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Q&A with Kristin Bair O’Keeffe, author of The Art of Floating

Like any woman who refuses to take anti-depressants or drink heavily after her husband disappears, Sia began to float. ~ from The Art of Floating

When we lose someone who is an anchor in our lives, there is a natural inclination to withdraw from the living, to retreat inward. Or, if you’re Sia Dane in The Art of Floating, upward. And sometimes, it takes more than therapy or time to recover.

Art-of-Floating_COVERFor Sia, in Kristin Bair O’Keeffe’s new novel, it takes a few of the town’s eccentric characters–like her best friend Jilly and the elusive Dogcatcher–and especially the arrival of a speechless man, who seems to have walked straight out of the ocean and onto the beach.

Through setting and character and brief chapters in The Art of Floating, O’Keeffe weaves together themes such as sorrow and empathy and letting go in a unique and captivating way, giving readers a glimpse into the psyche of a woman who simply wants to know the truth of how or why her husband disappeared.

I’m thrilled to host Kristin Bair O’Keeffe today for an interview. As a bonus, she’s offering a copy of her new book to one lucky reader! Leave your name in the comments to enter the giveaway; Random.org will choose the winner on Tuesday, May 6th.

Now, welcome Kristin Bair O’Keeffe!

CC: Sia’s full name is Odyssia, given to her in response to her mother’s obsession with The Odyssey and, perhaps, marking Sia for her own arduous journey after her husband’s disappearance. How did the writing of Sia’s story unfold for you? From the seed of an idea? From a myth that took on a modern feel? Organically or from the pages of a well-thought-out plan?

KBOK_Color_Big-Wall_High-Res-1024x682KBO: As I wrote in a recent guest post for Shelf Pleasure, I discovered the seed of this novel in 2005 while waiting for a turkey and provolone sandwich at a café in Haverhill, Massachusetts. There was an article in the New York Times about a mute, unresponsive man who’d been found soaking wet on a beach in Europe (Germany, I think), and when I read it, I had one of those “this is my next novel” moments when angels sing and lights flash and sirens sound.

Shortly after, I moved to Shanghai, China, with my brand-new husband, and there, I started to write this novel. Throughout the first few drafts (I wrote 48 in total), I believed I was telling the story about the man found on the beach (Toad). I was writing with the focus directly on him, but as I wrote, I realized that there was this amazingly cool woman who found him on the beach and who had suffered a horrible, soul-altering loss that had sent her on an incredible journey through sorrow, far from the shores of home. Somewhere in there, I figured out that I needed to shift the spotlight to this woman.

I’d fallen in love with Homer’s The Odyssey the first time I read it in my 9th-grade English class (we read the entire thing out loud! it was incredible…), and I’d always wanted to write a modern-day structural/emotional/female version of it. Through some cosmic magic, that desire and this particular story dovetailed. That’s when the structure and the voice began to fall into place, and suddenly the woman who finds the man on the beach had a name: Odyssia (Sia).

CC: I love the role that setting and environment play in your novel. In the book, even Sia’s house takes on her sorrow, as she closes the shutters, burrows in, and falls apart, until–finally–the house itself “crack[s] open on its own accord.” Shortly after, Sia discovers Toad, the mysterious man on the beach who, battered and worn, appears pushed ashore by the ocean. The way you write about the house and Toad’s appearance almost suggests that we reach a threshold with empathy and loss, so that we can no longer suffer alone. Was that your goal in making sense of place and setting such an important character in the novel?

KBO: When writing the early drafts of The Art of Floating, I wasn’t conscious of using place and setting in any one particular way. I was just letting the story unfold and figuring out its path. But once I recognized that getting as close to Sia’s experiences with and expressions of sorrow and loss were vital parts of the story, I knew I had to push past all trite descriptions of such and create authentic representations. In the “real” world, we often cushion our reactions to loss. After a tragedy when someone asks, “How are you doing?” we often say something along the lines of  “Oh, fine. Just fine.” We cover up how we’re really doing because raw expression makes some people uncomfortable, like Joe Laslow in the book. Sia’s inability to move past her grief makes Joe crazy.

Once I understood this aspect of the story, using place and setting to help to reveal Sia’s grief happened quite naturally. At conferences I often teach a workshop called “The Geography of a Novel” that explores how to make the physical and emotional geographies of a story work together. In this way, it was a lot of fun figuring out which aspects of Newburyport and Plum Island, Massachusetts (where The Art of Floating takes place) complemented and/or highlighted Sia’s personality and state of mind (and, equally important, which didn’t).

