Book Blitz: The Book di Jessica Bell + giveaway

Buongiorno ^^ Dopo un breve periodo di pausa il blog torna in attività e lo fa con un nuovo book blitz ideato come sempre da Giselle di Xpresso Book Tours; anche questa volta vi presento un romanzo recentemente pubblicato negli States, lasciandovi anche un'interessante intervista all'autrice e un giveaway :) 

Titolo: The Book

Autore: Jessica Bell

Genere: Contemporaneo

Trama: This book is not The Book. The Book is in this book. And The Book in this book is both the goodie and the baddie.

Bonnie is five. She wants to bury The Book because it is a demon that should go to hell. Penny, Bonnie’s mother, does bury The Book, but every day she digs it up and writes in it. John, Bonnie’s father, doesn’t live with them anymore. But he still likes to write in it from time to time. Ted, Bonnie’s stepfather, would like to write in The Book, but Penny won’t allow it.

To Bonnie, The Book is sadness. 

To Penny, The Book is liberation. 

To John, The Book is forgiveness. 

To Ted, The Book is envy.

But The Book in this book isn’t what it seems at all.

If there was one thing in this world you wished you could hold in your hand, what would it be? The world bets it would be The Book.

Jessica Bell If Jessica Bell could choose only one creative mentor, she'd give the role to Euterpe, the Greek muse of music and lyrics. This is not only because she currently resides in Athens, Greece, but because of her life as a thirty-something Australian-native contemporary fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter/guitarist, whose literary inspiration often stems from songs she's written. Jessica is the Co-Publishing Editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal and annually runs the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

INTERVISTA

How does living Greece affect and influence your work? 

There is a lot about Greece in my debut novel, String Bridge, but I have to say that Greece had already started to influence me when I was a kid. I must have been about eleven. I remember sitting on a rock by the sea in a little place called Monemvasia. I was so inspired by my surroundings that I needed a way to express it. This is when I started writing poetry. In the end (well, beginning), Greece is what sparked my passion for words.

Also, I would never have got my first job as an editor if I hadn’t moved here. As I said above, I make a living as an editor/writer of English Language Teaching materials. There is no need for this sort of thing in an English speaking country. So I guess, I have Greece to thank for giving me the opportunity to pursue this career path. If I had have remained in Australia, I probably would have focused more on my music.

What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?

“It was the kind of loneliness that made clocks seem slow and loud and made voices sound like voices across water.”  From Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

Can you hear the loud, slow clock ticking? Its echo crossing a flat lake trying to reach the disappearing voices of loved ones you wished existed? The still and stifling warm air at dusk? Your heartbeat in your ears? The emptiness in your chest? The melancholia you can’t seem to place? An amazing comparison to loneliness, don’t you think? The clocks, the voices, the loudness of heartache. *sigh* ...

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?

The fact that, despite the full-time job, I can still find time to write books. So many people get into a rut, thinking they can't manage it, that there's no time. But it's not true. If you really want something, you find the time.

When and why did you begin writing?

I started writing poetry first. I must have been about eleven, sitting on a rock by the sea in a little place in Greece called Monemvasia. I was so inspired by my surroundings that I needed a way to express it. Not long after, I started writing songs. My mother had decided to sell her twelve-string acoustic guitar to get a bit of extra cash. I saw it sitting by the front door. I think someone was coming over to take a look at it. I remember opening the case and thinking that it just looked so beautiful, and why would Mum want to get rid of it? I think she was in the music room at the time and I interrupted one of her recording sessions to ask about the guitar. When she told me she was selling it, I asked her whether I could have it. She said that I could if I learnt to play. From that day I had that guitar in my hands every single day until I moved to Greece in 2002. I taught myself how to play. The first song I ever wrote was played on one string and sung in a very high-pitched awful voice. I hope that cassette never gets dug up!

What genre are you most comfortable writing?

Contemporary fiction. Realistic. Not into fantasy or paranormal at all.

What made you want to be a writer?

I just realized one day that I couldn't live without it. And figured, if I'm going to be writing all the time, I might as well try to get published.

Do you intend to make writing a career?

