Q&A with Elle Marr

 

 

 

Elle Marr is the author of the new novel The Alone Time. Her other novels include The Family Bones. She lives in Oregon.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Alone Time, and how did you create the Seng family?

 

A: The Alone Time was inspired, in part, by my own experience with a plane crash when I was a child. I was 11 years old and my dad was flying the plane over a mountain range in Southern California when the gas cap came unscrewed and leaked all of our remaining fuel. Everyone was okay, but it made for a harrowing experience!

 

The terror of it, which has stuck with me, made me wonder what might have happened, had we not landed in a more hospitable environment.

 

The Seng family came to me while thinking about how two adult sisters, survivors of a terrible tragedy, might have been shaped during their childhood by their parents. From there, I had to consider what kind of parents might do well in a wilderness setting – and what kind would not.

Q: The novel is set in a remote part of Washington state--why did you choose that setting, and how did you research the book?

 

A: I searched for locations in the Pacific Northwest where one could get potentially lost or stranded for a period of time. Given the “right” weather circumstances—right, for this writer’s purposes—the Olympic National Park was the perfect fit, with its rolling mountains, snow-packed peaks and adjacent rainforests.

 

I researched the area extensively, including learning that an expedition team got lost in that exact area for six months back in the 1800s.

 

Q: The writer Lyn Liao Butler said of the book, “Each layer of the story is expertly revealed, leaving you in shock as you wonder what is the truth and what is only imagined.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I loved it! As a writer, I’m always hoping that my colleagues (other authors) enjoy my work. Butler’s stories are so suspenseful and steeped in complex family dynamics, and I was grateful for her kind words. I hope all readers who dive into The Alone Time feel the same delicious shock that Butler did.

 

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

 

A: The Alone Time is about confronting ourselves and our actions, no matter how many years have passed—and then accepting the consequences.

 

I hope readers walk away from this book questioning the choices they would have made in the same impossible situations that Fiona and Violet endure. And if they do, I hope readers are honest with themselves. After all, the truth always comes out in the end.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m getting ready to launch my next book, an adult romantic thriller titled Your Dark Secrets from Disney Hyperion Avenue, which publishes on July 30. Plus, I’m writing a new thriller that’s been really fun to explore thus far.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The Alone Time is my fifth book, and I am so proud of the finished product. It sat in my head for years until I had the bandwidth to process my own memories and then to invent new elements to drive this separate, fictional story. It’s the exploration of “What if?” in the most extreme sense. I hope that readers enjoy the ride.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Elle Marr.

Q&A with Camille Aubray

 

 

 

Camille Aubray is the author of the new novel The Girl from the Grand Hotel. Her other novels include Cooking for Picasso.

 

Q: What inspired you to write this novel, and how did you create your character Annabel?

 

A: I've spent a lot of time on the French Riviera, and when I discovered a historical secret that was "hiding in plain sight" I was inspired to write The Girl from the Grand Hotel, a novel about the first Cannes Film Festival. The grand opening of this big event was, unfortunately, scheduled for September 1, 1939—which just happened to be the day that Hitler marched into Poland and ignited the second World War!

 

But during that summer of '39 there were many dazzling pre-festival parties and screenings as boatloads of glamorous Hollywood stars descended upon the Côte d'Azur. I decided to show it all from the eyes of my fictional character, Annabel, a 20-year-old American who takes a summer job working at the sumptuous Grand Hotel that her French uncle manages. I've always enjoyed the notion of the American girl abroad, as in the novels of Henry James and Edith Wharton.

 

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

 

A: In researching The Girl from the Grand Hotel, I immersed myself in the history of the Côte d'Azur, and also Hollywood biographies, film history, cookbooks and menus, fashion, film posters, and—very important—the newspapers and magazines of the time period. I also listened to songs of that era, and, of course, I watched lots and lots of movies!