CC: In this blog post on your website, Writerhead, you talk about the many hats you wear as a mother working a full-time job, promoting one book while writing another. With such a busy schedule, what gets you into Writerhead. Or better yet, how do you make time for Writerhead?

KBO: Honestly, this is the toughest writing period of my entire life. I have an amazing six-year-old daughter; I have a wonderful but demanding job as the director of publications at private high school; I’m promoting my just-published novel The Art of Floating; and I’m trying desperately to get my next novel into shape. Throw a little bit of life into it (gym, grocery, kiddo activities, birthday parties, dinner, garden, husband, etcetera) and you have about seven minutes a day for writerhead. Not much.

Yet I’m writing. From 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. each day, I’m at my desk working on the new novel. Yep, I’m exhausted. Yep, I have deeper sacks under my eyes than I ever thought possible. But yep, I still get into writerhead.

CC: What are you reading these days?

KBO: I just started reading Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala, a memoir about the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka that Deraniyagala survived, but that claimed the lives of her husband, two sons, and parents. It’s good. Powerful. Heartbreaking.

This year, my favorite novel was Haruki Murakami’s IQ84. It took about three months to read because I have even less time for reading than I do for writerhead, but so, so worth it.

On my “to read” list on Goodreads?

  • Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China by Leta Hong Fincher
  • Kinder Than Solitude by Yiyun Li
  • The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (I know, I know! I’m probably the only person on earth who hasn’t read this marvel yet.)

Also, I read a lot of books with my six-year-old, picture books as well as chapter books (mostly, right now, about fairies). We’re in the middle of  Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends, and we reread Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who and The Lorax as often as possible.

CC: What’s the best advice you’ve heard that sticks with you through thick and thin?

KBO: Writing begets writing.

Kristin Bair O’Keeffe is the author of the novels The Art of Floating (Penguin/Berkley, April 2014) and Thirsty (Swallow Press, 2009). Her work has been published in numerous magazines and journals, including Poets & Writers Magazine, The Gettysburg Review, The Christian Science Monitor, and HYPERtext. She has an MFA in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago and has been teaching writing for the past twenty years. In late 2010, after nearly five years in Shanghai, China, she repatriated to the United States and now lives north of Boston with her husband and daughter.

Visit Kristin’s website at KristinBairOkeeffe.com, follow her on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for her mailing list.

And don’t forget to leave your name in the comments for a chance to win a copy of The Art of Floating!

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Q&A with Therese Walsh, author of The Moon Sisters

The scent of dragon was in truth the scent of human connection. . . . it was wanting just the same. . . .

‘Well, there is that, isn’t there?’ I said [to Hobbs], giving him what he needed and what was true at the same time. ‘You are saving me–helping me, at any rate–and when I need you the most. Don’t you think that’s an argument in favor of things happening for a reason?’ ~ Olivia Moon in The Moon Sisters

MOON_SISTERS_8_29 (2)I admit, the quote above doesn’t do justice for the magical kind of read within the pages of Therese Walsh’s new novel, The Moon Sisters. What the quote does, for me anyway, is highlight the way in which one of the protagonists, Olivia Moon sees the world.

Olivia has synesthesia, which means that sights and sounds can trigger her other senses, too. Hope tastes like “a mix of berries” to Olivia, like “the drizzle of honey and another drizzle of lemon” and her mother smells like “the scent of clothes right off the line on a summer day, the sunshine itself.” She also has complete confidence in fate. Her outlook on the world, both physically and spiritually, sends her packing after the death of her mother and propels her on a journey of discovery as she deals with her grief.

Olivia’s sister, Jazz, sets out on the same path, traveling with her sister all the way to a place called Cranberry Glades, but more by way of rescue. Jazz is the logical one of the sisters, she believes, and is determined to bring her wandering sister home and make her face the reality of what happened to their mother. Only after they both take chances along the way, either willingly or by force of hand, do they find the truth they are looking for, along with compassion for themselves and for each other and understanding for those they love most.

Fate, logic, and chance: three words that help weave this beautiful tale of grief, recovery, and relationships.

I’m honored to host Therese for an interview today and thrilled to be able to share a copy of her novel. I read The Moon Sisters in short order, which is always a sign that I’ve got my hands on a really great book. Drop your name in the comments; Random.org will choose the winner on Tuesday, April 1st (seriously).

