Interview with Catherine McKenzie- 2011

Last year, I was lucky enough to get to interview Catherine McKenzie about her debut novel Spin. I am pleased to say she was able to spare some time to grant me another interview, this time to talk about her new novel Arranged

KH: - Arranged is your second offering, how much harder was it writing on such a short schedule? Does it hamper the creative flow or help to push it along?

Catherine McKenzie: I’m actually very lucky that, although Arranged is being published only a year after Spin, I’d already written the book when I got my book deal. In fact, I wrote Arranged before Spin and so I only had to go through the editorial process in the last year (edits from my editors, line editing and copy editing) rather than starting from scratch or an outline. I know from other writer friends that writing on that kind of deadline can be very difficult, especially when – like most of us – you still have a day job.

KH: - I devoured Spin when I was given the chance to read it last year, and still recommend it to people when I am talking about books. I noticed a slight nod to one of the characters from Spin (celebrity Amber on the gossip show) near the beginning of Arranged, was that meant as a wink for your previous fans, or was Arranged originally meant as a sequel? 

CM: Thank you! That was definitely meant as a wink to the fans – something I added in the editorial process. A funny anecdote: the copy editor – who, among other things, checks to make sure that cultural references are correct – queried who Amber Sheppard was because she hadn’t been able to find her in an extensive internet search. She hadn’t read Spin J.

KH:-  Anne Blythe, is a 30-something writer who has a bad string of heartbreaks, with lovely red hair and a desire for the perfect man. I think I was 30 pages into Arranged when I was hit with a blast of emotions. You very easily could have been describing me.  You've hit your target audience to a bullet point. How much of "Anne" came from your friends and from yourself and how much came from research?

CM: Again, thank you. I don’t generally research characters – other than those who have a specific job, like Anne’s therapist or the marriage broker she meets. On the other hand, I also work hard not to base characters in my books on my friends. Every once in a while, someone around me will utter a great line of dialogue and I’ll ask if it’s okay for me to use it in a book. As to whether Anne is based on myself, I think, inevitably, any author who writes first person narratives has to be ready to have people assume that the main character is them. Example: Katie, the main character in Spin, goes to rehab. I can’t remember the number of times I’ve been asked whether I went to rehab since the book came out. Since I look a bit like Anne – we have the same colouring anyway – I’m sure this assumption will rear it’s head again, but while we might have some similar opinions, I really try not to be the main character in my books. I’m in there somewhere, though.

KH:- I've been waiting to hold off on the question that I know everyone must have asked, but what was the first inspiration for the whole novel? 

CM: Actually, the first question most people ask is whether or not Anne is ethnic – i.e. not a white girl from North America. That being said, it’s hard to pinpoint one thing that led to that “aha” moment. I do know a few people who’ve had arranged marriages, and have watched my share of The Bachelor etc. This kind of information – and questioning of who would undertake either – was floating around my brain hopper and Arranged is what it spat out.

KH:- Therapy, has made an appearance in both your novels, as part of the narration.  Do you feel that in modern society we rely too much on what others think of us and how easily led some of us can become?

CM:Deep question. I use therapy for two different purposes in the books. In Spin, she had to be in therapy since a large part of the book is set in rehab. Since this was the case, I used it as a device to let us know more about Katie. In Arranged, I added the therapy aspect as a way for Anne to talk out the idea of going through with an arranged marriage without it all being in her head. I’m also not sure that therapy is about what others think of us, but rather, how to overcome caring about that, if that’s holding you back in your life.

KH:- Another series of stories plays more then a few notes in Arranged,  that being Anne of Green Gables.  What made you decide to pick that as a backdrop for the mother?

CM:So many books these days are based on or have a nod to the works of Jane Austen. I love Jane Austen, but that has been done – literally in some instances – to death. I thought it would be fun to work in another favourite author. Julie Buxbaum also does this with The Secret Garden in her book After You (Another book I’d recommend). I also wanted to explore the whole consequence of believing that your life should turn out like the books you read. I think too many of us grow up expecting that perfect ending, and end up disapointed when it doesn’t materialize.

KH:- In your first novel Spin, you used music to decorate the story, I noticed in Arranged you used other books in the same way. (On The Road really sets the foreshadowing for Jack) Was there a conscious decision to do this?

CM:There certainly was in Spin; I always envisioned that book as a musical, if that makes any sense. I think it was less consciously done in Arranged, other than the fact that since Jack and Anne are both writers, it’s natural for them to be interested in – and to discuss – books that are important to them.

KH:- Margaret is this fabulous minor character who is just so rounded and full of colour. She manages to sweep you along in her scenes making you forget she's just a character in the book. She's also the opposite of Anne.  Did you create her just  for that balance ?

CM:Thank you. And pretty much. Anne is so full of doubts, so self-questioning, that I thought it was important to have someone who took the opposite approach. Plus she was really fun to write.

KH:- To me, the philosophy in Arranged is that without a strong series of friendships, nothing solid in life can really be obtained. Do you feel that in our society people are forgetting what truly matters?

