's legacy, through Surviving Alex, might well be that others may live because of what I learned about harm reduction. That's a damn good legacy.

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write the book, and what do you hope people take away from it?

 

A: Writing Surviving Alex has had a huge impact on my life. I tried many forms of therapy and self-care, but it was turning my grief into action that made the difference for me. Writing op-eds, testifying before political groups, and getting involved in interest groups launched me into advocacy.

 

And then, of course, from p. 1, writing this book was therapy. Ultimately I wrote a sociological memoir, which allowed me to apply sociological insights to thinking and writing about addiction. From that moment on, I was writing for recovery, both my own, and for all those my book might help.

 

I have three goals that have driven this research from the beginning.

 

First, I want people to know what it's like to live with someone who uses drugs. Most people don't have a clue. I wrote both for those who live in such families, who understand the insanity of addiction, but also for those who think it couldn't happen to them. I want people to know that if it happened to my family, it could happen to any family.

 

Second, I want people to understand that I'm both a mom and a sociologist. I look at addiction as a sociologist would. As I describe above, I believe that those who use substances are self-medicating, that choices are made in particular contexts.

 

Third, I want to be involved in community action to do something about the overdose crisis affecting our country. Nearly 110,000 people died of drug overdose just in the last 12 months. 

 

What are the implications of focusing on these three goals? Conventional explanations for addiction don't go far enough, and actively harm those who use substances and their families. The War on Drugs has failed. We can't incarcerate our way out of the problem.

 

Among needed strategies: We need to move beyond punishing, criminal justice approaches to those based on public health. We must recognize there are multiple paths to recovery, not simply abstinence-based approaches. We need treatment programs that use evidence-based medications, whch work to keep people alive. We must recognize that health care is a right not a privilege. Finally, we need to attack the stigma that remains stark and raging, even among medical providers. And, of course, many more.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Now that I've finished writing the book, I am in the process of deciding what sorts of advocacy will best use my skills. The first responses to my book have been encouraging, and I hope to bring my book, and its sociological arguments, to an even broader audience.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

July 31

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
July 31, 1919: Primo Levi born.

Q&A with Jessica Waite

 

Photo by Phil Crozier

 

 

Jessica Waite is the author of the new memoir The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards. She lives in Calgary, Alberta.

 

Q: Why did you decide to write The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards?

 

A: I started writing just for myself, to try to make sense of what happened after my husband died and I discovered his secrets. Later, I realized there was a story worth telling—if I could overcome my robust love of personal privacy.

 

There were two big hills to tackle: I needed to both build my writing chops and tend to my own emotional well-being. Part of that meant advancing my understanding of grief and the science of post-traumatic growth.

 

It took about seven years to write and revise this manuscript. Through the process I found a wonderful community of other writers. Sharing my experience helped me heal from heartbreak and open to new possibilities.

 

Q: The author Martha Jo Atkins said of the book, “As Jessica Waite uncovers external and internal truths in a world rocked by her dead husband's secrets, we get a front row seat to her winding road of healing and redemption. With dark humor and impressive resolve, Jessica finds her way back from loss and betrayal to forgiveness. A powerful and inspiring story, this one. Don't miss it.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I hold Dr. Martha Jo Atkins in such high esteem, it’s humbling to read her commentary. I love that she understands this story as less about its scandalous start and more about grappling to come to terms with a person who died when the relationship was in a rocky place.

 

What can you do when you find out your partner wasn’t who you thought they were? How does that change how you think about them and about yourself? And how do you support a grieving child in the midst of it all? It’s not for the faint of heart, let me tell you!

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

 

A: “The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards” was jokingly suggested by one of my late husband’s best friends. I wrote it on my whiteboard and left it there for about a year while I tested other titles (all too earnest and forgettable.) Then, with my son’s approval, I worked up the nerve to try the “joke title” on the page.

 

When I tell people my title they giggle nervously, then lean in. That’s the perfect setup for a story like this.

 

In the opening chapter, the protagonist is as angry as the name-calling suggests. But the events of the story are transformative. By the end, the title means something quite different to her. I find it satisfying when the same words can be read multiple ways.

