LEMME SEE THAT BOOK!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: One of my favorite author memories. It was…I forget what year. But I think PRIME TIME had just come out. I was at…I forget what event. (Are your memories like this?)  Anyway, several authors were there, talking to booksellers and librarians about our new books. There was this woman in the booth next to me, so you can imagine I heard her pitch over and over.  I had no idea who she was--I couldn’t even see her.

Finally, I couldn’t stand it.

I went around the barrier between us and said something along the lines of  “Whoever you are, LEMME SEE THAT BOOK!

Turned out it was Brunonia Barry, and the book that sounded so irresistible was THE LACE READER.

That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, and I am jumping up and down that she's here today to tell us about her newest blockbuster!

And wow. You’re going to say: LEMME SEE THAT BOOK!

HANK: So tell all. What was your inspiration for THE FIFTH PETAL?

BRUNONIA BARRY:  As someone whose family has been living here since 1628, and who has both accused and accusers hanging from her family tree, I suffer the same generational guilt that many Salemites are reminded of every day by the tourists from all over the world who visit our city to explore its dark history.

We have a love/hate relationship with the tourists, our economy wouldn’t be possible without them, but they serve as a constant reminder of our guilt. Walking through town, especially at Halloween, when our population grows from 40,000 to 300,000, and seeing some of the strange goings-on, I sometimes wonder if the whole thing could happen again. People are still accused and demonized in many parts of the world, and fear of the “other,” has seldom been as rampant even in our own country. I tried to consider what a modern day witch hunt might look like in Salem. 

HANK: Is this novel connected to your other Salem novels, The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places? 

BRUNONIA: Though they stand alone, all of my novels are linked in some way. "The Fifth Petal" has characters who appeared in my previous novels. They grow and change with time as we all do, but they remain in place. And Salem, as well, changes as if it were a character; it’s not the same place it was five years ago, or even last year, which fascinates me. There are so many more stories to tell, so much more history to explore that I find myself wishing I could either write faster or live long enough to tell them all. Both characters and place reveal themselves more fully as I go. They say we write in an effort to understand. That’s very true for me. 

HANK: Strong female characters are at the core of your books. Certainly the history of Salem lends itself to an exploration of female relationships and stories! 

BRUNONIA: I don’t know if I believe "the world breaks everyone” (to quote Hemingway), but I truly believe that people become "strong at the broken places." Stronger in fact. All of my best characters are strong, and all have been broken in some way.

Rose, though demonized, is probably the strongest. She believes her own perceptions, though it has cost her dearly. And, with all that has happened to her, she is still able to love. Abused as a child, Towner suffered a psychotic break in "The Lace Reader,” but has healed herself though years of therapy, and by giving back to those who were victimized in the same way. Callie is in the process of healing by coming back to Salem to help Rose, and by discovering who killed her mother and the other two young women nicknamed the “Goddesses.” As is the case with many strong women, the bond between them is unbreakable; they help and rely on each other as a source of their strength.

Historically, Salem has always been a center of feminine power: from the women who refused to confess to witchcraft (though a confession would have saved their lives), to those who helped win American independence, to the abolitionists, suffragists, and the early champions of public education, strong women have played a huge role. Even the sewing circles, who still meet in secret, are fiercely dedicated to today’s most important social issues. 

HANK: Sewing circles?

BRUNONIA: After the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, women in Massachusetts were forbidden to gather in groups. That “law” remained in effect for a number of years, and, as a result, Salem’s secret sewing circles began, with three of them still in existence today. No one knows the identity of the groups' members, as all are sworn to secrecy. Mostly, they are known only by their charitable work. But, because of their secrecy, there is still some uneasiness about the circles. 

HANK: You did so much research!

BRUNONIA:  I’ve been obsessed by Celtic Mythology since I lived in Ireland when I was in college. The connection to the modern day Salem Wiccans and witches, many of whom worship the Celtic pantheon, made this an easy fit for me. I knew a bit about modern witchcraft, but not enough. With hundreds of practicing Pagans in Salem, I have many consultants who help me with my research. But for this book, I needed more, so I took a course put on by one of our local covens called "Witchcraft 101." I’m not a practicing witch by anyone’s standards, but the course helped me understand their nature-based beliefs and practices far better than I did before. 

HANK: I was fascinated by the sacred tree…tell me about that. 

