Reading Royalty!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Trumpets, ruffles and flourishes: we have true royalty visiting Jungle Red today! No, not who you might be thinking. We are so honored to host the incredibly talented Heather Gudenkauf, who exploded onto the scene with the groundbreaking THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE,  then continued to enthrall readers with a string of bestsellers, and now is out with her brand new book, her  eighth, THIS IS HOW I LIED.

It is fabulous. It is seductive, and sinister, and simmering, and surprising.  It is—Fargo meets Kinsey Milhone. But actually? It’s pure Heather Gudenkauf. And more about that in a minute. But first:

Like all of us, even one of her main characters, Heather started out as a reader.  Sometimes— reading books she wasn’t quite supposed to read. We’ll all talk—but as I said. Heather first.

THIS IS HOW I READ

  by Heather Gudenkauf

In my new novel, This is How I Lied, fifteen-year-old Eve Knox is a reader and she loves books with happy endings. Unfortunately, we learn very quickly that things don’t end well for Eve. We only get to know her through the span of one day, but there are a few things we do learn about Eve. She’s a caring, patient sister and she’s a reader. Eve devours books. 

The last book she is reading before she dies (this is not a spoiler – we learn Eve’s fate right away) is The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough. I did not choose to place this book in Eve’s hands by accident.

When I write my books, I like to leave little clues about

myself within the pages, often leaving references to things have some significance in my life and for This is How I Lied one of those Easter eggs was The Thorn Birds.

I have a long, storied history with The Thorn Birds. The novel was scandalous. It’s a saga about of the ill-fated (and unethical) romance between Meggie Cleary and Roman Catholic priest, Father de Bricassart. It was also a whopping 700 pages and by far the longest book I’d read to date.

“What are you reading?” my mother asked in shock when she caught me reading her well-worn paperback copy. I was twelve and she was used to me reading the innocent Sweet Dreams series that had titles like P.S. I Love You and The Perfect Match.

“The Thorn Birds,” I responded distractedly, my eyes still pinned on the pages. “It’s really good.”

“You probably shouldn’t be reading that,” my mother said plucking it from my hand.

“But this is the second time I’ve read it,” I protested. “I read it last year too.” My mother sighed and handed it back to me.

Like most libraries, our public library had two distinct sections: the children’s room and the adult section. They also had two types of library cards – one for children and one for everyone else. When I was little I remember sneaking over to the adult side. It was like stepping into a mysterious realm. The lighting was dim, the air heavier and hushed compared to the busy, bright and noisy children’s room. I roamed the tall stacks looking at the thick volumes that I wasn’t allowed to check out. 

I was always drawn to books that I probably shouldn’t have been reading: Carrie by Stephen King

 Looking for Mr. Goodbar by Judith Rossner

 The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson, to name a few.

Finally, the day came and I graduated from the children’s section. Clutching my newly minted library card I went in search of the perfect book. I can’t remember the exact title I checked out that day, but it most likely something that would have given my mother heart palpitations. 

To her credit, my mom never censored my reading choices. When she was a child, the library was a respite for her an escape from her complicated family life. Though my parents gave me an idyllic childhood, she knew how drawn to books I was, could appreciate the need to while the hours away lost in in another world no matter if the content was a bit too advanced for me.

What about you Red and Readers? What forbidden books did you sneak off the shelves?

HANK: I am laughing so hard. Of course! I sneaked Marjorie Morningstar, I remember it perfectly. 

And Ten North Frederick. 

And then, I terrified myself with On The Beach. Who know it was about nuclear winter? Yeesh! 

And then all the James Bond books. 
Under the covers, with a flashlight. 
But I have to confess. I've never read The Thorn Birds. And I did not watch the TV show. Should I?

 And I wonder, too. How about you all? What were your sneak reads?

And hurray! A copy of THIS IS HOW I LIED to one lucky commenter.

Heather  Gudenkauf 

Heather is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Silence. Her eighth novel, This Is How I Lied was released on May 12th. She lives in Iowa with her family.

 This is How I Lied

Twenty-five years ago, the body of sixteen-year-old Eve Knox was found in the caves near her home in small-town Grotto, Iowa—discovered by her best friend, Maggie, and her sister, Nola. There were a handful of suspects, including her boyfriend, Nick, but without sufficient evidence the case ultimately went cold.

For decades Maggie was haunted by Eve’s death and that horrible night. Now a detective in Grotto, and seven months pregnant, she is thrust back into the past when a new piece of evidence surfaces and the case is reopened. As Maggie investigates and reexamines the clues, secrets about what really happened begin to emerge. But someone in town knows more than they’re letting on, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth buried deep.

