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| Photo by Lara George Photography |
Tess Perko is the author of the new novel Learning to Whistle. A former journalist and English professor, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Q: What inspired you to write Learning to Whistle, and how did you create your character Leonie?
A: I write stories about women who find empowerment. My character, Leonie, is named after a dear friend of mine, Leona, who was 50 years older than me. We became friends when I was in my 20s and she was in her 70s.
Leona lived in a tiny makeshift house built by her husband in a poor neighborhood of East Los Angeles. She lived humbly, but taught me how to live a rich life of friendship, humor, and kindness toward others. Some of the most fun and endearing moments of my life were shared with her.
Leonie, the character, is also inspired by my daughter, Rachael, who had the courage and spunk to live in Argentina for two years after she graduated from college. Leonie’s grief for her mother’s death is based on my own grief experiences. I know how devastating it feels to lose someone you cherish.
Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: I often discover a title early in the process of writing a story, which helps me focus on the story’s purpose.
Relating to this story, I’ve always wished to be able to whistle because whistlers appear to be happy people. I blended the idea of whistling (and being happy) with the journey of Leonie’s healing from her sorrow over her mother’s death. Leonie wants to learn how to whistle, but she also yearns to overcome her abject heartache.
Q: The writer Suzanne Simonetti said of the book, “Rich with heart, sensory detail, and insight, this story is both tender and uplifting.” What do you think of that description?
A: I’m thrilled with Suzanne Simonetti’s endorsement.
I am a deep empath and can feel the joy and pain of other people’s lives, and I use this ability in my writing. In this novel, I allowed my empathic skill to create scenes and characters that helped me to deepen the meaning of the story.
For example, at the Iguazú waterfalls, Leonie meets a strange woman wearing a cloak that imitates the wings of the butterflies flickering around her. This woman gives Leonie advice about how she must change in order to heal.
I think Suzanne Simonetti discovered my empathic nature and how it was infused into the story. She also noted how I enjoy writing sensory detail, particularly describing nature and the fine minutiae of character.
Because the story explores such deep feelings, I wouldn’t have been courageous enough to write it 10 years ago. Before, I worried that readers would think my own life was a mess if I wrote about these things. Today, I derive personal strength from being able to write about sad, painful, and joyful events. With my writing, I’m participating in the human story.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: This is a story for women of all ages. I hope my readers take Leonie’s story as one example of how to get through a painful experience and how to live a full and rewarding life afterwards. One kind of empowerment.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Currently, I’m writing short stories about grieving. I also have an idea for a short story about a character who doesn’t learn about the power of kindness until the last months of her life.
In addition, I’m working on blog pieces that discuss various aspects of the writing life. One focuses on writing a strong first chapter. Another discusses how to build a female writing community.
My big project is my next novel, a story about a young woman who grows up with an authoritative father and leaves home so she can find out who she is and gain back her self-respect. The story is based in Alaska.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I get my writing talent from my dad. When I was 9, he was going to miss my birthday. He was in the Air Force and stationed in England while we still lived in California so he wrote me a birthday poem of more than 10 verses. Each stanza had four lines and every other line rhymed. I saved that birthday card for years, but I’ve now lost it.
When I was little, my mother sat me down to write letters to her sisters because she didn’t like writing. I didn’t know what to say, but, step by step, she stood by the sink in the kitchen doing chores and gave me ideas until I had a whole letter. I continued to write my aunts letters until this year when her last sister died.
I never get writer’s block anymore. My biggest problem is finding the time or the energy to write down all the ideas that come to my imagination. I love being a writer.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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