Give us your elevator pitch: what’s your book
about in 2-3 sentences?
The five women who traveled together to Paris in the
1960’s—whose story was told in That Paris Year—retain a close bond
although they have gone their separate ways. Now it is 1974--the era of
Watergate, Viet Nam, and post-Woodstock—and the narrator, J.J. who has become a
journalist, realizes one among them is missing. The search for Melanie sweeps
from hippie communes to high society, the California coast to Africa and the
South of the Civil Rights Movement, always accompanied by the soundtrack of
the times. The quest becomes not just to find where Melanie is, but who she is.
Which character did you most enjoy creating? Why? And,
which character gave you the most trouble, and why?
The most enjoyable character to create was the central
character, Melanie. She was a creative challenge because she does not actually appear
in the book, so exists through letters, journals, newspaper articles and the
impressions of others. Also, she becomes increasingly complex and elusive,
hence remains at the heart of this mystery. The most difficult character to
create was the old-time hippie Moon. I did not want him to be a caricature but
to still keep his blowhard attitude as he revealed himself to be very different
from how he first appeared.
Tell us a bit about the highs and lows of your book’s
road to publication.
This is a seldom-told tale, but with Alan Squire as my
publishers, it was actually a joy. They had published the first book in what
will be a trilogy, and were committed to the project. Working with Rose Solari
and James J. Patterson is a writer’s dream. Like iconic editors from the past
(think Maxwell Perkins), they are dedicated to developing a writer over time,
and from book design to editing to promotion, their team is first-rate.
What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?
I’ll stick with the wisdom of my favorite book about
writing, Annie Lamott’s Bird by Bird in which she praises the completion
of “the shitty first draft.” At the beginning of a project, it’s so important
to get your aspirations down on paper and not freeze up by over-editing
yourself and strangling your baby before it’s born.
What’s something about your book that you want readers to
know?
The narrator, J.J., in the first book dedicated herself to
finding out the truth about her friends. In Melanie’s Song, she
continues on the quest for truth using the tools of a journalist. But she
discovers that “the facts” never tell the whole story, that the truth is
ever-changing, and only by accepting that can she—can anyone—really grow.
Inquiring foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any
food/s associated with your book? (Any recipes I might share?)
There are meals and wine throughout the book (this is
California after all), but the most memorable meal is Thanksgiving dinner at
Gran’s old house in Pasadena.
INFAMOUS
STUFFING MIX
Recipe for a 10 lb. bird
- Two packages of seasoned
stuffing mix
- 1 ½ to 2 cups melted
butter
- One cup milk (adjust
according to how moist you want dressing)
- Four or more stalks of chopped
celery
- One lb. sautéed mushrooms
- Two cups chopped walnuts
- Two cups chopped onions
- Two cups seeded raisins
- Two tbsp. sage (or more)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Add melted butter/milk to stuffing mix. Then add the other
ingredients. Make a day ahead, adjust
seasoning and butter/milk for right degree of moisture.
Add butter to cleaned cavity of bird, then stuff, tress and
bake according to instructions. If there is stuffing left out of the bird, put
in covered casserole and bake for last hour or so of cooking time.
****
READ MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK: https://alansquirepublishing.com/book-authors/joanna-biggar/
ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR TBR STACK: https://alansquirepublishing.com/bookstore/melanies-song/
READ AN EXCERPT: https://alansquirepublishing.com/2019/08/13/joanna-biggar-presents-a-chapter-from-her-upcoming-novel/