What We're Writing--the Hank edition

                

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: What we're writing?  Everything but what I'm supposed to be. I have NEVER been in so many live and taped events, reading and teaching and talking and interviewing, and it's fabulous. But as a result, all the things on my to do list get nicely crossed off-- except the one that says "Write."

The good news? Look at THIS!! 

THE MURDER LIST hit NUMBER ONE legal thriller on Amazon. I am--floating, crazy, and fell off my chair. Honestly?  I just sat and stared at the screen, gasping with delight. (It got that lovely green Barnes & Noble bestseller banner, too! Number 9 in ALL Nooks!)

And then look at this: how awesomely awesome to be on the same page with Anatomy of a Murder? Amazing. (And look: it says "Your best e-book deals this week." Got to love it.)

(If you don't have THE MURDER LIST, might I prevail on you to check it out for $1.99? Maybe as a Mothers Day gift?  Every sale matters, it really does.) 

And yeah, all that proved to me that sometimes it can work. I just have to DO it. (Are you having troubles like this?)  And try to peel off the weird veneer of terror that I understand is throwing me off my writing game. But I will persevere! I was going to show you a bit of my 15,000 words that should be 30,000 words, but next time, okay?

So. The response to the new book, THE FIRST TO LIE, is beginning to tickle in, and it's a dearly lovely trickle.

For instance: 

"Hank Phillippi Ryan is one of my favorite authors of suspense. Her latest, featuring the colliding worlds of a cast of intriguing female characters, is tailor-made for readers who are drawn to taut, propulsive plots with twists that do more than just surprise - they take your breath away. Book clubs will gobble up THE FIRST TO LIE."    --Sarah Pekkanen, internationally bestselling author of The Wife Between Us and You Are Not Alone

         Ooh. That's pretty darn reassuring.

         

   

    So--wanna see the pre-chapter one beginning of THE FIRST TO LIE?  It's not labeled "prologue." It just--is. And in this font, too.

  

        

 Without any sneaky fine print and totally knowing everything you know now, if you could start your adult life over as someone else, would you do it?

Say you could choose the person. Where they live and what they do. You could choose what parts of your prior knowledge to retain, and what parts to “forget.” Family baggage? Discard it. Friends and lovers and commitments? Erased, along with your vanished past. Obsessions? Obsessions could stay.

How you look and how you sound, your goals and motivations and deepest desires. Whatever you want, you could do it, be it, love it, lose it.

Sound good?

I fibbed. There is one bit of fine print. You. Every time you’d look in the mirror, you’d remember.

Mirrors make such false promises. They tell you: look here, and you’ll see yourself.

But that’s the first lie. You see a face and a body, sure. But a mirror doesn’t show your true self.

That you have to find on your own. By looking inside. And  no seductive piece of silvered glass can help you.

Still. I know all it takes is a tweak here and a twist there to become someone else. So, would you do it? To get what you always wanted? Sure you would.

All you have to do is lie.

HANK:  It's so funny, reading that. I wonder where it came from in my head. 

(Did I tell you THE MURDER LIST is--briefly--just $1.99? And Lucy's DEATH ON THE MENU is, too!  (We are relying on you, loyal and trusted readers!) 

Reds and readers--how are YOU doing? Are you accomplishing what you're supposed to accomplish?

Jungle Reds Celebrate Hank's Big THE MURDER LIST Day!

RHYS BOWEN: We Reds are having such a fun month. First we danced for joy when Hallie’s book, CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, and mine, LOVE AND DEATH AMONG THE CHEETAHS, came out and now we have been counting down until Hank’s THE MURDER LIST. 

Well, dear readers, that day is finally here. We are so excited about this book. Already so many stellar reviews. So much buzz. It has to be a huge hit. And we decided to celebrate by making Hank the spotlight of our deep and meaningful questions:

HALLIE EPHRON: It seems like with every book, you push the envelope. Going deeper. More complex. More unexpected. What new turf are you tilling with THE MURDER LIST?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN : Here’s a funny thing.  So many of the marvelous and spectacular reviews (yay!) of THE MURDER LIST have called it character-driven, and wow, I love that. Hurray. But in fact, THE MURDER LIST came from the story. Then the characters, like Rachel and Jack, came to populate that story. And happily, they took over.

I was listening to my criminal defense husband discuss a murder case one day. One track of my mind was listening to his narrative, and the other track was thinking—wow, what a good guy he is. The authentic real thing—standing up for the little guy, protecting the rights of the individual against the vast power of the state and the prosecution, making sure the prosecution plays by the rules and that the trial is fair and just.