 

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

 

A: Writing forced me to take on other perspectives and to challenge my default way of looking at things. It also necessitated paying careful attention to the nuances in my life and relationships.

 

That’s the thing I hope readers take away, the power of their own attention, especially when their intuition tells them something’s wrong, or invites them to slow down to deeply notice the wondrous moments in life. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on some essays and reading other people’s work. Not quite ready to dive into another book-length project just yet.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I’d love for men to know that there’s something in this book for them. Some of the most moving responses I’ve received have been from male readers (starting with caveats like “I’m probably not the target demographic…”). Despite its cheeky title, this is not a man-hating book, it’s a story about trying to find a way back to love.

 

P.S. My niece is a professional animator and she created an AMAZING trailer for this book.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Mary Jones

 

 

Mary Jones is the author of the new story collection The Goodbye Process. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including Electric Literature's Recommended Reading. She teaches fiction writing at UCLA Extension, and she lives in Los Angeles.

 

Q: Over how long a period did you write the stories in your new collection?

A: The stories in The Goodbye Process were written over the course of about 13 to 14 years or so, I would say. During that time I was also doing other things, of course. But I think because they were written over such a long stretch of time, they embody a range of experiences of a life lived. I think it’s a richer collection because of that.

 

I knew it was complete when I felt like I’d touched upon a wide range of the significant losses people encounter as they make their way through life.

Q: How was the book’s title (also the title of the last story) chosen, and what does it signify for you?

A: I was working on (what ended up becoming) the title story and, in that story, a character says to the narrator, “You have to release your feelings... it’s a very important part of the goodbye process.” My titles often come from lines in the story, and as soon as this character said this line, I knew it was the title of the story.

 

Soon after, I understood that it was also the title of the collection. It became clear to me that letting go and saying goodbye were what all the stories I had been working on for a long time were really about.

 

When people think about loss, I think what usually comes to mind is the death of a loved one, but there are so many other things we have to let go of, and say goodbye to, along the way—relationships, youth, health, homes, innocence, life as we know it.

 

I think we experience grief through all these different types of loss, whenever we lose something that is significant to us. This book explores all the different types of loss we face and how we survive it.  

Q: The writer Jill McCorkle said of the book, “Mary Jones’s delightful story collection is full of surprises...sometimes funny, often heartbreaking, always memorable.” What do you think of that description, and how do you balance humor and heartbreak in your stories?

A: I think Jill McCorkle is one of the greatest living short story writers, and I was extremely honored to get this beautiful blurb from her about the book.

 

I use humor to cope in my real life; it is often how I get through bad things, and that comes through in these stories. Sometimes when something awful happens, right there next to it—if you are open to seeing it—is a funny way to look at it.

 

This sort of humor is a dark humor, yes. But I think if you are able to go there, it can be a momentary relief and even a comfort. I think I go there in moments in these stories, and, in a way, I think this relieves the tension for the reader when dealing with serious subject matter.

 

I also find that there is a certain humor that occurs simply when something rings true. I think that’s where a lot of humor in these stories comes from.

 

So in most cases, there are no lines written with the intention of being funny, no jokes. I think the lines can just read as funny if something is described in such a particular and accurate way that the reader knows exactly what I’m talking about and feels in on the observation. 

Q: How did you decide on the order in which the stories would appear in the collection?

A: A lot of time went into deciding the story order, both individually on my end, and then also with my editor.

 

I had a giant poster board that had index cards with each story title on it, and I moved the cards around like puzzle pieces to figure out which stories went where.

 

I had two goals in mind as I did this. The first goal was to create balance: of stories with female and male narrators, of longer and shorter stories, of lighter and darker stories, and of real and surreal stories. The second goal was finding connections between the stories so that they would expand and complicate each other in interesting ways.

 

In all the (many) versions of the collection that existed during this time, the first story “From Outside I Could See,” and the last story “The Goodbye Process” never moved. Throughout the process, everyone always agreed that those two stories needed to be the first and last stories in the collection. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I’m working on a novel. Also, a novel-in-stories.

