Q&A with Gabriella Saab

  

 

Gabriella Saab is the author of the new novel The Survivors Guild. Her other books include The Last Checkmate. She lives in Mobile, Alabama.

Q: What inspired you to write The Survivors Guild, and how did you create your characters Bea and Marguerite?

 

A: Years ago, at a Southern Federation of Syrian/Lebanese American Clubs convention, I learned there were Lebanese immigrants aboard the Titanic. I had never known this before, and I wanted to explore the history more fully to discover not only what the journey might have been like, but what survival and life in America might have been like.

 

From there, Bea and Marguerite came surprisingly easily. I wanted two women to represent the lowest and highest classes on the ship so I could more fully explore the different ways the journey and survival impacted them.

 

Bea, a Lebanese immigrant, is determined and fiercely guarded while Marguerite, an American heiress, is privileged and accustomed to having her life decided for her. While they are opposites in many ways, they are also more similar than they initially realize, something they discover as they get to know one another.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between them?

 

A: At first, it’s tentative. They’ve survived a terrible ordeal together, and neither one knows exactly how to relate to the other, but they share a bond considering what they’ve gone through. And now they also have an infant who needs their help.

 

Both are motivated by the same goal — to help their families, to help survivors, and to help the baby — and, to do so, they have to learn how to trust one another and work together.

 

Through these efforts, they discover a deeper understanding of one another’s position in life as well as a friendship that defies what societal norms would expect, and it was such a beautiful, important dynamic for me to write. 

 

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

 

A: I had so many nonfiction and firsthand accounts at my fingertips thanks to museums, interviews, artifacts, autobiographies, and more about the Titanic, survivors, and New York in 1912.

 

I was surprised to learn about the Lebanese aboard the ship, and the story about the Titanic Orphans is one that has to be read to be believed. These two little boys were survivors who were too young to identify themselves, and they inspired the similar plot line in my novel.

 

I share more about the true story in the author’s note, so I highly encourage readers to read it, but only after they’ve finished the book to avoid spoilers!

 

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

 

A: At a time when circumstances were difficult for women and immigrants, I hope readers discover the importance of female friendship through Marguerite and Bea.

 

Their courage, determination, and compassion enable them to stand up for what they believe in, to help others, and to pursue the lives they want rather than the lives others want for them.

 

I also hope readers learn about pieces of Titanic history that they might not have known before. Although we know a lot about the ship, there are other stories — like those of the Lebanese immigrants — that have yet to be told, as well as the stories of what happened next. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I don’t know if I’m allowed to say! But I will say it’s another 20th century historical setting inspired by real women. My goal with all my books is to draw attention to stories of women and lesser-known pieces of history. I’m having a lot of fun with this one, and I’ll share more about it on my newsletter and social media as soon as I can!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: As a Lebanese-American, it was such a privilege for me to bring this history forward and share a bit more about myself and my culture. Bea and Marguerite were such a joy for me to write, and I hope readers experience the same joy in getting to know them.

 

Also, for anyone considering the audiobook of The Survivors Guild, I want to give a shout out to my narrators, Saskia Maarleveld and Gail Shalan — they’re incredible!

 

Finally, I want to extend my biggest thanks to everyone who reads books and supports authors. You are the reason we get to do what we love, and it means more than I can say. Thank you!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Suzanne Junered

  

Photo by Sarah Rizzolo

 

 

Suzanne Junered is the author of the new novel Goodnight Monsters. She lives in Colorado.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Goodnight Monsters, and how did you create your character Lia? 

 

A: My novels always stem from my own curiosities about human behavior, and a few questions that came forward were: What happens when we have bad thoughts but don’t act upon them? Do bad thoughts make us bad people? And what might push us to the edge where those thoughts turn to action?

 

Lia came to me with these questions. I wanted to write a novel about a woman who had murderous fantasies but knew she would never act them out. She had morals, you know. And I wondered how she would react if I gave her a job where the body of someone she fantasized about murdering could show up on her “desk.” 

 

Those were the two initial sparks into what became Goodnight Monsters, and I began writing it during stolen pockets of time between caring for a toddler and a newborn. 

 

What I didn’t realize until after the first draft was that I was writing metaphorically into my own instability and emotional state during dark post-partum days.

 

When I dove into my first big edit of the novel, I wrote Lia’s pregnancy into the story. Everything seemed to click into place from there. I understood her better. I felt for her. . . because I was her (minus murderous thoughts, that is). There are many deep layers as to how a story unfolds, and Goodnight Monsters was no exception. 

 

Q: The author Emily Carpenter said of the novel, “Pitting primal feminine desire and rage against the cultural expectations of women and motherhood, Junered has crafted an unforgettably spiky and deeply human heroine as well as a story that will have you wondering what the hell you just read.” What do you think of that description? 

 

A: I think Emily nailed it and am so honored she saw these pieces of my novel which are most important to me. Lia’s desires are at war with her social conditioning, and I think a lot of women can relate, even if our desires are not quite at the same morally gray intensity as Lia’s.

 

And “wondering what the hell you just read” is a high compliment—this review left me tickled and seen. I like to surprise people. I like to create curiosity and intrigue more so than just tell a story. Might we see parts of ourselves in Lia, even though we don’t want to? What went wrong? What happened to her? Could it happen to me…?

 

I also have to say it takes a very talented writer like Emily Carpenter to distill a novel into a precise, quippy sentence that covers all its bases! Brava to Emily. 

 

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

 

A: Yes, I absolutely knew the beginning of the novel and the ending before I began writing my way into the middle. And then the ending changed along the way! We can project and predict all we want, but what I’ve learned is we can never be certain what will happen until it happens. 

