TBR: Thoughts and Prayers by Lee Anne Post

 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?

 

When Lily Jeong—smothered by her parents and ignored by classmates—unwittingly aids her secret boyfriend in a school shooting, she struggles to hide her complicity from investigators. Forced to face the devastated survivors, she hides in plain sight as their grief turns to vengeance.

 

Which character did you most enjoy creating? Why? And, which character gave you the most trouble, and why?

 

Who wouldn’t enjoy Caitlyn Moran, the girl with a pink stripe in her hair whose dreams of becoming a fashion designer are cut short by the shooting? Her irrepressible spirit won’t be denied.

 

Joe Hernandez, the first police officer to enter the school his daughter also attends, gave us a little trouble trying to find the balance between his backstory and his current choices. A widower, Joe’s motivation springs not only from his love for his daughter but also from his continuing sense of insult from childhood traumas.

 

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

 

Four co-authors (writing under the pen name Lee Anne Post) started this project on a lark in January 2018. A month later, the Parkland school shooting occurred, and we became highly motivated to complete the novel and see it published. The story is told from multiple points of view, with each of us drafting two characters. The most challenging part of co-authoring was agreeing on edits without killing each other!

 

What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?

 

“You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you’re working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success – but only if you persist.” --Isaac Asimov

 

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

 

The gun show loophole. It astonished us and our publisher that it is legal for unlicensed individuals to sell guns to unlicensed buyers without any limitations or record keeping in 33 states in the US.

 

On the writing side, although we didn't set out to upend any genre conventions, magical realism crept into the story.

 

 

What’s something about your book that you want readers to know?

 

Because we wanted to focus on the survivors, both students and adults, the shooter gets the least attention, only two short scenes toward the end of the book. The setting of the story is a typical American suburb, but we did not specify the city/state where the action takes place, because mass shootings can and do occur anywhere.

 

*****

 

READ MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK: www.thenovelthoughtsandprayers.com

https://www.sunburypress.com/collections/all-books/products/thoughts-prayers

 

ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR TBR STACK:

https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Prayers-Lee-Anne-Post/dp/1620064979/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1626726138&sr=1-1

 

 

READ AN EXCERPT, Chapter 1:

www.thenovelthoughtsandprayers.com/book

 

 

TBR: Until We Fall by Nicole Zelniker

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?

 

Isla Logan's history teacher Morgan Young is arrested for conspiring to take down the dictator that rules over the United States. The arrest sets off a chain of events that will lead to Isla, her fellow refugees from the U.S., and their allies partaking in the fight of – and for – their lives.

 

Which character did you most enjoy creating? Why? And, which character gave you the most trouble, and why?

 

This is such a hard question. Different characters were fun to write at different points, and for different reasons. Zoe’s voice was awesome to develop, while I really enjoyed writing Isla’s story arc. As for the character that gave me the most trouble, that was probably Adam, for reasons you’ll have to read the book to find out!

 

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

 

The high was working with Jaded Ibis Press. They were so thorough in the editing process (I’m not ashamed to say the initial manuscript needed a lot of editing, as first drafts almost always do) and I love working with a press that has the same values as I do. The lowest low for this book was the same as the last few books I’ve worked on – imposter syndrome. I have a hard time seeing my own writing as worthy of publication, even if I think it’s a story worth telling. I think a lot of writers, especially young writers, feel this way.

 

What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?

 

“Write what you know.” A lot of people I’ve spoken to dislike this advice because they interpret it as only being able to write characters exactly like them in situations they’ve experienced in real life. But I interpret it as, write stories based on what you care about. In this case, I’ve never been in a situation like the characters in Until We Fall experience, but I find American political history fascinating and pulled from my knowledge of that.

 

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

 

My characters sometimes get away from me, so it’s always surprising how the story changes as I write. I’ll be writing a character one way, and then it’s almost like they’ll tell me they need to be written another way, if that makes sense. They’re never stagnant in my head.

 

What’s something about your book that you want readers to know?