BRUNONIA: Again, Celtic mythology was a big part of this, but sacred trees are part of almost every religion, going back to the World-tree Yggdrasil and 3,000 BC Babylonia, as well as to Mayan mythology, and even the tree of life in our Old Testament. I read everything I could find on the subject, from scholarly articles to Yeats’ studies of Irish mythology. A favorite source was a book called “Trees of Inspiration, Sacred Trees and Bushes of Ireland," by Christine Zucchelli. It’s a great guide with wonderful photos.

Somewhere in my studies, I came across the idea that wounds and imperfections on a tree’s bark are somehow sacred, and I loved that idea. Also, while I was writing the novel, Suzanne Simard’s research revealed that trees have developed a communication system through their roots via their symbiotic relationship with fungi. In this way, they are able to pass nutrients from one tree to another, and to essentially help each other survive. The idea of trees communicating fascinated me, and it immediately became a key part of the novel. 

HANK: And music? 

BRUNONIA: Music has always been an important part of my life and my writing. I have been suffering from asthma since I was a child, and have explored many healing modalities including acupuncture and massage along with traditional medicine. Both therapists have used singing bowls in their practice, and I have found them very helpful. I now use them every day for meditation and to begin and end my writing day. I think sound has a profound effect on the body. And music takes that to an even higher level. 

HANK:  One last question--Have you always been so connected to the...supernatural?

Well, I was born in Salem and lived next to the woods in a neighboring town, where our favorite pastime was telling ghost stories and scaring each other. And I’m half Irish, with a family that claims to have a banshee, so I think it’s a given. 

How about you, Reds? Salem? Witchcraft? Celtic mythology? SO fascinating! 

Let us know your thoughts!  I am on a plane to California today...so I’ll pop in whenever I get wifi!   

****************** 

Brunonia Barry is the New York Times and international best selling author of The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. She was the first American author to win the International Women’s Fiction Festival’s Baccante Award and was a past recipient of Ragdale Artists’ Colony’s Strnad Fellowship as well as the winner of New England Book Festival’s award for Best Fiction and Amazon’s Best of the Month. Her reviews and articles on writing have appeared in The London Times and The Washington Post. Brunonia co-chairs the Salem Athenaeum’s Writers’ Committee. She lives in Salem with her husband Gary Ward and their dog, Angel. 

The Big Book Club

Hank and Hallie in front of Michael Jordan's poster

LUCY BURDETTE: Last fall, I received an email from Colleen Doyle LaFrancois inviting me to participate in a BIG BOOK CLUB event at the Mohegan Sun Casino here in Connecticut. I LOVE book club events. And the Mohegan Sun is a blast. But February…when I was in Key West...not going to happen. I was so disappointed! But now the Big Book Club event part two is scheduled for October 27 in Old Saybrook and they have plans for an even bigger event in February 2014.

As it turns out, both Hallie and Hank attended the Mohegan Sun event and had a wonderful time. And Colleen is here today to tell us what's on tap for the event at THE KATE (which by the way, is the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook, a totally gorgeous facility).

COLLEEN: Thanks for asking, Lucy ... and better yet, thanks for participating!  We are really excited about our first ever event at The Kate, which provides a beautiful and very intimate setting for this fun program.  Doors will open at 10:00 a.m. and YOU will be first up at 10:30 to discuss The Key West Food Critic Mystery Series.  Can't wait to hear how Hayley Snow came to life as your heroine. 

 Then, at 11:15 we will hear from Suzanne Palmieri (aka Hayes), an "up and coming" author from New Haven who has a really amazing personal story that she will tell our guests all about.  Suzanne is the author of the new book, "The Witch of Little Italy," an engrossing tale about love, family and witchcraft, and also "I'll Be Seeing You" which she co-wrote with Loretta Nyhan, although they've never met in person.

At noon, Bliss Gourmet of Westbrook will be serving delicious boxed lunches (included in the ticket price) and the cash bar will open for business! For October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, there will be fun interactive art activities by The Drunken Palette (now with studios in downtown New London and in Westbrook at The Shops at Waters Edge) to benefit The Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation.

After lunch, we'll hear from Psychic Medium Angelina Diana who will speak about spirit communications and perform random readings throughout the audience. Buckle your seatbelts for that one!

Next we'll hear more about witches from Brunonia Barry, NY Times bestselling author of "The Lace Reader" and "The Map of True Places." 
 By now everyone will be hungry for something sweet, so Bliss will be baking up some of YOUR key lime cupcakes from "Topped Chef" for a quick afternoon coffee break.
  