CM: I think what I was trying to get across – within the boundaries of something that is supposed to be, ultimately, a little bit of fun fantasy – is that believing that there is only one person out there for everyone – a soulmate – can be limiting. I think that we choose to go in certain directions in our romantic lives, but those are choices. I guess I don’t believe in predestination when it comes to love.

KH:- Without giving away the ending,  I have to say I was not expecting it to end in the tone it did.  There almost seemed to be a moment when I thought either the characters of Richard and William would have a stronger role. What made you decide to leave them as minor elements? 

CM: Again, within the boundaries of what I was writing, I wanted to keep people guessing how it would end until the end. So, I’m glad you were not expecting it to end the way it does. Not sure I can say more without revealing too much.

Thanks for the great questions!

KH: Always a great pleasure. 

Arranged by Catherine McKenzie

Plot: Anne Blythe is a talented writer working at a magazine while putting the finishing touches on her first novel. Her latest relationship has just fallen apart, finding out the man who she's trusted was cheating on her.  Anne then begins to bump into a few more of her ex boyfriends, all whom are now married.  She discovers a business card for what she thinks is a simple dating service and after hearing that her best friend is engaged, decides to try it. Anne soon learns that they are more then just a dating service, but a company that performs arranged marriages. Anne turns this chance discovery into a new column for the magazine, her research leading her to join up herself. The matchmakers pair her up with a man who could be considered perfection, only to find out he's not what he seems after the wedding.


Is love by chance or illusion?  In this case it's both.
Once again, Catherine McKenzie offers up vivid characters who have a sense of witty sadness to them, that makes them very real.


I'm at a loss for words on this one folks. I can't review this book without comparing it to my own life. Which means once again Catherine McKenzie has hit the nail perfectly on the head, she knows her audience with a bullet point. 

The situation that the character Anne is in- in her 30's unmarried, a writer, a redhead, who's past boyfriends have moved on while she's still stuck- it's as if the author Catherine McKenzie were exposing pieces of my own life. I kept reading hoping she had a solution for me, then I remembered this was a novel. A beautifully sculptured piece of fiction that just happens to ring true.

The character of Anne's mother, who is currently on the edge of her own reality and not really paying too close of attention to Anne,  was a brilliant element of distance. (Also too close to home for my nerves.) Even though she's a minor character, the mother was a fresh view, given most mothers in modern fiction are too involved, too annoying.

There are moments when you find yourself wanting to slap the character of Jack and then give him the benefit of the doubt.  From the scene where he takes Anne boating you're left with this sense of menace that melts into a feeling of "maybe they got it right this time". I can not tell you how many times I sighed thinking if only there were more real men like this. 

In this day and age,  almost everyone has used the internet to meet someone, so the idea of falling for someone you've never really met is not as shocking as it first might have appeared. This gives an added weight to the element of Anne going to the matchmaker in the first place. Which I thought was mixed perfectly with the minor characters that Anne interviews who have had their own arranged marriages.
Too much in modern society is hinged on how we look, how we present ourselves and not enough on the real person.

Catherine McKenzie manages to take something as simple as eating lunch and deliver every emotion, every scent, every taste with such clear intent that it's no wonder her characters are so easy to identify with.

If you liked her first novel Spin then you're going to devour Arranged. (click here to browse inside the book)
Check out Catherine McKenzie on the Savvy Reader the official blog for Harper Collins Canada

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

Plot: Carrie is an author researching her latest novel set in the early 1700's.  Her journey started in France and quickly takes her to Scotland, to visit her editor.  Pulled by the beauty of the landscape, she decides to base part of her novel in the area.  Soon Carrie is hearing a soft female voice on the wind, which leads her to create an new lead character.  While researching the ruins of a castle, Carrie discovers the characters are very much rooted in reality and starts to wonder if she might be loosing her mind.  The locals are a friendly group who not only help her with every inch of her research, but two brothers have both decided to make a play for her.  While one is someone she trusts and thinks fondly as a friend, the other has captured her imagination in more ways then one.  Soon, Carrie is torn between her reality, her novel and her own past as everything comes crashing together on the waves just outside her cliffside cottage.


The Winter Sea is a story within a story which author Susanna Kearsley manages to weave with perfection. Like a spider dangling in the delicate center of a web, drawing you into both the modern and the historical sides of it.  The romance that blossoms between modern Carrie and Graham, roots you firmly in the here and now, suggesting a comfort that only comes around once in a lifetime. Meanwhile, the historical romance between Sophia and Moray plays out with an innocence that lives up to any fairy tale.

The author herself -Kearsley- manages to bring together the idea of time travel and past life regression into a buyable plot line, with the help of science, metaphysics, and a healthy dose of romanticism. Giving  the novel a chance to cross from one genre (science fiction) to the other (historical romance) seamlessly.

You find yourself breathless at times with the way she describes the setting of the castle at Slains, to the point you can almost hear the waves themselves crashing against the edges of the cliff.  In fact, the wind and clouds that hover endlessly through most of the modern setting are a character unto themselves, delivering a voice and dream like quality to the writing muse that "Carrie" must follow.

Divided into chapters within chapters, you soon forget you're reading a whole novel and begin to think of it as the author's -Kearsley- diary and manuscript. As it brilliantly combines the two worlds.