What surprised me most was when I found out that a stunning military fort, once part of the famous Maginot Line, still existed. It was built as part of France's first line of defense against invading armies. I went high, high up into the mountains to see it, and it gave me goosebumps to think of the soldiers and ammunition posted there in 1939. I also discovered a mysterious little village perched up there in the clouds, and both it, and the Maginot fort figure significantly in The Girl from the Grand Hotel.

 

Q: The writer Fiona Davis said of the book, “I loved her dead-on depictions of bold-faced names of the day like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charles Laughton, and was swept away by the fast-paced story and canny twists.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I was so happy to hear that Fiona Davis loved the story twists and turns and all the celebrity cameos in The Girl from the Grand Hotel. My editor calls these "Easter eggs" that surprise us whenever my heroine, Annabel, discovers another movie star hiding behind those fashionable sunglasses. And I was also delighted when Kristin Hannah summed it all up by saying, "French history, the Cote d'Azur, and old Hollywood—what's not to love about this delicious novel inspired by true events and set in one of the most beautiful, most romantic places in the world?"

 

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

 

A: I felt very gratified when Publishers Weekly said that The Girl from the Grand Hotel is "fun and surprising" because it "follows a 20-year-old American woman [who] hobnobs with the rich and famous . . . but all the while Camille Aubray has set the stage for deeper themes . . . Readers will be swept away." I hope that readers, too, will enjoy the glamour and intrigue and also experience the deeper undercurrents. I chose to write about the 1930s because many issues of that time do resonate today.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I'll be doing signings and events all summer, so people can check in with my website to find out the details, starting in May: http://www.camilleaubray.com/new-events

 

And, The Girl from the Grand Hotel is available now: https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Grand-Hotel-Camille-Aubray/dp/B0CGJMNF3G 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Camille Aubray.

Q&A with Stéphane Carlier

 

Photo by Claire Deweggis

Stéphane Carlier is the author of the new novel Clara Reads Proust, translated from French to English by Polly Mackintosh. He has written seven other novels. He lives in France.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Clara Reads Proust, and how did you create your character Clara?

 

A: I find that I only really understand what inspired me to write a book once I’ve finished writing it. I was able to grasp the deeper meaning of this book after its publication.

 

I think that, essentially, I wanted to show that in this world, with its overwhelming ugliness and idiocy, we can still find beauty, intelligence, and things that are worthwhile.

 

As for the character of Clara, she is the equivalent of the narrator in In Search of Lost Time: a blank sheet of paper where a story can be written. She needed to be a little unassuming, and a little neutral, without any strong character traits, so that the impact of Proust and his masterpiece can really be felt.

      

Q: What impact did reading Proust have on you?

 

A: A huge impact. It’s really quite something to discover such a writer, who has great style and great intelligence at the same time.

 

When I read him for the first time, at the age of 19, I really had the sense that I had found a friend. I wasn’t interested in everything he wrote about, but the parts I understood dazzled me. His attention to detail amazed me. His underrated sense of humour really made an impact on me, too. 

    

Q: Le Parisien called the book a “sumptuous homage to reading in which the writer deftly depicts provincial life with humour and affection.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I think that’s about right. It’s important that the book is set somewhere other than Paris. So many French novels take place in Paris, which makes sense, since so many French writers live there.

 

But I live in Burgundy. When you look at a map of France, Burgundy is right where the heart is! I don’t think there is any region more French than Burgundy. So it made sense that I placed Cindy Coiffure there. The book would not have worked if Clara had been from Paris.  

 

It’s a tribute to the power of books, of course, but more than that, it’s the story of a young woman who reinvents herself, which few of us manage to do. 

     

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

 

A: The epigraph is a quote by Virginia Woolf – she says that the most important thing is a person to find their own dimensions, to not let themselves be impeded. Don’t be the person that the world you’ve grown up in expects you to be. Don’t be afraid to go where you’re not expected to go. You’ll be more likely to flourish here.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: The novel I wrote after Clara Reads Proust, which is called Life Is Not a Novel by Susan Cooper, came out on 4th April in France. It depicts a British novelist who lives in Paris – an author of mystery novels. She is just preparing to go to Monaco to collect a prize when she receives a message from a reader who tells her that she has killed a man. 

