Barbara Conrey

I had the pleasure of meeting Gail the way we all seemed to meet this past eighteen months: through social media. Although to be fair, she lives across the pond from me, so chances were, social media was the only way we were going to connect. Gail is a novelist, a poet, and a screenwriter, and I was immediately hooked. I had to know more. Join me today in celebration of the release of Gail’s novel, This Much Huxley Knows, as we discuss her new book, her three writing passions, and which is her favorite. BC: Which of these do you love the most: novel writing, poetry, or screenwriting? GA: My heart is in novel writing. It’s the biggest undertaking and perhaps the most rewarding. BC: Which is easiest? GA: I don’t find any of them easy – all forms of writing have their own challenges – although scriptwriting collaboratively is a lot of fun. I work with two other women writers as part of 3-She, and we don’t stop laughing the whole time. BC: That sounds lovely. I had the pleasure of reading This Much Huxley Knows and adored it! What inspired you to write this particular book? GA: In my debut coming-of-age novel, The String Games, the catalyst for the story involves the disappearance of four-year-old Josh, who goes missing during a family holiday in France. It was because I enjoyed this child character that I decided to explore writing with a young narrator. When I read early chapters of This Much Huxley Knows to my writing group, they were skeptical that I’d be able to sustain a child’s voice for the length of a novel. This proved to be a motivating factor – tell me I can’t do something, and I’ll always want to give it a try. BC: Me, too! No wonder we clicked. And where did you find the adorable Huxley? GA: My twenty-five-year-old son was a young boy once, so I mined my memories of him to feed into Huxley. My daughter’s experiences and incidents from my own childhood also informed the character. For twenty years, I worked with children in schools and included anecdotes from those days. So Huxley is a composite, and I’m very glad you find him adorable. BC: Your second book is so different than your first, The String Games. What made you decide to go in an entirely different direction, and did you worry about jumping genres? GA: The String Games was an emotionally draining novel to write. I needed to separate myself from the drama of a lost child and explore something lighter. Although there are strong underlying themes in This Much Huxley Knows, it was largely a happy and upbeat project. One of the challenges of swapping genres lies in taking your established audience with you. Will readers of a psychological drama enjoy a contemporary uplifting novel? Time will tell. But, I enjoy the challenge of writing across genres. To invest all my creative energy into one area would be a huge commitment. I don’t want to risk overlooking other projects that bring their own rewards. BC: I think that’s very wise and that you are very brave. I’ve had ‘don’t mix genres’ so ingrained in me; I’m not sure I will take the chance. It might just depend, as you said, on whether I’m willing to overlook other projects. So, bravo to you! How long have you been writing? GA: It all started with letter writing when I lived overseas in my twenties. Family and friends were fascinated with my tales from Australia and Papua New Guinea, and they encouraged me to write short stories. I built upon this at university when I returned to the UK. Afterward, I became a teacher and then had my own children, which sucked up most of my creative energy. As they grew more independent, I returned to writing. I’ve been writing for publication since 2010. BC: Tell me about your poetry. I’d love it if you sent a poem that I could include in your interview. GA: With the experience of writing across genres, I tend to know which ideas can be worked into long fiction, how to develop a narrative arc for short fiction, and the momentary pleasures that suit poetry. Here’s an example of poetry that was published in a recent anthology: #MothersDay sepals like stretched starfish arms force velvet petals with bluish tips to lap each other. the rose strains to show what’s left of her once vigorous splendour. lily, on the other hand, is late to party her veined cocoon splits. serrated edges reveal a pink and pearled shell where stamen dance. BC: This is lovely! Thank you so much! How in the world do you do all these things? GA: Smaller projects take a back seat when I’m working on a new novel. But if an idea strikes, I do like to develop it. Because of the many networks I’m involved with, I’m sometimes asked to submit new poetry and short fiction for publication. Seeing work in print is always a joy. BC: What’s a typical writing day like for you? GA: Part way through the pandemic, I started joining Writers’ Hour. This is a Zoom call hosted by the London Writers’ Salon and offered four times a day. I join the 8 am hour in the UK, where hundreds of writers gather for a period of uninterrupted writing. This gives me a kick start to focus on my work in progress. Little Swot is a dual timeline crime novel set in 2010 with redundant, menopausal journalist Stephanie Brett who investigates the earlier disappearance of a teenage, west country girl in a cold case podcast. Through the 1978 storyline, Carolyn Forster tells her own story of infatuation and exploitation. Once I’ve made progress there, I focus on other projects. Most days, I stick to office hours and have the weekends off. BC: Tell me something about you that I won’t find on the Internet. GA: I have a fear of egg yolks. BC: Hmmm. We just might need to continue this conversation. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk, Gail; I look forward to your next book, Little Swot. About Gail Aldwin: Novelist, poet and scriptwriter Gail’s debut coming-of-age novel The String Games was a finalist in The People’s Book Prize and the DLF Writing Prize 2020. Following a stint as a university lecturer, Gail’s children’s picture book Pandemonium was published. Gail loves to appear at national and international literary and fringe festivals. Prior to Covid-19, she volunteered at Bidibidi in Uganda, the second-largest refugee settlement in the world. When she’s not gallivanting around, Gail writes at her home overlooking water meadows in Dorset. About This Much Huxley Knows I’m seven years old and I’ve never had a best mate. Trouble is, no one gets my jokes. And Breaks-it isn’t helping. Ha! You get it, don’t you? Brexit means everyone’s falling out and breaking up. Huxley is growing up in the suburbs of London at a time of community tensions. To make matters worse, a gang of youths is targeting isolated residents. When Leonard, an elderly newcomer chats with Huxley, his parents are suspicious. But Huxley is lonely and thinks Leonard is too. Can they become friends? Funny and compassionate, this contemporary novel for adults explores issues of belonging, friendship, and what it means to trust. ‘Read this and feel young again’ ­– Joe Siple, author of The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride ‘Moving and ultimately upbeat’ – Christopher Wakling, author of What I Did ‘A joyous novel with the wonderfully exuberant character of Huxley’ – Sara Gethin, author of Not Thomas Purchase Links AmazonUS, AmazonUK, Barnes and Noble, HiveUK, Book Depository Social Media Links Twitter: https://twitter.com/gailaldwin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gailaldwinwriter/ Blog: https://gailaldwin.com

Sarahlyn and I are both members of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) but only met in person at the Collingswood Book Festival in 2018. We were introduced by another WFWA member and friend, Jennifer Klepper, and we’ve managed to keep up with each other ever since. A little about Sarahlyn: She’s the author of Daytime Drama (released TODAY!) and her debut, Designer You (2018), which won the 2019 Indie Star Book Award and was included on the 2018 “35 Over 35” list. Sarahlyn grew up in the Bay Area and spent a great deal of time in Southern California, where she attended college before moving to West Hollywood. The years of living and working in LA gave Sarahlyn a taste for the fun, fast, ambitious, and creative people in the entertainment industry. When Sarahlyn and her family moved to Philadelphia in the summer of 2007, she fell in love with the east coast feeling of being close to the center of politics and culture, but she never forgot or lost her affection for the buzz of the entertainment industry. Her latest novel, Daytime Drama, was born of that love and the cold Philadelphia winter. When she’s not writing novels, Sarahlyn teaches writing and literature at a local community college. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, daughter, and cockapoo. Needless to say, I was a fan of Sarahlyn’s first novel, Designer You, and I had the opportunity to read Daytime Drama several weeks ago. You all are in for a treat! BC: We want to know all about you, the author. When did you know you wanted to be a writer, and how did you learn? SB: I can’t think of a time that I haven’t been writing, but I am definitely not self-taught. Since grade school, I’ve soaked up lessons on all sorts of writing—academic, creative, nonfiction—and sort of cobbled together the knowledge I’ve gathered and eventually found my voice. So much of my time has been spent writing in the academic world, but I switched my focus to fiction over the last fifteen or so years and never looked back. And even though I have a lot of experience as a writer and now as a writing professor, I’ve taken quite a number of courses on learning the craft of fiction. I always have so much to learn, which is a big reason I get so much out of it. BC: Designer You is your first published book. Is it the first book you’ve written? SB: No way. The first novel I wrote is what I like to think of as my “learning novel.” I chipped away at the thing for years and even got into Pitch Wars with it. And it went nowhere and now collects dust on my hard drive. But I don’t see it as a total failure. I learned how to write a novel and then sold the next one I wrote. BC: Tell me a little about your process. SB: I’m a total plotter. I love an outline. I outline before I sit down to write, and I outline throughout. I outline when I get stuck, and I outline when I’m ready to edit. Some may say all the outlining is overkill, but it works for me. BC: How do you find the time to write with a job and a family? SB: I’m really lucky because so much of my work I can do from home. And my job is teaching writing, so my brain doesn’t have to do the mental gymnastics that someone who writes and works in real estate or as a bank teller does. That being said, time is a limited resource, and I don’t always get to write when I want. When my daughter was