Read the review of Five Days Left
Me: Hello
and welcome to my blog, Julie. Congratulations on your new book, Five Days
Left. Please briefly tell us about your new book, Five Days Left.
Julie: First, thank you for having me, Aditi! And thank you for the congratulations about Five Days Left.
Julie: First, thank you for having me, Aditi! And thank you for the congratulations about Five Days Left.
Five
Days Left tells the
story of two people who have five days left with the ones they love. Mara is a
Type A lawyer living in Plano, Texas, with her adopted daughter and her
husband. She’s been diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, and she’s considering
taking her own life in five days, to spare herself and her family from the
horrible future the illness will bring. Meanwhile, in Royal Oak, Michigan,
Scott is a middle school basketball coach who has five days left with Curtis,
the eight-year-old boy who’s been living with Scott and his wife for the past
year while Curtis’s mother is in jail. Scott and Mara are both members of an
anonymous Internet parenting forum, and they have become friends, even though
they don’t know each other’s names. The book explores the limits of human
endurance, the things we do for love and the friendships that sustain us.
Me: This
is your debut book and have done a great success with a lot of readers from
various countries. How will you describe your journey so far as an author?
Julie: My journey has been thrilling. The world of publishing is so interesting, and I have loved learning about it and meeting people in the industry--editors, agents, publicists, etc. The most wonderful part though, by far, has been meeting so many amazing people--readers, booksellers, book bloggers, other writers. I’ve connected with so many great people (including you, Aditi!), both at conferences and online.
Julie: My journey has been thrilling. The world of publishing is so interesting, and I have loved learning about it and meeting people in the industry--editors, agents, publicists, etc. The most wonderful part though, by far, has been meeting so many amazing people--readers, booksellers, book bloggers, other writers. I’ve connected with so many great people (including you, Aditi!), both at conferences and online.
Me: Why
did you write about such a rare disease called Huntington's disease rather than
writing about the common deadly diseases like Cancer or Alzheimer's?
Julie: I was inspired to write Five Days Left after a friend
died. My friend had inoperable cancer. Around the time she was sent to hospice,
another friend was diagnosed with ALS. I wanted to write about someone dealing
with an incurable, fatal disease, but I didn’t want to write those friends’
stories (nor did I feel I had a right to). So, I did an Internet search that
was as ridiculous as, “Terrible, fatal, incurable diseases that are NOT cancer
or ALS,” and the first result was Huntington’s (“HD”). I knew nothing about the
disease until that day. I know a lot about it now, and am so glad I took the
time to learn. Since writing the book, I’ve become involved in trying to spread
awareness about HD. The more people who know about it, the greater chance we
have in raising enough money to find both the cause and the cure for it.
Me: Tell us one trait of each of your primary
character, Scott and Mara, that intrigue you the most?
Julie: I was intrigued by the aspect of these characters that I identify with most--seeing them go through their experiences gave me a chance to decide how I might handle myself in their situations. I happen to be a Type A lawyer and mother who went to Mara’s law school in Dallas. But I’m a step-mom, too, and that means that, like Scott, I care for, and care about, children who’s future is not in my control. For me, this made writing both sections equally enjoyable.
Julie: I was intrigued by the aspect of these characters that I identify with most--seeing them go through their experiences gave me a chance to decide how I might handle myself in their situations. I happen to be a Type A lawyer and mother who went to Mara’s law school in Dallas. But I’m a step-mom, too, and that means that, like Scott, I care for, and care about, children who’s future is not in my control. For me, this made writing both sections equally enjoyable.
Me: What
do you hope that people will take away with them after reading your book, Five Days
Left?
Julie: I’m happy if readers take away something very personal to them; I don’t want to instruct people about how to interpret the book. But some of the things I take away from the story are these: Despite how certain we might be about how we’d act in a given hypothetical situation, we cannot ever know what we would actually do until we’re truly in that position. “Family” doesn’t require the same DNA--it only requires love. Finally, although the Internet can be rife with issues, it can also serve for some as a source of understanding and community.
Julie: I’m happy if readers take away something very personal to them; I don’t want to instruct people about how to interpret the book. But some of the things I take away from the story are these: Despite how certain we might be about how we’d act in a given hypothetical situation, we cannot ever know what we would actually do until we’re truly in that position. “Family” doesn’t require the same DNA--it only requires love. Finally, although the Internet can be rife with issues, it can also serve for some as a source of understanding and community.
Me: How do
you get away from the stress of busy writing days?
Julie: I
really don’t find writing to be a stress. I have a day job and four teenagers,
so for me, writing is an escape from stress, not a creator of it. But, I do
engage in other things beyond writing, when I can find the time, and I think
that allows me to refill the creative well, so to speak. I read (far less than I would
like to), I cook a little bit, I do CrossFit and I spend time with my husband,
kids and friends, and our two dogs.
Me: Whom
do you most admire in the realm of writing novels and why?
Julie: I admire so many authors. But I must say that Margaret Atwood has probably had the greatest influence on me, and particularly her novel Cat’s Eye. I read it as a teenager. I had always wanted to write, but didn’t think I had anything to write about. My life was pretty typical and there was nothing amazing about where I lived (southern Ontario). The protagonist in Cat’s Eye is also typical, and she even lived in southern Ontario. It was a huge revelation to me that a “real author” like Margaret Atwood thought a typical life--one very much like mine--was worth writing about. That was the first time I realized I could write about a typical person living a typical life. It was also the first time I realized that the experiences of typical people are universal, and can be profound. The shared experience I felt with the protagonist in Cat’s Eye made me realize I had stories to tell.
Julie: I admire so many authors. But I must say that Margaret Atwood has probably had the greatest influence on me, and particularly her novel Cat’s Eye. I read it as a teenager. I had always wanted to write, but didn’t think I had anything to write about. My life was pretty typical and there was nothing amazing about where I lived (southern Ontario). The protagonist in Cat’s Eye is also typical, and she even lived in southern Ontario. It was a huge revelation to me that a “real author” like Margaret Atwood thought a typical life--one very much like mine--was worth writing about. That was the first time I realized I could write about a typical person living a typical life. It was also the first time I realized that the experiences of typical people are universal, and can be profound. The shared experience I felt with the protagonist in Cat’s Eye made me realize I had stories to tell.
Me: What's next up on your writing sleeves? Please do tell us about it briefly.
Julie: My second book deals with step parenting, estranged families and the controversial adoption-related practice called “rehoming,” where adoptive parents give away their adopted children by advertising them on the Internet. Like Five Days Left, it raises many “What would you do?” questions, for which there aren’t easy answers.
Me: Was it always your one true dream to be an author?
Julie: I had always harbored a secret desire to write a novel. I made a few false starts, but never sustained the effort. And then in 2011, I turned 45, and for some reason, that number was a big deal to me—I saw it as a bit of a cross roads. A few months before my birthday, I was talking to my husband about so-called bucket lists, and I realized there was only one item on my list: write a novel and try to get it published. I knew that if I got to the end of my life without having tried, I would be consumed with regret. Trying and failing would be okay with me; not trying wouldn’t be okay with me. I am so glad I tried!
Me: Thank
You so much Julie for sparing time for this interview session. I can only wish
you luck in all your future endeavors.
Julie: Thank
you! And Happy New Year to you and your readers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Julie's Bio:
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for your feedback!