 

It’s a murder-mystery comedy, which I really enjoyed writing. Among other things, it’s a tribute to England, to its spirit and its sense of humour, which I’m very attached to. I love Alan Bennett, Jonathan Coe, Ian McEwan, but also Ricky Gervais, the Monty Python films, and Absolutely Fabulous: I couldn’t live without them!  

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I miss London! I’d so love to go for a wander there this morning. I’m currently rereading Mrs. Dalloway and I’m realising how much I’d love to walk beside her in Bond Street!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Janet Stilson

 

 

 

Janet Stilson is the author of the new novel Universe of Lost Messages. She also has written the novel The Juice. Also a journalist, she lives in New York City.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Universe of Lost Messages, and how did you create your characters Izzie and Tristan?

 

A: Two of my favorite topics! Glad you asked.

 

A few years back, I had a recurring situation that drove me bananas. Some important email messages were automatically routed to my junk mail folder, and it took me a while to find them. It was a lesson learned the hard way. (Check the darned spam folder more often!) And it also sparked a little fantasy—kind of a personal joke.

 

I imagined a place in the upper stratosphere where missing messages were all trapped—junk mail, really important missives, and everything in between. Eventually, that idea became a seed for the novel.

 

The Universe of Lost Messages is a virtual place of infinite size that looks like a cosmos. Only it’s orange, and instead of stars and planets, it contains holographic messages encased in bubble-like globes. A few of those missing messages could impact everyone on Earth, and they have life-or-death consequences for the characters who are desperately trying to find them.

 

Another inspiration for the novel came from my work as a journalist. When I’m not writing fiction, I report on the media industry. And a lot of my interviews with execs in big media companies has related to what they’re planning for the future—new shows, new technology, new ways of enticing advertisers.

 

In a sense, those conversations “wired” me to imagine what entertainment and information will be like further out in time. I started to think about how media companies might influence the way we all think or behave, even more than they already do.

 

Those imaginings led to my first book, The Juice, and now the second book in the series, Universe of Lost Messages, which is a stand-alone. (In other words, you don’t need to read The Juice first).  

A key aspect of both books are so-called Charismites: people who are endowed with extraordinary powers of charm. They become powerful tools of persuasion when they make certain suggestions during media appearances.

 

That leads me to the second part of your question: about Izzie and Tristan, who are both Charismites. If you think about the charm factor of the most popular celebrities alive today, and then imagine their magnetic pull if that charisma was amped up to a much greater degree, then you have an idea of these two. They can get anybody to do almost anything.

 

Some of my work in creating Izzie and Tristan involved thinking about their parents’ dilemma. If you’re raising someone so delightful and potentially dangerous, what the heck do you do?

 

Izzie and Tristan’s parents decided to keep them isolated. That didn’t work so well with Izzie, because she’s rebellious and pretty reckless—although also very sweet at times and a talented performer. In fact, she turned into a megastar musician and actress.

On the other hand, Tristan was quite happy to be isolated. His parents kept him in a 75-acre biodome in upstate New York, which is filled with wildlife. And he’s a real nature boy. Because they don’t understand each other, Izzie and Tristan never got along.

 

Their worlds exploded when they were abducted by a mysterious, power-hungry organization. They were forced into 24/7 prison isolation together. And it became really clear that if they were ever going to figure out how to escape, they had to work together.

 

Q: How did you create the world in which the story takes place?

 

A: I imagined what it would be like to walk the halls of big media companies by recalling my experiences visiting executives in the past. I also looked into advanced versions of humanoids, underwater exploration, space travel, and camouflage.

 

One of the characters is a former opera diva, Nadia. Her career ended abruptly, and she’s a tyrannical mess. I was fortunate to speak with some opera singers about their world to enrich my understanding of who Nadia is.

 

I also was in touch with experts at NASA about asteroids and am fortunate to have a cousin who could give me a reality check about email message transmissions.