little, I’d get up at 5:00 and write for an hour or two before she awakened and started her day. I’ve also gotten a lot of writing done sitting in my car at her soccer practices. BC: Are you a morning or evening writer? SB: I’m at my best and most functional in the morning, but I’ve found I’m really a get-the-writing-done-whenever-you-can kind of writer. BC: Let’s talk about your new book – Daytime Drama: I loved the premise! Where did you come up with the idea? SB: During winter of 2017, I was freezing as usual and sort of pining for Los Angeles, where we lived before moving to Philadelphia. In LA. It feels like May pretty much year-round, so I thought I’d at least like to be there in my head, if not in my body. Also, I wanted to write about something fun, and when we were in LA, my husband worked in the entertainment industry and had a ton of friends who were also part of it. I loved being around so many creative people. So much warmth and fun—that’s how it started. BC: That sounds wonderful. Now I want to move to LA. How long did Daytime Drama take to write? SB: A little more than a year. BC: That’s not long at all! At least in comparison to how long it takes me to write a book. How long did it take from the time you typed THE END until it was published? SB: Oh goodness, that was another year. I queried on and off, and by summer of 2019, TouchPoint Press made an offer, and I accepted. BC: Let’s talk about you. What do you do besides write and teach and raise a family? SB: Well, a LOT less since the start of the pandemic. We used to enjoy traveling to see friends and far-away places. I love watching my daughter play soccer on the weekends. We used to have people over for dinner parties. We liked to go out to eat and see movies in theaters. All that has been off the table for a long time, but like most people, I’ve discovered temporary workarounds. We’re ordering take-out from our favorite restaurants and having family movie nights in our living room. Instead of visiting, I Zoom with my family, who live in California. Right now, I’m super grateful that my flexible work schedule allows me to get outside almost as much as I want. To be healthy and safe is something I’m not taking for granted. BC: Yes, COVID has changed all of our lives, but I’m happy to see that you’re coping. Tell me something about you that I don’t already know. SB: Let’s see. You may not know that I love to play soccer. I’ve played on and off since grade school. I played competitively through high school and then took a break about halfway through college. After my daughter was born, I took it up again and continued playing up until I broke my foot summer of 2019. Hoping to get back to it again. BC: I remember when you broke your foot! Next time I interview you, you will need a different secret. Tell us about your most recent book project. SB: The book I’m finishing now is set in the world of girls’ and women’s soccer—something I’m pretty familiar with, lol. It’s about an injured professional soccer player who is desperate to get back in the game, but when her father suffers a stroke, she’s forced to return home, and in turn, confront a horrible secret from her past. Revealing the truth will upend her soccer dreams and ruin her relationship with her best friend. But how can she keep their secret knowing what they did? BC: I read a draft of this book, and I can’t wait to see it out in the world! You can follow Sarahlyn here: Social media: FB, IG, and Twitter all use the same handle, @sarahlynbruck. And my website is https://sarahlynbruck.com Thank you, Barbara! This was a blast. Thank you, Sarahlyn, and congratulations on your new release, Daytime Drama!

January 18 - 22 As part of the A Promise to Keep Book Birthday Bash we’ll be celebrating the 1 year anniversary of the book’s release by Melony Teague. Make sure you enter to win a $5 Amazon gift card. The giveaway will run from Jan 18 – Jan 22, and the winner announced the week of Jan 25th. Giveaway entry link at the end of this post. There are many stops on this tour, so be sure to check out the full schedule link posted at the end of this post. Let’s party! BC: We are celebrating your one-year anniversary of A Promise to Keep, so let’s start with what this publishing year has been like for you. Melony: That’s a great question. It certainly didn’t turn out to be the year I expected, or the launch I expected, but it was a dream come true nonetheless. Without the support of fellow 2020 debuts, such as yourself, the year would have been much more challenging than it already was. Reaching out to support one another and knowing we are all going through the same thing was priceless. Not to mention making new friends along the way. One of the most rewarding parts was hearing from readers that they enjoyed the book, stayed up late reading it, or that it reminded them of happier memories was a treasure I will never forget. What would we be without our dear readers? BC: You missed the COVID shutdown with your release date of January 21st. Did you do any on-site book signings? Launch party? Melony: You might have thought that I missed the shutdown, but during release week, a snowstorm shut down my onsite (Niagara Falls) launch. Therefore, we planned to go down to Niagara Falls and take footage where some of the scenes in the book were set when the weather improved. In Canada, it was March/April by the time the weather improved; the pandemic had blindsided us and all in-person events were cancelled. I did however get to talk at one senior’s group about the value of story and fiction in our lives before that happened. Boy, did that talk turn out to be well timed? So really, by the time I recovered from the first bit of reeling from the sudden changes we had to adapt to (my teens suddenly learning online etc.) we did a virtual launch online in July – better late than never, right? Unfortunately, bookstores were closed, so no signings. Nevertheless, we did our best. In some ways, I think this book birthday may just be what I need to mitigate that pandemic 2020 launch. BC: What do you wish you’d done differently? Melony: Maybe not stressed about it all as much. I guess that makes me human, right? My goal for 2021 is to give myself a little more room and some grace. I think I am my own strictest critic and I put pressure on myself. Recognizing it will hopefully help me do better in that area. Fingers crossed! BC: Let’s talk about your book, A Promise to Keep. What was your inspiration for writing this particular story? Melony: My 20th high school reunion was being organized a few years ago in South Africa (where I was born) and for obvious reasons, I couldn’t go. I live in Canada. It’s a bit far and expensive to travel to South Africa at the best of times. But it got me wondering about reunions and the myriad of emotions that could be attached to memories of high school. Old flames. People not turning out to do or be what we thought. For those who didn’t have a good high school experience, a reunion wouldn’t seem like such a great idea. But for others who loved school, well, the social part at least, might see it differently. I wanted to explore these things and I dug deeper. Also, I thought about what would get someone who really did not want to go to their reunion to attend. That’s where the idea of the promise came in. Savannah makes a promise to her dying husband that she’ll attend their high school reunion and that promise ends up changing so much in her life. Michael was a troublemaker at school, but let’s just say, he’s not the same boy he used to be. These two have a history they need to deal with. I may, or may not have a crush on my hero, Michael McCann. BC: How long did it take to write this book? Melony: The first draft took me about 8 months to write, then there were beta readers and many revisions which took a few months more before I sent it out to publishers. I landed my contract through a twitter pitch party, so that was different. BC: Tell us about your publishing process. How long did it take to find an agent/publisher? Melony: I don’t have an agent yet, but I’m working on it. I first submitted my story, with another title and only 55K words to a category romance publisher. They rejected it and so I reworked it, fleshed it out and added a few more thousand words. On a whim, I participated in a Twitter pitch party, not expecting a response. I was asked to submit to what became my publisher, and submitted my query and first three chapters to my acquisition editor as a result of a Twitter pitch party. Within a few days she emailed to ask for the full manuscript. I almost fainted. Then I submitted that and it wasn’t long before I heard it was before the acquisitions committee and next thing I knew, I was being offered a contract with the publishing date of Jan 2021~ Basically 6 months from contract to publication! I could hardly believe it! Then the hard work started, the developmental edits, and the content edits and all the other rounds of editing needed to bring this story to readers in the best shape it could be. The biggest challenge was getting news of my younger cousin’s diagnosis of terminal cancer and flying off to Europe to be with her, all while trying to do content edits. She has passed away since, but that book will forever be linked to memories of my time spent with her. BC: What was the editing process like? I'm so sorry for your loss. Melony: I love, love, love my editor, Candee Fick. She gets me. She is not only an editor, but she’s a coach and taught me so much about the process and what I needed to do to make my story shine. She is worth her weight in gold. She worked with me, and not against me. I appreciated that the most. I’ll admit, I had the hardest time trying to get the time zones sorted out in the book. She helped me with that. Who knew time zones could be so complicated, especially when the characters are in different ones! BC: I know this is your debut, but is it the first book you’ve written? Melony: No, it’s not the first book I’ve written. I completed a manuscript in 2010 during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) but that one will never see the light of day! It’s full of newbie mistakes which I will spare the readers from. But I had to start somewhere, right? I have about 5-6 other manuscripts in various stages of completion. BC: Let’s talk about you: What do you do besides write? Melony: Eat chocolate. And try to manage a household through online learning and through a pandemic. Sigh. But typically, when we are NOT under lockdown, I have taught seniors at the local community center to write their personal stories. It’s like a memoir class. I miss my students. I’m not sure if and when that will get back up and running. Also, I’m a freelance writer, so I do communications and freelance projects (including editing) for other