From the moment I picked up this novel I was intoxicated by the idea of finding not just a muse but true love by pure accident. The introduction of both Graham (the modern setting) and Moray (the historical setting)  in their respective sections are subtle hints at how love can sneak up on you when you're not looking for it and grab you fully.  And how a hero can appear out of the shadows.
The other subtle traces of the historical characters turning up in the modern setting (Kirsty the maid in the historical section having a modern twin in the form of the librarian,  the Countess having a modern twin in the editor) helps to bind your believing that the lead "Carrie" is meeting her soul family for a purpose, following a trail of breadcrumbs down a delicious rabbit hole.
Instead of giving off an unsettling feel that some past life stories have done in other novels/movies, you are gifted with a sense of rightness.  When you are reading the parts about the return of King James to his crown you never feel like you are being mislead or talked down to; but instead like you are truly reading research notes.
Sophia's feelings of loss and desire come through as clear and honest as if you were reading actual letters  from her place in history.
Making Graham a history professor helped to fill in areas that would have otherwise seemed too unrealistic for the modern scenes.

The balance that the author -Kearsley- gives her leads in both time frames, is an extremely potent one. Having her females Carrie/Sophia and the Countess/Jane being strong independent women and the men Graham/Moray being emotionally available is something too many writers try but do not always nail. Kearsley gets it and manages to keep the flow even through out the two parallel worlds.
Another nice touch I found, was the addition of having "Carrie"while in Scotland, keeping in constant touch with her father in Canada. As the male elements were running strong in the modern setting and the female elements running strong in the historical one another balance was found without being too obvious.

A book not to be missed, The Winter Sea will have you believing in love at first sight as well as wanting you to move to Scotland for the spring.

Giveaway- Legacy of Pemberley

Hey folks.  I'm doing something I never do,  a giveaway! I'll be hosting an interview next week on the 29th of Nov with Rebecca Ann Collins author of The Legacy of Pemberley, which is the final chapter in her series, and will announce the winners at that time.

Here are the rules.... there are no rules.  You just need to be from Canada and the U.S. and leave me a comment with your name, email and if you are in Canada or the U.S.  That's it.  Then come back next week for the winner.   We've got 2 books to giveaway.

I am now taking

Only books slated for 2011 release.

The remainder of 2010 has been filled with a current list of books to be reviewed containing

• Desiree The Bestselling Story of Napoleon's First Love by Annemarie Selinko with an October release date for Canada and the U.S.
• The Distant Hours by Kate Morton with a November release date for Canada and the U.S.
• The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick with a November release date
• The Legacy of Pemberley by Rebecca Ann Collins with a November release date
• The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley with a December release date

I also have a couple more coming to me later this week.

You Comma Idiot -by Doug Harris

Plot: Lee is having a bad summer. His dream girl is his best friend's girlfriend, his oldest buddy is being stalked by the news because they think he kidnapped a teenager, and his drug dealer has cut him off. At the edge of turning thirty Lee finds himself at the crossroads everyone has to face at some point, only he's not so sure he's ready for it. But somewhere between hamming it up for the news reporter to get them off his buddy's tail and starting an affair he manages to fit in one last youthful summer in Montreal.

I could sit here and feed you some hype about this novel telling you it's the next big thing. I could do that. And you know what, I'd be right, as you would be to believe what I tell you.

It's rare that a novel comes along that has me wanting to share it with people before I've even finished reading it. (I actually carried it around the grocery with me yesterday and showed it to a few people) It's beyond imaginable that I would want to share anything with my mother, but I found myself telling her the basic plot of this story and showing her the book jacket.

The design by which I think is brilliant! It gives the cheeky-humour that this story is ripe with an extra visual expression.

Doug Harris has opened a world that goes beyond borders, that anyone with a longing for missed chances and homegrown fantasies can relate to. It just happens that it's a Canadian story which lovingly embraces elements of it's maple roots.

You get the sense right off that Lee, the main character has a hole in his heart, something is missing from his life, only he hasn't figured out himself what that is. Then you are introduced to Honey. The center of his world. Only she belongs to his best friend, a best friend who is like a brother. From there a cast of sweet, sour and very real people float into the plot and you soon forget you are reading and feel more like sitting in a friend's kitchen hearing a tale of youth.

Following Lee down his urban rabbit hole was both enchanting and familiar. He could have easily been to a major degree myself (I had moments where I could easily have replaced the male components with female ones) or any number of guys I have known over the years.

The character of Henry was touching in a mix of paranoia and sadness given his underscored innocence towards what the media hounds were doing to him. You can understand how the rest of the characters flip flop in their support.

I found myself laughing out loud at moments, and booing at others. The character of Cuz, a street weasel, had me at one point thinking of people I had grown up with, but never got to see get theirs. There is a character I am sure is waiting, plotting and getting ready for the sequel to let loose.

Doug Harris proves with this novel that coming of age does not need be attached to a number, just a reason.

Mail day Sept 7th

I just got another lovely book in the mail today.

This I believe has a Sept 17th 2010 release date.

