I tend to read a lot of popular fiction. I could go back to GONE WITH THE WIND—it was definitely appreciated in its time, but I don’t think as much now, because it was such a cultural movement, and the movie has overshadowed it. In the book Scarlett is much more nuanced, she has a lot more marriages and a lot more children. And also, just as a time capsule for going back to the Lost Cause. There’s a solid explanation for what you see happening not just in the South, but in the country, regarding the Civil War. Even Kanye West saying “slavery was a choice.” You can find roots for that in works like GONE WITH THE WIND. This idea of the noble confederate, when in fact that wasn’t it at all, right? As a piece of history, it’s interesting, but also as a foundation for what later became a movement. But then you also have a really freaking good story.
What does literary success look like to you?
To me, it means I get to write the stories I want to write. I’ve never been censored, my editor Kate Elton has always trusted me and believed in what I was doing. I think sometimes editors might publish a book they’re not actually so excited about, and Kate is always excited about all kinds of books, whether it’s rereading Daphne du Maurier, or reading my stuff, or Eleanor Oliphant, or whatever. She loves popular fiction. And I think sometimes people don’t embrace that. They don’t accept their love of popular fiction because they think they have to be this way, or that way. So success to me is basically, I get the write exactly what I want to write, and that’s given me the confidence to write things like PIECES OF HER, because it’s a little different, but I feel like my publishers will support me.
Your novels are so character driven. Where do you draw your inspiration? Do people in your day-to-day life ever see themselves reflected in your books?
I don’t think anyone ever really sees themselves in my books. Even if I take pieces of them, sort of like when you hear your voice on a voicemail and you’re like “where’s my sultry voice? Who’s this twelve year old?” I learned that lesson pretty early on because I did put one of my neighbors, growing up, in my first book. And she was really mean—I can say this because she’s dead now—she was this old lady who lived on the corner. We had really big lots that the houses were on because we were in a country setting. It was much faster to go home through her yard, and she wouldn’t let us, she’d turn the hose on us. And so there were certain things she did and said, if you heard them, you’d say, “Oh that’s Miss So-And-So.” I put those characteristics in the book. And at one of my first signings, this woman, she was there. She came up, and said “I know who that character is…” And I was thinking “Oh, crap.” And she goes, “It’s Mrs. So-And-So down the street!” And I was like, “Yes ma’am, please don’t tell her.” So, I think there are things that other people see in you that you don’t see in yourself. I don’t think any person sees another person the exact same way. There are all different kinds of shades. My sister really liked her—probably because I was kind of tubby and I couldn’t move fast so I always got wet. I learned really early on, don’t worry about putting people in the book. In this book in particular, I really wanted to write about how things have changed for women. If you look at Laura’s generation of women, which isn’t that far off from my generation of women, there weren’t a lot of options for what you were going to do with your life. You’d get married, have kids, maybe you would have a job. Maybe you might have a career but it would be nursing or teaching or one of those womanly types of jobs, but your focus would be your children of course. And then you look at what Andy is looking at, and in some way she’s at a stalemate because she has so much choice. She could be a doctor, a lawyer, an astronaut, anything. In a way, Laura was paralyzed by her limited choices, and now Andy is paralyzed by having too many choices. That was something I wanted to write about, and I think women in their 30s today are like women in their 20s when I was growing up. There’s sort of this 10 year soft-landing that young women get, and young men, that we didn’t get before. I remember very clearly when I graduated from high school, my dad was so proud of me, and he took me aside and said “I’m so proud, you can do anything you want. You just can’t move back home.” It would have been a stigma to move back home. It would have been a failure. And it’s interesting because I travel a lot, and when I was in France, or Denmark, or whatever, every place I’ve gone to has a phrase for “helicopter parents.” In Denmark it’s called “curling parents”—like the Olympic sport of curling where the move the broom ahead of the puck so it has an easier way to go. And I think it’s a 20th century phenomenon—not necessarily socioeconomic. I think there’s a desire for all parents to want their kids lives to be easier, and do what they can. Some people have more resources.
What are your favourite books and movies? Are you usually drawn to thrillers, or do you stay away from them when you’re writing?
I read all kinds of stuff. I can’t read when I’m writing because I need to focus on my story and I don’t want to read something else, and suddenly I’m writing like someone else. It’s very important to me that my writing has a voice and I don’t want anything to clutter that up. But I do read magazines and blogs and look at cat pictures; I just can’t read books. I love historical fiction. I’ve been reading a lot about that lately. I’ve been reading about reconstruction; I read this really fascinating book called MASTERLESS MEN about the South during the time of the Civil War. And people who go on my Goodreads will probably think “what the hell?” But I do love reading crime novels—Lisa Garners, Lisa Unger, Sara Blaedel, Lee Child, the usual suspects. I don’t like slasher movies because they scare me. The stupider they are, the more terrified I’ll be. You know, the person’s standing and talking to someone and then someone else goes up behind them, that freaks me out. But I love SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and subtle scary movies. I don’t like anything with demons and Satan because I was raised to be terrified of those things, and no matter what I do I’m always worried about that. It’s in my blood. My favorite movie of all time is called CLAY PIGEONS. It’s very dark and funny and fantastic.
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