clients, some of which are non-profit organizations. When I’m not working, I love to read and bake. We’ve really perfected the bread making process during this last year! Haha! BC: I know you love to bake. Care to share a recipe? Melony: In the book, A Promise to Keep, Savannah and a few others have a bit of an incident with the punch at the reunion event. So I decided to make my up my own punch recipe. Here you go! BC: Are you working on a new book? Do tell! Melony: Yes, I’m working on another book, but to be honest, for months my creativity was affected by the pandemic and the stresses we were all facing. But I’m determined to finish my manuscript, because I love my characters and their story needs to be told. That’s all I can tell you for now because I have to go through all the channels to get it published and into readers hands. You know how it is, Barbara. I’m also working on a little novella for my newsletter subscribers. I hope that will be coming out sometime this year. BC: Tell me a secret: Tell me something about you that I don’t know, that your readers don’t know, that will make us love you even more. Melony: I’m a hopeless romantic. But that’s not a secret. ABOUT THE BOOK A Promise. A High School Reunion. And a pact that proves harder to keep. Research librarian Savannah Sanderson wants nothing more than to escape into her happily-ever-after novels with their larger-than-life fictional heroes. But a promise to her late husband has her attending her dreaded twenty-year high school reunion, drinking ghastly punch, and taking desperate measures just to keep her vow, even if she has to hide behind the décor to do it. Once a reckless troublemaker, Michael McCann fled town after graduation. Now a professional technical rescuer, he’s back for the reunion, but on his trip down memory lane, he soon comes face to face with unresolved issues, namely Savannah. Before the night is over, a pact between these two old friends will lead them on an adventure into uncharted emotional territory where Michael must confront his past regrets and find the courage to reveal the truth. But can Savannah fly from her sheltered nest and risk her heart on a real-life hero? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Melony Teague is a freelance writer who believes everyone has a story to tell. As co-author of As the Ink Flows, she loves to inspire and motivate others through her written words. With foamy lattes in-hand, she writes Contemporary Romance with a dash of humor. Though she has no hobbies outside of reading, writing, and eating chocolate, she is a member of ACFW and The Word Guild. She teaches seniors in her community to write their memoirs. She confesses with no shame that she has a strong belief that pumpkin pie is an acceptable breakfast food since it’s mostly vegetables. Her Fiction Debut, A Promise to Keep, released in Jan 2020. Melony was born in South Africa and now lives in Toronto with her husband, their two teenagers, and two cats who think they’re humans. You can connect with her here: Website | Facebook | Facebook Group | BookBub | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon| Goodreads ENTER TO WIN THE GIVEAWAY HERE Find the full blog schedule with other fun posts here.

Anita and I are trying something new (to us). We are interviewing each other so that you, dear readers, get two authors for the price of one read. Full disclosure, I don’t actually know Anita in the real sense of the word; I know her through the wonderful 2020Debuts group we both belong to (which is run by the equally fabulous Alison Hammer), and I know her through our writers group, Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and I know her from reading her book, Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters. So this is what I can tell you: Anita is generous and kind and adorable; she has written a beautiful story about the secrets that bind mothers and daughters together. If you have not read Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters, I recommend that you do. You can thank me later. So! On to the interview. BC: What would you like our readers to know about you? AK: I’m a friendly Canadian with a background in socio-cultural and environmental research, who always wanted to be a writer, but took the long way of getting there. When I’m not reading or writing, I love being outdoors, walking, running, hiking, cycling, or being on the water. Baking and napping are also among my favourite pastimes. I live in Ottawa, Ontario, with my husband and cat, Noodles. We’re expecting our first child in March. And it’s a girl! For now, we call her Bean. AK: Tell us a little about yourself. BC: I love the reference to ‘Little Bean’ in your book! I’m old. Let’s start with that. I’m a 70-year-old 2020 Debut who always dreamed of writing a book and finally did. I’m a mother and grandmother who writes about dysfunctional families with loads of secrets. BC: Tell me a little about Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters. AK: I would love to! Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters is a mother-daughter story told in alternating timelines. The story kicks off with a prologue where we’re introduced to a young couple who are moments away from meeting their adopted daughter for the first time. During that meeting with the social worker, they discover that their daughter has come to them through tragic circumstances. Her birth mother died under mysterious circumstances, and her birth father wasn’t able to raise her alone. By the time we reach the first chapter, that little baby, whose name is Asha, has just turned eighteen. She’s on the cusp of adulthood and excited about the future. However, it’s at that time her parents reveal to her the truth about the adoption secret they’ve kept from her until then. The revelation rocks her to her core, and she starts asking the big questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? Can I ever trust my parents again? What else are they keeping from me? And, of course, what happened to my birth mother? Why didn’t my birth father keep me? Was it my fault? These are the questions that propel Asha through her storyline and a tumultuous year that follows. From there, we’re introduced to our second protagonist, a young scholar named Mala, who has just returned to her doctoral studies after a period of bereavement leave following the sudden death of her beloved father. As Mala struggles to get her life back on track, her mother has other ideas about what is best for her future. Mala finds herself caught between duty and desire, torn between following her heart and balancing the cultural expectations her mother places upon her. The two storylines weave together, and I promise it all comes together in the end! AK: What’s the premise of Nowhere Near Goodbye? BC: A female oncologist, Emma Blake, is compelled to fulfill a childhood promise by creating a surgical procedure to cure glioblastoma (GBM), and in doing so, forfeits everyone she loves. Synopsis: A mother’s love vs. a doctor’s oath. Oncologist Emma Blake has dedicated her life to finding a cure for a rare brain cancer. Twenty-five years ago, Emma’s childhood friend Kate died of glioblastoma, and Emma vowed to annihilate the deadly disease. Now, Kate’s father, Ned, is pushing her to work harder to fulfill that promise. When Emma discovers she’s pregnant, she’s torn between the needs of her family and the demands of her work. While Ned pressures her to do the unthinkable, her husband, Tim, decorates the nursery. Unwilling to abandon her research, Emma attempts to keep both sides of her life in balance. Emma knows she needs to reconcile her past with her present and walk the fine line between mother and physician. But Ned has a secret, and when Emma discovers what he’s been hiding, the foundation of her world cracks. Nowhere Near Goodbye is a story of family, failure, and second chances. BC: Where did the idea for Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughter come from? AK: There were a few different points of inspiration. I wanted to write a book that explored arranged marriage from various points of view, both positive and negative. I’ve also always wanted to write a tragic love story and there’s plenty of heartache in the novel, haha. I also have a great love of Victorian feminist literature, the Brontë’s in particular, so finding a way to weave my love of Jane Eyre throughout the story as a point of connection and meaning between the protagonists was important to me. I also write about bereavement and mental health quite a lot in my work, as a way of combating stigma and inspiring empathy. AK: What inspired you to write Nowhere Near Goodbye? BC: I also loved your references to Jane Eyre (you and I and Finola Austin, author of Bronte’s Mistress, should do an in-person meetup as soon as it’s safe). A friend lost a loved one to glioblastoma (GBM) twenty years ago. It made me so angry at the time to watch my friend suffer her loss, and I didn’t know what to do with my anger, but I knew one day I would write a book where the tumor didn’t win, even though the reality is that the tumor almost always wins. Since that time, two things have remained the same: my desire to write this story and the utter destructiveness of GBM. BC: How long did it take you to write Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters? AK: Oh, wow, a long time! I think about six years? It’s changed a lot from that first draft way back whenever! AK: What are you most looking forward to this debut year? And conversely, what are you most nervous about? BC: At first, I never thought past seeing the book published. Then I began to imagine a book signing in my favorite local bookstore. Of course, the pandemic struck long before my book released, so it soon became clear that there would be no public anything. Honestly, the thing that made me most nervous was realizing my book was out in the world for people to read and criticize, and I just wanted to pull it back into me so that no one could see it. BC: Why were you compelled to write Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters? AK: I’m interested in exploring the social and cultural pressures faced by South Asian girls and women and inter-generational conflict, that is, how the lives of women and the expectations they face differ between generations and how that impacts the kinds of choices they have available to them overall. There are three different generations of women in this story, and their lives have very different outcomes based on the kinds of choices available to them, as well as the social support around them. I started with Mala’s story, wanting to understand this young woman living with grief, who wants nothing more than to return to her studies but, at the same time, struggles to make her mother happy. She struggles to be a “good daughter” while also pursuing a life of her own, a dilemma I know many daughters, regardless of background, can relate to. AK: What authors do you admire and/or have influenced your development as a writer? Please feel free to add specific books; we love recommendations! BC: I like books that are straight-forward, but with maybe a hint of religion in them. And to tell you the truth, I don’t know where that comes from since I’ve never considered myself much of a religious person. