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?
I had to give a
one-line pitch recently, and here it is: From the award-winning author of MY
REAL NAME IS HANNA, this is a transporting and compelling story collection of
those taken, those missing, and those neither here nor gone--runaways, exiles,
wanderers, ghosts, even the elusive Dame Agatha Christie.
Which
character did you most enjoy creating? Why?
I have an
unnamed female character in “What You Can’t See in the Picture.” She is a super
recognizer. When people read this story, they wonder if this is a real thing or
if I’m making up a new super heroine. But it’s real. There are people who have
an ability to recognize faces at a level that’s even more accurate than
computer recognition software. I read about this and just had to create a story
around one such person. I enjoyed the research, the development of the
character, and the detective story that evolved.
Which story
did you most enjoy writing?
Even more
enjoyable was writing the fragmented biography of Agatha Christie. I just loved
getting into her head. She was such a complex personality with a complicated
life. It was a delight to pretend to walk in her shoes. It for sure stretched
my imagination.
Tell us a
bit about the highs and lows of your book’s road to publication.
No lows on this
one. I went straight back to Press 53 who had done my first story collection, Where
the Dog Star Never Glows. I knew I’d have a good experience again, and am
grateful they accepted it.
What’s your
favorite piece of writing advice?
Develop the
skin of an armadillo. You want to have tough skin to keep out harsh criticism,
but it should also be soft enough to let in the constructive criticism.
My favorite
writing advice is “write until something surprises you.” What surprised you in
the writing of this book?
I suppose it
was the ending for “In a Sulfate Mist.” I had read about “the hatch” and wanted
to build a story around the event (I won’t explain what it is for fear of
spoiling). I generally know where a story is going when I start it, but in this
case, I let the characters take themselves where they wanted to go. So I was
just as surprised as anyone would be reading it for the first time to see how
it ended.
How did you
find the title of your book?
Good question. My
original, working title was Notes to THE WORLD. It’s one of the story
titles in the book, and in the same way one of the characters in that story writes
little notes to the world, little messages metaphorically being put out to sea
in a bottle, a collection does the same thing. It’s a series of notes from the
author. However, as I gathered the stories and read them together, I noted the
theme of disappearance connected them, and that I had other stories that did
the same, so I pulled those into the mix as well. The title just came to me,
how we disappear in so many different ways. All of us have to deal with either
loved ones disappearing, deserting, or being taken, or with a way of life
disappearing. Or sometimes the act of disappearing is a survival tactic. Or one
can feel like one is invisible, disappearing into the backdrop. The title How
We Disappear eventually overrode the other title in my mind, and the
publisher agreed. We felt it opened up a question rather than just being a
statement.
Inquiring
foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any food/s associated with your
book? (Any recipes I might share?)
These are
associated with the short story “Delight”:
Delight’s Coconut Kisses (Besitos de Coco) from Puerto Rico:
Ingredients:
2 cups grated
fresh coconut
1 cup water
1-1 ½ cups
turbinado (raw) sugar
Combine the
coconut and water in a saucepan with a heavy bottom. Bring to a boil. Add the
sugar. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 mins. Stir occasionally or until
mixture becomes thick and sticky. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased cookie
sheet. Let cool completely. Optional: can drizzle with chocolate or dip in
melted chocolate.
*****
READ MORE ABOUT
THIS AUTHOR: www.TaraMasih.com
ORDER THIS BOOK
FOR YOUR OWN TBR STACK: https://www.amazon.com/How-Disappear-Tara-Lynn-Masih/dp/1950413454