Absolutely. But I try to be realistic about it. I do it because I can't not do it. Not to make money.

What is your greatest strength as a writer?
I have a real knack for cinematic writing. I'd probably beat you in a "show-off". ;-)

Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
Absolutely. I usually take it as a sign that I'm burned out and give myself a break. It works.

What are your goals as a writer?

To have my books linger in the minds of readers long after they've turned the last page. With regards to my non-fiction, to help aspiring writers realize that writing doesn't have to be as overwhelming as it seems. Learn the craft in bite-sized pieces, and eventually everything will come together.

What books have most influenced your life?

Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson

Cold Blood, by Truman Capote

The Robber Bride, by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, by Rebecca Miller

The Stone Gods, by Jeanette Winterson

Just Kids, by Patti Smith

Short Cuts, by Raymond Carver

Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, by Milan Kundera

All poetry by the following poets: Gwen Harwood, Sharon Olds, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath

Have you ever considered anyone as a mentor?
Oh gosh, if I could ever be mentored by Margaret Atwood, I think my life would be complete!

Who is your favorite author and why?

That's impossible to answer. But I can list my favorite authors. I love these authors because even though some of their work might be considered commercial successes, they are not just entertainers. They truly have something to say:

Marilynne Robinson, Margaret Atwood, Truman Capote, John Boyne, Rebecca Miller, Jeanette Winterson, Patti Smith, Raymond Carver, Anne Lamott, Milan Kundera, Gwen Harwood, Sharon Olds, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath.

What contributes to making a writer successful?
Persistence and stamina all the way.

Do you have any advice for writers?
Learn the rules and then break them intelligently.

What do you do to unwind and relax?
You'll always catch me reading when I go to bed. But I'm also a sucker for a great TV series. My favorites are Homeland, Grey's Anatomy, Dexter and Fringe.

When you wish to end your career, stop writing, and look back on your life, what thoughts would you like to have?

That I don't regret one minute of it.

What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?

If I'm too influenced by other people's ideas it will skew my own. So I only ever seek an opinion once I'm confident about the final result. And I will only ever change something, if the suggestion completely resonates with me. Of course, I always keep an open mind. Nothing is ever set in stone. But I find this a challenge because it's so hard to keep things to myself when I'm excited about them. I just want to share it with everybody.

Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it?
That it doesn't always have to take me a year to write a first draft. I'm usually a very slow writer. But I wrote the first draft of this book in three days. I have no idea how. I have never written so fast in my life. Something weird came over me. I used to hear stories of writers saying that 'their muse' was calling to them, and I'd roll my eyes. But now I get it. It was a bizarre experience. It makes me wonder ... what if Bonnie was a real girl? Like I somehow connected with a spirit who told me her true story? I know, I know, sounds ridiculous. But who knows, really?

Have you developed a specific writing style?
Yes. My writing is quite literary in nature, but I also think it has a decent amount of commercial appeal; a nice balance of both.

How did you come up with the title?
The Book revolves around a journal which everyone in the family calls "the book."

Can you tell us about your main character of The Book?

Bonnie is a five-year-old girl, with a "supposed" learning disability, who is trying to make heads and tails of the adult relationships between her mother (Penny), her father (John) who has moved out to care for his teenage daughter (Mary), and Penny’s new husband whom Bonnie refers to as “my Ted”.

How did you develop your plot and characters for The Book?

When I was a child, my mother, Erika Bach, and my father, Anthony Bell, wrote in an illustrated journal by Michael Green called A Hobbit’s Travels: being the hitherto unpublished Travel Sketches of Sam Gamgee. This journal is the inspiration for this book. Since reading this journal, and realizing how different my parents sounded in the entries compared to how I know them in real life, I often thought about writing a book which explored how differently parents and children perceive and respond to identical situations. Now, I know this concept isn’t ‘new’. But I certainly felt I had a unique bent to add to it. I hoped by using journal entries and therapy transcripts, in conjunction with a 1^st person point of view of a five-year-old girl, it would make the story a little more intimate, make readers feel like they are peeking into the lives of real people.

What was the hardest part about writing this book?
The fact that the first draft was written so fast and therefore wasn't sure it was up to par because of it.