You comma Idiot by Doug Harris and from GooseLane

Fearless Female Journalists by Joy Crysdale

This is part of a series by Second Story Press  called "The Women's Hall of Fame Series"

It's a thin volume of 118 pages.  But do not let that fool you.
This entry to the series packs a punch.  It gives a brief overview of the hardships that many of the women who dared to become a voice of their generation had to battle.

From Mary Ann Shadd Cary who wrote about ending slavery, to Margaret Bourke-White who was one of the first photo-journalists, to sports journalist Pam Oliver to many others, this book is a brief history of women in the media for the last 200 years.

I received this book about two and a half months ago, and have been carrying it around with me ever since, trying to get to it but having deadlines on other books, and it kept getting put back into my pile.  Or more rightly, my purse, as I did carry it around with me while I did my other reviews.  I finally had a chance this morning to get to it, and was more then glad I did.

Thought provoking, touching, enlightening and over all powerful.  It made me remember why I had started my own career in Broadcasting so many years ago.  The only difference is I did not have the guts to stick it out, unlike the courageous women who broke down the barriers and crashed open the doors for the rest of us.

Joy Crysdale has managed to turn a collection of biography profiles and essays into a collection of strength and dignity.

My Current Reading List- Review Books

And as always, I am two weeks behind.

I am in the middle of Mr. Darcy's Little Sister  Which will be done for next week.

As you see the stack, two of which (Winter Sea, Forever Queen)  just arrived this morning.

This may put a large hold on my book club reading selections, as all these need to be completed before November.

Interview with Liane Shaw

Liane Shaw author of thinandbeautiful.com  over at Second Story Press was kind enough to do a short interview with me last week.  You can read my review of the novel here 




Me: I know the author's notes lists you as having survived your own battle with an eating disorder, what made you decide to use this as a story plot?


 Liane Shaw :My reasons are threefold.  First of all, as a teacher of mostly adolescent aged students, I was very worried about the extreme emphasis on body size I was seeing in both girls and boys.  I was particularly concerned when I had a student in my class who was quite thin and the other students were teasing her by calling her "anorexic".  It seemed to me that using that term as an insult indicated a real lack of understanding of the seriousness of the issue.  Secondly, as the mother of two young women, who were teens at the time I started this project, I was worried about the influence of media and societal expectations.  My youngest was trying to fit into size 0 pants...what does that mean anyway!...and I started researching current thoughts on eating issues.  That's when I tripped, literally because I'm not too techno savvy, over the Pro ana movement.  Which brings me to reason 3...I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened to me when I was young if I had had the kind of "support" that the sites can accidentally provide....the kind that encourages rather than discourages eating issues.  When I had an ED, few people even knew what is was, and certainly no one encouraged me to keep losing weight.  Putting the three reasons together, I wanted to do something to share what I felt about ED, the internet and body image...to find a way to "teach" about it while reaching as many young people as I could.


Me:  You chose to do this in diary form, was there a reason for that?

LS : Yes.  I realized that everyone's actual experience of having an ED would vary, and that young girls today are dealing with a very different world than I was as a teen.  But I thought that the feelings would probably be much the same and that's what I wanted to convey.  I thought a diary was the best way to really delve into feelings.   I worried that it was a bit trite, but overall I think it worked.

Me:  Your use of the internet, it was as if it were a character all it's own. Was that on purpose or just simply a way to make the story more hinged in modern culture?

LS :What a great question!  To be absolutely honest, at the very beginning I wanted to find a hook that would, as you so aptly put it, hinge the story in modern culture.  However, the deeper I went into the pro ana, thinspiration etc sites the more I wanted to really shine a light on the internet as a potential factor in the perpetuation of ED for some people.   It was obvious to me that these young people were not intending to hurt anyone, least of all themselves, but unfortunately the potential for harm seemed overwhelmingly clear.
In retrospect, I think I could have made the internet an even stronger "character".

Me: My attention was grabbed by Wolf. The male character you gave the illness to. What was it that made you choose to add a man to the rehab center ? Have you met many men who have had this illness over the years, as I know it's wide spread but rarely talked about (the fact boys suffer from eating disorders too)

 LS: Another great question.  I have had equal parts praise and criticism for adding Wolf to the "cast".   I have dealt very directly and personally with young men struggling desperately with their body images.   More attention is gradually being given to the presence of ED in males, but it is still not enough in my opinion.

Me:  You left the end of the story slightly open, was that because you wanted to give the impression that she would be dealing with this for the rest of her life, or just hoping for a sequel?

LS:  Actually neither.  I wanted to leave the impression that the most important step is the first one, recognizing the issue and being willing to look at getting help.  I believe that's the part of the story that is the same for everyone but I think the next chapter would be radically different for each person dealing with this issue.  I do think some people deal with ED for most of their lives but I don't know if this is true for everyone.   I had an agent a long time ago who wanted an earlier version of the novel to be tied up with a neat bow of healing at the end.  I felt this was unrealistic and disrespectful to anyone actually dealing with an ED so I refused to change it.  That was the end of that relationship /and/ the novel until I re-wrote it a couple of years ago with the ending I thought most appropriate and found a publisher who understood what I was trying to say.

 Me:  As a teacher, do you see that the illness is developing in younger and younger students or is it something that is only apparent with middle to older teens?