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, and Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni are all books that have influenced my writing. They are all books that I love. BC: What are you working on now? AK: After Secret Lives, I finished two manuscripts, both sisterhood stories with lots of drama and family secrets. My agent is reviewing them now, so fingers crossed she likes what she reads! While I wait to hear back from her, I’ve recently started my first foray into historical fiction. A contemporary retelling of an ancient Indian myth in desperate need of an update. AK: What are you working on now? BC: I’m working on the prequel to Nowhere Near Goodbye. There’s a character in Nowhere Near Goodbye, Miss Maggie, who originally made only a brief appearance. Then through editorial revisions, she became a little more fleshed out so that she caught my attention. By the end of the editing process, I needed to discover the connection between her and Emma, my protagonist in Nowhere Near Goodbye. BC: Tell me a secret. Something not many people know about you that you wouldn’t mind sharing. AK: Perhaps I’ll share a little known fact about the novel! The first draft of Secret Lives was actually linear. It was an agent who asked me to do a revise and resubmit that suggested I consider two timelines. At the time, the thought of undertaking such a huge structural change blew my mind and felt very daunting. But it was an important change and has made the book what it is today. AK: What question do you wish I had asked and answer it! BC: There’s a subplot in Nowhere Near Goodbye about beagles and how they are used for medical and product testing. It’s real; the association I am most familiar with is the Beagle Freedom Project, which is an organization that rescues beagles, rehabilitates them, and finds forever homes for them. So, I wish you had asked me about the beagles. To answer my question, I would explain that beagles are the most trusting of dogs – and that is why this breed is popular with testing facilities. It’s a horrific situation for the animals, and it’s a situation I needed to put eyes on. And yes, of course, I have a rescued beagle. I don’t think I can write about something I don’t care about. Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters Website: https://anitakushwaha.com/ Buy Links: Chapters: https://amzn.to/2OHMx0m Amazon: http://bit.ly/34J4gtQ Indie Bound: http://bit.ly/2OSSHuV Social media links: Goodreads: http://bit.ly/388PkHx Twitter: https://twitter.com/MsAnitaKushwaha IG: https://www.instagram.com/msanitakushwaha/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/msanitakushwahaauthor/ Publisher’s website: HarperCollins Canada: http://bit.ly/2rGoHcm Nowhere Near Goodbye Buy links: Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1948051575 Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nowhere-near-goodbye-barbara-conrey/1137609443?ean=2940163049929 Apple Books - https://books.apple.com/us/book/nowhere-near-goodbye/id1523182318 Google - https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=A-D7DwAAQBAJ Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/nowhere-near-goodbye Bookshop.org - https://bookshop.org/books?keywords=Nowhere+Near+Goodbye+by+Barbara+Conrey Social media links: Website: www.barbaraconreyauthor.com/ Facebook: www.Facebook.com/baconreywriter Twitter: www.Twitter.com/barbaraconrey Instagram: www.Instagram.com/barbaraconrey Publisher’s website: Red Adept Publishing https://redadeptpublishing.com/ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/barbara-conrey Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54651398-nowhere-near-goodbye?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=9zFFbrw4aQ&rank=1

I first met Sherri through social media. We belong to several online writing associations, most notably Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), we both have the same publisher, Red Adept Publishing, and we are also part of the 2020Debuts, a Facebook group comprised of authors debuting this year. We met in person a year or so ago at a Maryland winery (where else?) where she had organized a casual meet-up of local writers. Social media Sherri and in-person Sherri are one and the same. What you see with Sherri is what you get: she is always smiling, willing to help, and filled with joy. I’ve been itching to interview her now that her lovely debut, What's Left Untold, is out in the world. BC: Describe your writing space. SL: Pre-coronavirus, I used to meet with a group of local writers at the library on Wednesdays—which was often my most productive writing day of the week!—and sometimes I like to shake things up and enjoy a change of scenery by writing at a café, but I usually write at home, which, I’ve found, usually allows me to make the most efficient use of my time. When I have the house to myself, I like to write in the kitchen, which is my favorite room in the house. My kitchen is bright and spacious—with sweeping views of the trees in our yard and the lake beyond—and it’s close to the coffee pot. If my family is home, I retreat to my office to write. My office is more ergonomic and also has a big window with a nice view, but it is more cramped and disorganized. I need to pencil in some time to do an office overhaul! BC: What is the most challenging part about writing for you? SL: Sticking to a routine! For me, no two days are alike and I really have no set schedule. The only thing that seems constant in my life is change. But—other than the challenge this creates for me to write consistently—I don’t mind. I’m not a creature of habit and I like variety. I’m very organized, but schedules tend to make me feel bogged down and uninspired. But committing to the Wednesday writing group at the library was my first small step toward establishing a writing routine, which is still a work in progress. BC: On a typical day, how much time do you spend writing? SL: I love Stephen King as an author, and I value his craft book On Writing. But King favors utilitarian workspaces and recommends writing every day. While there is obvious wisdom to both of these, I find them both difficult to adhere to. I prefer to write in an inspiring space and I tend to avoid writing if I don’t have, at minimum, two solid hours of dedicated, uninterrupted time to write. When I’m deep into writing mode, I aim to write anywhere from 2-7 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. But that, of course, is the ideal. Real-life tends to get in the way and the reality is often much different. BC: What was the inspiration for What’s Left Untold? SL: Though What’s Left Untold is 100 percent fiction—a wild ride through my imagination and not about anyone I know or anything I’ve experienced personally—the inspiration for the book is based in reality. I was at my parents’ house when I discovered a trunk filled with childhood memorabilia, including photo albums, yearbooks and box of letters. One of the letters had an interesting and ominous postscript that read something like: “I need to see you; I have something important to tell you.” I have no idea what the “important” thing was and I figured it probably didn’t matter. But, later, I began to wonder: what if it did matter? Which then led to the question: “What is something you could learn decades after the fact that could still have a major impact on your life?” What’s Left Untold is built around this idea that Anna, the MC, reunites with her estranged best friend and uncovers a devastating secret that threatens to destroy the life she’s built with her husband and daughters. The book’s tag line is, “Every secret has its price,” and, in the case of What’s Left Untold, there is indeed a steep price to be paid for the secrets that have been kept. BC: What more can you tell us about What’s Left Untold? SL: Building on my answer to the last question, the best way to answer this is by sharing the book’s description: Every secret has its price. Anna Clark and Lia Clay were unlikely best friends in high school, but their yin-and-yang personalities drew them together in a sister-like bond. Then during college, Lia inexplicably walked out on their friendship and disappeared, leaving Anna hurt, confused, and disillusioned. Twenty years later, Anna discovers a letter Lia wrote the summer after high school—a letter that contains a cryptic postscript concealing a devastating truth. With her twenty-year high school reunion approaching, Anna moves closer to uncovering the secret in Lia’s letter and the heartbreaking consequences it set in motion. As the layers of deceit and betrayal begin to unravel, Anna is forced to question everything she believes and come to terms with what it means to forgive the one person who hurt her in the worst way imaginable. BC: How long did it take to write What’s left Untold? SL: My journey from inspiration to publication was 11 years in the making! The inspiration for What’s Left Untold hit in 2009 when my youngest daughter was just four years old. I’d had three kids in four years and I kept telling myself I would write the book when my youngest daughter started kindergarten. But my husband and I were also competitive triathletes and from 2010 to 2013 we were training for two Ironman-distance races, so for the first five years I was only able to work on the book in fits in starts. In 2014 I committed in earnest to finishing the book and in 2015 my manuscript was selected as a finalist in the Women’s Fiction Writers Association’s Rising Star Contest. As a finalist, I had the opportunity to have my manuscript critiqued by several agents, which led to another year of revisions and edits. In 2016 I began sending the manuscript out on submission and in 2018 I signed a contract with Red Adept Publishing. Finally, on May 19, 2020, my debut novel was released! BC: Tell us about the process for coming up with the cover, which is beautiful, by the way. SL: The cover design process was very rewarding and satisfying. With Red Adept Publishing, I was able to offer input on the cover by requesting certain elements I wanted to have included as well as specific elements I did not want to be included. I also had the opportunity to offer my opinion on the two covers that were initially created. The first draft of this cover featured only one woman; I suggested that adding a second silhouette