 

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

 

A: Goodnight Monsters is a play on Goodnight Moon, though I like to warn people it’s not your children’s bedtime story. While endearing, timeless, and close to my heart, to me Goodnight Moon is quite a strange story that doesn’t fully explain itself, so it aligns with Goodnight Monsters in that way.

 

And Lia’s ultimate goal becomes putting her monsters to bed, so in a way, it is a bedtime story. For adults who like “what the hell did I just read” kind of fiction. 

 

Q: What are you working on now? 

 

A: My next novel, House of Mannequins, will release September 28, 2027, so I’m working alongside my publisher to get that ready. It follows a woman who is suddenly burdened with psychic abilities and is taken in by a like-minded community where she finally feels at home—until she learns they’re taking the future into their own hands based on premonitions.

 

House of Mannequins asks: How far would you go to change the future if you could predict it? 

 

I am currently writing a novel about a PR specialist who goes to a swanky beachfront resort to turn around their bad reputation but ends up seduced by the power of the Kool-Aid they’re selling instead. Think Nine Perfect Strangers meeting Dark Matter with a touch of The Secret and The White Lotus vibes.

 

Titled Manifestation, this novel asks: Where is the line between living in your power and abusing your power? 

 

Q: Anything else we should know? 

 

A: Because novels are about much more than their plots alone, I am soon launching a podcast called No Secrets No Shame, which will touch on topics and themes that inspire my writing, especially the provocative and taboo ones.

 

I’m bringing these conversations out of the fictional realm and into the real world, inviting listeners to connect with conversations about things like sex, power, social conditioning, and the inner workings of the mind and body.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Lauren Johnson

  

 

 

Lauren Johnson is the author of the new novel The Soufflé Also Rises. She lives in Oak Park, Illinois.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Soufflé Also Rises, and how did you create your character Lizi?

 

A: I always wanted to write some kind of lighthearted crime thriller set in Paris. I spent a semester there at the American University and completely fell in love with the city.

 

But what really inspired the book was the day I was almost mowed down by a couple of flics (French cops) chasing this hot French bad guy on a motorcycle through Montmartre.

 

It felt like I'd stumbled into the movie Charade with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. The whole thing felt ridiculously cinematic. And romantic. Not "kiss me under the Eiffel Tower" romantic. More “I've accidentally wandered into Charade” romantic.

 

After that, I knew I wanted to write a funny crime thriller set in Paris. In fact, that hot French bad guy was my inspiration for Luc.

 

As for how I created Lizi, I knew I wanted a protagonist who didn’t quite believe in herself—yet. Just like me at the time. But I also wanted her to figure out that she was far more capable than she realized. I also loved fish-out-of-water stories. But that was pretty much all I had in mind.

 

Then life happened, and for the next 22 years my story sat in an imaginary file folder with all my other great ideas … until I finally started thinking about it again.

 

By then, I was facing some age-related challenges—perimenopause, for one. Then there were some health issues. But I was also beginning to discover that while still only in my mid-40s, finding a job wasn’t as easy as it had once been when I was younger. And that’s when I decided that I wanted an older protagonist who had a different set of challenges than a 20-something.

 

Besides, I cut my teeth reading chick lit, but I couldn’t relate anymore. At least to the problems of a 20-something with a fabulous job and penchant for cute boys and a weakness for conspicuous consumption.

 

So that’s really where Lizi came from. And by the time I finally got serious and started to write, menopause was already in full swing and I thought to myself, You know, sometimes menopause can be pretty funny. I mean, it does have its moments!

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between your characters Lizi and Frankie?

 

A: I love their dynamic. First of all, there’s a 27-year age gap between them so they’re quite different when it comes to how they see the world. But Frankie’s overly simplistic worldview is just what Lizi needs to get on with her life, so Frankie is more the teacher and Lizi is more the student.

 

Frankie is the free spirit and doesn’t really care what other people think. And Lizi is uptight. Not so much because she cares what others think (although she does!), but mostly because she’s afraid of making the same mistakes twice.

 

So she plays it safe. Until she meets Frankie. She doesn’t immediately flip that switch, but now with Frankie by her side she gets to see who she really is—who she was before life got in her way.

 

So they don't balance each other in the traditional "opposites attract" sense, but they're exactly what the other needs. That's one of the things I loved exploring in book two, because their friendship becomes much more reciprocal. Frankie has a lot to learn from Lizi, too.

 

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

 

A: In terms of Lizi, I knew exactly where I wanted her to end up on both an emotional and spiritual level. But in terms of the vehicle, that changed along the way.

 

Because I knew it would be a series, I knew the cliffhanger from the beginning. But what changed wasn't the destination—it was the journey. In the end, the story became much bigger and more complicated than I'd originally imagined.

 

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

 

A: Exactly what I took away from writing it.

 

I wasn’t that different from Lizi when I started (or Frankie for that matter!). And because of that I wasn’t sure if I wanted people to know who I really was. But I also knew that if I started filtering myself because I was worried about sounding too uptight or too immature, I wouldn’t have an honest story.

 

I think fear has this funny way of convincing us we're someone we're not. Think about how we edit ourselves. Or how we play it safe when we have to make big decisions. We even bend ourselves into something or someone else because we're worried about what other people will think about us. And then, without even realizing it, we’ve shaped our entire lives around this person we’re not.

 

So if readers take away anything, I hope it's the understanding that it's never too late to start being who we already are.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Right now I'm writing book three. Book two picks up with Lizi trying to deal with the unfinished business from book one, and book three raises the stakes even higher. I can't say much more than that—but I'm having a lot of fun with where the series is going.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: One thing I can promise is that there are still plenty of surprises waiting for Lizi. In book two, readers will discover that things aren't always as they seem—and some of the biggest twists have been hiding in plain sight all along.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Sept. 1

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Sept. 1, 1877: Rex Beach born.