And then I thought--what does the prosecutor’s wife think about her husband? Certainly she things he’s a good guy—protecting the public, putting miscreants behind bars, keeping criminals off the streets, standing up for law and order.

So how, I thought, can everyone be a good guy? And I started thinking about good, especially when it comes to the justice system. And realized that everyone involved chooses the side they think is the good side. And then they fight it out to see which “good” wins.

And then added to that: the obsession with lawyers--sorry, Jonathan and all--to win. 

You ask a lawyer, “What’s a good case?” And they’ll say “Winnable.” So given that they all think they’re good, and that they all want to win—and they’re always always in a battle with each other—doesn’t that set up perfect conflict? And the question of how far someone might go to win?

And then add a newbie—a young lawyer wannabe who has to choose a side.

So I created law student Rachel, trying to figure out her legal life.  And her influences—her brilliant defense attorney husband and her new employer, the powerful prosecutor. Two sides, battling for the legal soul of this novice attorney.

At least, that’s what they think they’re doing.

LUCY BURDETTE:  Your books are mostly (all?) set in Boston, and they involve reporters and lawyers, all of which are close to home for you. How closely do you stick to reality, with settings and characters and plot?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yes, they are all set around Boston at least, and yes they involve reporters and lawyers. I'm fascinated by how reporters and lawyers are required to think, seeing every possible side of every possible story, and then sticking to the truth they choose. 

Then, think how much what a reporter says in the story can affect a trial. And how much what a lawyer tells a reporter can affect that story. And yes, no one in my books, reporter or lawyer, does anything that a real person would not or could not do.

THE MURDER LIST, I have to say, is quite realistic. Terrifyingly so.

As for the settings, yes, part of the fun is making it authentic. Now I sometimes drive by places where events occurred in the murder list, and I think oh, that’s where Rachel and Jack first met for coffee. And then I laughed, and remember, oh, I made that up.

If a murder takes place in someone’s house, though. I make up an address or if there is a scene in a restaurant, I make up the restaurant.  Just in case :-)

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING:  You dig deeper into the legal profession in THE MURDER LIST than you have in any other book, and you have expert help in the form of your husband! (For readers who don't know, Jonathan Shapiro is a VERY distinguished trial attorney.) But what's it like getting him to talk about the messy details of cases? Will Jonathan spill tea? Do you have to wait until X many years after a verdict before he'll disclose what REALLY happened?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:   Well, I have to admit I am incredibly lucky to have having in-house legal counsel. We are also both lucky to have the framework of spousal immunity, and reporter-source confidentiality. Jonathan and I talk about absolutely everything about everything, with the understanding that some of it will never get past the kitchen table. Except very fictionally :-)

In THE MURDER LIST,  all the super conflict, and the super dynamics, and the super inside details, those are all based on reality. Sometimes I say to Jonathan: I cannot believe you have such an interesting life! And he says the same thing to me.  

But one caveat (!) there is a dashing handsome brilliant defense attorney in THE MURDER LIST, and people wonder if that actually is Jonathan. It most definitely :-) is not. Truly. Trust me. (Hmm. The more I say that the more you won’t believe me. But Jack is not Jonathan!  And I know you have read it, Julia, and I know you recognize that from page 1.)

The murders are not based on any real cases. And, though I worked hard to keep legal jargon at a minimum, all the details are authentic.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Hank, which came first, wanting to be a reporter or a writer? What were your "aha" moments?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN  Oh, Debs, I never wanted to be anything but a lawyer or a disc jockey. Those were my basic ambitions. I kind of wanted to be a detective, too, like Sherlock Holmes. 

My aha moments, and there have been many, came more as a surprise then a quest. My mother always said I was incredibly curious, and she taught me, and I can hear her saying this, to “go and find out. “ so I learned how to do that.

I knew I wanted to be a reporter only after two weeks of being a radio reporter! I went home those two weeks, sobbing, because I had no idea what I was doing. Then one morning I went to the station and I thought wow, this is exciting. And I know how to do this! And I have been a reporter ever since then, 1971, can you believe it?  

Same with television… There was a learning curve, certainly, and then I fell in love with it.

As for investigative reporting, I totally remember that aha moment. I was interviewing the head of the water department from somewhere, and he said “we have no evidence of toxicity in our water.”

And I sort of looked at him, and said: “Have you ever tested for it?”

And he said no. And I thought: whoa. People lie. And I can find out the truth.

As a writer, the aha was when I had the idea for Prime Time. I had absolutely no doubt that would be a good book, and that I could do it. Silly naive me, right? But it turned out to be true.