would not only improve the overall look but would also be more true to the heart of the story, and Red Adept agreed. The final draft was then presented to a focus group to ensure that the cover portrayed the correct mood and genre of the book. I am very pleased with the final cover for What’s Left Untold. As an author, seeing my book’s cover for the first time was a very exciting moment. BC: If a movie was made of your book, who are the celebrities that would star in it? SL: This is a very fun and interesting question! Initially, I did not consider this at all because I haven’t dared allow myself to dream that this book would ever be made into a movie. Also, I think it’s important for readers to form their own mental image of what the characters look like. But, having said that, I’ve since had a lot of fun selecting celebrities to star as my characters—and I’ve chosen them based not on their celebrity status or acting chops but on the way I physically pictured the characters in my head as I was writing them: Anna – Emmanuelle Chriqui or Julia Jones Lia – Emma Stone Jack – Henry Cavill Faith – Tina Fey Rose – Susan Sarandon or Margo Martindale Kathryn – Alexandra Daddario Jay – Chris Pine BC: Who is your favorite author and why? SL: This is a really difficult question! There are so many fabulous books and so many authors I adore. In junior high, Stephen King’s books—specifically Christine, Cujo and Carrie—were the first adult fiction books I ever read and they cemented my status as a reader and a lover of books. In high school and college I didn’t have much time to read for pleasure, but one of my college English classes read Silence of the Lambs, which reminded me how much I enjoyed reading and how much I missed it. Some of my all-time favorite books are The Kite Runner; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; The Pillars of the Earth; Outlander; In a Sunburned Country; The Wife Between Us; and The Alice Network. And I’m so amazed by and proud of the books being written by my fellow 2020 Debut Authors! So far I’ve had the pleasure of reading Wildland by Rebecca Hodge, The Missing Sister by Elle Marr, and You and Me and Us by Alison Hammer, but my e-reader is full of books by 2020 Debut Authors and I can’t wait to read as many of them as I can! But, as a women’s fiction writer, the books and stories that have inspired and informed me the most and are my most beloved are those by Kristin Hannah, Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Weiner, Lisa Wingate, Liane Moriarty and JoJo Moyes. BC: What are you reading now? SL: Currently, I’m reading Little Lovely Things by Maureen Joyce Connolly. Next up is an ARC of Lainey Cameron’s debut novel, The Exit Strategy, which will be released in July. BC: What famous author do you wish would be your mentor? SL: While I’d be thrilled to be mentored by any of the authors mentioned above as my favorites—especially the women’s fiction authors—I’ve been fortunate to have the best unofficial mentor ever in Jennifer Klepper, USA Today Bestselling Author of Unbroken Threads. Jennifer is a fellow Women’s Fiction Writer’s Associate member and Red Adept Publishing author, and she has paid it forward and led the way for me since the day I signed my contract with Red Adept. Her knowledge is beyond impressive and her guidance throughout this process has been invaluable! I could not have had a better mentor. BC: As you well know, Jennifer is also my unofficial mentor. She took on a heavy load when she met us! BC: What would you like your readers to know about you? SL: I’m pretty much an open book. Unlike the characters in What’s Left Untold, I was raised to believe that honesty is the best policy, so if you ask me a question I will always give an honest answer. I also believe that people should agree to disagree and respect the views and opinions of others, even if—probably especially if—they differ from one’s own. Otherwise, I’m kind of an exercise junkie. I’ve taught group fitness classes since 1992 and yoga exclusively since 2005. I spent ten years as a competitive triathlete and I love the outdoors! When not reading or writing you can typically find me trail running, hiking, kayaking or paddleboarding. I treasure new adventures and experiencing diverse cultures, and I love to travel. Some of most incredible places I’ve been are Spain, Costa Rica, Peru, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Next up on my travel wish list is Italy, Portugal, Greece, Ireland and Scotland. BC: While I already know the answer to this, I’m going to ask anyway. Miss Molly always wants to know which you prefer: Dog or cat? SL: Miss Molly will be happy to know that I am 100% Team Dog! I’ve had dogs my whole life. To me, a dog makes a house a home (albeit a slobbery, fur-covered home, lol!) Currently, I have two Labrador Retrievers: Luna, 11.5-years old, and Bodhi, a rescue, who is approximately 6 or 7 years old. In What’s Left Untold, my MC, Anna, is also a dog lover! J Let’s Connect! While I am so thrilled to finally be a published author, I am and always will be, first and foremost, a reader! And I love to connect with others who share my passion for books. Here’s where you can find me on social media: Social media links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherrileimkuhlerauthor/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherri.leimkuhler/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SherriLeimkuhl1 Website: http://www.sherrileimkuhler.com/ Goodreads: Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53407093-what-s-left-untold?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=aA0gH7BK6R&rank=1 Author: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20290080.Sherri_Leimkuhler BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sherri-leimkuhler Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Sherri-Leimkuhler/e/B0882Y5KY9 Publisher’s website: https://redadeptpublishing.com/product/whats-left-untold/ https://redadeptpublishing.com/ Buy links: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Left-Untold-Sherri-Leimkuhler-ebook/dp/B0881X2H41 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whats-left-untold-sherri-leimkuhler/1136973895?ean=2940162661825 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/what-s-left-untold

I haven’t met Barbara in person, but we are both members of the #2020Debuts (books to be published in 2020) and I thought it would be fun to get to know her, and her new book, QUEEN OF THE OWLS, better. BARBARA LINN PROBST is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, living on an historic dirt road in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her debut novel QUEEN OF THE OWLS (April 2020) is the powerful story of a woman’s search for wholeness, framed around the art and life of iconic painter Georgia O’Keeffe. QUEEN OF THE OWLS has been selected as one of the 20 most anticipated books of 2020 by Working Mother and will be the May 2020 selection for the Pulpwood Queens, a network of more than 800 book clubs across the U.S. Her second novel, THE SOUND BETWEEN THE NOTES, will be published in April 2021. BC: Tell us about Queen of the Owls. BLP: Queen of the Owls is the story of a woman’s quest to claim her neglected sensuality and find her true self hidden behind the roles of wife, mother, sister, and colleague. Elizabeth, the story’s protagonist, has always defined herself by her intellect. She’s chosen the safe, responsible path, avoiding the sensuality she believed was beyond her reach. During the story, she comes to know and embrace a fuller self, body and beauty as well as brain. There’s a price to pay, but Elizabeth knows she can’t go back. Queen of the Owls is a story of transformation—timeless, yet diving deep into contemporary issues of privacy, consent, feminism, and the power of social media to upend our lives. BC: Tell us about the role of Georgia O’Keeffe in the book. Why O’Keeffe? BLP: The idea of framing the story around the art and life of iconic American painter Georgia O’Keeffe really just “appeared” to me. I’ve always loved her paintings; they called to me in a way that felt very connected to the question of what it means to be a woman. And in researching the book, I learned so much more about her life and work—which, in turn, enhanced the story in ways I hadn’t anticipated. O’Keeffe has been a figure of endless fascination for over a century, not only for her artistic genius but also because of how she lived. She was the quintessential feminist who rejected the feminists’ attempts to turn her into their matriarch, the severe desert recluse who created some of the most sensuous art of all time. Although the story is framed around the art and life of Georgia O’Keeffe, O’Keeffe isn’t a character in the book—yet she’s present as Elizabeth’s inspiration, the person whose blend of austerity and voluptuousness Elizabeth longs to emulate. In seeking to understand O’Keeffe, Elizabeth comes to understand herself. Art worked well as a vehicle for Queen of the Owls because the story is about Elizabeth’s yearning to be truly seen. And through being seen, to be known. BC: The title is fascinating. How did you come up with it? BLP: Titles can be the hardest part of a book, can’t they? I agonized and agonized over mine. There were actually three prior titles, but none of them felt right. I already had the motif of Elizabeth being owl to her sister’s fox—a brain, cut off from her own body and her own sensuality. But the leap to Queen of the Owls came from an unexpected source. In a previous career, I’d been (among other things) a researcher studying people’s experience living with mental illness. I suddenly remembered a woman I’d spoken with, who had a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome. She’d told me that she wasn’t like the other birds, she was an owl, and happy to be one; in fact, she thought of herself as the “queen of the owls.” And there it was—my title! BC: Tell us about your research for this book. BLP: I did a lot of research to learn about O’Keeffe—reading widely, talking to experts, studying her paintings, visiting the places where she lived and worked. I spent time at the Georgia O’Keeffe Research Center in Santa Fe and traveled to see several special exhibits of O’Keeffe’s work that were held—by a lucky coincidence—during the months I was working on the book. One of the extraordinary coincidences—it felt almost mystical—was when I discovered that O’Keeffe’s Hawaii paintings, a focus of the book, were going to be on exhibit together for the first time in eighty years at a venue only thirty minutes from where I lived. It felt like a sign that this was a book I was meant to write. I even traveled to Hawaii. