Lisa Tucker

BIO

Lisa Tucker is the author of five novels: The Song Reader, Shout Down the Moon, Once Upon a Day, The Cure for Modern Life, and The Promised World. Her books have been published in twelve countries and selected for Borders Original Voices, Book of the Month Club, the Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, People magazine Critic’s Choice, Redbook Book Club, Amazon Book of the Year, Barnes & Noble Reading Group program, Target “Breakout” Books, Books A Million Fiction Club, the American Library Association Popular Paperbacks, the Book Sense list and the Book Sense Reading Group Suggestions.

Lisa has been a guest on the "CBS Early Show", the public radio program "To the Best of Our Knowledge", the BBC, the Associated Press show "Between the Lines", and the syndicated cable program "Connie Martinson Talks Books". She has been featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer, St. Louis Post Dispatch, The Los Angeles Times, Albuquerque Journal, and Publishers Weekly, and in a variety of magazines and newspapers around the world.

Lisa grew up in Missouri. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, she went on to receive graduate degrees in English and mathematics and was awarded fellowships in both fields. She has taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania, the Taos Writers’ Conference and UCLA. Lisa has given readings and talks all over the country, including at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, A Room of Her Own Foundation/Ghost Ranch, the Southern Festival of Books, the Miami Book Fair, and Book Expo America. Her short work has appeared in the anthologies Lit Riffs and Cold Feet and in Seventeen, Pages, and The Oxford American. She currently lives in Philadelphia.

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AUTHOR TALK

March 28, 2008

Aside from exploring the complex personal relationships of its main characters, THE CURE FOR MODERN LIFE --- the latest work of fiction from bestselling author Lisa Tucker --- also examines the timely social issues of drug abuse, homelessness, corporate ethics and distinguishing right from wrong in today's seemingly morally ambiguous society. In this interview, Tucker describes the event that inspired the idea for this novel and elaborates on one of its main themes, which revolves around the ethical lines people cross for the sake of their professions. She also reveals what she discovered in her research on large pharmaceutical companies and shares what she hopes readers will take away from this book.

Question: You've certainly mined a provocative and timely topic here. What led you to write this book?

Lisa Tucker: I was driving in Philadelphia one night when I saw a young boy, holding a small child, standing on a bridge. I slowed down long enough to realize that their mother was with them, a few steps ahead, yelling for them to hurry, but I wondered what I would have done if they really had been alone. Would I have stopped to help them? Maybe they were walking to a homeless shelter; it was a very cold night. Would I have given them a ride --- or money --- or something --- or would I have been too afraid? From this personal dilemma, the novel was born.

Q: Can you tell us about some of the research you did for this book? What did you learn about pharmaceutical companies that you didn't know before? Have your attitudes about the industry changed at all since you started writing this book?

LT: I spent months reading everything I could get my hands on about the business: from books and articles that were highly critical of the pharmaceutical industry to insider publications, pharma-friendly blogs, and the annual reports of several prominent companies. I really didn't know much about Big Pharma when I started, though I disliked their advertising and had problems with the high cost of drugs. My research brought to light certain practices that gave me more qualms about the industry (most of what Amelia accuses them of is true), but I also gained a deep respect for the scientists who work in drug development. Some very brilliant people work in pharma, and the process of finding a new medicine is usually much more difficult than most nonscientists can imagine.

Q: All of the characters are sympathetic at some point in the book, except perhaps the CEO of Astor-Denning, Harold Knolton. He's portrayed as coldhearted and a cheater, certainly one of the first people Amelia would dub as "evil." What were your feelings about Knolton as you were writing about him? Did you imagine a good side was even possible for this character?

LT: I think Harold Knolton probably has a good side. He may be kind to his wife, his children, his neighbors, and his pets. Still, I think he is responsible for the way he treats his employees, even though I'm sure he would say he's only doing his job for the shareholders. But if we can always blame institutions for our actions, what becomes of our conscience? This is one of the core issues of the book: how we resolve the tension between the demands of work and our own individual moral code.

Q: The illusory consumer group Pain Matters, which Matthew creates to promote the Astor-Denning drug Galvenar, is used as an example of astroturfing. Can you explain to readers a little more about where this idea comes from and what it means?

