In my novel What’s Left, Cassia’s grandmother and her sister marry two brothers. One is named Pericles.
Does the idea of siblings in one family marrying siblings in another bother you? Or does it seem like a natural possibility?
Tag: Books
Sharpening the lineup
Removing Hippie Love from my shelf of available ebook offerings was a difficult decision.
From a writer’s point of view, having an alternative telling of Hippie Drum remained a fascinating experiment. Yes, it turned the story into erotica. But, with the release of What’s Left, I also realized it’s not something any daughter would want to know about her dad. And so, the two hippie books are gone, replaced by Pit-a-Pat High Jinks.
Quite simply, I believe Cassia’s story holds greater interest, at least for younger generations. After all, it’s really about today.
Love springs from some kind of attraction
Cassia’s father grew up in a conventional middle-class family in the middle of the country. It was much, much different from her mother’s upbringing not that many miles away.
As they say, opposites attract. So, from your experience, how about an example?
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Some of my favorite contemporary novelists
- Nicholson Baker
- Russell Banks
- Virginie Despentes
- Diane DeVillers
- Louise Erdrich
- Jeffrey Eugenides
- Jonathan Letham
- Mario Vargas Llosa
- Ishmael Reed
- Anne Tyler
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Your turn now to give a shoutout.
The world opened up
The hippie movement opened Cassia’s father’s horizons. He wound up trekking through the Himalayas. Many others hitchhiked through Europe.
What’s the most exotic place you’ve been?
When the dead weigh in
Living in New England, I’ve found many people have ghost stories to tell, especially if they’ve inhabited an old house.
Maybe that’s why I found it so natural to see her family in that vein when it comes to my novel What’s Left. So what if hers takes place out in Indiana?
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Have you ever experienced apparitions or something else that might be described as haunted? Have you heard others tell about their encounters? What do you think?
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Walk right in, see for yourself
Nita didn’t tell him much about her family. She knew he’d like her younger sister.
Have you ever been thrown into a social situation you knew little about – but that changed your life? The kind where the door just opened for you?
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A big family like theirs needs a big house
In my novel What’s Left, Cassia’s extended family revolves around a big Victorian house, one that’s undergone extensive restoration.
Do you ever dream of living in a big old house? What most attracts you?
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Right time, right place
The hippie movement brought tensions to the family before Cassia’s future father showed up on the scene. He had no idea he never would have been welcomed by everyone even a year or two earlier, much less encouraged to stay.
Have you ever been welcomed in a situation where timing was everything?
Expectations of normal?
In my novel What’s Left, they aren’t a typical Greek-American family. Not exactly. But they’re not like Cassia’s classmates’ homes, either.
How would you say yours differs from a “normal” family?
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Jnana's Red Barn 