Now, welcome Therese Walsh.

CC: How did fate, chance, and logic play out in the development of The Moon Sisters from the seed of an idea to full-grown novel?

pic to useTW: Fate, luck, control, and logic did play a significant role in developing the story, to set up the more philosophical conflicts that Jazz and Olivia Moon would have to contend with while trying to come to terms with their mother’s death and with their own perceptions of what happened.

From the start of the story, Jazz Moon rejects the ideas of luck and fate—those, to her, are ether. She believes in logic, in “if this, than that” scenarios, and she believes in control via logic. But after her mother, Beth, dies, there’s a gap between logic and control that no longer makes sense. Though she may not consciously realize it, much of her journey is about coming to terms with control.

Olivia, on the other hand, was raised to believe that “everything happens for a reason” (fate), though you should also cross your fingers and wish for good luck just to be certain your bases are covered. She’s neither interested in control or logic, but prefers to live by whim.

Is life directed by fate, luck, or even chaos? Is it controllable? Is it always logical? These arguments aren’t at the surface level of The Moon Sisters, and I wouldn’t say they’re the primary themes of the book, but they are critical and rather thrum under the story’s skin like blood.

CC: How was writing The Moon Sisters different from writing your debut novel, The Last Will of Moira Leahy?

TW: They were both personally challenging novels for me to write, but when I wrote (and re-wrote) The Last Will of Moira Leahy (2002-2008), I did it for me. I wasn’t under contract. I was exploring my ability as a writer, and then pushing up against and redefining those boundaries as I grew. It was an exhausting but intensely rewarding experience.

When I wrote The Moon Sisters, I was under contract, as I had a two-book deal with Random House. Instead of writing for myself, as an exploration of ability, I was writing for a publisher, who had an expectation of ability. And, really, I had to live up to that expectation. That made me nervous, and even made me a little fearful. What if I couldn’t do it? What if I only had one book in me?

Ultimately, I did work through those fears, and—who knows?—maybe the fear helped. I’m very proud of the book The Moon Sisters has become; it’s the truest and best thing I’ve ever written.

CC: In a conversation we had on Twitter, you said several readers have seen themselves in either Olivia or Jazz. I certainly carry shades of Olivia in the way she deals with her mother’s “up and downs” and in her belief in serendipity. What about you? Are you more of a follow-your-heart kind of person like Olivia or all business like Jazz? Or, are you a healthy mix of both?

TW: I’m definitely a mix of both. I can see myself in each of the characters, even a character like Hobbs.

Each of my real sisters is more like one of the Moon sisters than the other, though: I have both a whimsical, Olivia-like sister, and a pragmatic, Jazz-like sister.

CC: As co-founder of Writer Unboxed, a flourishing website for writers, and a host for the Writer Unboxed group on Facebook, you are in contact with a huge online writing community. Do you meet with writers locally as well? If so, how does the face-to-face compare to the online world when it comes to camaraderie?

TW: I do have a handful of local writer friends who meet every few months to talk about everything and anything, often over lunch and sometimes after massages.

You might think that meeting online friends in real life for the first time would be uncomfortable in some way, but for the most part I find that those meetings buzz with authentic connection. There’s immediate recognition, almost always (thank you, Facebook!), and easy conversation because commonalities have already been determined online. And truthfully, my first response when I meet someone from my online world is usually to want to give them a hug.

So all in all, I think the real world compares quite well with the online world. I believe you can forge real connections online, and that those connections can be strengthened all the more when you meet face to face.

Therese Walsh’s second novel, The Moon Sisters, was published on March 4th, 2014 by Crown (Random House). Her debut, The Last Will of Moira Leahy, was named one of January Magazine’s Best Books of 2009 and was a TARGET Breakout Book. Therese is the co-founder of Writer Unboxed, a site that’s visited daily by thousands of writers interested in the craft and business of fiction. She has a master’s degree in psychology. Aside from writing, her favorite things include music, art, crab legs, Whose Line is it Anyway?, dark chocolate, photography, unique movies and novels, people watching, strong Irish tea, and spending time with her husband, two kids and their Jack Russell. 

Visit her website at ThereseWalsh.com, follow her on Facebook and Twitter or sign up for her mailing list.

Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to get your hands on The Moon Sisters. Read more about the novel here. 