 

Q: The writer Jonathan Oliver said of the book, “This is a terrific thriller but it’s also a deeply incisive political novel, holding up a mirror to our celebrity-obsessed culture.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I am extremely flattered. It is just about everything I was hoping to achieve.

 

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

 

A: First and foremost, I hope they are entertained. The book is filled with humor, romance, mystery, and suspense. It’s not heavy-handed with the underlying themes related to society and politics. At least, I don’t think it is.

 

However, if it also makes people think a little more about the disinformation in our world today, and where media might be headed, that would be a cherry on my proverbial sundae.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m writing some short stories. It’s a great way to test drive different story ideas, figure out if they can go the distance of a full novel, or if they’re better in a more compact form. Right now, I think one of those storylines could transfer over to Book 3 in The Charismite series. It’s now in the planning stages.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The book is a lot better than it might have been thanks to the generosity of trusted readers who gave me early feedback—and also those who helped me with research. I appreciate them all immensely.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Janet Stilson.

May 1

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

May 1, 1923: Joseph Heller born.

Q&A with Eileen Garvin

 

Photo by Kate Schwager

 

 

Eileen Garvin is the author of the new novel Crow Talk. Her other books include the novel The Music of Bees. She lives in Oregon.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Crow Talk, and how did you create your characters Frankie, Anne, and Aiden?

A: I was first inspired to write Crow Talk in the summer of 2020. I’d just turned in the final revision of my first novel, The Music of Bees, to my editor. Right about that time, pandemic restrictions suddenly closed all the trails in and around my hometown.

 

I’ve taken great comfort in nature since I was a child, and my parents bought a summer house on a lake. Without the (wonderful) distraction of my manuscript to work on, having no access to the woods (my best way to cope with stress) felt like a double whammy.

 

About a month into those restrictions, I had a chance to return to the old family place at the lake. I felt such relief and gratitude at being there alone and out under the trees. That’s when I got the first glimmer of an idea for Crow Talk.

 

I thought, what if I took a few wounded people and placed them in a remote, beautiful place? How might proximity to the natural world help them heal?

 

The characters came to me later, each wrestling with a unique problem, but united in their need to find a way out of grief and isolation.

 

Q: The novel is set in the Pacific Northwest--how important is setting to you in your writing?

A: Setting is hugely important to me. For one thing, I love where I live, and I feel the Pacific Northwest lends itself to beautifully as a stage for storytelling.

 

When writing my own stories, that attention to physical location and sensation is automatic because it’s what I seek in the stories I like to read. I want a book to communicate the setting viscerally. Where am I? What does it smell like? What do I hear?

Q: The writer Shelby Van Pelt said of the book, “Eileen Garvin deftly explores our human connections – with each other, with nature, and with ourselves. Crow Talk will leave you in awe at how the smallest, most tender moments can hold the power to transform.” What do you think of that description?

A: Well, I think Shelby Van Pelt’s description is incredibly generous! And yet she captures so deftly what I hope readers will find in this story. I do believe that in life and in stories the seemingly inconsequential moments can change our lives.

 

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

A: The title was chosen by me as a “good enough” title for the manuscript. I fully expected it to be changed! Neither of my other two books was published with the title I started with. I trust the marketing folks on these sorts of things.

 

But the title seemed to work for everyone. It’s short and simple. Most obviously it refers to the communication among the crows that Frankie, the ornithologist, begins to discover.

 

More broadly speaking, Crow Talk refers to the ongoing conversation among birds and other creatures in the world that we can tune into if we pay attention.

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on a new novel that’s also set in Hood River, Oregon, like The Music of Bees is.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I’m on going on tour for Crow Talk starting in April. If folks want to come to one of my events, they can check out my tour schedule here. I also love to pop into people’s book clubs when my schedule permits. Send me a message from here if you’d like more info.

 

Thanks so much for the chance to chat!

