When I was a girl, my mother used to say, "In my next life, I'm going to be beautiful...like Elizabeth Taylor." And I sometimes find myself thinking,
In my next life, I'd like to be musical. I could have long hair and a guitar, big hoop earrings, like Carole and Paula from "The Magic Garden." But one alternate life that I don't have any trouble imagining is being a reader for an editor or agent. After all these years of learning the craft, I think I have a durn good eye for spotting quality writing. And so I bring you this Interview Series:
Six Authors in Search of a Reader. (I stole this title from my friend Penny a little bit, but I'm pretty sure she won't mind since she stole it from Luigi Pirandello a little bit.)
The authors in this series have applied themselves to writing and revising in a professional manner, they have a
completed manuscript and they have a total package of skill and talent. They are one reader away from representation, in some cases, and/or publication. One reader: the
right reader, the one who is their perfect match.
So, let's begin with the first interview---and if you want to read more by this author, please clamor in the comments.
Some of my faithful readers may recall the
PEN New England Children's Book Caucus Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for work by an unpublished writer, which was given to
Three Rivers Rising in 2008. Well, let me introduce you to 2009 winner,
Shelagh Smith, author of
A Mouthful of Straw.
Title: A Mouthful of StrawGenre: Historical Fiction
Age group: Young Adult
Synopsis: Set in 1930s China,
A Mouthful of Straw tells the story of Yi Pei, an unlucky and unwanted farmer’s daughter cast out of her family home to live with American missionaries in the bustling city of Nanking. Scarred by a fire and robbed of a once bright future, Yi Pei faces trials from the girls at her new school who see her as an ill omen; learns about love and friendship when she meets her first true friends; and finds strength and courage she never knew she possessed as she and the international community around her struggle to fend off the invading Japanese army during the horrific period known as the Rape of Nanking.
Interview:1. Every good story starts at the point of change. What is the point of change in this story?
There are many points of change in this story, but the first is when Yi Pei is sent away from her family home to live in an orphanage run by western missionaries. It’s her first exposure to westerners, to education, to other young girls, to city life. It gives her the chance to see that there might be a life bigger than the bleak one she’d always imagined for herself.
2. What do you want that you can’t have? How would your main character answer the same question?That’s a tough question. I want a lot of things, I suppose, which sounds terrible because I already have so much. I have my health, I have a job I enjoy, I have the best friends and family I could ever hope for. The one thing I want that I can’t have is the freedom to travel and experience other parts of the world – at least not yet, that is! :)
If I had to answer the same thing for Yi Pei, I would say that the one thing she wants but can’t have is a family of her own, even though she manages to create a community around herself that fills that need for her.
3. Did another book serve as a model for yours, either in structure or inspiration? Tell us how.I’ve always been a huge fan of historical fiction, so I suppose the Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough got me to see history as not only a literal recounting of past events, but as a really robust backdrop for any number of stories. If you haven’t read that series, you’re missing out! Another author I really enjoy is Steven Saylor who wrote the Roma Sub Rosa series which are historical mysteries; and of course Diana Gabaldon who did the Outlander series which was a nice mix of history and fantasy. Boy, this was the wrong question to ask…I could go on forever! I’ll stop now.
4. Tell us about a real-life person or situation that crept into this book.There are many real life situations that crept into this book – I think we’ve all been the ‘outsider’ at one time or another, though hopefully not to the extent that Yi Pei is. There are also a number of real life people who are mentioned in the book – John Rabe, the German nationalist who headed the International Safety Committee and worked with the refugee community in Nanking is in the book; and several of the western missionaries are based on real life characters. And there is a character in the book modeled after my best friend.
5. Wildcard question: What’s the weirdest thing you ever ate?Chopped reindeer in some kind of thick brown gravy. Don’t ask. It was good. But you know how people say, “I liked it…but it was gamey” and you don’t really know what that means? Well, know I know what that really means.
6. What are you wishing I would get around to asking already? (And what’s the answer, wise guy!)What was the hardest part of working on this novel? (I guess.) The hardest part was letting it go and saying, “Yep. You’re done.” I’m sure if I just gave it one more pass it would be even better… :)
7. This manuscript is complete—what are you working on next?I’m working on another historical fiction novel about Lizzie Borden! This one is a bit different, though, because it’s told from the perspective of her older sister Emma.
JR: Whoa! I'm really looking forward to reading more of that one!
Cookie:Mother had told me that before the night of the fire I had been a beautiful child, a bright and cheerful girl. The other women nearby often came around then, looking to make a match with their sons. Sometimes I dreamed I would have found a good husband, that my family’s land would have grown with the addition of a new son-in-law, and that I would have borne him many children. I dreamed that I would have made them happy. My future had been bright then. Now there was no talk of husbands, there would never be children to care for aside from tiny Lien, and even she was growing older and needing less from me each day. Soon the mothers would come to make a match with her for she was very pretty, though she was born with an impulsive temperament which made her less desirable as a good wife. Mother was certain she would grow out of such unbecoming behavior, though, and counted on me to show her how to act like a proper girl. My role had become teacher; I was to teach Lien to be the girl I once was even as with each passing day I shrank in the memory of my family.
A whisper in the darkness carried over the sound of the rain, and though I knew it was disrespectful to listen, I could not resist. Since Father no longer looked at me or spoke to me, I craved the sound of his voice. Even Mother’s words were becoming fewer these days as the strains of feeding five mouths pressed in on her. I held off tears, not wanting to wake Lien, but more importantly to hear what Mother and Father were whispering in the darkness. Sometimes I would hear them laughing and grunting, making marriage sounds and it saddened me because I knew no man would ever touch me in such a way. The thought threatened to overwhelm my resolve not to cry, but then I heard my father’s voice. It was harsh and final.
“We have no choice. There is not enough for us all.”
I strained to see through the blackness, trying so hard to see that my eyes ached. I made out only the faint white glow of the thin curtain separating their space, providing them the smallest bit of privacy.
Mother’s voice was strained and heavy with sorrow, quieter than Father’s. “Husband, surely there must be another way. Please.”
He did not answer. After a long silence between them I heard her muffled weeping. My heart stuttered in my chest. I wanted to go to her, to give her comfort as she comforted Lien when she cried, as she had comforted me in the past. I was frozen in my bed. I felt sick, my stomach threatening to spill the rice and vegetables I had eaten hours ago, though I wasn’t sure why. I only knew that something bad was going to happen and that it was my fault for bringing bad luck into our home.
Agent info: N/A
Contact: shelaghmsmith (at) comcast (dot) net
Facebook: Shelagh Smith
Thanks for playing along, Shelagh, and thanks for giving us a peek at
A Mouthful of Straw! And I hope you find your perfect reader!
If you're like me and you wish you could run over to your local bookseller and get your hot little hands on this book, please please PLEASE comment!
And we decided to support and help promote each other by having giveaways of those ARCs. First, here's the scoop on Split:
The Rooftop Ballroom at the Omni Parker House. I definitely got my history fix! Photo is from their website---its just a tiny bit better than mine...
Of course the It's a First reception didn't have a wedding cake or dining tables, but you can imagine the city skyline from windows on three sides. And the little girl inside me still thinks the crystal chandeliers are made of diamonds!
3. Did another book serve as a model for yours, either in structure or inspiration? Tell us how.