LS:  I don't have any data on this question and my personal experience hasn't really given me a clear perspective.  I worked with grades 6 and up for the most part, and really felt that my 11 and 12 year olds were far too worried about their weight at an age where adolescence had barely had time to kick in.  In terms of the illness itself, I have certainly read articles that support concerns about development in younger children.

 Me:  When doing your research for the websites that you modeled thinandbeautiful.com  on, did you find there were more that lean towards caution or more towards the risks (pro sites) of the illness?

 LS: The most concerning aspect for me was trying to tell the difference.  Most of the sites I researched seemed to offer positive advice and medical information...on the surface.  However, with many of them, a little clicking on headings led me directly to chat rooms and other types of advice...how to lose more, and purge more easily for example...and to pages with ultra thin images that seemed to be there for young people to aspire to.   Beyond the concerns over how many sites I found, was the ease with which I found them.  There are many really positive sites out there as well.  I have tried to include lots of them on my blog and as I find more, I will continue to add them.


Me:  There were moments when you almost seemed as if you were going to move away from Maddie your lead, and follow her family member's story more closely, was there a purpose to your not going that route?

 LS:  I do think that family is a huge part of the process but I was really attempting to focus on Maddie and her personal journey.  Maddie was very absorbed in her own struggles and her own emphasis was on herself.   I was trying to find the balance between the reality of how wrapped up in yourself and your body you become when dealing with ED, and trying to find ways to demonstrate the impact on those around you as well.


Me:  Getting back to the internet side of it, you managed to address another subculture with the fact you had your lead feeling closer to her internet friends then her real life friends. I know myself, my relationships with my internet friends are as close if not closer then my offline ones, was that done to show Maddie's feelings of loneliness or just a natural by product of modern society?

LS:  A little of each.  My youngest daughter is very much a part of the modern, electronic social communication age and I am fascinated watching her deal with people online as if they are right in front of her.  Arguments and making up via text and facebook...so far from my personal experiences but so interesting to watch with a new generation.  I wanted the novel to be something young people could relate to and this is so much a part of their lives I felt it had to be there...besides my daughter told me I /had/ to have it in there or the novel would suck (her word not mine!).
In terms of Maddie's loneliness, absolutely.   Her feelings of being misunderstood by those in her "real" life are what led her to find new friends online.  I really believe that I would have done the same thing if I had the chance when I was young.  I also believe that the lack of "understanding" I had...literally no one understood what was going on with me...might have helped me on my way to recovery in a strange way.  No one told me what I was doing was "normal" or "OK" so at some point, I started to wonder myself.  If I had others like me, even online, I might have kept on going further down the path than I did.


Me: This is a brave topic to begin with, did you have any outside pressure to not tackle the topic?

  LS: Not in my personal life.  Family and colleagues were totally supportive.  However, there were critics and bloggers who questioned the book before it was even formally released, wondering if it was going to be harmful to young people....which upset me of course as that would be the exact opposite of my dream when writing it in the first place!  My dream was to help people better understand what someone with an ED is going through and to perhaps encourage even one person to seek help.  I do have to admit, it's a tough topic to start a writing career with.  Some of the negative responses (thankfully few in number!) to the novel seem to come as much from passionate opinions about the topic itself as about my ability to write about it.

thinandbeautiful.com by Laine Shaw

I know I've said recently that books I've read have been emotional,  but this was a roller coaster.

Plot: Maddie is worried about her weight after visiting the doctor.  She is fifteen when she starts to "diet" and soon is being both praised and punished for her rapid weight loss.  Feeling as if no one understands her, she turns to the internet for help.  Website after website list the ways one can diet and quickly loose weight, but only one lets her chat about it.  Almost two years pass before Maddie's family and friends make her get help for her eating disorder and Maddie ends up in a rehab clinic.  The people she meets here help her realize that she's more then just her shadow. 

I could not put this book down. It left me needing a few deep breaths and a little shaky.  It's listed as being semi-biographical, as the author herself has dealt with eating disorders.  

Okay, this really hit home. I've admitted in the past that at one point I suffered from Bulimia and have had issues with my weight my whole life.  I only publicly talked about it in the last few years, but I also grew up in a time when internet was not available everywhere at all hours.   This novel uses the internet as a co-star, showing that just because the information and so called support is at your fingertips, does not mean it's good advice. 

The group of girls Maddie ends up finding are all under 90 pounds and still thinking they are fat. 

One scene had me caught between anger and tears, when Maddie is shopping for jeans with her mother and the sales lady keeps telling her how thin she looks.   

  Given that the novel is seen mostly through the eyes of a teenager suffering from the disorder, there are moments when it almost seems pro-disorder,  ALMOST but not completely.  Then it switches gears very quickly as you get moments of the story as seen through the eyes of the rest of the characters and it is clearly anti-.  

thinandbeautiful.com   is a hard pill to swallow,  as it should be.  This is not a pretty topic and it is laid out very vividly in all of it's harshness. I have to give a big nod to the fact the author did not limit her research to just women having this disorder, men fall victim to this as well.  Lots of men. I think she made a brave and smart move adding a male character who not only had the disorder, but was aware of it and seeking help.   

