All posts in category Books

These Girls: An Interview with Sarah Pekkanen

You know what’s great? When a book lover, otherwise known as me, is able to interview book writers, otherwise known as authors.

I had the opportunity, thanks to Simon and Schuster, to read Sarah Pekkanen’s new book, These Girls, and to interview the her. Before thinking I’m really important and that I’m being flown all over the country to interview people, which would mean that my goal of being the next big thing had been realized, the interview was virtual, via email.

The Book:

These Girls is a book for women about women It explores the complex relationships between and about them: friends, colleagues, mothers and daughters, and also their internal dialogue with themselves. Its a story about three women: Cate, Renee, and Abby, whose tales and struggles are both intertwined struggles completely separate at the same time. The novel takes place in New York and Boston, and Cate and Renee work as Editors at a popular Glossy magazine. Abby is a student and nanny, and the sister of the main love interest, Trey.

Cate: Recently promoted to Features editor at the magazine. Gorgeous, she seems like she’s got it together. But, while she is smart and talented, she got a big elephant following her around. And she doesn’t want anyone to know about it.

Renee: Stuck in a mid-level job for years, she covets the Beauty editor job that’s opened up. However, there’s a glitch: Renee is more rubenesque than model thin, and in her mind, that’s the one thing preventing her success.

Abby: Loving children and working on a Master’s in Education, Abby takes a job as a nanny to a family in Boston. Her past becomes her present as old memories start to come to the surface and Abby’s desire for a stable family causes havoc in her life.

These Girls is a beach read. It’s not particularly intellectual, yet it prompts thought and introspection.

If you liked Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close, you’ll really like These Girls.

The Interview

1) Of all of the characters in the book, Cate seems to be struggling the least with her identity as a person, and more with keeping her secret. How purposeful was that to make her ‘secret’ the less about self-worth than the other two? What a great question (editor’s note: YAY. Sarah thinks I’m smart)– it wasn’t on purpose and I didn’t even realize it until you pointed it out! For Cate, I liked the idea that her secret was so surprising; she’s this smart, capable, driven woman who has achieved a lot of success in the world of glossy magazines. So the fact that her secret plays into the fact that she isn’t sure she really deserves the job was to me an interesting contrast. Perhaps because Cate has been identified as a rising star in the magazine world and gets a lot of outside reinforcement for that, she has fewer issues with her self-worth.

2) You’ve really explored the theme of female friendship in the book, yet you have the characters living in the cut throat world of fashion magazines. Why did you decide to put your characters in that life? Partly because I love learning – about people, occupations, other cultures – and this way I get to do research for every book. I was curious about what life was really like at a big New York City magazine. So I befriended a staff writer at one, and early one morning, she snuck me into the magazine’s office before anyone else came in. I got a great behind-the-scenes tour and a lot of good gossip!

3) Renee spirals so quickly downward. Have you witnessed that happen to someone before? Yes, but the circumstances were slightly different. I know someone with an eating disorder, and it is horrible to witness . You feel so helpless when someone you care about is in the grip of such ferocious self-destruction.

4) This question was removed because it contained spoilers, and Sarah didn’t want me to ruin the story for anyone. If you’d like the story ruined, just leave me a comment, and I’ll send you the question and answer.

5) Abby’s past started to affect her present when it came to the car and the toddler. How did the affair with her boss fit in? Was she seeking love, a family, or a father figure? I think Abby really wanted to be part of a family. She sought it out in the wrong place – but eventually found it with her girlfriends. For everyone who has a destructive or unhealthy family, it’s so important to establish a new family that’s full of supportive friends.

6) All of the characters had specific issues with their parents, and most particularly their mothers. What types of connections were you hoping to make? I think that women’s relationships with their mothers can be very complicated. There are so many threads running through them – love, annoyance, responsibility, affection – and there can be old hurts, too. As women get older, their relationships with their mothers often shift and they become the caretakers or the ones who give advice, and I really wanted to explore that theme. Of course, Abby has a terribly destructive mother, and unfortunately, those do exist in the real world, too.

7) The usual question: Are any of the characters autobiographical, or based on people that you know? I swear they’re not, although I can’t tell you how many times people have thought I’ve based a character on them! I always say that my thoughts and experiences and observations of other people do make it onto my written pages – but they’re filtered through a kaleidoscope first – so they don’t resemble reality.

Sarah loves to talk to her readers, and especially likes social media (blogging and twitter have a starring role in the novel)

You can find her on Twitter : @sarahpekkanen

and on Facebook: Sarah Pekkanen

Sarah’s website: http://www.sarahpekkanen.com/

More from Simon & Schuster about the book: http://books.simonandschuster.ca/These-Girls/Sarah-Pekkanen/9781451612547

White Horse: Grownup Dystopian Fiction

White Horse by Alex Adams, dystopian fiction for adults

I never thought I liked books about the end of the world, otherwise known as dystopian fiction. Generally I shy away from Science Fiction, although Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is one of my favourite books of all time.

Then, I read The Passage by Justin Cronin. And I loved it. Next came The Hunger Games Trilogy, which I devoured in four days. And, now I’ve read White Horse, the first in a trilogy by freshman author Alex Adams.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Thanks to Simon Schuster, I have the opportunity to read books I might never pick up. Mostly I like them. The odd time, I don’t. When I started White Horse, I wasn’t sure. It was a bit confusing, and it took me a while to get into the rhythm of the book.