Finally, B.A. (Barbara) Shapiro, author of "The Art Forger" will be interviewed by Olwen Logan from The Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts about her very popular book which centers around Boston's infamous Isabella Stewart Gardner museum heist and the high-stakes world of artists and art collectors.
 
A portion of all book sales by RJ Julia Bookseller will benefit the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation.  Tickets are $55 for the full day's events and can be purchased at www.thebigbookclub.org

LUCY: That sounds like a wonderful day! And the Mohegan Sun event this year promises to be even bigger and better than last year--you have a new partnership. Tell us about that.

COLLEEN: YES!  We are thrilled to announce that we are working with The Mark Twain House and Museum (MTHM) to present this fabulous encore event on February 21-22, 2014  The staff at the MTHM are pros at putting on large scale author events, recently hosting Stephen King at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford for over 2,500 ticketholders. We will also be hosting a fun after-hours party called Books and Bars, which will take place in one of the resort's nightclubs.  Last year, Hank was our surprise guest at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain where readers shared their comments about  "The Other Woman."  It was really a blast and we can't wait to do it all over again in an even BIGGER way this coming February.  

LUCY: thanks for stopping by Colleen...Okay, reds, raise your hands if you're coming! And tell the truth, if you went to an author event at a casino, how would you really spend your time?

Brunonia Barry: She must have read the lace...

HALLIE: I heard the buzz about Brunonia Barry and her remarkable first novel, The Lace Reader, long before I had the pleasure of meeting her. The book was a publishing phenom.

Brunonia had started writing it in 2000. Finished a draft and began revising in 2002. Self published in 2007. The book did spectacularly well, and soon major publishing houses were bidding seven figures for it. When HarperCollins brought it out again, it shot onto the New York Times best seller list. What a ride!

Aside from the wonderful writing and a mystery that keeps you guessing, it has two great things going for it. The setting, Salem, home of the witch trials; and the notion of a psychic who reads the future in pieces of lace.

Here's a snippet from the book:

The Lace Reader must stare at the piece of lace until the pattern blurs and the face of the Seeker disappears completely behind the veil. When the eyes begin to fill with tears and the patience is long exhausted, there will appear a glimpse of something not quite seen.

In this moment, an image will begin to form… in the space between what is real and what is only imagined.

How did you come up with the idea of reading lace, or is this something people really do?

BRUNONIA: The idea came to me in a dream. We had just moved back to New England from California and were renovating the tiny kitchen in our Victorian fixer-upper, knocking down walls to enlarge the space. It was going to be a dusty job, so I wasn't unpacking much, basically just the bedroom furnishings. Included in one of the boxes was an old piece of bobbin lace that my grandmother had given me when I was a teenager. I put it on my bedside table.

That same night, I had a dream that I was looking through the lace in an effort to see what the finished kitchen would look like when the walls came down. Only in the logic of dreams would this make

sense. Instead of seeing granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, I saw a field of horses. This was confusing imagery at best, but it was also anxiety provoking, because I am severely allergic to horses. I woke up covered with sweat, heart pounding. I couldn't get back to sleep.

The next morning, the construction crew arrived and was preparing to knock down the walls when I overheard one of them complaining: "I hate this old horsehair plaster. It gets into the air, and you can never get it out." Evidently, the plaster of that era contained horsehair. We stopped the job immediately. I think that first "lace reading," saved me from a trip to the emergency room and a house that might have become uninhabitable for me.

At the time, I assumed that lace reading was a real thing, something I'd heard about but had forgotten. Living in Salem, I thought that I would be able to find someone who practiced lace reading, since they read just about everything else here, from tarot to tea leaves to the bumps on your head. I've searched for years, not just in Salem, but elsewhere, and have never found anyone who reads lace, although, since the book came out, many of the Salem witches are doing it. They're pretty good.

HALLIE: I'm fascinated by how you used book groups to hone The Lace Reader. What kinds of changes did you make?

BRUNONIA: When I finished the second draft of my novel, I went to my local bookstore (Spirit of '76 in Marblehead, MA) and asked if they knew of a book club that would like to help a fledgling author. I had come from the world of software where we often used focus groups, and I wanted to do something similar, to see what people thought. It took a while to find the right group, but, eventually, I hosted ten women at my house. When they arrived for our book club night, I asked them to be brutally honest about their opinions. At first they were reluctant, but, gradually, they began to tell me what they thought of the story. I had a list of questions, the most important of which was "Where did you lose interest and stop reading?"