The fact Maddie has fallen into paranoia over her life shows a level of normalness that all teenagers no matter if they are suffering from an illness or not, go through was another sub-plot that added extra texture to the story.  Feeling of betrayal,  confusion, low self esteem, and simply being misunderstood flows through the entire novel with a serpentine grace that manages to weave you up inside itself.  

The journey we are taken on with Maddie and her Girls Without Shadows, is a bumpy one that points the finger where it belongs, on the individual and the media in a joint effort to expose the rawness of the illness. Not enough is ever said on the topic of eating disorders and this novel serves up a cold mirrored image that is needed. 

This is a book I feel needs to be standard reading in high school. 

Mail July 2010

I have a nice stack of books that have arrived in the last week from a few different places.

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory, which came from Simon and Schuster Canada.



As well as thinandbeautiful.com  by Liane Shaw and Fearless Female Journalists by Joy Crysdale  both of which came from Second Story Press


 

Interview with Kathleen Grissom

 I recently had the chance to chat with Kathleen Grissom author of The Kitchen House (you can read my review here)

Me: Mama Mae. She seems almost like a combination of real people.  Were you tempted to add more of her back story at times? You almost get the impression she's a former Vodoun Priestess, was that on purpose?

 

KG: To me, Mama Mae was EVERY good mother. She would do whatever it took to make certain that her family survived. I wrote about her exactly as she presented herself to me. Strong. Reliable. Resourceful. Actually, I saw and felt her so completely that I forgot the readers were relying on me for description. I hadn't included any back story until it was suggested to me that I might want to do so to give the reader more insight into her character. 

 

Me: The subject matter is a harsh but realistic one, were there many objections to you writing this sort of theme from your family/editors?

 

KG: I was exceptionally blessed to have the parents that I did. They never shied away from looking at the truth and we were always encouraged to explore and embrace other cultures. My husband, Charles, my agent, Rebecca Gradinger, and my editor, Trish Todd, couldn't have been more supportive and encouraging.

Me: The character of Mr. Boran very much reminds me of Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice, were you at all influenced by Jane Austen?

 

KG: I have always enjoyed Jane Austen, and her writing was helpful for me in writing this book, most especially for the cadence of speech of that time period.  

Me: What made you decide to split the story into two voices? Why both female and not go with one of the girls and say Marshall?

 

KG: Initially, Lavinia was a single narrator. Then it was suggested to me that it might be helpful for the reader to hear more from the perspective of the slaves. I went to my characters and listened. Belle came through with the clearest voice. I might have gone with any of the others, but, as I said, Belle stepped forward, quite determined to have her say.

Me: I noticed in the novel you have taken on the themes of oppression in both the two biggest forms, Non-Whites and Women, was there a reason you decided to parallel both of these at once?

 

KG: I did not intentionally set out to write a story that involved themes of oppression. The story came to me after I saw a notation on an old map that said "Negro Hill". Then. one day, it was as though a movie began to play out and my pencil followed along. Throughout the process. my goal was to get myself out of the way so the characters could tell their story. 

 

Me: The one theme in the novel that had me scratching my head was the Captain's secret.  As a reader, I could not understand why the secret was kept, did you as a writer plan on revealing it at all when you started?

 

KG: From the beginning I was frustrated with him and I wished that he would tell the truth. Once, when I tried to change that fact, the story stopped. When I went back to the original story, it began again. Then, while doing research, I learned that in this time period a blind eye was turned and the subject of paternity of many of the more Caucasian looking slave children was never discussed.

 Me: Food. It runs through almost every page. Do you have a personal connection with the recipes you talked about in the novel? How do you view the new foodie movement and did that have any baring on your placement of food within the story? 

 

KG: While doing my research I often saw food prepared as Mama and Belle might have made it. My mouth watered as I watched roasts turning over an open fire or saw cornbread, pulled from the red coals, browned and hot in a cast iron pan. I would leave those sites hungry for those dishes and determined to recreate what I had seen prepared. That may well have have translated itself into the book.

Me: The character of Miss Martha at moments seems to choose her destiny of madness. Did you set out writing her as being just in denial or the pure victim of her surroundings?

 

KG: I saw Miss Martha as a victim of circumstance, someone who simply could not cope with what life presented to her. Of course she also suffered from untreated opium addiction.

Me: What was the significance of Jamie's bad eye?

 

KG: There was no significance other than that is the way he came to me.

 Me: The fact the Captain saved Lavinia and gave her to Belle instead of his wife, was that a gift of guilt?

 

KG: Lavinia was very ill on her arrival and to the Captain likely represented an inconvenience. I don't know that he considered Lavinia as anything but a problem...more like extraneous cargo.

 

  Me:Religion plays a minor roll in the story but Faith plays a major one. How did you make the choice to separate the two?

 

KG: Again, the characters acted from their beliefs and spoke their truth as they saw it. I often wondered how Mama Mae developed her strong faith but that was never revealed to me. Also, I was often moved by Uncle Jacob's quiet faith and I wondered if he practiced his religion when he was alone.

It's a mail bag day

I just got this in the mail today.

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grisson.