White Horse is written across two period of time: Then and Now. Then is before the end of the world, and Now is after. The main character, Zoe is a smart young woman recovering from the death of her husband when she becomes deeply embroiled in the spread of a strange virus she believes originates from the pharmaceutical company she works at. Humankind is destroyed by this virus, which is called White Horse by the Christian right, and a world war erupts as a result of the ensuing panic. Zoe embarks on a journey of survival as she attempts to travel across the world to find the something or someone that she will save her.

The novel is about the human condition. It explores the ages old question of nature versus nurture, and just what it is that makes us human . Just like all books in the genre, it picks up on possibilities and eventualities. As my son says, dystopian fiction is interesting because it tells stories of what could actually happen if we keep on our current path.

What I liked:

The main character was a strong and determined woman. She overcame odds. She was complicated and frustrated and interesting.
Once I was engrossed, I was in for the long haul. I was sad when it ended.
The story was interesting and the storytelling unique. It didn’t have vampires, which was refreshing.
The writing was generally excellent (see what I didn’t like)

What I didn’t like:

The beginning was confusing. There were references to characters and occurrences that hadn’t been introduced yet, which while fitting to the structure of the book was frustrating.
It’s a trilogy and the second book won’t be released for a year

Recommend Factor:

7/10 Dystopian fiction is not for everyone.

Unputdownable Factor:

8/10 If you can get through the first 100 pages, you’re sucked in for the long haul

4 Comments

by chickymara on March 24, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Books

Tagged Alex Adams, Handmaid's Tale, Hunger Games Trilogy, Justin Cronin, Margaret Atwood, Science Fiction, Utopian and dystopian fiction, White Horse

Posted by chickymara on March 24, 2012

https://beniceorleavedotcom.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/white-horse-grownup-dystopian-fiction/

When I Was Famous for a Second

This close...and Almost Famous

First, sorry for my absence. No excuses other than I’ve started a fabulous new job and a fabulous new website and have continued being a fabulous procrastinator. A while ago, I talked about my career goals, which included being the new Oprah, or rather, Jew-prah. Well, folks, I finally MADE IT ONTO THE electronic babysitter, the idiot box, the mesmerizer. Yes, I was on TV! And on the news, funnily enough, since I don’t watch the news.

The progression of events (which from #2 on, happened between Wednesday and Friday):

1. I had the opportunity to write a Guest Post for Chapters/Indigo about The Hunger Games. Obviously, I didn’t pass that up as there’s nothing I like better than books and bookstores.

2. CBC’s The National was doing a story about the Hunger Games Canadian Premiere, and they asked Indigo for someone to interview. They suggested ME.

3. Producer called, yadayada, and obviously, she’s interested. The one glitch? They want my son as well, and since he’ll be up in Collingwood visiting my mother at her new home (1.5 hrs away!), I’ll have to pick him up early. She’s not happy, and it’s a pain, but anything to grab my 5 minutes in the sun.

4. I don’t have anything to wear. I go shopping (obviously) to a favourite store, Fashion Wear Boutique, where the owner styles me via spycam (she lives in Montreal).

5. Thank goodness they want to film on Friday, because Luisa comes on Friday. And everyone knows that Operation Housewife was a huge failure. So if they came any other day than Friday, my house would have looked like a dirty flophouse on TV. But on Fridays, it gleams. Thank GOD for Luisa, that’s all I can say.

6. My mother is 20 minutes late at the drop off point, although while I’m waiting, I fill up the Flexie with discount Costco gas. I did put buffer time into the strict schedule, knowing she would be, so I arrive home, after tooling it down the highway 20 km over the speed limit, 30 minutes before the journalist, Ely Glasner, his producer, and the camera man are supposed to arrive. Except, they are already there. And, while I tamed my mane before the emergency retail event, my face has not been spackled. I’m no where near camera ready.

7. I layer on my hag-be-gone friends: Nanoblur, Korres Brightening moisturizer, Marcelle BB Cream, Dior Nudeskin Concealer, Smashbox Starburst, slap on some eyeliner, mascara, and blush, swipe some gloss over my pucker, and shazaam. I’m ready. I offer coffee to everyone, except there’s no milk. They forgive me.

8. The filming proceeds smoothly, except for the fact that I keep looking at the camera, and banging my bracelet on the chair we’ve put next to the counter where my son has to sit because he’s way shorter than the other kid who’s come over to be on TV. (I forgot to mention the Producer, Ilana, asked me if I could procure another mom & daughter, which I did, thanks to Twitter). My son, who is extremely verbose (can’t imagine where he gets it from), and a HUGE reader, completely clams up, forgetting his whole vocabulary except the word, ‘UMMMMM”.

9. Everyone leaves.

Monday Night. The reckoning. I’m so sure that they’ll edit me out from the piece. My reason for thinking this? NONE. Because I’m crazy. I’m sure they’ll cut my son, because nobody is really interested in ummm…. hearing about….ummmmm…hummmmm…..

But they don’t cut me (nor do they cut him. He’s sitting behind me staring into space, probably thinking pensively. He doesn’t talk, but nor do most deep thinking pensive people).

Oh yes, I’m in the piece. They just get my name wrong. GET MY NAME WRONG. They call me Maria. My moment in the sun, and I’M SOMEONE ELSE. I don’t even notice, but we get phone calls from people who actually watch the news and not because I called and told them to. I tweet the producer and the error is quickly corrected. In future clips their misnomer becomes my real nomer. I know this, because I’ve watched it a few-ish times.

So have I found my calling? Tell me what you think.. (click the link, the dang thing wouldn’t embed)