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: Just that I hope this collection will bring readers hope that there’s another side to grief, and comfort in knowing they are not alone: grief is something that unites us all.

 

There’s a quote by Jamie Anderson that I love, “Grief is just love with no place to go.” I’m hoping this collection will give readers a place to go; that it will open up a space for them to think about, and maybe talk about, the different kinds of loss they’ve endured and how they survived it.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Holly James

 

 

 

Holly James is the author of the new novel Name Your Price. Her other novels include Nothing But the Truth. She lives in California.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Name Your Price, and how did you create your characters Olivia and Chuck?

 

A: Many years ago, when I was in grad school, working a very long day in the lab, I jokingly asked my lab mate how much I’d have to pay him to do something really unpleasant—and, despite me joking, he actually considered! This planted the seed for the idea that there’s a price on anything, no matter how much you don’t want to do it.

 

Fast-forward several years to when I’m writing romance, I wanted to turn that hook into a funny book. I tried to think of the most unpleasant but funny thing that could happen to two people, and I realized getting back together with your ex fit the bill.

 

It took me many (many!) drafts to figure out how the gameshow competition would actually play out but locking Olivia and Chuck in a house together for a chance at a million dollars turned out to be so much fun.

 

Olivia came to me first since the story is from her POV. I wanted her to be smart and ambitious but down on her luck, and obviously in need of money because she had to be desperate enough to say yes to being locked up with her ex! Her being Hollywood royalty-by-proxy organically developed as I was drafting, and I love the side-plot about her parents.

 

Chuck got sweeter the more drafts I wrote. He started out pretty cocky and self-absorbed, but then I realized he’s just a big sweetheart so desperately in love with Olivia that he’d go on TV to win her back.

 

Peeling back the layers of their personalities and motivations—and their relationship—was one of the most challenging and rewarding writing experiences I’ve ever had.

Q: The writer Lacie Waldon said of the book, “Name Your Price is a fun, sexy romp that asks, 'What happens when chemistry doesn’t equal compatibility?'” What do you think of that description, and how would you describe the relationship between your characters?

 

A: I love this! I knew Olivia and Chuck were going to be fire and gasoline from the start. When we were designing the book’s cover, I requested that they look like they can’t stand each other but also that they can’t stand not touching each other, and the artist nailed it!

 

Writing their feisty dynamic was so much fun. They obviously have very intense chemistry, but I wanted to go deeper than that. They even admit on the page early on that their physical connection is what drives them together, and I wanted them to grow and realize over the course of the story that they have much more than that.

 

I revised their character arcs so many times to figure them out! But I think they finally got to a place of understanding themselves and each other by the end. 

 

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

 

A: I knew the story was going to be about a gameshow from the start, so the name of the show, Name Your Price, was the perfect title! It reflects the question that was floating around in my head as the hook of this book from the start: “How much would I have to pay you to ___?”

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: I hope they laugh! This book’s premise is the most “fun” one I’ve written in the sense that it’s kind of ridiculous but fully embraces that ridiculousness. I hope readers laugh, swoon, root for our lovers, and most of all just have a good time.   

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am awaiting copyedits for my 2025 rom-com Last Night Was Fun, which is about a pair of bitter office rivals competing for the same promotion who strike up an anonymous texting relationship and fall for each other when one of them is given a fake number after a bad date that happens to belong to the other.

 

It’s full of banter and texting with You’ve Got Mail vibes, and the big “It’s been you this whole time?!” reveal scene is one of my favorite that I’ve ever written. Also, it’s sports-adjacent because they both work for a professional baseball team. It will be out next summer!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Yes! I also have a book coming out in another genre in March 2025. It’s called The Big Fix and is a commercial fiction/action-rom-dramedy about a bookish college professor who ends up on the run with a celebrity fixer when she’s mistaken for his girlfriend after witnessing a crime. It is the most fun I’ve ever had writing, and I can’t wait for it to hit shelves next year!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Holly James.