LT: According to Wikipedia, the term astroturfing was first used by Senator Lloyd Bentsen. The point was to emphasize the difference between legitimate grassroots movements and ones that are faked by a corporation or PR firm; thus the use of the word astroturf --- the artificial grass used in stadiums. Because people tend to trust the opinions of real people more than corporations, pretending you have a grassroots movement for your product (or your candidate) is a particularly insidious way to manipulate the public. The Wikipedia page has lots of great examples; for more info see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing.

Q: At one point Amelia claims that all the world's children are part of her family. Is this a sentiment you share, or do you tend to abide by the more traditional definition of family?

LT: I think this is a complicated question and I'm not sure I can answer it here. Of course, the issue in the novel is not limited to Amelia --- Matthew, too, ends up creating a nontraditional family, though in his case, he follows his instincts and his heart, rather than a principle or an abstraction. I would love to have the reader come away from the book wondering what his or her responsibilities are to the world's children and to strangers more generally. The less fortunate are perhaps the most obvious example, but also the people who could be affected by something we do --- or fail to do --- in our jobs and in our lives. When Matthew comes face-to-face with Susannah, for example, he realizes that the decisions he has made to market Galvenar may have harmed not only some faceless "percent of consumers," but a real, live person. It's a breakthrough for him, to realize that he, too, bears some responsibility for the welfare of people he doesn't know.

Q: THE CURE FOR MODERN LIFE is filled with examples of the well-being or happiness of an individual versus the greater good. Have you ever encountered this philosophical dilemma personally?

LT: I think everyone encounters this dilemma all the time. When we decide not to cut in line at a movie or refuse to take credit for work we didn't do, we are valuing the norms of the group over our own gain. We all know that cooperation is necessary to achieve a civilized society, but it's also necessary at school or work or wherever we become part of something larger than ourselves. Maybe it's easiest to see in the family, because, in a very real sense, a good family is a model of ethical behavior: each person cares about the well-being of the group as much or more as their own happiness. Certainly, all mothers have experienced the necessity of putting aside their own needs for the needs of others. For most of us, acting in service of the greater good is not simply an abstraction, but part of our daily life.

Q: You seem to value compassion above all else in your characters. How does the ideal of compassion play out in your own life?

LT: It's true, compassion is incredibly important to me, both as a writer and a person. I think when I can approach someone else with compassion, it is a great gift: to them and to me as well. Compassion not only allows me to understand why people behave as they do, but it also allows me to let go of blame and find forgiveness. Of course, sometimes it is very hard. Admittedly, I don't always get there, but I'm always trying.

Q: All of your novels feature a child or a youthful character who manages to teach valuable lessons to or even transform the adults around them. In what ways has your own son transformed you?

LT: The answer to this would probably take all day, but the short version is that my son showed me what love is and what a family should be. He also taught me a lot about being a good person, both in taking care of him and in discussions we have now that he's in college, majoring in philosophy, working on a thesis on ethics. He was a major inspiration for this novel. I'm so proud of the man he's becoming.

Q: This is your fourth novel. How do you feel your writing has changed or developed? Is there anything you still struggle with or do you feel like you've completely hit your stride?

LT: Because every novel is different and presents its own unique challenges, I still struggle every time. I wish it would get easier, but it never does. I hope my writing has developed over time, and of course I'm always pleased when a reader or reviewer says I've gotten better in some way. One thing I'm sure of: I am very lucky to have this job. I've never been as engaged by anything as I am by writing. The struggle is part of the joy.

Q: If there's a lesson or a message that you hope readers take away from reading this book, what would it be?

LT: I don't think in terms of lessons or messages when I'm writing. I hope the readers enjoy the book and of course I hope it makes them think about some of the ethical dilemmas presented here and draw their own conclusions. More than anything, though, I hope the readers remember the characters and think of them from time to time. I hope they catch themselves reliving the moment when Danny watched his mother walk away and imagined her as a dragon, or when Matthew and Danny were outside in Florida and Danny was hugging the ratty palm tree, or any of the moments that made an impression on them as they were reading. One of the things I've always loved about books is that they inhabit my mind long after I turn the last page. I would be deeply honored if my stories could live on in the minds of readers. To me, that would be success.

© Copyright 2008, Lisa Tucker. All rights reserved.

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AUTHOR TALK

April 2004

In this interview Lisa Tucker, author of SHOUT DOWN THE MOON, talks about the special connection she has with her characters, the various themes that are addressed in her current novel and her future writing projects.

Q: Your bio says you traveled with a band yourself. How much of this story really happened?

