THE NEXT BIG THING

What is the working title of your book?

The Obituary Writer.

Where did the idea come from?

Sometimes I think my brain is like dryer lint--I have no idea why it collects the flotsam and jetsam it does. I was asked to write an obituary a few years ago, and although I am a long time fan of the form (in particular the late NYT obit writer, Robert McG Thomas; check out his collected obits, 52 McG's) I was a reader of them, not a writer. Faced with the dates and degrees of someone, I realized that they do not make a life. Instead, I tried to bring the person to life on the page (not unlike what I do when I create characters for my books).  In that moment, my fictional obituary writer, Vivien, was born. Around the same time (more lint!) the anniversary of my daughter's death arrived, which is always a difficult day. I turned on my computer and clicked The Writers Almanac, kind of sending Garrison Keillor a telepathic message to give me a poem or something that would lift my spirits. Instead, I saw that it was the anniversary of the Great Earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco. I began to think about earthquakes--our own personal ones and the ones that shake the world. Somehow the two ideas fit. And then (still more lint!) as I watched Obama's first inauguration, I found it in tone similar to JFK's. So I had a great contrast of despair and hope for my novel.

What genre does you book fall under?
Fiction.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I would like Kate Winslet to be Vivien, the Obituary Writer. And Naomi Watts to be Claire.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Two women from two different eras try to find love, recover from loss, and find their role in a changing world.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It is represented by my agent, and published by WW Norton.

IHow long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I can't remember. Three years for the final draft though.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Maybe The Rules of Civility.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I feel like this was answered in what gave me the idea? 

What else about your book might pique the readers' interest?

I tried my hand here at a mystery: Will Vivien find her lost lover? And I really think that makes The Obituary Writer a page turner. There is also a surprise connection between my two main characters. I guess the more I write, the more intereste di become in plot, with all its twists and turns and possibilities.

The Next Big Thing:

Up next here: Hester Kaplan and her terrific novel The Tell, which delves into the mysteries of love and addiction with gorgeous language and great insight.