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but I knew I had to experience the place for myself. I was struck by the particular quality of the tropical heat and how different it must have felt to O’Keeffe, who was accustomed to the dryness and sharpness of the southwest. There was no way I could have understood that without being there in person. You could say that, like Elizabeth, I sought my own “embodied knowledge” to complement what I learned from articles and books. So it wasn’t a matter of research first, writing second. They happened recursively, each informing the other. BC: How many drafts did you write? BLP: A difficult question to answer! The shape of the story was there from the start, although I did make a major alteration in Elizabeth’s relationship with both her husband and her sister. In both cases, I realized that I needed to humanize them as characters, make them people we could relate to and care about, not just foils to push the plot along. On the other hand, I’m such a perfectionist! I tweaked and refined and polished the manuscript countless times, including 24 pages of post-ARC edits. The designer probably wanted to throttle me! BC: Which came first, the characters or the plot? BLP: What came “first” for me was an idea. I was pondering the issue of sexual coercion, a topic high in the public consciousness, and it struck me that sexual coercion can take a lot of forms, depending on context. I thought of academia, where I’d spent many years, and a what if began to form in my brain. What if someone in power at a university suggested to an eager graduate student that the way to distinguish herself was by doing something—posing nude—something she would never have done if it hadn’t been couched in pseudo-academic language? And what if that “something” was the perfect trigger for her own secret yearning? That dovetailed perfectly with a discarded motif in an earlier attempt at a novel. I realized that I had to shift this theme to a younger protagonist, rather than to the adult daughter of my prior protagonist—and then I was off and running! So you could say that plot and character were intertwined right from the beginning. BC: What has influenced you the most as a writer? BLP: So many influences—mentors, experiences, my training as a therapist (which means, an observer of people)! So I’ll name just one here. It’s three lines by the poet Mary Oliver, which she calls Instructions on Living a Life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it BC: Oh, I love that! If you could tell your younger self anything about writing, what would it be? BLP: The way I take your question is: what have I learned, through and about writing? Here are a few principles I’ve come to understand. · Love your characters, every single one of them. Find the part of each character that is worthy of love and respect. · Relax. Listen. Let the story find you. Don’t worry about all those rules and grids and arcs and plot points. · Every word has to earn its place on the page. · If you have a story to tell, tell it—with your whole mind and heart and courage. Some people will love it and some will hate it and some will be indifferent. It’s always been like that and always will be. · Keep your eyes on your own paper. Comparing yourself to other writers (better, worse) only breeds unhappiness and distracts you from the work you’re meant to do. BC: So true! Now, just tell us a little about you, Barbara Linn Probst. Where was your favorite place to live? BLP: I’ve lived in a cabin in the California redwoods, a converted jailhouse in New York’s Greenwich Village, and a dozen other oddball places! Each has brought different experiences, so I guess my “favorite” is wherever I am in the present moment! Thank you so much, Barbara! It's been a pleasure. Want to learn even more about Barbara? Check out the following links. Website: https://www.barbaralinnprobst.com/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Queen-Owls-Barbara-Linn-Probst/dp/1631528904 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50177114-queen-of-the-owls Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011410511548 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbara_linn_probst/

I first met Alison about four years ago at a writers retreat in Albuquerque, New Mexico, sponsored by the Women's Fiction Writers Association (WFWA). Alison had the biggest smile. Always. And enthusiasm for learning all there was to know about writing a book. Alison’s debut novel, You and Me and Us, will be released by William Morrow on April 7th. The writing is beautiful; the story is heartbreaking, and do not even think about reading this book without a box of tissues close by. Following are a few questions I posed to Alison so that we could all get to know her better. Look at that smile! As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I always wanted to be a writer when I grew up; I just didn’t imagine it was something that could actually happen! When I went to college, I started as an English major but switched to Advertising when I realized that was a career where I could use my creative writing skills and have a salary! Turns out, I loved advertising, too! Which authors do you most admire? There are so many writers I admire! A few of my favorites are Jennifer Weiner, Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah, Camille Pagán, Marisa de los Santos, Katherine Center, and Taylor Jenkins Reid. What’s your favorite book? Oh, that’s a tough question! I don’t know if I can pick just one favorite. If I had to pick one, it would probably be Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. It’s so good. And it’s a book my grandma gave to me because she loved it and thought I would too. She was right! What is the first book that made you cry? I was a weird kid—I loved things that made me cry. And honestly, I still do! I remember I loved a series of really sad books by Lurlene McDaniel. One title that I remember, and think I still have somewhere was called Too Young to Die. I just loved that book! What is one of the most surprising things you’ve learned about the publishing industry? It seems like I learn something new every step of the way. I think what surprised me the most was just how long it all took! I finished writing my debut novel, You and Me and Us back in 2016. I got the book deal in 2018, and it will finally be published in 2020. Four years from start to the shelves—I had no idea! What does your family think of your writing? My family has always been so supportive of my writing. They have been my biggest fans and supporters since day one. And they’re really good sports when pieces of our lives end up in my writing! You are very involved with social media and writers groups. Tell us something about the online group you created, ‘Every Damn Day Writers’? Being a part of the writing community is my favorite thing about being a writer. I may have over-committed when it comes to the Facebook groups, but Every Damn Day Writers is one of my favorites! It started as a group of members from WFWA (Women’s Fiction Writers Association) who were all participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a program that challenges people around the world to write 50,000 words in the month of November. We started a Facebook group for support during that month, checking in every day on our progress or lack thereof! When the month ended, we didn’t want to stop, so we formed a small private group. That group is still going strong, but we decided to make a public version for women writers so more people could experience the support and accountability. It’s grown to over 300 women writers! And how about the 2020Debuts that you chair? Why is it important for a debut author to join such a group? I’ve been fortunate to have a group of writers who were at the same stage of the journey I was every step of the way. When I was querying, I was in a querying support group. When I was on submission, I started a submission support group. And when I got my book deal, I was told about the Debut Groups that have been passed down from year to year. Since I had such a long lead time before publication, I joined the 2019 group to learn the ropes before starting our 2020 one. Writing is such a personal and sometimes stressful process that it really helps to have the support of people who are going through the same thing! Your debut will be published April 7th. I love the title YOU and ME and US. How did you come up with this story? Thank you! While You and Me and Us is my debut novel, it’s not the first book I wrote! There was another book that came before it that also featured my main characters, Tommy and Alexis. At the end of that book, I knew a secret that Alexis didn’t even know–she was pregnant. That’s what sparked the idea for You and Me and Us! I thought it would be interesting to show Alexis with a teenage daughter, the same age she been during flashback scenes in the first book. But other than that, I didn’t know what it would be about. When I had the idea that Tommy would be sick, the story pretty much unfolded before me. Why is this story important to you? I have so much love for this story and these characters. I’ve been writing about Tommy and Alexis for more than twenty years. They’re like real people to me. And I can’t wait for readers to get to know them. Are any of your characters based on you or someone you know? None of my characters are exact replicas of people in my life, but there are definitely pieces of myself, my family, and my friends in the story. I tell people that I am not Alexis, but if they don’t like her, they probably won’t like me, either! How long did it take you to write You and Me and Us? I finished writing the first draft of You and Me and Us in two months—which was a miracle since it took me 15 years to finish writing my first book. I credit that speed to NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. I’m deadline-driven and competitive, so I thrived on the challenge and the competition. And once I got in the habit of writing every day, I couldn’t stop! Do you have any writing quirks? Do you have to write in the same room or at the same time of day? I’m sure I have a lot of writing quirks! I used to be precious about where and when I wrote, but I no longer have that luxury. I do my best writing at coffee shops—I’m a regular at a few different Starbucks. The balance of noise there just works for me—if it’s too loud, I can’t concentrate, but if it’s too quiet, I look for distractions. When I’m writing at home or at work, I have a playlist that I listen to. I only listen to it when I’m writing, and it has to play in order. If it’s in shuffle mode, it throws me off. What can I say, I’m a creature of habit! How will you celebrate on your publication day? My publication day plans have changed quite a bit thanks to this global pandemic. Originally, I was going to get my hair done and have lunch with my mom and other family members who were coming to town. And I was going to throw a big bash at Volumes BookCafe, one of my favorite local bookstores in Chicago. I was going to be in conversation with a novelist friend of mine, Erin Bartels, and we were going to have cake and champagne! That party will hopefully happen someday soon, but in the meantime, I’m planning a pretty awesome online launch party! And lastly, Miss Molly always wants to know: Dog or cat? And if you don’t have a pet, which would you choose if you could? I don’t have any pets (or plants!) but if I did, I would choose a cat. Hmm…Maybe I won’t tell Miss Molly you prefer cats. Thank you Alison for sharing your lovely smile with us today! Follow Alison on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/alisonhammer Follow Alison on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/ThisHammer/ Follow Alison on Goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18840675.Alison_Hammer