After taking many notes, discussing pacing and POV, I asked my final question. "Would you recommend this book to a friend?" It was a scary question, because we had already uncovered a number of flaws I had to fix, but it was one I had to ask. I was surprised when most of them said yes. In some cases they had already recommended it.

I repeated this process three more times with different book clubs before we published the manuscript. By the time our edition hit the shelves, there were thirty-seven book clubs waiting to read the book, all recommended by the initial four.

HALLIE: Your new novel, The Map of True Places, also takes place in Salem. It tells of a woman who reluctantly returns home and finally deals with difficult family history. I was fascinated by the information in it about Nathaniel Hawthorne and pirates--you have a knack for mixing in fascinating information. Are you a historian by nature?

BRUNONIA: In Salem, we walk through our history every day, so it just seems a part of life here. Because the city's economy relies so heavily on tourism, things from the past are preserved and celebrated. Most tourists visit because of the witch trials, but that is such a small part of Salem's history.

At one time, Salem was the richest port in the New World with hundreds of ships that sailed the globe, opening trade routes to far ports. The Phillips Library holds more nautical history of China and Japan than their own countries do, so Salem regularly hosts research scholars from those areas. The architecture around the city documents America's history. On a corner near my house, you can look to the left and the right and see five architectural periods represented. I couldn't write a book about Salem without including some aspects of a history which seems to work as both character and metaphor in my novels.

When the curator of The House of the Seven Gables found out that they played a big part in the story, she invited me to write The Map of True Places there, so, of course I took her up on that immediately.

HALLIE: Would you recommend that other authors go the self-publish-first route that you did?

BRUNONIA: Actually, I don't recommend self-publishing. I was incredibly lucky. I always tell people that we were emboldened by our ignorance when my husband and I decided to self-publish. We owned a software publishing company which had started small and developed until it was picked up by Hasbro for distribution. Since we were already publishers, we thought it would be easy to do something similar with a book. We soon found out that it wasn't the same at all.

At the time, print on demand publishing was not well regarded by bookstores, so we started a small press and manufactured the books ourselves. The issue of distribution was challenging. For credit and accounting reasons, book stores usually purchase from large distribution companies. They were not willing to carry one title by a small press, and distributors did not want to take on a one-book company. Eventually, we found one that made an exception. Even so, the process was expensive and time-consuming. After hiring editors, designers, and a PR company, and then paying for printing, we could have lost a great deal of money.

Since that time, things have changed, of course, and e-books are making it easier to self-publish, but there is one question that is common to both scenarios. How do you distinguish your book from the hundreds of thousands that come out each year? The big publishers are good at this, but an individual can get lost. I think e-book self publishing might work better for non-fiction if an author has a platform to promote, but fiction is more difficult to distinguish. For a well known fiction author with a well established brand, it might make sense.

For a writer starting out, I wouldn't recommend it.

HALLIE: You seem so smart about using the Internet to promote your writing. What has worked for you?

BRUNONIA: I am learning the process as I go along and, luckily, I have a very Internet-savvy assistant who helps keep me up to date.

Things are changing so fast. Something that works one month does not necessarily work the next. When I started my blog, I believed it was something I would contribute to every day. It hasn't turned out that way, partly because of a rather aggressive book deadline, and partly because I just don't have something interesting to say every day. I wish I did. So, for me, blogging is a bit sporadic.

What seems to work best is that I regularly contribute to a few other blogs, posting once a month to each. I do better on a day to day basis with Twitter. It's quick and easy. I like to follow people and topics and comment where appropriate. They often start following me, and our fans begin to overlap.

I also Skype with book clubs. Since my books have been translated into many languages, I am able to keep in touch with international readers online, particularly on Facebook, which, for me, is the best benefit of that application. I do targeted ads where they make sense. I'm a big fan of book trailers. William Morrow did a wonderful and very evocative one for The Lace Reader. I am writing a mini-screenplay for my next trailer, which I will probably produce myself. I already have some of the footage.

HALLIE: Can you share a little bit of what you're working on now?

BRUNONIA: I'm not allowed to say much about it, but I can say that I'm moving away from Salem for this next book. It is set in Boston, Italy, Ireland, and New Orleans. It's part mystery, part psychological thriller.

HALLIE: Finally, growing up, what were 3 of your favorite books?

BRUNONIA: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, and The Catcher in the Rye.

HALLIE: Brunonia will be here today, so chime in -- lace reading, self publishing, publishing, promotion, or whatever her words sparked.

