TBR: The Book of Jeremiah by Julie Zuckerman

TBR [to be read] is a semi-regular, invitation-only interview series with authors of newly released/forthcoming, interesting books who will tell us about their new work as well as offer tips on writing, stories about the publishing biz, and from time to time, a recipe! 

Give us your elevator pitch: what’s your book about in 2-3 sentences?

THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH tells the story of awkward but endearing Jeremiah Gerstler—son, father, husband, academic, Jew—who tries over the course of his life to be the best person he can, and who will inspire his readers to do the same. Jumping backwards and forwards in time to hone in on various periods in Gerstler's life, this novel-in-stories offers a sensitive and nuanced portrayal of some of life's most painful and private moments.

Which story did you most enjoy writing? Why? And, which story gave you the most trouble, and why?

The story that appears last in the book — “MixMaster” — when Jeremiah is 82, is actually the first one I wrote. He’s crusty but loveable, exasperating and charming. I was immediately taken with Jeremiah’s character, and as soon as I finished this story, I knew wanted to write an entire book unraveling is life. Ironically, his daughter, Hannah, who is closest in age and generation to me, was the hardest to write, perhaps because of that closeness.

Tell us a bit about the highs and lows of your book’s road to publication.

I thought I was done writing all the stories after about three years. I’d submit and submit and submit, occasionally getting published, occasionally getting nice feedback (a handwritten note on my rejection from The Atlantic! A “we found much to admire in your story” rejection from The New Yorker!!), but I ultimately realized that some of the stories needed more work. In some cases, I threw out the original story completely, keeping only the year and the setting from the original. From the first story until the last major revision took about five years. I didn’t try to get an agent; I went directly to small/independent presses. Thus began a new cycle of rejections, though many were complimentary. And then, in April 2018, I received an email from Press 53 that began, “Congratulations….” I had to read the email four or five times to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me.

I’m now writing these words two days after my local book launch. What a thrill and honor it was to celebrate with my close friends and family. I’m still floating.

What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?

Always keep honing your craft. Around the time I thought I was done with the writing, I met a writer and teacher whose first book was just coming out. I asked her what else I should be doing, and she gave me that advice. It didn’t matter that I don’t have an MFA and that I live abroad, I could seek out online classes, she said. Not only has my writing improved as a result of taking classes through One Story, Gotham, Catapult, Grub Street, and Kathy Fish, but I’ve met wonderful writer friends from all over the world.

My favorite writing advice is “write until something surprises you.” What surprised you in the writing of this book?

Since I was writing backwards in time, it was some of the actions of the characters when they were younger that surprised me. When you first encounter Molly, Jeremiah’s wife, she’s 72, the rock of her family, a stable and supportive mother and wife. But as the book goes on, we see some new sides of her. In the first few stories I wrote, I hadn’t imagined Molly’s younger, wilder self.

How do you approach revision?

I’m in a few writing groups, and this feedback is invaluable in the revision process. On occasion I don’t agree with the comments, so I’ve had to learn to ignore it. But most of the time, my writing group friends are very good at distilling the weakest points in the story. Often these are things that I knew, deep down, are not quite right yet. Whenever there’s a confluence of their feedback and my gut feeling, I know I’ve got work to do.

Inquiring foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any food/s associated with your book? (Any recipes I might share?)

The book is full of food references, as Molly, Jeremiah’s wife, is quite adept in the kitchen, both with cooking and baking. I have a recipe section on my website: https://www.juliezuckerman.com/fun-stuff

Here’s one for k’neidelach (matzah balls), featured in the first story. My family eats k’neidelach with chicken soup all year round, not only on Passover.

1 c. matzah meal

3 eggs

1 tsp chopped parsley

1/4 c. cold water

1/2 c. vegetable oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

​

Mix all ingredients, chill for a couple of hours, mold into balls and drop into boiling water/soup. Cover pot and cook on low for 30-45 minutes.

~~

READ MORE ABOUT THIS AUTHOR & BOOK: www.juliezuckerman.com

ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR OWN TBR SHELF: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/194120998X/

READ AN EXCERPT, “The Book of Jeremiah”: https://www.sixfold.org/FicSummer15/Zuckerman.html

TBR: Stay by Tanya Olson

TBR [to be read] is a semi-regular, invitation-only interview series with authors of newly released/forthcoming, interesting books who will tell us about their new work as well as offer tips on writing, stories about the publishing biz, and from time to time, a recipe! 

We don’t expect an elevator pitch from a poet, but can you tell us about your work in 2-3 sentences?

Stay is a book that considers what it costs to remain in an identity, belief, or geographic area, as well as what it costs to leave those things. The poems use American songs and stories to think about these costs on a national and personal level.

Which which poem/s gave you the most trouble, and why?

Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong was the poem I probably put the most hours into; it’s different in structure and tone for me. I usually don’t do “assignment” poems or try to write a particular kind of poem, but for this poem I wanted to try to write a Someday I’ll Love. . . poem. I had heard both Ocean and Roger Reeves read their versions of this (in response to a Frank O’Hara line) and wanted to see what it would be like for someone other than a man to write one. I was really pleased that it ended up both reflecting that kind of poem while not adhering to previous versions. Then it had all those couplets, which seemed correct for the poem, but drove me crazy. Every time I changed 1 line, it would often mean I had to work on everything after. While I might make some reading adjustments to it, thank god it’s finally in a stable version in print.

Tell us a bit about the highs and lows of your book’s road to publication.

When I was writing my first book, I had no idea I was writing a book. I was just writing a bunch of poems and then had to, years later, look back and try to figure out what they all had in common and how they held together. Stay was a million times easier. I knew I wanted to end up with a book and I knew it was all about staying or leaving in some way. While I still had to put together an order, the whole process felt much simpler.