LT: I did travel with my husband's band when we were first together. We went across the Midwest and the South, playing little clubs and hotels, and even staying in trailers. Once we had to sneak out in the middle of the night because the club owner refused to pay our hotel bill. Not fun. I incorporated some of these experiences in the novel, but the story itself is fiction. I have a son but he was born later, after we had settled down. The road is such a hard life; I don't know if I could have done it with a child, the way Patty does.

Q: Patty is an incredibly brave character. Did you know what she'd have to go through when you started writing this book?

LT: No, and actually, I'm very resistant to making any of my characters suffer. Sometimes I find myself unable to write for days when I realize something bad is about to happen to one of the people in my books. Of course you have to let these things happen or you don't have a story. You have to let the plot go in whatever direction it wants to go, even if that means your characters will go through tragedy. In Patty's case, I was fairly confident that she would figure her way out of the mess she was presented with. I knew her love for Willie was a powerful force she could draw upon to free herself from all the darkness in her life.

Q: Speaking of Willie, he's only two years old, yet he's a full-fledged character in his own right.

LT: Thank you. This means a lot to me because Willie is one of my favorite characters, and the scene with him in the park was my favorite scene to write. I wanted to make him a strong presence in the novel because he's such a presence in Patty's mind --- and the story is told entirely from her point of view. Patty is always aware of where Willie is, what he needs, what he feels, and this awareness is what keeps her connected to the present, even when her past most threatens to overwhelm her.

Q: SHOUT DOWN THE MOON is a suspenseful, quick read. Were you trying to write a page-turner?

LT: No, but I'm always pleased when people tell me they couldn't stop turning the pages. I remember something I heard in graduate school about Thomas Hardy, that he supposedly asked only one question of his readers: "Did it hold your interest?" I love this because it expresses so well what I think the first job of the novelist is --- to keep the reader in the story.

My books always seem to start at the same place: with a character in trouble. In Patty's case, a big part of the trouble was Rick, and Rick involved her in a very dark world. But what's unusual, I think, is that here the criminal's girlfriend is telling her own story. Patty is making us know her as more than her involvement with Rick: as a mother and a singer and a woman finding her voice.

Q: Your first novel, THE SONG READER, is also about music and motherhood. Why did you return to these themes?

LT: I think of THE SONG READER as about what music mean to listeners, and SHOUT DOWN THE MOON as about what it means to performers. A subtle difference, especially as Patty was a listener before she was a singer, and even at the end of the novel, it's when she hears songs playing in her mind that she is reminded she can escape from Rick, she can live a better life. In both books, a child is the motivation for a woman to find a place for herself in the world. Music is my passion, and being a mother is the most important thing I've ever done.

Q: Many of your characters seem to long for a real home. Both Leann [the narrator of THE SONG READER] and Patty talk about the "normal" life that's always just out of their reach.

LT: There are so many novels about a character who rebels against his family and leaves home to find himself. It's a great story, but what if you don't have a family that's stable enough to rebel against? How can you run away from a home that you don't have? Both Leann and Patty are people on the margins of society, and their dream of stability is very understandable, though I think they also find that their experiences help redefine what normal means. They do achieve an oddly stable "family," even if it isn't the traditional kind.

Q: Who do you see as your audience? Do you think about your readers as you're writing?

LT: This may sound odd, but the only people I consider while I'm writing are the characters. I almost feel as if they are reading over my shoulder, making sure I tell their story honestly, keeping me from any tricks or gimmicks or "writerly" moments that would be about me and not them. When I begin the editing process, I do think about that audience --- not a particular audience, because I hope my books can be read by women and men, teens and older people, anybody and everybody --- but the general notion of someone outside of the story who has to be brought in and convinced to stay in this world until the last sentence.

Q: Can you tell us what you're working on now?

LT: I've just finished a story for an anthology of original stories inspired by songs called LIT RIFFS. Each writer had to pick a song; I picked a piece from Pearl Jam's first album, "Why Go." I love jazz, but I also like rock and classical and even a lot of pop music. (Unlike Jonathan, I believe something can be popular and still good.) I'm also writing another novel that will be published by Pocket Books, probably in 2005. The working title is WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MADE. It's about the way a heart can be broken by the tragic events of a single day, yet a single day can also bring a new chance at love and the possibility of redemption. It's been very interesting to write because it has a larger cast of characters, three locations, and two distinct time-periods: the late seventies and the present. There is a subplot about what music means to one of the characters. I can't imagine writing a book without something about music.

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