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Archives - March 2015

Interview: Katherine Center, author of Happiness for Beginners

Mar 27, 2015

Katherine Center is the author of four novels about love and family, and her writing has appeared in multiple publications and anthologies. Her latest book, HAPPINESS FOR BEGINNERS, follows newly divorced Helen Carpenter as she embarks on a wilderness survival course and discovers that sometimes you have to leave things behind in order to find yourself. In this interview with The Book Report Network’s Alexis Burling, Center shares her own experience taking a wilderness survival course in her 20s and what it taught her about the way people grow. And it’s not only Center’s endings that are happy: She talks about why she’s more interested in resilience than defeat, and the lovely way she uses others’ wisdom to inspire her kids every day.

Interview: Sylvia True, author of The Wednesday Group

Mar 26, 2015

Sylvia True was born in Manchester, England to German refugees, who moved to the U.S. when she was five. She has been a high school science teacher for over 20 years, and now she (and readers!) welcomes her debut novel, THE WEDNESDAY GROUP. It’s the “unputdownable” story of five women, who meet each week in therapy to discuss the trials of being married to sex addicts. In this interview with The Book Report Network's Bronwyn Miller, True talks about why she felt compelled to write a story about addiction from a fresh --- and often overlooked --- angle, the reason she’s so interested in how people experience shame, and how writing about it helps her resolve those feelings in her own life.

Interview: Susan Crawford, author of The Pocket Wife

Mar 20, 2015

Susan Crawford is a debut author who, in addition to teaching and writing, is involved in many impressive literary extracurricular activities --- including participating in two critique groups. THE POCKET WIFE is her first full-length novel, and it’s about Dana Catrell, a bipolar woman in the throes of mania, who must piece together the shards of her broken memory in order to figure out who killed her neighbor. In this interview with The Book Report Network's Norah Piehl, Crawford talks about why she decided to write a psychological thriller, the challenges of matching her writing to Dana’s state(s) of mind, and why there’s no such thing, really, as a reliable narrator. She also recommends some great books for anyone interested in further exploring bipolar disorder.

Interview: Marisa de los Santos, author of The Precious One

Mar 20, 2015

Marisa de los Santos is the New York Times bestselling author of three adult novels, including LOVE WALKED IN and BELONG TO ME, as well as the co-author of SAVING LUCAS BIGGS, a middle grade book she wrote with her husband, David Teague. Her latest novel, THE PRECIOUS ONE, is the heartfelt story of Taisy and Willow Cleary --- two daughters of the same man, one abandoned and one “precious” --- as each navigates new and old loves in her life. In this interview with The Book Report Network's Bronwyn Miller, Marisa discusses her fascination with second chances and the beauty and danger of holding another person too dear. She also talks about getting to know her own characters, the pros of collaborative writing, and the one surefire sign that you are --- as she so artfully put it --- a “homesick sap.”

Author Talk: George Hodgman, author of Bettyville: A Memoir

Mar 12, 2015

George Hodgman is a veteran magazine and book editor who has worked at Simon & Schuster, Vanity Fair and Talk magazine. His recent memoir, BETTYVILLE, is about moving back to Paris, Missouri --- after years spent building his career in Manhattan --- to care for his aging mother, Betty, a woman of wit and will. As these two unforgettable characters try to bring their different worlds together, Hodgman reveals the obstacles of Betty’s life and his own struggle for self-respect. In this interview, Hodgman opens up about caring for a family member with dementia, including the challenges he faces daily and the unexpected ways it enriches his life. He also discusses how he wrestled with his own sexual identity, and the role his memoir played in putting his feelings into perspective.