The path to publication starts with an idea, then words on the page, then more words on the page. Then deleting most of those words. And then adding more words. You get the idea: the path to publication involves a lot of words. Once you are looking at nearly 300 pages of words, you beg your previously corralled critique partners to read your words. Then you listen (or not) to what they suggest. You make corrections/additions/deletions (or not) and hustle your nearly perfect manuscript (you think) to your previously obtained beta readers. Beta readers are generally friends/acquaintances/perfect strangers who love to read. You ask/beg them to read your nearly perfect manuscript. At some point they tell you they love it/hate it or are completely ambivalent about it. Next, you write the most compelling query letter/synopsis and hook yourself an agent/publisher. And you think: my work is done here. And then you take a nice long rest. What you should do while you wait and wait (and maybe wait some more for the next steps in your path to publication) is write your next manuscript. Also, you should be making a name for yourself in social media—in a good way, mind you. People are more likely to buy your book if they’ve heard of you and like you. At some point you will be assigned a content editor. Other than your acquisitions editor (who liked what she saw when she accepted your manuscript), your critique partners/beta readers/friends/family/complete strangers that you wrangled in off the street, your content editor is the first official person to read your words. Listen closely to what she has to say. She might tell you that your manuscript is beautiful and there is not one damn thing she can do to improve your words. Trust me. This never happens. What really happens is this: your content editor emails you two documents. One is your beautiful manuscript, now decorated with comments/suggestions/changes/deletions/requests for entirely new chapters—look at it as a puzzle that she has torn apart and you must now put back together. The second is a document – anywhere between six and maybe thirty-four pages (give or take a page or two) where your editor introduces herself and tells you how thrilled she is to be working with you. Sure, she is probably required to say this, but it is still nice to hear. Within this document you will discover your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses. Generally speaking you will have more weaknesses than strengths. Sometimes more than you might have imagined. Next, your editor will detail crucial areas that need improvement – most likely there will be many. She might even create a shorthand code of recurring issues, so she doesn’t have to type the same words over and over – and over – again. You will refer to these codes frequently. Soon, you will have them memorized. Next, she will explain to you the storytelling elements of your manuscript. Which, of course, you already know since you wrote the manuscript, but it is a beautiful experience when someone else details the plot and rising action and crisis and resolution—and provides recommendations for each element. You really wish she had been available during the original writing process – if she had, she would have been your developmental editor rather than your content editor. Along with the storytelling elements, your content editor will detail your main characters. Now, these are your people. You created them, but suddenly you must look at them in an entirely new light. This can be scary. Sometimes you have a main character who needs a blood transfusion (she needs to grow). Sometimes you have a main character who really isn’t a main character at all, and you must wipe her out of your manuscript. It’s true. And, most probably, necessary. Just do it. Right about now might be a good time to mention that one of the most important elements in an author/editor relationship is trust and respect. You both need to trust and respect each other to publish the very best book. Look at it this way: most likely your content editor has edited more manuscripts than you’ve written. Also, she has the benefit of objectivity, while you might still be patting yourself on the back for having written a story with a beginning, middle and end. After your editor details the setting, subplots, genre and pacing, theme, voice and ending, she details, chapter by chapter, what works and what doesn’t. And then she does a beautiful thing: she provides suggestions. Again, why wasn’t she around from the very beginning? If you’re very, very lucky, this is what it’s like to work with a content editor.

Julie Maloney is a poet, writer, and founder/director of WOMEN READING ALOUD, a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of women writers. Since 2003, Julie has guided women writers throughout the USA and across the Atlantic through writing workshops, retreats, and special literary events. I first met Julie at the Gaithersburg Book Festival in June of this year where she discussed her debut novel, A Matter of Chance. I was so taken by her poise and demeanor, I knew I had to know her better. Hence, this interview. A little about Julie: BC: When did you decide to become a writer? JM: After my career as a dancer/choreographer and artistic director of my own modern dance company in NYC, I had a big decision to make. I had been dancing for thirty years. My dance company was ongoing for thirteen years. But my personal life was changing. I had married and had three young children. And I was tired…but the decision was not an easy one. How does one transition from one passion to find another? Slowly. Carefully. Painfully. I had always loved reading and writing in school. As a child, my greatest joy was in going to the library, so I reconnected to my love for reading. I wrote poetry. I walked a lot. I thought a lot. I kept reading and writing poetry…until the decision was made for me. A writer is someone who writes. To my great amazement, my passion for writing goes far deeper than my passion for dance. I like to think I am dancing on the page. BC: I love that – dancing on the page. Does writing energize or exhaust you? JM: Writing gives me great energy! This is why I rarely write at night. I can’t sleep if I do. I’m too jazzed. Too pumped. I have to calm down. I write at a standing desk, so when my legs get tired, I know I need to stop and take a walk or sit down. BC: What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel? JM: A few months ago, I looked at my bookcase to grab something to take with me before I went away for a quick weekend. I stumbled upon The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls. It was published in 2013. I don’t know how long I had had it, but once I started it, I was entranced. It is an absolute stunner! However, perhaps the most under-appreciated novel is Stoner by John Williams. I’ve read it five times. Phenomenal. BC: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? JM: I research all the time I’m writing. I know some writers spend a year or more on research, gather all their notes, then write. That’s not me. I write. I research. I write some more. I research. For A Matter of Chance, I flew to Germany to visit the Kaethe Kollwitz Museum to see her art up-close. It was an emotional experience for me because I had read about her art, collected her books, researched online, yet still I knew I had to go to Germany. Also, I was looking for an ending and I found it in the beauty of Bavaria. Kollwitz was definitely my muse for my debut novel. I just returned from visiting the second of two museums dedicated to her work in Germany. This time, I traveled to Berlin. I swell with emotion when I see her work. BC: Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice? JM: I think I’d call writing a “sacred” practice. I can go into that place where I am completely alone. I honor the work. I know it’s not all good but I’m hoping to get to that place if I keep on going. My “spiritual” practice is looking out the window in my kitchen. I like this writing life. I like going to the library, visiting museums, eating at a counter. Writing keeps me close to knowing who I am. BC: How many hours a day do you write? JM: I have no idea. My life is divided into so many pieces. For example, I led two international writing retreats this summer in Greece and in the Czech Republic. While I’m teaching, I’m writing to the prompts, but I’m not usually working on my ongoing project, which now is writing novel #2. And I’ve also been known to write at the NYC Public Library for hours until I’m shaking from hunger . . . and then there are times when I should be preparing dinner, but I stop in the middle of cutting a carrot to write down something that’s popped into my head. A fragment. The opening of a poem. A new beginning for a novel . . . my head spins and I go with it. I don’t care what day of the week it is; I write. BC: Tell us a little something about writing A Matter of Chance. · How did you come to write this particular book? · What did you edit out of this book? · What was your hardest scene to write? JM: A Matter of Chance is my debut novel, published by She Writes Press. It’s the best literary decision I’ve made to go with this hybrid publishing house. It’s been a completely positive experience. I discovered the protagonist ten years ago in a writing workshop. She never let go. Soon, she brought in a crew of characters. I wrote. I put it down. I wrote more. I researched. I despaired. I had an agent. Then I didn’t have an agent. I revised and revised and revised. I wrote it again and again until I got it right. It just won the Eric Hoffer Book Award for General Fiction for 2019. I’ve had the most wonderful time speaking with book clubs and book lovers all over . . . libraries, bookstores, women’s’ groups, colleges, conferences . . . I am over-the-moon grateful for this ten-year