How do you promote this book?
Mainly through social media. Unfortunately I have the disadvantage of being an expat in Greece, so it's very difficult for me to promote any other way.

Will you write others in this same genre?
Of course, this is the genre I fall into naturally in.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Bonnie, the five-year-old protagonist, was born prematurely. I hint, through the journal entries of her mother, Penny, and the transcripts of Bonnie and Dr. Wright, her therapist, that due to her premature birth, she has trouble learning and significant behavioral problems. However, I try to juxtapose this through Bonnie’s point of view. The reader is able to see how differently she perceives things in contrast to the adults in her life.

Bonnie is very smart. And she understands so much more than she chooses to let the adults see. So, at what point does one draw the line when it comes to defining poor mental health? Can anyone really see what is going on in a child’s mind? What right does one have to assume a prematurely born child is going to have difficulty learning or mental instabilities? What signs does one have to show to prove they are having difficulties at all? The Book raises these sorts of questions, hopefully offering readers a lot of food for thought.

How much of the book is realistic?
I'm hoping all of it! But I guess that's for readers to decide.

What are the messages that you think your readers will take away after reading your books?

Take control. You are the only one who can make your life what you want it to be. Embrace the good and the bad. If you look at the bigger picture, there is no such thing as a bad experience. Believe in love and hope; if there’s a will, there’s a way.

What are you working on now?

Right now I'm working on my 4th novel! Working title: White Lady. It's set in Melbourne, Australia, and is about a young woman named Mia who is fighting fat with white ladies. (Yep, I'll leave that to your own interpretation for now! Hint: don't think literally.)

 I'm also putting together an anthology of personal essays from Indie authors called Indiestructible: Inspiring Stories from the Publishing Jungle, which is slated for release September 16. A few contributing authors you may know are Melissa Foster, Susan Kaye Quinn, and Leigh Talbert Moore. This is the best of the indie tradition of experienced authors paying forward what they’ve learned, offering information to help others on their indie journey. All profits will be donated to BuildOn.

GUEST POST: "What inspired me to write The Book" di Jessica Bell

When I was a child, my mother, Erika Bach, and my father, Anthony Bell, wrote in an illustrated journal by Michael Green called A Hobbit’s Travels: being the hitherto unpublished Travel Sketches of Sam Gamgee. This journal is the inspiration for The Book.

Since reading this journal, and realizing how different my parents sounded in the entries compared to how I know them in real life, I often thought about writing a book which explored how differently parents and children perceive and respond to identical situations. Now, I know this concept isn’t ‘new’. But I certainly felt I had a unique bent to add to it. I hoped by using journal entries and therapy transcripts, in conjunction with a 1^st person point of view of a five-year-old girl, it would make the story a little more intimate, make readers feel like they are peeking into the lives of real people. This way, it’s like you are reading memoir rather than fiction.

Set in the late 1970s, early 1980s, Bonnie, the five-year-old protagonist, was born prematurely. I hint, through the journal entries of her mother, Penny, and the transcripts of Bonnie and Dr. Wright, her therapist, that due to her premature birth, she has trouble learning and significant behavioral problems. However, I try to juxtapose this through Bonnie’s point of view. The reader is able to see how differently she perceives things in contrast to the adults in her life.

Bonnie is very smart. And she understands so much more than she chooses to let the adults see. So, at what point does one draw the line when it comes to defining poor mental health? Can anyone really see what is going on in a child’s mind? What right does one have to assume a prematurely born child is going to have difficulty learning or mental instabilities? What signs does one have to show to prove they are having difficulties at all? The Book raises these sorts of questions, hopefully offering readers a lot of food for thought.

It took me fourteen years before I could spell father properly. No matter how many times I was told, I still spelled father as farther and friend as freind and finally as finnaly. To this day I still have to look up the different conjugations of lie and lay. For some reason they just don’t stick.

What’s that say about me? Could that mean I am dyslexic? Have a learning disability? Perhaps I’m just being selective with what I feel is important to store in my long-term memory. I’m sure there are lots of reasons one could come up with. But when it comes to mental health, I don’t believe there are any definitive answers. This is one of the themes I explore in The Book.

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