JENN MCKINLAY:  What was your most embarrassing moment on air?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Most embarrassing moment? Such a perfect Jenn question.  Oh, I have two big big big ones. 

One, when I was filling in for the weekend anchor person, and you know, one of the edicts in television is to just read the prompter. So at the end of the newscast, as I was mentally telling myself how good I was, I read the prompter. Which said  Thank you for being with us tonight, I’m Kate Sullivan, have a good evening.”

Which I read, out loud, on live TV. And then I realized, no, I was not Kate Sullivan.

Other one was when I was doing a big investigation into nuclear medicine. And one of the elements sometimes contained in those is krypton. But--I called it kryptonite. Much to the glee of all the scientists who called me to tell me that that was only in Superman.

What can we learn from this? ALWAYS have an editor who is smarter than you are.

RHYS:  And last from me. Everyone else was so literary and career-oriented in their questions. Mine is more mundane. I have always wanted to know about the nickname HANK. Who gave it to you and when? Did you choose it yourself? Are you happy with it? Do you feel it fits your personality? Has it been a help or a hindrance in your career? Have people thought you were a male? Any funny mixups? (I ask because Rhys is also a man’s name and I have been approached with Dear Mr. Bowen).

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN  Oh, Rhys.  My real name is Harriet Ann. I loathed it, absolutely hated it. I was such a geeky nerdy kid, and Harriet just made it all worse, especially when all the cool girls were Debbie and Linda.  Then my first day of college in 1967, someone said oh, you don’t look like a Harriet, we’ll call you Hank. And it’s been that ever since.(I love Harriet now.)

Honestly? I think other people like it more than I do. If I had a choice, I might be Harriet again. And yes, if it weren’t for my picture on the books, it would be utterly baffling. Because unlike people who use initials, where there is always the possibility of being either gender, Hank is definitely a man. Until they meet me or see the picture. 

Interestingly, The UK version of TRUST ME comes out this Thursday — and my fabulous UK publisher wondered if there was another name I could use instead of  Hank. So in the UK, I will be at Anna Ryan. Cool, huh? I love it! And here is the cover of that book.

But here in the US, Hank it is.  I love it, though, in that it’s at least memorable. You never know what seemingly small decisions are going to change your life!

RHYS:   We are rooting for you and hoping for great things this week, my friend!

Dear readers, check out Hank’s signing schedule on her website. She has a HUGE tour!

And--not being pushy, but we're all pals: you can buy THE MURDER LIST here! 

And who has a question they would like to ask Hank? A signed copy of THE MURDER LIST to her one very lucky commenter!

Reader, I got it wrong.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I was describing a book to someone the other day, and realized I was actually describing the movie. It might have been To Kill A Mockingbird. Or Silence of the Lambs. Anyway, the reality of the book vanished, replaced by the easier-to-remember movie. And I was so surprised, reading Mockingbird again, that the movie is only a tiny bit of the book.

I was reassured, then, to hear from the amazing Michelle Gagnon that I’m not the only victim of misremembering.

ooh, Orson Welles!

Her new book, by the way, is a newly imagined version of Jane Eyre. Brilliant.

Misremembering Jane Eyre

By Michelle Gagnon

 

“Little girl, a memory without blot or contamination must be an exquisite treasure—an inexhaustible source of pure refreshment; is it not?”

                    Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

I first read Jane Eyre in high school, and dove into it again after college. Since it’s one of the few books that I’ve ever re-read, when I decided to write a modernized, deconstructed version, I was confident that I remembered the story.

And then I read it again.

Memory is a funny thing, I quickly realized. It turns out that I mainly recalled about the romance between Jane and the tempestuous Mr. Rochester (I chalk that up to being a teen when I first encountered it). Although in truth, I hadn’t even remembered their relationship entirely correctly.

There’s a phenomenon called “The Mandela Effect,” a situation where you might think something happened in a particular way, but it turns out you’re mistaken. According to Buzzfeed, “The name of the theory comes from many people feeling certain they could remember Nelson Mandela dying while he was still in prison back in the ’80s. Contrary to what many thought, Mandela’s actual death was on Dec. 5, 2013, despite some people claiming to remember seeing clips of his funeral on TV.”

Bizarre, right? And yet it applied directly to my mistaken memory of the plot of Jane Eyre. For example:

·      I remembered Jane’s time at Thornfield Hall taking up the bulk of the book, while in fact the lengthy outset of the novel relates her childhood and time at the Lowood Institution; and then there’s an equally long chunk at the end where she becomes acquainted with the Rivers (who turn out to be long lost relatives, a coincidence I’ve always had trouble forgiving Bronte for).