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Q&A: Leesa Freeman, THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE

‘Hi, I’m Todd and I’m an addict…’ I stared into the watery black coffee in my cup, searching for answers that weren’t there.
~ from THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE

WisdomLeesa Freeman stopped by the blog in November with a guest post about her journey to publication. I invited her back to talk more about her debut novel and  some of the decisions she made when writing the book.

THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE tells the story of a young man on his path of self-discovery, navigating relationships (old and new) while doing his best to stay sober. When I read this book, I wanted to ask Leesa about common issues all writers face: writing from unfamiliar perspectives, tackling intimate scenes, and tried and true advice.

I’m honored Leesa returns for an interview and am offering a giveaway at the end. Drop your name in the comments for a chance to win a signed copy of THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE (random.org will choose the winner on Tuesday, January 14th).

Now, welcome Leesa!

CC: Writing a novel challenges an author in many ways, the choice of perspective being one. THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE is told through the eyes of a young man who, after a football injury, becomes addicted to drugs and lands in rehab. What was the biggest hurdle in starting out from this point of view (which I imagine was foreign to you in a myriad of ways)?

headshotnewLF: When the idea for this story came to me, there wasn’t a question in my mind that it had to be told from Todd’s point of view. There was a lot I didn’t know about him – that he was a recovering addict, for instance – but I had this overall idea about who he was and just couldn’t get him out of my mind. That said, I had no idea how to write as a guy and the last thing I wanted was for it to come off as some stereotypical dude, or worse, a chick’s schmaltzy version of a guy. I spent a long time writing some really bad stuff, paralyzed and struggling until I realized something fundamental: I wasn’t writing a guy who happened to be a person, but a person who happened to be a guy.  Once I figured that out, writing Todd became much easier because those fears and inhibitions began to disappear.

CC: I don’t typically ask this next kind of question, but here goes. I’ve read my share of sex scenes in books: some smooth and well-written; others thrown at the reader in such a way that is more jarring than exciting (and even a bit rude). The passionate moments in your book unfold naturally within the storyline and never feel gratuitous. There’s a real art to making those kinds of scenes work. I have avoided writing sex so far; my stories haven’t called for it, but I admit I’d be hesitant to try even if they did. From a craft perspective, what’s one tip you could offer a scaredy-cat like me?

LF: I guess the most important thing advice I can give is to write for yourself first. That includes sex scenes as well as anything else. If I sit wondering how a reader will react to how a scene happens, I’ll never write anything. I can’t predict what will turn a reader on – or off – and I don’t try. What I do try to do is figure out what will turn my characters on, what will satisfy them, then I make sure that those scenes add to, rather than detract from the overall story. If it is sex just for sex’s sake, it gets deleted, but if it needs to be there to enhance the story and move it forward, then it stays.

CC: Tell us about your next big project.

LF: I’m in the process of looking for an agent for my novel Into the Deep End about a young man, Luke Stevenson, who has been talked into (guilted into?) working at a summer camp for kids with Spina Bifida. As a paraplegic, he has more in common with the kids than he realizes, but he is still angry from the car accident and mourning the death of his twin sister. It takes Luke time to understand that his personality is not dependent on his body, nor is his capacity to love another dependent on his ability to walk.

CC: What are you reading these days?

LF: I just finished John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, which I loved, but I’ll read just about anything so long as it is well-written, has fascinating characters, and a rich storyline.

CC: What is one piece of writing advice that has stuck with you throughout your journey?

LF: I love the Holley Gerth quote, “Be courageous and write in a way that scares you a little.” What that means to me is I can be complacent and write something that simply skims the surface of a topic, and it may be lovely and beautiful, but I don’t know that surface writing can truly touch the reader. I don’t believe that surface writing will stay with the reader long after they close the book. To create something memorable, I need to push myself, scare myself, and explore the depths of my own emotions so the reader can also explore the depths of the character’s emotions. That is my job, and if I do it well, perhaps my characters will become as real to the reader as they do to me, not just words on a page, but living and breathing people with their own hopes, dreams, and fears.

A native Texan, Leesa Freeman enjoys escaping the chill of New England, if only in her imagination, often setting her stories in the places she loved growing up. Some of her favorite moments are the ones where it’s just her, her Mac, and simply conversing with the people who live inside her head, and sharing their lives with those who take the time to read her stories. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two daughters, where she is also an artist, avid baker, a self-proclaimed music snob, and recovering Dr. Pepper addict. Visit her website and follow her on Facebook.

Don’t forget: Leave your name in the comments for a chance to win a copy of THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.