What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?

Your poem should please you. Your poem doesn’t have to please other poets or your writing group or your teacher or your audience. It has to feel right/done/accurate to you and no one else.

My favorite writing advice is “write until something surprises you.” What surprised you in the writing of this book?

After hearing Timothy Donnelly and Tim Seibles each (at different readings) read 1 long poem as a whole reading, I knew I wanted to try making a poem that sweeping and ambitious. While it didn’t quite end up to their works, I loved the way txt me im board ended up as the center poem, the poem you work your way to and away from. It became a poem I could organize the book around.

Who is your ideal reader?

I think a lot about who is going to hear/read these poems and what they will get from them. My ideal reader is unaffiliated with a university; they feel left out of or adjacent to power. They are surprised to hear/see themselves reflected in art but find the experience meaningful. They like to make things and clap at the end of poems because they know it is hard to make anything that works well. 

Inquiring foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any food/s associated with your book? (Any recipes I might share?)

The Horseshoe makes an appearance in Bobby Bare. It’s one of those great American sandwiches you get at a local joint, and if you ever find yourself in the flat corn and soybean fields of central Illinois, I highly recommend one. The cheese sauce in this one looks a little high-faluting, but I like that someone in the comments recommends the best places to get one. It’s probably more of an eaten-out than a made-at-home thing.

~~

READ MORE ABOUT THIS AUTHOR/BOOK: https://www.tanyaolson.com/

ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR OWN TBR  SHELF: https://www.yesyesbooks.com/product-page/stay-by-tanya-olson

READ A POEM, “54 Prince”:

https://www.theawl.com/2014/01/a-poem-by-tanya-olson/

TBR: Dear Scarlet: The Story of My Postpartum Depression by Teresa Wong

TBR [to be read] is a semi-regular, invitation-only interview series with authors of newly released/forthcoming, interesting books who will tell us about their new work as well as offer tips on writing, stories about the publishing biz, and from time to time, a recipe! 

Give us your elevator pitch: what’s your book about in 2-3 sentences?

Dear Scarlet is an intimate and honest look at my struggle with postpartum depression after the birth of my first child. Written as a letter to my daughter, my graphic memoir is equal parts heartbreaking and funny, capturing the ups and downs of life as a new mother.

What boundaries did you break in the writing of this memoir? Where does that sort of courage come from?

I wrote this book as an honest telling of what I went through and didn’t think I was breaking any boundaries until other mothers told me that my book is much needed. There is extreme pressure on new moms to be perfect and to embrace motherhood as a wonderful, joyful experience—and if you don’t find it all that great, you feel ashamed and alone. I’m not sure if Dear Scarlet is courageous, but I tell the ugly truth about my postpartum experience, and I hope others who are struggling will feel encouraged by it.

Tell us a bit about the highs and lows of your book’s road to publication.

So many lows, so many highs! I began the book in 2015, writing and illustrating it over nine months. I finished my second draft and began querying in the summer of 2016, eventually landing a U.S. agent a few months later. We went out on submission in mid-2017 and, by the fall, had been rejected by 20+ “Big Five” imprints. Most editors loved the material but didn’t see it breaking out in the market, either because of the topic or because of the genre. We got really close in one case, but in the end it all came down to the profit-and-loss statement.

At the beginning of 2018, my agent dropped me, so I made a list of indie publishers and began sending my manuscript out in batches. By the summer, one small press had expressed interest, but they were waiting for their editorial board to reconvene in the fall before making an offer. That same week I received an email from Brian Lam, the publisher at Arsenal Pulp Press, who asked if I had gotten his earlier email containing an offer (I hadn’t!!) and restating his interest in publishing Dear Scarlet. They wanted to fast-track the book because they had an opening for their Spring 2019 lineup. I took Arsenal Pulp’s offer to a Canadian literary agent, who agreed to represent me and took over negotiations.

What has struck me most about the past year was the number of people (total strangers) who gave me advice and offered help. I’m part of a large online writers group for women, and when I lost my agent, so many of them encouraged me to keep going. One woman even sent an email on my behalf to her ex-boyfriend, a well-established graphic novelist. He, in turn, introduced me to his own agent. Even though nothing came of it, I will never forget how kind and generous people were to me.

What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?

“If you are writing the clearest, truest words you can find and doing the best you can to understand and communicate, this will shine on paper like its own little lighthouse.” Anne Lamott wrote this in Bird by Bird, which is a book full of the best writing advice I’ve ever read.

My favorite writing advice is “write until something surprises you.” What surprised you in the writing of this book?

I was surprised that I ended up illustrating it myself. I am a writer, not an artist, and I felt for sure that I’d need to collaborate with an illustrator to make the book. However, when I showed the first draft to friends and colleagues, they said that the simple drawings amplify the vulnerability of the story. They told me it would be a better story if I drew the thing myself. I’m not entirely happy with all of the drawings in the book (especially now that I’ve been practicing for a few years), but there are certain panels that I really do love.

Who is your ideal reader?

My ideal readers are people who know or want to know what it’s really like to be a new mother, how big of a change it is and how difficult it can be, even when you have a baby under ideal conditions (e.g., with access to health care and a supportive partner).

Inquiring foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any food/s associated with your book? (Any recipes I might share?)

I write about traditional Chinese postpartum foods, but I’m sure nobody here wants my mother’s recipe for pork liver soup.

***

READ MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK: www.byteresawong.com/arsenalpulp.com

  

ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR OWN TBR PILE: https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Scarlet-Story-Postpartum-Depression/dp/1551527650