So, I'll have a review of it soon.

March 1 2010

Hey, just to let everyone know, the contest closed today for the copy of "Spin" by Catherine Mckenzie.

Someone will be getting ahold of the winner in the next day or so.

This also means that I will be back later this week with a few updates to the blog. I know, it's been silent for the past month. I just did not want the contest and interview to get too lost in the shuffle, not too mention, the past month has been chaos in my personal life to say the lest.

But congrats to the winner of the book, and I will be back in a day or two with a few things to pump life back into this blog.

Interview with Catherine McKenzie

I had the chance to talk with Catherine McKenzie about her debut novel Spin. Which you can read a bit of on the sidebar, just click the "Browse this Book" link.

Don't forget about the giveaway that is going on and the review

Me :- The first question I am sure everyone has asked, but is the story fiction or semi-autobiographical?

Catherine McKenzie : Yes, I have been asked that question before and the answer is: no. I have not gone to rehab, undercover or otherwise. The story is fiction, with the exception being of course I was inspired by some real-life celebrities who were going in and out of rehab as the premise for the story. That being said, those guys on the roof – The King and his acolyte – are inspired by two guys I actually met. Oh, yeah.

Me-You made direct reference to two Jane Austen stories, were you reading/watching those two during the writing of this book or are they just some of your personal favourites?

CM :The two references you refer to are Mansfield Park, my least favourite Jane Austen novel, and Persuasion. I wasn’t reading either during the writing of this book, though I have read them both multiple times, but I did see the BBC production Persuasion I refer to while I was writing the book. It was one of those kismet elements that happen when writing sometimes – I had already decided to poke fun at the running that happens in romantic comedies when I saw this production. I screamed in disgust, and then I smiled with glee. I had the perfect place to express my feelings!

Me: I felt the undertone of both stories at different points in the novel (when Henry and Katie are together in the woods while Amber and Connor were covering in the game room, I thought about the scene in Northanger Abby when Morland and Mr. Tilney are chatting while Miss Tilney is courted by her lover)

CM :Interesting. That was really not intentional, but you don’t always know what you’re influenced by.

Me - Katie is in denial for most of the book about her own addiction, what was the deciding factor that prompted you to let her realize she might have a problem after all and that working the program was her best bet?

CM: In my mind Katie isn’t a full-blown alcoholic, just someone who is starting to let alcohol interfere in their life. Others might feel differently (some reviewers for instance), but I thought it was realistic for her to be in denial for a long time, but not for the whole time. Main characters in novels have to arc and learn and change a little (generally) and so this became part of Katie’s arc.

Me -The playlist that you have Katie listening to throughout, was that on purpose (deep emotional response for the characters and readers) or was that what you were listening to when you wrote it? It seemed to me, as if you were trying to express the surrounding characters and environment just that much deeper?

CM: Absolutely, thank you for getting that. Soundtracks are used so often in movies to help express the feel and tone of a scene, but more rarely in books. I wanted to fold in that extra dimension if I could. Really, I was kind of trying to write a musical, if that makes any sense.

Me - You have half your characters without real names, was that to show the level of personal interest Katie had with the other patients, or were you commenting on how many of us go through society? (and the way we communicate through gossip)

CM: I think I was trying to do several things. First, I admit I found it kind of funny and reflective of Katie – she doesn’t take things seriously, even when she should. More practically, in a book with that many characters, it’s really hard to make them all stand out individually – but calling them by their profession automatically gives them some personality.

Me- You used all the elements in modern culture -fashion/music/movies/tv/internet/magazines - as both a backdrop and for a form of communication, were you trying to show simply how obsessed we as a whole have become with escapism or where you expressing (mirroring back to us) how easily we as a whole can be led?

CM: Yes, yes, yes. I was trying to root this in the now, now, now but also to comment (gently) on our fanaticism with celebrity. There are large groups of people who look to and believe celebrities’ opinions on things as serious as autism instead of doctors. Why? How did we get this way? And isn’t it funny?

Me: What inspired you to make Katie a music writer?

CM: I honestly don’t know where that came from. Sometimes details just appear on the page. But I knew I didn’t want Katie to be a girly girl and to me a music obsessive is sort of the opposite of a girly girl.

Me - Hamlet. What I picked up from the use of Hamlet in your story was the underlining idea that things are not always how they seem. Comparing the madness of Hamlet and Ophelia to the drug addictions of both Connor and Amber. And the way their relationship is doomed to the way the lovers in Hamlet's relationship is doomed, was that your intention?

CM: You are smarter than me. Seriously. I wish I had thought of that.

Me-There is a scene where Katie realizes after she returns home, that her roommate is dating one of her friends. The fact she does not think of it as it is unfolding in front of her, was that to express how quickly things can change/grow or was that to express how self absorbed Katie was before rehab?

CM: Again. You are smarter than me. No, seriously, I was trying to soften Joanne a little and show a transition from her old life to her new.

Me -The character of Candice, I thought was a brilliant move. The idea of a person who could not accept that they had their time in the spotlight and needed to move on, was she based on anyone particular ? What was the underlining reason for having her almost disappear after her "performance"?