journey. One thing an editor told me was to edit out a character who was “too big and distracting” from the main story line. I loved this character, but I followed this advice and it was good advice. However, I wrote a book for her! Novel #2 revolves around the character, Tuba Schwimmer – a secondary character in my debut novel – and her daughter, Gitta. I’m so excited to give her the big “voice” she deserves. A Matter of Chance is the story of a child who is kidnapped at the age of eight. The publishing industry wanted a “detective” story. I wanted a story of the one left behind – the mother – and how she transforms herself as she searches for her daughter over five years. She becomes an internationally recognized artist by painting her way through grief. I stayed true to the story I wanted to write. I’m happy to say that readers have responded so well to this . . . following a woman on her journey from hope through despair to resolution. BC: How long on average does it take you to write a book? JM: A Matter of Chance was a ten-year journey. I’m writing the next book much faster. Thank goodness! I’ve learned so much by writing my first novel. I’m planning on having a good draft to show by the beginning of 2020. BC: What can you share about your new book? JM: Tentatively titled The Light Table, this is a story of stolen art, the restoration of the stain-glass windows at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the coming together of a mother and daughter. Tuba Schwimmer arrives in NYC to check on her daughter, Gitta, who is a glass restorer, working at St. Patrick’s, and in trouble. BC: Your new book sounds fascinating, and you know, as one of your biggest fans, how anxious I am to read it. Tell us something about WOMEN READING ALOUD JM: I founded WOMEN READING ALOUD almost twenty years ago with twelve women writers sitting around my dining room table. Now, we are an international organization dedicated to the support of women writers. Writers have participated in workshops and retreats from throughout the USA, Canada, Portugal, Germany, Greece, London, Prague and Australia. It’s been amazing how everyone connects when they have a mutual passion – writing. So many programs have sprouted from WOMEN READING ALOUD (WRA). How fortunate am I to meet such talented women from all over the world! I still host writing workshops in my home in New Jersey. I am always balancing WRA with my personal writing life. I love it all. BC: What do you enjoy most about connecting with readers? JM: Writers need readers. I am so grateful to every reader who attends a book talk of mine or invites me to visit their book club. I love hearing their questions. I love knowing that they’re interested in the characters’ decisions. So many of the book discussions send me thinking on the way home. I’m always working on how to be better at what I do as a writer, a teacher, a speaker. You name it. I like learning. BC: Miss Molly has an important question for you. MM: Cat or Dog? JM: I have a different kind of life, Miss Molly. I stare at the deer, the squirrels, an occasional fox, or a pair of geese, from my kitchen window. Although I live only thirty-five miles outside of New York City, I have a bucolic setting in my backyard. I walk in my neighborhood past a lake, down trails, and settle back on my deck to stare out at a big open sky. Even in the winter (I love snow), I’ll sit on the steps outside, all wrapped up, just to stare and think. MM: Thank you, Miss Julie, but I still think you need a dog. BC: Give me a hint of your personal life. JM: I have three children, and eight grandchildren who live all over the country. I love loving them. I just celebrated my 47th anniversary. I love MYGUY. I am aware that life is fragile. To contact Julie: http://www.juliemaloney.net/ http://www.womenreadingaloud.org/ BC: Thank you so much, Julie, for a lovely interview. Congratulations on the success of A Matter of Chance, and on winning the Eric Hoffer Book Award for General Fiction for 2019. We all are looking forward to your new book.

So here’s the thing about writing: you have no idea how much you don’t know. When I decided I wanted to be a writer, I thought all I had to do was sit down and write. Because I loved to write. How hard could it be? You put one word after the other until you have a sentence, and then a paragraph, and then a chapter, and, you get the picture… So. I had a story, and I sat down and I wrote it. And I was pretty sure it was one helluva story. So when I was finished I asked two writer friends to read it. Which was stressful. What if they didn’t like it? But, really, how      could they not? Now, my writer friends are nice people. I’ll call them what their mothers did: Wendy and Rachel. Wendy and Rachel volunteered to read my story the first night I met them, at a Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania a few years ago. It took months before I sent it to them, because, you know, I wanted it to be perfect. But I finally hit SEND and put it out of my mind. Who am I kidding? I thought about it every day, as any new writer does when she takes that first leap of faith and shares her work. I was nervous. Who wouldn’t be? And then I heard from them. And the conversation went something like this: “You write beautifully.” “Thank you.” “But…” “But?” “Where’s the story?” “What do you mean?” I answered. “It’s right there. First, this happens, and then this happens, and, maybe the reader wants to know about this, so I’ll put that in. Did you miss all that?” “No,” they said, “we didn’t miss it, and you wrote it beautifully. But there really isn’t a beginning and a middle and an end. And where’s the tension? The hook? And how many protagonists do you think you need to tell this story?” And that was that. I had no story. I just had a bunch of pretty words and pretty sentences that went nowhere. Wendy and Rachel showed me the error of my ways. Just because I liked to write didn’t mean I could write a book. But, you’ll be happy to know I wrote and rewrote (and rewrote) my story and took writing classes and bought (and read) craft books until my pretty words became a book, to be published soon by Red Adept Publishing. So here’s to Wendy and Rachel!

So here’s the thing about writing: there’s time for other things. Small projects. Something to take my mind off my main character and how to get her from what is sometimes referred to as the soggy middle of a manuscript to the end where she throws off her self-doubt and her enemies, and, you know, wins the day. Redecorating can be a small project. It can. But I’ve found that small redecorating projects blossom. A few years ago we replaced some switch plates. Total cost: $12,500. Switch plates led to paint, paint led to floor refinishing, floor refinishing led to a new sofa and two new wing chairs for the family room. It’s the domino theory, and it’s reinforced by floor plans meant to flow from room to room. What flow really means is, once you start there’s no bloody stopping. Personally, I think it’s a construction conspiracy. And the people who manufacture paint and carpet and furniture—and switch plates—laugh all the way to the bank. So, now, all I want to do is replace the doorbell. After all, there’s no flow involved. I’m just looking for a simple note or two to announce family or friends or the occasional door-to-door salesperson who is never deterred by the ‘No Soliciting’ sign at the entrance to our neighborhood. I don’t need chimes or musical melodies. Just ding-dong. I thought I was safe. And then I walked out my front door to look at the front of my house. I don’t know why. I got to thinking about someone standing on the porch, ringing the doorbell, listening to the pleasant ding-dong of the new doorbell, and I wondered what they saw while they waited for me to answer the door. And that was my mistake. Wondering. In case you’re curious, or you find yourself standing on my front porch, ringing my doorbell, what you will see while you wait for me to open the door is shutters that need some sprucing, a front door beyond blah, and a sidewalk section with a big crack running through it. Not to mention the privet hedge…And what about brick to replace the siding… So, now, I’m thinking about not replacing the doorbell and getting back to my office where I can safely write my characters through soggy middles without needing a bloody mortgage…

So here’s the thing about reading: writing a review of the book you’ve just finished is vital. And I’ll tell you why by asking you a question. When you go out for a special dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in your town, or maybe two towns over because you really want to do it up right, and the meal is fabulous, and the waitstaff was extraordinarily helpful and polite and you will always remember this night, what do you do? You leave a tip. And if you really, really loved the service and the food and the ambiance, you leave a really big tip. That’s what a book review is to an author. A tip. And the more you loved the book, the nicer the review should be. Reviews to authors are an acknowledgment of what they did and how they made you feel. But if just my suggestion that you write a book review reminds you of your eighth grade book report on To Kill A Mockingbird where you had to stand up in front of the entire class and discuss Harper Lee’s use of symbolism when all you’d done was read a synopsis rather than the story itself—that’s not what I’m talking about. A book review is as simple as this: · Read the book · Write a sentence or two about why you liked the book on either Goodreads or Amazon (both is even better). Did it make you happy? Did it have you sitting on the edge of your seat afraid to go to bed or turn the light out and you absolutely love to be scared by something that couldn’t possibly be real…or could it??? · Don’t give away the ending or other relevant story hooks. Let the reader find out for himself that the butler didn’t do it because the butler never does it. Here are a couple of sites to consider if you want to know more about writing a book review: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/book-reviews/ https://blog.essaybasics.com/how-to-write-a-book-review/ https://www.enotes.com/topics/how-write-book-review For myself, I never review a book if I can’t give it at least 3 stars. Just because I might not like the story or the characters or the ending doesn’t mean that you won’t, and I don’t want to discourage you from reading the book. And also, because there’s always an also: if you buy a book on Amazon and you review it positively it receives a ranking. Each review increases the book’s ranking, meaning people will see the book more frequently. The more the book is seen, the better the chance the book will be purchased. And that’s the best way to say Thanks to the author.