Ever wonder how a publicist thinks?

Megan Kelley Hall, her sister, Jocelyn Kelley and their mother, Gloria Kelley, started Kelley & Hall. (Now, imagine a photo of Megan here. Because blogger won't let me post it. Grr.)Megan says it’s because Maeve had been working in publishing and became aware of the number of books that were garnering virtually no attention in the media.

Hmmm.

Anyway, the company—went through the roof. In a good way. They handled the campaigns for the self-published first novel of Brunonia Barry (The Lace Reader). (And you know how much THAT sold for!) Also self-published author Lisa Genova’s Still Alice, as well as New York Times best-selling authors Jacquelyn Mitchard (Deep End of the Ocean), Michael Palmer (The First Patient and Extreme Measures), Brenda Janowitz and Susan Mallery. And that’s just a few. K & H are soon starting author seminars.

But guess where you’ll get the scoop first? Here on Jungle Red.

Megan—tell us everything.

MEGAN: Well, not everything. But here are a few tips we think work.

When I write a book, I consciously tie in a journalistic hook to the story. It doesn’t have to be the main theme of the book but one that will be newsworthy and universally intriguing. As a publicist, I know that it’s much easier to get press if there is something newsworthy – a news angle – about your novel.

For example, THE LOST SISTER and SISTERS OF MISERY are about mean girls, bullying and hazing.

HANK: Wait, sorry, pause. Megan is the also the author of two young adult suspense novels, Sisters of Misery and The Lost Sister. Her work has been described as "chilling," "shivery" and "gothic," "nail-biting thrillers." (Just like book promotion.)

(Of course, imagine book covers here. But blogger won't let me post them. Grr.)

Okay, Megan. Back to you.

MEGAN: Through research, I found that almost 6,000,000 kids, nearly 30% of all children, are either bullied or are doing the bullying in this country. The American Academy of Pediatrics is stepping in with recommendations. There are several current news stories about the subject: the alleged hazing at Miss Porter’s, cyberbullying and a recent study out of the University of Maine saying 50% of college students admit to enduring some form of hazing in high school.

I would then take this news angle and approach editors with this “hook.” It may not lead to story, but it will certainly garner attention and make an editor pick up my book.


HANK: How about balancing writing and promoting? The muse versus the marketplace?


MEGAN: There is a great debate regarding the artistic process of writing and the business end. You don’t want to think about the business side when you are creating your art, but you can bet that the minute the time comes to start promoting your work, you are going to be sifting through your manuscript looking for angles and hooks that will get readers to pounce.


When we worked with Michael Palmer on The Second Opinion, he already had a strong fan base but was working on widening his readership. His latest novel dealt with a doctor and her brother who both live with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism. Leading up to the release of The Second Opinion, John Travolta’s son tragically died and the questions surrounding his death were whether or not he had not been treated correctly for autism. This question is at the center of The Second Opinion and one that Palmer, a doctor himself, researched thoroughly.



We pitched his expertise to various news outlets and secured him an interview in the Metro papers nationwide. Millions of readers were able to learn about Michael Palmer. It is this tactic of reaching out to new audiences that can help build your fan base and give you a wider reaching audience.


HANK: How about trends. Follow—or run away?


MEGAN: My debut YA novel, Sisters of Misery (Kensington, July 2008), explores the disappearance of a young girl in Hawthorne, a small New England town just a stone’s throw from Salem, Massachusetts. At the same time, there were a number of other books being released that were highlighting witchcraft, the town of Salem and New England history. By focusing on this “trend” (remember trends come in threes or more) Kelley & Hall was able to secure coverage in Publisher’s Weekly, features in USA Today and Boston magazine, as well as wide-reaching national reviews.


Writers often fear that books with similar themes or subjects will be released at the same time as theirs, instead of fearing it, Kelley & Hall says: embrace it! We suggest authors pay attention to trends in publishing and stay on top of what is coming out or has been purchased by editors. Visiting sites like Publishers Marketplace and Media Bistro are great ways to stay in the “know.”


HANK: SO what's next for you all?



MEGAN: Kelley & Hall will be bringing our book marketing advice to writers in upcoming seminars! Just a few of the topics--
· How to be pleasantly persistent.
· Finding the news peg in your own back story
· How to deal with the shrinking book coverage in the media and where to turn to help increase your visibility.
· The power of the blog and social networking.


HANK: Thanks, Megan. Questions, anyone? Wait. I have one. What do you mean, trends come in threes?