When Allie Larkin offered to send me a copy of
her new book Stay, I was thrilled. When it arrived in the mail and I saw she'd signed it, I was even more thrilled. But as I sipped coffee at our local bookstore and saw her book on the very front shelf by the door, I squealed out loud a little.
It's nice to see good things happen to someone you like.
And so, in celebration, I'm posting an interview with Allie and giving away a copy of her book to one lucky commenter. But not my signed copy. Sorry Charlie, I'm keeping that one. :)
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
After taking several years off, I went back to school at 23 and started writing. I’m 33 now, so it hasn’t been all that long in the greater scheme of things. When I began writing, I was kind of in denial about the fact that it was something I wanted to do seriously. I was a Communications major, and I kept trying to convince myself that there were practical business applications for all the writing classes I took. I’d spent some time as a theatre major, and I knew that having a creative career is not the easiest path. I desperately wanted to do something practical that had a set career path. But, one of my professors pulled me aside and said, “You know, you’re kind of good at this writing thing.” I remember thinking, “Oh, shoot!” As soon as he said it, I knew it was something I needed to try?. I think being a writer was probably a dream I’d been denying for a really long time. As a kid, I was only slightly enthusiastic about visiting Disneyworld, but getting to go to Louisa May Alcott’s house was thrilling. I really should have known.
How long did it take you to write Stay?
I started STAY as a writing exercise in my advanced fiction class 2002. It evolved into a short story, and from there spent a few years in a file cabinet. I pulled it out for a new writing group with the intention of polishing it and submitting it as a short story; however, as I tried to discover more about my characters to write a better story, I realized that there was more there, and it and really needed to be a novel.
What is your schedule like when you're writing?
I’m a little bit of a binge writer. I think about my story constantly as I’m doing other things. I need to set things up in my head first. Then I sit down and write through what I’ve been thinking about. I sometimes spend days away from my manuscript, and then I’ll write three or four chapters in two days. I’m also a huge believer in not editing my work as I’m writing, and, as a result, my first drafts usually only make sense to me. But I love to revise, and I firmly believe that writing is as much about revision as it is about that initial spark of an idea.
The characters and situations (especially the topic of cancer/loss) in this book are so vivid. How much, if any, was inspired by your own life?
Even though neither of our dogs were drunken internet purchases, Joe, the dog in STAY is a bit of a combo of our two German Shepherds, Argo and Stella (and Argo is actually the cover model), but all the other characters are purely fiction.
Like Van, I grew up in Westchester and moved to Rochester, but my Westchester experience was very different from Van’s. I grew up in a much smaller, more modest town, and there weren’t the same kind of social pressures that Van encountered as a have-not in a world full of haves.
The story really evolved from the characters and it really is their story.
Who is your favourite character in this book, and why?
Well, of course I love Van. I wish she were real and we could hang out. She’s so earnest and she doesn’t have a lot of pretense. Her defense mechanisms are down, but she still tries so hard to do the right thing. And I really admire that in her (although, I know that’s weird because I created her).
But I think I’m most proud of Diane. She was something of an evil cartoon character in earlier drafts. But she’s evolved into a character who has a few serious weak spots. She and Van share some similar vulnerabilities and how they relate to them differently is something I really enjoyed exploring.
What authors have been most influential in your life?
I am obsessed with Willa Cather. She had such a love for her characters and I think it really came through in her writing. But more recently, Allison Winn Scotch did a giveaway on her website and included a long list of books by women who write (the contest is over, but the list of writers is still up here – (
http://www.allisonwinn.com/ask-allison/2010/6/16/the-mother-of-all-giveaways.html). Being in touch with this amazing group of ladies has been incredibly influential. Having that support and insight is absolutely amazing. And getting to read their work and walk into bookstores and see books by people I get to connect with is incredible.
Who is your favorite literary character?
I have way too many favorites to pick just one. As a kid, I thought Pippi Longstocking was the greatest ever, and I love Thea from THE SONG OF THE LARK, and Jo from LITTLE WOMEN.
What did you want to do when you grew up?
I wanted to be a pig farmer. I’d seen a TV segment on pigs that talked about how smart they are, and I was absolutely fascinated. I thought pig farmers got to hang out with pigs all day, and that’s pretty much what the job was. On a third grade class trip to a homestead museum, I saw a slaughtered pig. It was part of an exhibit on how they got ready for winter in colonial times. I haven’t eaten a mammal since, and that was the beginning of my search for a new career path.
Last but not least, what advice do you have for aspiring writers?
You need to love your characters. Writing a novel and all the rejection and work that comes with it is challenging. The thing that kept me going through the process was that I needed to see the story through to completion. I loved my characters, and it became very important to me to tell the best story I could tell and do the characters justice. All the ups and downs and fear and rejection were secondary to the story I wanted to tell, and I kept going because I cared so much.
*Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing. Winner will be picked Friday morning.
