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
Distance from Four Points is about an affluent suburbanite named Robin who discovers that
her late husband secretly blew their savings on decrepit rentals in the
Appalachian hometown she’d escaped twenty years ago. To keep herself and her
teenage daughter, Haley, financially afloat, she returns to Four Points--where
she risks someone exposing her past as a teenage prostitute. When Haley befriends a troubled teen mother, disaster
strikes—and Robin must decide if keeping her past buried is worth the risk of
repeating her life’s greatest mistakes.
Which
character did you most enjoy creating? Why? And, which character gave you the
most trouble, and why?
I really
loved creating Cindy Sweeney, Robin’s childhood best friend. I intended for
Cindy to be a minor character, a walk-on who proves to Robin just how dreadful
it is to be back in her hometown. But as soon as Cindy entered the scene, she
settled in for the long haul. She’s brash and foul-mouthed and spits out hard,
unwelcome truths. She also has a lot to teach Robin about radical
self-acceptance and loyalty. Cindy is a survivor, with no time for Robin’s
fussy hand-wringing.
Writing
Vincent Latimer, Robin’s old lover, was more difficult. Vincent is such a villain--he
treated Robin horribly when she was a teenager, and his actions shaped the rest
of her life. Yet when we meet him, he’s seventy-eight years old; he’s
struggling with serious remorse and regret. I couldn’t let Robin just forgive
him, but I needed to make room for other layers, both within Vincent and
between him and Robin. People do terrible things to one another, go on living,
change. Making Vincent human, not just the monster Robin always believed him to
be, was a challenge.
Tell us a
bit about the highs and lows of your book’s road to publication.
When I
began agent-querying this novel, I got lots of requests for fulls but no
takers. It was too character-driven, quiet, not marketable, etc. etc. This was
familiar territory. My first novel, Each Vagabond by Name, also set in
Appalachia, did have an agent (until she left the industry), but never got to
yes when it was on sub, for all the same reasons. It was ultimately published
by the University of New Orleans Press, as the winner of their inaugural
Publishing Lab Prize. I could have kept querying agents with Four Points,
but I felt very pragmatic about the reality of this type of book snagging any
interest. Why waste time? So I approached UNO Press and submitted Four
Points for consideration. I was thrilled when they accepted it, knowing
already what a beautiful job they’d do with editing and design. A second book
in the world, from a great small press--a happy ending.
What’s
your favorite piece of writing advice?
The
writing brain is a muscle that must be exercised like any other. It’s not easy
to quiet the mind, focus, and access deeply creative spaces, but it gets easier
with practice. When I’m actively engaged with a work, either writing or
revising, I feel clearly the benefits of a daily routine: the pathways to the
fictive world open more readily, and I can sink into my writing efficiently.
Too long away from the work finds me distracted, frenetic, caught up in
scrolling social media and running errands and crossing everything off my to-do
list except the writing. When I’m following my own advice, simply the act of
sitting down at my desk, lighting a candle, and opening my notebook or doc is
enough to trigger the switch from life to fiction.
My
favorite writing advice is “write until something surprises you.” What
surprised you in the writing of this book?
I was
surprised by how much my feelings toward the Four Points landlords changed.
Initially, I presented the landlords as evil: letting their rental properties
fall into ruin, taking money from struggling tenants with nowhere else to go.
And then I inadvertently became a small-town landlord myself and found myself
on the other side. My first tenant bounced all her checks and became a
squatter, and it went on from there. After that, I better understood the
landlords’ point of view, and why they might choose not to bother with property
improvements.
How do
you approach revision?
I’m not
an efficient writer, so my revision process is sweeping and extensive,
involving huge directional shifts and an alarming number of deleted pages. I
hate writing first drafts, so when I begin something new, I just bang it out,
not bothering to edit along the way. This results in a lot of plot and
character decisions that eventually need to be unwound. My revision process is
less marble-sculpting and more quarry-blasting.
Inquiring
foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any food/s associated with your
book? (Any recipes I might share?)
There’s a
key food-focused scene in Four Points, when Cindy Sweeney brings Robin a
pot of homemade halushki, an Eastern European dish made of cabbage and noodles,
as a thank-you for a favor. Halushki is a definitive comfort food in
southwestern Pennsylvania, and this shared meal is a surprising balm for Robin.
Recipes vary, but the basic ingredients are cabbage, butter, and egg noodles or
dumplings. Adding bacon is an (excellent) option too. Here’s a basic recipe from
the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, part of an article called “Halushki
power!” https://www.post-gazette.com/life/food/2015/03/11/Halushki-power/stories/201412110004
READ MORE
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR: www.margoorlandolittell.com
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THIS BOOK FOR YOUR OWN TBR STACK: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781608011797
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