·      Rochester. In retrospect, not as great a guy as I thought. He quickly becomes weirdly possessive. Re-reading the book twenty years later, I couldn’t help but think, “Stalker much?” as he rattled off lines like, “But listen-whisper-it is your time, now, little tyrant but it will be mine presently; and when once I have fairly seized you, to have and to hold, I’ll just-figuratively speaking-attach you to a chain like this,” touching his watch guard. “Yes, bonny wee thing, I’ll wear you in my bosom, lest my jewel I should tyne.”

I mean, dude. Simmer down. Part of what I loved about Jane Eyre was how revolutionary a strong, independent heroine was for that time period. Yet in the chapters leading up to their aborted marriage, it turns out that Rochester doesn’t really seem to get her at all. Mind you, I’m still Team Rochester, but his character wasn’t exactly how I’d remembered (although maybe I just found his full-throttle courtship more romantic as a fourteen-year-old).

·      Elements of the supernatural. Because of the pervasive Gothic atmosphere, I’d thought that Jane Eyre incorporated many supernatural elements. In fact, there are only two truly strange occurrences in the entire novel. The first is when, as a child, Jane sees a glowing light glide across the room; as she puts it, “I thought the swift darting beam was a herald of some coming vision from another world.” 

       Reflecting as an adult, however, she chalks it up to a childish fit of nerves. (Mind you, the light never returns, which was a bit disappointing; why introduce a fantastic McGuffin like that if doesn’t factor into the story later? Unless it was meant to be a foreshadowing of future fires…) 

     The second supernatural occurrence (and, at least according to Jane, only true one) is when Jane hears Rochester calling for her at a pivotal decision making moment, despite the fact that in actuality, he’s miles away. Tres romantic, yes? But that’s the only truly unexplained supernatural element in the story.

·      >The fire. Perhaps because Wide Sargasso Sea is another favorite of mine, I mistakenly thought that we actually saw Thornfield Hall burn in Jane Eyre: alas, not so much. The reader only finds out about the tragic fire afterward, when Jane returns to discover nothing but blackened ruins. So my vivid recollection of those events must be due to Jean Rhys’s fine work.

So I’m curious: Did any of you suffer from the same “Mandela Effect” in your memory of Jane Eyre? Or perhaps with another book?

(My favorite non-literary example, by the way, is this: in the film version of Silence of the Lambs, one of the top quoted lines is “Hello, Clarice.” But guess what—Hannibal Lecter never said that. Here’s a link to more if you’re curious) 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: And politicos, Woodward and Bernstein have said no one ever admonished them to “follow the money.” That’s only in the movie. 

But hey.  I remember the fire too.  Definitely. 

So let’s do a giveaway.  When did you read Jane Eyre?  Or did you? Did you just see the movie?  What do you remember? And are there other books you get mixed up with the movie? Or where the movie got it wrong?
Every comment is entered to win Michelle’s Unearthly Things.

 

UNEARTHLY THINGS 

Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre retold against the backdrop of San Francisco's most fabulous—and dangerous—elites.

After losing her parents in a tragic accident, surfer girl Janie Mason trades the sunny beaches of Hawaii for the cold fog of San Francisco and new guardians—the Rochesters—she’s never even met. Janie feels hopelessly out of place in their world of Napa weekends, fancy cotillions, and chauffeurs. The only person she can relate to is Daniel, a fellow surfer. Meeting him makes Janie feel like things might be looking up.

Still, something isn’t right in the Rochester mansion. There are noises—screams—coming from the attic that everyone else claims they can’t hear. Then John, the black sheep of the family, returns after getting kicked out of yet another boarding school. Soon Janie finds herself torn between devil-may-care John and fiercely loyal Daniel. Just when she thinks her life can’t get any more complicated, she learns the truth about why the Rochesters took her in. They want something from Janie, and she’s about to see just how far they’ll go to get it.

"Effortlessly paced, full of heart, humor and horror, Gagnon revives the spirit of a classic while putting her own unique spin on the story…addictive, fast-paced and haunting."
—Madeleine Roux, New York Times bestselling author of the Asylum series

Michelle Gagnon (www.michellegagnon.com) is the bestselling author of thrillers for teens and adults. Her young adult PERSEF0NE trilogy (Don’t Turn Around, Don’t Look Now, Don’t Let Go) was nominated for a Thriller Award, and was selected as a top read by Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus, Voya, and YALSA. Her standalone thriller Strangelets was a Junior Library Guild pick. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

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