 

It’s important to me that these characters be diverse, that they come from marginalized communities, and that they’re stronger for it. So often I see cis white people from privileged backgrounds star as the protagonists of a dystopia, like in Divergent or The Fifth Wave. If a totalitarian government were to take over, the first people targeted wouldn’t be the Tris Priors of the world, even if she was divergent.

 

Inquiring foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any food/s associated with your book? 

 

N/A. Sorry, foodies!

 

*****

 

READ MORE ABOUT THIS AUTHOR: https://nicolezelniker.com/

 

ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR TBR STACK:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/until-we-fall-nicole-zelniker/1139740533?ean=9781938841996

 

WATCH A TIKTOK VIDEO ABOUT THIS BOOK:  https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMdTJA8X3/

 

 

TBR: They Always Wave Goodbye by Katie Sherman

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?

 

They Always Wave Goodbye is about women: the choices they make, the children they shape, and the lies they tell in order to survive. These award-winning stories are set in the heart of Appalachia.

 

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

 

None of them were easy to write. But I would say “The Easiest Thing” was the quickest story I wrote within the collection. It’s about a mother who has a momentary compulsion to leave her family. I think you would be hard pressed — especially given the recent pandemic — to find a mother who hasn’t had one of those days where they thought, I could chuck it all and move to Mexico. “The Easiest Thing” perfectly encapsulated that rollercoaster of emotions. I loved the idea of looking at a myriad of small frustrations rather than one explosion of anger. So, to me it was the story and the character I most identified with.

 

“Love, Mom” was incredibly difficult to edit. This story is told in letter form with advice for future generations. There are so many things within the story directly from my life. The scene where the daughter has seizures was especially difficult as it’s something my daughter, Addie, struggled with. As I was putting together the collection, it was suggested that I dig a little deeper on this story and it didn’t feel as if that was possible. Thankfully, it was. I am truly proud of the end result. So proud, in fact, it was the story I read for my graduate thesis. (Editor’s note: link below.)

 

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

 

I like to say this book was always a bridesmaid and never the bride. It got flagged for a number of contests and named as a finalist in open reads but wasn’t ever picked up. I sent it to agents who would write back saying they loved the voice but couldn’t sell a story collection. After about two years, I was going to hang up my hat and call it. Then, I saw six different calls for presses looking for quality collections. I thought, why not? I submitted to all of them and was thrilled to hear from Finishing Line Press.

 

What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?

 

I love Anne Lamont’s essay, “Shitty First Drafts.”  I sometimes need a reminder that no one writes a masterpiece on the first go round. My fear of creating something awful can often be paralyzing and keep me from writing at all. I read that essay once a month as a reminder that writers write, even when it’s bad.

 

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

How personal I allowed it to get. Many of the characters had a fragment of myself within them.

 

What’s something about your book that you want readers to know?

 

Parenthood is complicated and this project started as a way to vocalize taboos, the things women never felt comfortable saying aloud. You’ll find stories about work/life balance and societal expectations. Hopefully, I have created characters women relate to and understand.

 

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

 

In one story, a father and daughter are trying to recreate their matriarch’s fried cauliflower. Luckily, that is a recipe my family would never lose.

 

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

(12) Large Eggs

2 ½ cups Parmesan Cheese

½ cup Cracker Meal

1 ½ Tbsp. Parsley

Vegetable Oil

 

Cut the leaves and stalk off the cauliflower. Separate the florets into medium sized pieces. Bring a large pot of water to rapid boil. Add the salt and florets. Cook for 5 minutes. The cauliflower should be fork tender but still firm. Beat eggs well. Then beat in cheese, cracker meal, and parsley. Dip each floret into the batter. Heat vegetable oil (about a quart) or deep enough to cover half of the florets. Drop florets into the oil. Fry at 365 degrees until golden brown.

 

*****

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS AUTHOR:  www.katiepsherman.com

 

ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR OWN TBR STACK: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/they-always-wave-goodbye-by-katie-sherman/

 

 

READ A STORY, “Love, Mom,”:  https://literarymama.com/articles/departments/2018/11/love-mom?fbclid=IwAR35BNZByVI19xtr8JHeXYzAn4GeUQmirDXMDCgBQA_SQ7chIA07FCkaKPE