Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

I pray that Christmas will be a time of joy and reflection and thanksgiving at your house.

“What’s New” Interview

This is a GoodReads interview I was asked to do on a blog tour.

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:



What is the working title of your book?

THE SECRETS OF TREE TAYLOR

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Deep in my memories is a shotgun blast that ripped through a quiet Missouri morning when I was about 14 years old. For no reason I can put my finger on, the events of that day came rushing back at me—the way the shot silenced the birds, my dad racing out of our house in his slippers and robe, the belt untied; and the taste of fear. Even though I had 2 other books I “should” have been working on, I knew I had to write this one.



What genre does your book fall under?
 Y
oung adult/middle grade mainstream “historical” fiction—set in 1963, the year America grew up.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?


I’d try to steal the entire cast of To Kill a Mockingbird.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?


In the summer of 1963, fourteen-year-old Tree Taylor is forced to discover the secret nature of truth, when she secretly witnesses her dad, Doc Taylor, take the shotgun out of the hands of a woman who has just shot her husband…and then declare the shooting an accident.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Knopf/Random House is publishing the novel, and I’m represented by Curtis Brown, Ltd.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
About 6 months



What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?


I’d be ecstatic if anyone saw a spark of resemblance to To Kill a Mockingbird.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
My dad was an amazing character—small town doctor, who accepted canned peaches and strawberry preserves as payment from patients, who delivered the vet’s babies in trade for the vet caring for our horses and dogs, who was constantly learning new languages, new memory tricks and mathematic techniques. How could I not write about him in some way? 



What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?


First sentence: “The morning the gun went off, I was thinking about Tolstoy and the Beatles, and maybe, if I’m being honest here, a little about Ray Miller and how his eyes were perfect little pieces of sky.”
In 1963, no one locked the door; people left the keys in the car (so we’d know where they were); every grown up parented every child in the town; President Kennedy hadn’t yet been assassinated; and few knew that Vietnam would soon take over all conversations. Kids hung out at the pool and danced rock ‘n’ roll until the world disappeared.

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