Q&A with debut authors Rebecca Rasmussen, Jael McHenry & Sarah Jio! by Melissa Senate

These three authors are superstars and their April debut novels haven't even hit bookstore shelves. Rebecca Rasmussen? The Bird Sisters has been chosen by Barnes & Noble as an April Fiction pick. Jael McHenry? Wonderful review of The Kitchen Daughter is in the May issue of Oprah’s magazine. And Sarah Jio? Quite an endorsement by Jodi Picoult on the front cover of The Violets of March.

I first came across these smart, fun, sparkling authors on Twitter, and just 140 character snippets about their novels, their journeys, their writing processes, and their engaging selves immediately sent me pre-ordering months ago. Now, their books are finally launching in mere days. It’s my proud pleasure to interview all three on the GBC blog!

THE BIRD SISTERS by Rebecca Rasmussen (debuts April 12^th)

Q: Tell us about your novel:

Welcome to my novel:

When a bird flies into a window in Spring Green, Wisconsin, sisters Milly and Twiss get a visit. Twiss listens to the birds’ heartbeats, assessing what she can fix and what she can’t, while Milly listens to the heartaches of the people who’ve brought them. The two sisters have spent their lives nursing people and birds back to health.

But back in the summer of 1947, they knew nothing about trying to mend what had been accidentally broken. Milly was known as a great beauty with emerald eyes and Twiss was a brazen wild child who never wore a dress or did what she was told. That was the summer their golf pro father got into an accident that cost him both his swing and his charm, and their mother, the daughter of a wealthy jeweler, finally admitted their hardscrabble lives wouldn’t change. It was the summer their priest, Father Rice, announced that God didn’t exist and ran off to Mexico, and a boy named Asa finally caught Milly’s eye. And, most unforgettably, it was the summer their cousin Bett came down from a town called Deadwater and changed the course of their lives forever.

Q: What do you think women will relate to most about your book?

If you have a sister, this is a book for you. Or a family. Or a cousin. Or a long-lost love. Or an adventurous spirit. Or a heart of gold. It’s a book for you if you love rivers and hills and fields in bloom. If you love small towns and county fairs and windowsill birdsong. I wrote The Bird Sisters to honor my grandmother Kathryn and her sister Virginia, but I like to think this is a book that honors the memories and complicated histories of all families.

Q: What would everyone be surprised to know about you, author of this sparkly debut?

I don’t, in fact, have a sister! I have four brothers—one older and three younger. Erik, Cole, Travis, and Brenner. My brothers are absolutely wonderful, and I know I don’t tell them that enough. There is an eleven-year gap between Brenner and me, which could have been difficult but has been joyous instead. I remember one summer I was away at camp and when I came home in August, somehow Brenner had turned from a baby into a little boy. I watched him positively run up the stairs, which only a few months before had been gated to prevent him from hurting himself. What pride! What wonder! What skinny legs! I remember saying to myself, “Remember this moment, Rebecca.” Time moves so quickly, doesn’t it? I adore my brothers, even if they can all out-wrestle me.

Praise for THE BIRD SISTERS: “The Bird Sisters is a unique, beautifully written, and heartbreaking story that explores the fierce bonds, wounds, and tender complexities of the human heart. Rebecca Rasmussen has crafted a magical debut.”--Beth Hoffman, New York Times Bestselling Author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Visit Rebecca Rasmussen’s website: http://www.thebirdsisters.com

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THE KITCHEN DAUGHTER by Jael McHenry (debuts April 12^th)

Q: Tell us about your novel:

To sum it up briefly, The Kitchen Daughter is about an awkward young woman who discovers that she can invoke ghosts by cooking from dead people's recipes. The story is told by Ginny Selvaggio, who has Asperger's syndrome, and is struggling with grief after the death of her parents and dealing with her overbearing sister, who wants to sell the family home. Part of what inspired the book was the idea that food is such an amazing way to connect with people. I wanted to tell the story of this character who is almost completely isolated at the beginning, and what sets her apart -- her passion for cooking, which is almost an obsession -- also ends up helping her connect.

Q: What do you think women will relate to most about your book?

I think different women will find different things to relate to, but I think a lot of women will identify with the strong connection between family and food and identity. Maybe you use your grandmother's pie crust recipe, or the smell of banana bread makes you think of the time you had it at your aunt's house when you were eight. Smells and tastes evoke memories. That's a big focus of the book.

Q: What would everyone be surprised to know about you, author of this sparkly debut?

I live in the heart of New York City now, right south of Central Park, but I'm originally from a very small town in Iowa, population 800. It was a great way to grow up, and in a small school everyone does everything, so I played the oboe, and edited the newspaper, and I was a cheerleader, and sang in the school musical every year, and a bunch of other stuff. So if you think "New York author" and you picture some sophisticated person in black jeggings and a really expensive haircut, that's not me. I'm much more of a dork than that.

Praise for THE KITCHEN DAUGHTER: "McHenry writes passionately about food and foodies... While Ginny is wonderfully single-minded about cooking, her fresh, sharp story has as many layers as a good pâte á choux." — O: The Oprah Magazine

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Visit Jael McHenry’s website: http://www.jaelmchenry.com/

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THE VIOLETS OF MARCH by Sarah Jio (debuts April 26^th)

Q: Tell us about your novel:

The Violets of March is set in two time periods, 1943 and present, and takes place on Bainbridge Island, Washington, a dreamy little (real life!) island a ferry ride away from Seattle, where a recently divorced writer retreats after finding her life in disarray. On the island, she discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life. It is only when she uncovers the mystery in the diary that she’s able to sort out the issues in her own life and finally heal.

Q: What do you think women will relate to most about your book?

Allison Winn Scotch, in her lovely blurb for the novel, said that it’s a book for anyone whose ever “lost love or lost herself,” and I think that is, indeed, what resonates with so many women about this story. Haven’t we all had a bad breakup or gone through a discouraging patch in life when we doubted our relationships, our careers, our purpose and goals? This is what Emily faces in VIOLETS, and her journey is one I think many readers will be able to identify with.

Q: What would everyone be surprised to know about you, author of this sparkly debut?

Oh heavens, too many quirky things! Where do I begin? OK, for starters, I work for Glamour (I’ve been their health and fitness blogger for three years now), yet often feel less than glamorous (I have three little boys and work from home—so most days, there’s nothing glam about this wardrobe!). More revelations: I sneeze, without fail, when taking my first bite of chocolate. I’m also a huge health nut. I remind my husband to take his vitamins and sneak green veggies and whole wheat flour into everything. :)

Praise for THE VIOLETS OF MARCH: “Mix a love story, history, and a mystery and what takes root? THE VIOLETS OF MARCH, a novel that reminds us how the past comes back to haunt us, and packs a few great surprises for the reader along the way. “—Jodi Picoult, author of Sing You Home & House Rules

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Visit Sarah Jio’s website: www.sarahjio.com
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Did I not tell you they were wonderful? I cannot wait to buy my copy of all three books on their launch days! Thank you to Rebecca, Jael, and Sarah for sharing with us about your books and yourselves!

Bio: Melissa Senate is the author of 10 novels, including her latest, THE LOVE GODDESS' COOKING SCHOOL (Publishers Weekly lovingly says it "redefines comfort food."). She lives in Maine and has a To Read pile higher than Mt. Katahdin. Visit her website for more info.