CM: She was not based on anyone in particular. She disappears after that because she had served her purpose. It’s just not possible to pursue each and every story line to its conclusions. Unless you’re Stephen King. He can do the 1000 page book. And John Irving.

Me: Thank you so much for your time Catherine.

CM: Thanks for the very thoughtful questions!

Her next book is set to be released early 2011

Give away -Spin by Catherine McKenzie

I am doing my first giveaway. It's for SPIN by Catherine McKenzie.

By now you have all read my review and had a chance to browse the book by the sidebar link and now you have a chance to win a copy.

All you have to do is leave me a comment with your email address saying why you might like this book.

This is for CANADIAN readers only.

You have until March 1st 2010 then one person will be picked by random.

Spin by Catherine McKenzie -Review

Plot: Katie is a music writer about to turn 30. On the eve of her biggest job interview for her dream job, she parties a little too long with her friends. The morning of the interview then becomes the morning of hangover hell.

But all is not lost, as Katie is offered a job in the company for their gossip magazine. The one catch, she needs to go to rehab to get the story.

Katie's life is about to change in more ways then one when she meets her fate in the form of Amber and Conner, the two biggest movie stars in rehab.

I read this book in 2 days. It clocks in at just over 400 pages but breezes through. It's witty, fun and just what the doctor ordered.

I found myself nodding to a lot of the situations Katie was finding herself in. Not knowing how to handle herself around men, feeling different from her family, reaching for her dream no matter how low she had gotten. All things I could identify with myself.

Growing up is never easy, and it seems to hit women harder then men.

The social commentary of how we treat people was a main theme throughout. The lead character seems to have a nice balance between seasoned journalist and fan, (something I personally still don't have a handle on) which makes her befriending the very people she is suppose to be spying on very believable. Even the "playlist" she carries around in her iTouch throughout the story lends itself to the building blocks of the personalities around her.

Catherine McKenzie has the Austen touch in this novel, (it helps that there is a direct mention of Northanger Abby and Persuasion) making you able to view the society the lead character finds herself in from the same quiet nobility that Anne Elliot does, or Catherine Morland's dreamy view of reality (in Northanger Abby Morland reads about fantastic lives where as in Spin Katie watches on television celebrities)

This is one story that makes you sit up and take notice of not just the characters but of yourself. Having the subplot being rooted in rehab (finding one's core truth) had me walking away from it and thinking about my own life and goals.

Can you dig into the dirt of your own vices and not come away clean?

I will be having an interview with the author Cathreine McKenzie later in the month on Jan 27th. Please come back then for more on Spin.

Jolted Newton Starker's Rules for Survival by Arthur Slade

The Starker family are cursed to die by lightening. Newton is the youngest member of the family and might well be the last of the bloodline. He has decided to do the only thing he can think of, he joins the Jerry Potts Academy of Higher Learning and Survival. This means moving from his home to the middle of Moose Jaw in Canada and having to learn how to live in the wilderness. In the meantime, he's recovering from his mother's death and the death of his great grandmother. Both were hit by lightening.

The last gift his great grandmother had given him was a diary having belonged to Andrew Starker. Newton hopes to find a clue in the diary as to why this is happening to them.

This was a delightful 203 page book. I found this story to be touching and very funny. Laced with a passion for cooking truffles in any recipe that he can, Newton is a character that makes you look at your own life with a little more humour.

He's has this strange disability that has kept him sheltered for his whole life, unable to have any close friends because of the fact the lightening can kill anyone around him. The fact the main characters are in their early teens is not missed. The metaphor of going off to school away from home for the first time, experiencing that freedom is a perfect way to show how facing your fears is the first step to growing up. He's given a pig to help find the truffles he's addicted to, which turns out to be the compass he needs to find his own footing in life.

The character of Jacob, the teenaged writer, adds a second layer of sweetness; almost like a mix of a comedy duo and the voice of reason.

As the title suggests, there are rules for survival within the story. Some of these are a little cringe worthy but I found myself laughing too. One scene in particular describes having to use the eyes of a camel for water.

I warn anyone who is a vegetarian to tackle this novel with a light heart. The book is well worth the few moments of queasiness that you might get from the "mystery meat" scene.

I look forward to another round of the Jerry Potts Academy of Higher Learning and Survival.

1 Year ago (Jan 6th)

One year ago I decided since I was spending so much time over on Chapters online community doing reviews that I would start a book blog.

I was seeing a growing trend of people who were doing this on a weekly and daily basis. I had been doing the odd review on my main blog and on my vampire blog already so I thought it seemed natural.

I think it was easier before when I was just reading for the sake of reading and just throwing up a few posts about what I was reading at the time. There's a lot of pressure when you get a set of books in the mail just for this.

As some of you know,(if you have been following my main blog) I've been having some health issues the last few months and have been back and forth with doctors and x-rays. So I haven't been keeping things updated as much. I've also been focusing on finishing my own novel while I wait for results.

Having said that, the Jane Austen Challenge that I got to be part of was one of the highlights of my year this past year. You don't realize how much someone influences your own style of work till you do a challenge like this and study them. Once things get settled a bit with my personal life, I think I'll do another mini Austen challenge. Just to clear the cobwebs.