Give us your elevator
pitch: what’s your book about in 2-3 sentences?
Dual
Citizens is a love story about the complicated, lifelong bond
between two half-sisters, Lark and Robin.
It’s about art, ambition, sisterhood, and redefining what a family can
be.
Which character did
you most enjoy creating? Why? And, which character gave you the most trouble,
and why?
Lark and Robin are vastly different characters: Lark, the
narrator, is shy and studious, deeply observant, and most comfortable when she
feels invisible. She becomes a film
editor because she’s happiest working alone, stitching together footage to make
sense of a story. Robin, on the other
hand, is wild and unconventional, determined to forge her own path through the
world, and she walks away from a promising career as a classical pianist
because it feels too confining for her.
I’m closer in temperament in Lark, so I could channel her with ease. Writing Robin was harder, but also fun
because she’s a character who isn’t afraid of anything, and who disregards all
the rules.
Tell us a bit about
the highs and lows of your book’s road to publication.
Most of my writing process involves wrong turns that seem
comical after the fact. Did I really
have a subplot involving a 1970s Quebecois terrorist organization? Did I really spend months researching
artificial intelligence only to disregard the material entirely? Yes I did.
Looking back it seems absurd that I ever thought these things were going
to be part of the book. But all those
detours were necessary for the book to become itself in the final version.
What’s your favorite
piece of writing advice?
When I was in graduate school I kept going around to my
various teachers asking them for tips on how to write a novel. I think what I really wanted was permission,
a green light, someone to tell me I was capable of it. None of what I heard was particularly helpful
in that regard, except for the Scottish writer James Kelman, who told me “Be
bold, make art. Don’t wait another
second.” It’s the best advice I can think of.
My favorite writing
advice is “write until something surprises you.” What surprised you in the
writing of this book?
Both the sisters in my book wind up choosing unconventional
paths towards artistic fulfillment.
Robin ditches her musical career to work as a waitress and start a wolf
preserve in the Laurentian mountains in Quebec.
Lark becomes an editor for reality TV shows and discovers that she finds
great satisfaction and artistic fulfillment there. I didn’t plan for either of them to make
these choices but they both seemed right to me, and interesting to write about
too.
How did you find the
title of your book?
I’m a dual citizen of the US and Canada, and so are Robin
and Lark, who have a (shared) Canadian mother and (different) American fathers.
As soon as I hit on Dual Citizens as the title, I thought it
had so much resonance, political and personal; ideas about citizenship, belonging,
and the complexities of home thread through the book.
Inquiring foodies and
hungry book clubs want to know: Any food/s associated with your book? (Any
recipes I might share?)
My narrator Lark is a terrible cook and self-declared “food
agnostic.” Literally everything she
makes in the book is awful. In lieu of a
recipe I will therefore provide a list of my favorite Canadian snack foods:
1.
Coffee Crisp chocolate bars
2.
Miss Vickie’s Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar potato
chips
3.
Kraft Dinner (Americans would call this Mac
& Cheese, but it’s KD in Canada, always and forever)
4.
Dare Maple Leaf cookies
5.
Mackintosh’s Toffee
All classics, strongly recommended.
****
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