Purchase: A Foolish Consistency
Blurb:
Sparks fly when Callie Winwood comes face-to-face with Will Tremaine, the man she fell in love with and thought she d marry twenty-five years earlier. A chance encounter in a hospital emergency room reignites the feelings they have harbored for each other for more than two decades.
But their journey back to one another is anything but simple. In the two years since the death of his wife, Joanna, which he believes he caused, Will has devoted himself to caring for his young son and daughter.
As Will and Callie wrestle with their own personal histories of love and loss, they must also navigate the complex emotions of Will s children, who still grieve for their mother. At the same time, they must struggle with Joanna s family, who will do anything to avoid facing the truth about their own lives.
Callie and Will come together at last, but their happy ending is short lived. When a scandal threatens to unravel their respective families, they put their children above all else and agree to separate for good. That is, until an unexpected ally intervenes on their behalf.
A Foolish Consistency explores the dynamics of families in crisis and the emotional damage wrought by unacknowledged fear and grief. Yet it is also a passionate love story, and a testament to the power of hope, the importance of forgiveness, and, ultimately, the joy of redemption.
Interview
Where are you from? Tell us a little about yourself!
I was born in Boston but spent most of my childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area in what is now the heart of Silicon Valley. I studied literature at UC Santa Barbara and ended up making my home here with my husband and two daughters. I have been a journalist for several years and when I’m not writing I’m most likely reading, watching old movies or walking on the beach with my dogs. And when I’m not doing those things, I’m likely traveling, which I do as often as I can.
Tell us about your book? How did it get started?
This particular book has an interesting genesis. I was volunteering with a local hospice program called I Have a Friend, which matches adults who lost a parent as a child with children who recently lost a parent. One of the counselors at the time joked about how valuable it would be to have a how-to for surviving parents. But, of course, there are so many variable that such a book would be impossible to write. And I am not a mental health professional anyway — I bring only my personal experience. But I was struck by the idea and decided to approach the topic through fiction.
So I knew I’d have two children who had lost their mother, and I’d have a stepmother figure coming into the picture who had experienced the same loss as a child. That would allow me to explore the theme from two different age perspectives. The rest of the novel grew from there.
How do you create your characters?
In many ways, my characters create themselves. With A Foolish Consistency, for example, I knew I needed two children — a girl and a boy — a main adult female character, and a main adult male character. I had a general idea of each one’s age, and I knew the adult female had to be divorced and the adult male had to be a widower. That configuration was necessary for the general story arc. But everything else about them — their individual personalities — was revealed as the storyline progressed. And that was the case with all of the characters. They emerged fully formed with complete personalities that I got to know as their roles in the narrative expanded.
What inspires and what got your started in writing?
I have been writing for as long as I can remember. When I was in elementary school I used to write one- or two-page short stories that were very dramatic and usually had some kind of life or death element. I’ve always had a keen interest in exploring universal human experiences and how those experiences inform who we are, who we become, and the choices we make.
Where do you write? Is there something you need in order to write (music, drinks?)
I have a writing studio in my house and that’s where I do most of my work. And really the only things I need in order to write are my computer and quiet. I can’t work with music or TV or any other distractions.
How do you get your ideas for writing?
My ideas come from a lot of different places. Sometimes I’ll get a snippet of dialogue and build a scene around it and then just keep building. Sometimes I’ll see something or someone that will spark an idea. For example, I was in London recently and having breakfast at a small café. It was Sunday, and an elderly woman was sitting at a table by herself. Shortly after I sat down, a family came in — mother, father and two daughters. And I watched as the elderly woman sitting by herself watched the family and the parents’ interaction with their children. And her expression suggested both memory and longing, as though she was seeing her own family as it might have been at one time. That became an idea for a character and a storyline.
I very much like to ask “What if?” and see where the answer — or the search for an answer — takes me.
What do you like to read?
I like to read historical fiction, literary fiction, anything that requires us to delve into our own psyches, expand our own understanding of the world, and explore the challenges life presents.
What would your advice to be for authors or aspiring in regards to writing?
Write. Even when you don’t feel like writing, even when you think you don’t have anything to say. Because chances are that you do. And read — a lot. Pay attention to how other writers play with words and with form and style. And then establish your own voice and your own style. And when you’ve written a chapter or a section or an entire novel, take a critical look at it and edit, edit, edit. Every sentence, every character, every action should contribute to the overall narrative and keep the storyline moving forward.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I am very excited that A Foolish Consistency is a finalist for a Foreword IndieFAB Book of the Year Award. A Foolish Consistency is also a finalist for a 2015 National Indie Excellence Award.