Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  When did you start writing?

Although I’ve always loved telling stories, I didn’t start writing until I was in college. Until high school, I thought I would be a visual artist. I was constantly drawing and painting. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I thought seriously about writing. I had been taking an advanced writing class, thoroughly enjoying it, and also writing for our school newspaper. At that point, I started thinking about the possibility of pursuing a career in journalism. One day, I walked into the office of the town paper and asked the editor for a job. At first, I covered sports and other events at the high school. Eventually, I was asked to write a column—musings, really. That column was my first paid writing job. I made one dollar a week.

Q: Was there a particular person who influenced you to become a novelist?

When my siblings and I were children, our mother read to us every day. For me, that was a magical time. When I was playing, I would re-enact the stories or make up my own. My mom’s reading to us really lies at the root of my love of stories. Once I learned to read, I read constantly and insatiably. Like most writers, reading has driven my desire to write.

In college and grad school, I had the good fortune of studying under many wonderful teachers--particularly Oliva Blanchette, Elizabeth Graver and Pamela Painter. I am especially indebted to Margot Livesey, Jessica Treadway and Chris Tilghman, who read this manuscript, shared their insights and advice, and helped me get this first novel into the world.

Q:  What part of the day is the most productive writing time for you? 

In all honesty, writing is about sitting down at your desk and doing the work. Initially, as with a lot of beginning writers, I wrote when the urge struck. I had to be in a certain mood, completely relaxed. I usually wrote early in the morning, before my family woke, or late at night. But I learned quickly that waiting for the so-called “muse” could be a hopeless proposition. Now, unless I’m completely exhausted, I can write pretty much anytime, anywhere. If I feel blocked, I’ll read for a few minutes. That’s usually enough to relax me and get my mind moving. If I’m really stuck, I can always edit my work.

Q: How have your other jobs shaped your writing?

In my view, any writing prepares you for other writing. When I was writing feature articles, for instance, I would interview my subject—which I loved, because I love talking to people and hearing their stories. At home, I would go over my notes, then figure out how to shape the material into a story. With fiction, the ideas are imagined, but the process—figuring out, then shaping the story—are the same. All writing requires discipline—again, sitting down at the desk; perseverance—writing is a messy process, sometimes easy and sometimes not so easy; and patience—that is, a willingness to wade through a jumble of ideas, working through drafts until you discover that essential kernel that ties the story together.

Teaching has also helped me tremendously, because it forced me to look closely at a piece of writing and not only figure out how it was working but how to articulate craft technique in a way that was both interesting and clear. And my students are so bright—they constantly challenge me to push further, work harder.

Q: What is the most difficult part of writing?

For me, as with most writers, it’s hands-down the rejection. You’ve got to be able to look at a rejection slip and—if you’re lucky enough to have been given specific information—learn from it or else put it behind you. If I have any talent at all as a writer, it’s that I am doggedly persistent. Because writing requires vulnerability, the willingness to put the innermost part of yourself—your feelings and ideas—on paper, rejection can be demoralizing. But I refuse to give up.

My parents deserve a hundred percent of the credit for this. When we were kids, if we started an activity, we were not allowed to quit, regardless of how much we begged or cajoled. In the eighth grade, I wanted desperately to quit Girl Scouts. On meeting days, we were required to wear our uniforms to school. This was in 1970, when kids were first starting to wear jeans to school, to grow their hair long. For me, wearing a Girl Scout uniform to school was beyond embarrassing. But I had committed to scouts; there was no way my parents would allow me to drop out. Fortunately, we moved out of state the following summer, so I was able to leave scouting without having to quit. At the time, I resented my parents for forcing me to stick things out. But that lesson was a gift.

Q: Who is this family and what can readers expect from the novel?

In many ways, the Tylers are a typical middle-class American family. Zoe and Will are the parents of two beautiful, talented daughters—sixteen year-old Leah and twelve year-old Justine. Like most adults, Zoe and Will have faced their share of disappointment and challenge; they know it’s a tough world and are trying very hard to give their daughters the tools they’ll need to succeed in life. Sometimes, they can be overzealous; sometimes, they push a little too hard.

At sixteen, Leah is on the verge of adulthood, striving to forge an identity of her own. A talented soccer player, she stands a good chance of being offered a full scholarship to a top college. The problem is, she’s burned out. She’s reached a point where she doesn’t even like playing soccer anymore. When she starts dating Todd Corbett, a handsome, sexy high school dropout and former roadie for a rock band, the Tylers’ world unravels.

In Leah’s Wake tells the story from alternating points of view, so readers are able—I hope—to understand and relate to the experiences of each of the family members. A fifth person—Jerry Johnson, one of five officers in Cortland’s tiny police department—is also involved. Jerry first meets Zoe when he stops her for speeding. A week later, he responds to a 9-1-1 call that turns out, to his utter surprise, to be from the Tylers. Jerry’s growing affection for Zoe adds another wrinkle to an already complicated situation.

Q: What inspired you to write In Leah’s Wake?

One of the toughest problems facing parents of teens is the uncertainty, the inability to predict what the future will hold. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said to one of my own daughters, “If I’d only known you would turn out so well, I wouldn’t have worried so much.” By nature, teenagers are impulsive, volatile. Just as we parents think we’ve got a handle on a situation or behavior, the situation changes. Even when our kids are telling us what’s going on, they are always—perhaps fearing our disapproval—holding back.

The truth is, much what we consider rebellion—their trying on new personalities, rejecting our values—are a normal and even necessary part of the maturation process. If we hope to raise strong, independent children, we have to give them room to grow. We have to allow them to fail. For parents, this means uncertainty and a lot of sleepless nights. For children, it means fighting hearrt-wrenching battles with the very people they love, trust and depend on the most.

As a parent of four adult daughters, I’ve known many, many families who, like the Tylers, seem one moment to be perfect and the next are unraveling. I hoped to write about these issues in a way that would be true to the experience of both parent and child. A number of women have told me that they’re eager for their daughters to read the book, so they can discuss it with them. If the novel in any way contributes to the opening of a dialogue between parents and their teens, I will be pleased beyond imagination.

Send your questions about In Leah’s Wake. The most interesting will be answered and published in this space. questions@tglong.com.

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