Friday, March 4, 2011

Q and A with Liz Michalski, author of Evenfall


In life, Frank could've had any woman he wanted. In death, he'll try to win back the one that mattered...
See below to win this book!


Frank Wildermuth always regretted a mistake he made as a teenager: choosing Clara Murphy over her sister Gert. And like a true Murphy woman, Gert got on with her life, never admitting to heartbreak. Not even now, decades later, with Frank dead-dead, that is, but not quite gone. Now, Frank's niece, Andie Murphy, is back in town to settle his estate, and she sees that things have changed in Hartman, Connecticut. Aunt Gert still drives her crazy, but Cort, the wide-eyed farmboy she used to babysit, is all grown up-with a whole new definition for the word "sleepover." Even freakier are the whispers. Either Andie's losing her mind, or something she can't see is calling out to her-something that insists on putting right the past.

What was the seed of the idea that led you to write Evenfall?

Evenfall came from a person, a place, and a thing. I woke up one morning and had the first few lines of the book '' "Nina sees the man first. It's a hot summer day, the kind where, when I was alive, you'd have found me down the creek," bouncing around in my head. I wrote them down, but didn't know what to do with them. A few weeks later I was touring an old farm house, and I fell in love with the attic. It was a beautiful, peaceful space bisected by an enormous beam that looked just like a ship's mast. My ghost suddenly had a home. Finally, shortly after I started the first chapter, my husband and I began talking about moving away from the tiny rural town in which we lived. I knew I would miss the landscape and the people very much, and those feelings went into the book.

You're a debut novelist. Can you tell us about your road to publication?

My road was either very short or very long, depending on how you look at it. The one liner is that I landed the first agent I queried, and he sold my book in just a few days. The longer version is that it took me close to eight years to finish the book, and I revised it ceaselessly during that time.

What's the most surprising thing you learned about publishing since your debut? What's the most exciting thing?

I was a reader well before I became a writer, and I still am. The idea that publishing is a business still shocks me, a little. When you are writing -- at least when I am writing -- it's all about the characters and the story, then it's all about finishing the book, then it's about finding an agent. You think you should be done at that point. But the journey doesn't stop there -- there's always another hurdle to get over.

In terms of the most exciting thing, it's a geeky little moment, but it made me happy. I got a google alert that a library way off on the other side of the country had my book listed under new fiction. The idea that a library - one of my favorite places in the world - bought my book based on nothing other than the fact they thought their patrons might like it is thrilling to me.

What books are on your nightstand right now?

I have a stack that's always threatening to topple over! Right now, it's The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson (for my book club), Sabriel by Garth Nix (I'm reading it in advance of my nine-year-old daughter) and As Always, Julia, The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto, by Joan Reardon. Reading it is like eavesdropping on the conversation of two best friends.

Writers never stop learning. What's the best writing trick or tip you've learned recently.

I wish I could attribute this to the right person, but I can't remember where I read it, so I guess I've just shamelessly stolen it. Someone advised imagining what your characters keep in their underwear drawer. That's where I've discovered some of the most intriguing secrets about the people in my books.

Liz Michalski graduated from a college in Connecticut with a BA in English. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two young children, and a large brown dog. Evenfall is her first novel.
http://www.lizmichalski.com
Win a copy of Evanfall! Leave a comment and you will get a chance to win. Winner will be announced in this spot on Sunday after five.
Winner is Tiffany Drew! Congrats. Email us at kgillespie@knology.net with snail mail and we'll send the book.

21 comments:

  1. Wow, landing the first agent you queried is rare from what I've read about the publishing industry. I love the underwear drawer tip. That's where I kept my diary as a teenager. Looking forward to reading Evenfall!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Evenfall sounds so good! And I love that cover. Congrats on your debut, Liz!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds like a fun book - just my style! Would love to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the cover & it really sets the stage with the first line! Thanks for the chance!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The cover would grab me right away if I saw it in the bookstore. And then reading the first lines, would definitely pull me in.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Interesting twisting premise and the cover is really eye-catching. Good luck with your future success!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I agree, LOVE the cover. I would love to read this :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful cover, Liz! Evenfall sounds like an intriguing read. Thanks for sharing your debut journey!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds fascinating -- both the novel and the path to publication! Best wishes!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Liz, Two answers in your interview impressed me. #1 was the thrill you suggested at learning a far-away library *wanted* your book (I would deem this so special!)
    #2 was the comment you spent eight years getting EVENFALL "just right" (gives me hope...for my mms that's 5+ years in-the-works!)
    Best of luck with sales, although from the sound of things, EVENFALL is a winner!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Excuse my mispell of your title, EVANFALL (not once but twice---hate grammatical errors.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Liz, good luck with everything! The book looks great!!! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Liz, I would love a free book. Keep on writing so I can keep on reading.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Liz, I love that underwear drawer secret!! And congrats, again, on the release of EVENFALL ;).

    ReplyDelete
  15. Very nice interview. I'm always happy to hear that years of hard work were quickly rewarded.

    Liz, the intro to your web page is very enchanting. I'm sure the book will be even more so.

    ~Leslie

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a wonderful interview and what an INCREDIBLE book. I'm in the middle of EVENFALL right now, and it's even better than I expected. Of course, I knew it would be good because I had the pleasure of reading some of the gorgeous chapters while Liz was workshopping them. But wow ... the way it came together is astonishing. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

    Any fyi, the writing is so mature it simply doesn't feel like a debut. Brava, Liz!

    xoEllen

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love the road to publishing story. And the book sounds wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great interview! I agree with previous commenters ~ your cover is amazing, and your book sounds intriguing. I think as an author, that would also be my greatest thrill - to know my book has been purchased by a library and is accessible to interested readers:-). Wishing you much success!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Liz, congratulations on your novel! The cover is absolutely beautiful and the concept is intriguing. Wishing you lots of success!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks so much, everyone, for all the good wishes. And thank you, Girlfriends, for having me!

    ReplyDelete