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Norah Woodsey

 

 

 

Norah Woodsey is the author of the new novel The States, a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Woodsey's other books include The Control Problem.

 

Q: Why did you decide to write an update of Jane Austen’s Persuasion?

 

A: To be honest, The States did not start out as a Persuasion retelling. The manuscript began as a NaNoWriMo in Fall 2020, when I needed a break from my hard sci-fi novel, The Control Problem.

 

I revisited it after that book came out, and I realized what was best in the manuscript was all very referential to Persuasion. I decided that I needed to either commit to making it a Persuasion retelling, or change it into something else. 

 

I reread the novel and thought about what to do. Like many of Austen’s works, Persuasion has interesting commentary on class, gender, and family dynamics, but on rereading the novel again, I focused more on a mystery.

 

Who was Lady Elliot? Why would someone so kind and rational end up with someone so abusive, vain, and irresponsible? And her death instigates Anne’s misery but we never learn details.

 

When I thought more about Lady Elliot and her relationship to Anne, I decided to push forward with an honest retelling. I kept portions of my original manuscript as Tildy’s dream sequences and many scenes in her romance with Aidan, but essentially rewrote the rest, motivated by this relationship between Tildy and her mother.

 

Q: What did you see as the right balance between Austen’s characters and your own version as you were writing the novel?

 

A: Modernizing an Austen story is so tricky. Many of the social limitations and motivations experienced by those characters no longer exist. Women can have their own lives independent of their fathers and husbands.

 

But some things, like familial abuse, vanity, and irresponsible wealth remain the same. Anne’s sisters and father were very easy to translate to modern society.

 

Mr. Elliot, whose cousinhood had to be abandoned (of course), was an interesting challenge to tackle. What would motivate a person who sees through this family to ingratiate himself with them? And what would a modern Anne Elliot see in a person like that?

 

There were some challenges from a storytelling perspective. Saving a Mrs. Smith to nearly the end of the story would be a hard sell. I wanted this book to be enjoyable even if the reader were unfamiliar with Persuasion, and so I kept with modern character introduction expectations.

 

Still, this is a Persuasion retelling and I needed to honor Austen’s work. With that in mind, it was crucial to start with Patrick Sullivan, the Sir Walter of my story, right from the get-go. He is a black hole that Tildy cannot free herself from, like Anne and Sir Walter.

 

You can’t appreciate the story without really knowing the patriarch of this family, and how he affects everyone in his orbit. 

 

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

 

A: I chose The States pretty early on. “The States” was how Irish friends and family referred to the USA, but I also wanted to reference how the characters exist in various states of being. Dreaming and awake, acceptance and rejection, romance and perpetual estrangement.

 

Navigating these fluctuating modes is part of the challenge for Tildy and, to a certain extent, Aidan.

 

Q: A review on IndieReader.com called the book a “beautiful and thoughtful modernization of Jane Austen’s Persuasion that explores a modern heroine’s discovery of the difference between fantasy and agency.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: First off, I am very flattered! The goal of this book, even before I realized it was a Persuasion retelling, was to bring beauty and escape to a reader. I wanted to create something that showed a path through self-inflicted isolation to acceptance and joy.

 

A common theme in all of my work, from dark science fiction to romance, is a woman’s self-discovery, seizing her own power and letting go of what holds her back, whoever she is.

 

That was one of the things that drew me to Persuasion as a reader. Even though marriage is, as always, the escape hatch for the heroines in Austen stories, in Persuasion Anne reclaims power she had forsaken. It’s so compelling and joyful, and I hope readers find that in my version as well. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m writing a sequel to my 2018 sci fi novella, When the Wave Collapses. I don’t want to give too much away, but it is a woman’s breakup/roadtrip story set within modern space travel. I’m excited to use my history degree again! It’s been a long time since I published my last historical novel. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: For those who prefer audiobooks, that version of the novel should be out in May. This came together pretty quickly and I’m so thrilled! It is performed by an actor from Galway and it sounds fantastic so far. Can’t wait to share more soon!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb