*Special Edition*: Advice & Insights from the 2021 STAR Award finalists
This week the winners of the 2021 STAR award for women's fiction will be announced by Women’s Fiction Writers Association.
Listen to the podcast, or watch the video below.
Learn about the six finalists’ winning books and hear their best insights and writing advice.
Books Featured:
STAR Award Outstanding Debut Finalists:
A Door Between Us by Ehsaneh Sadr
Face Down In Rising Sun by KD Allbaugh
Wildland by Rebecca Hodge
STAR Award General Category Finalists
Her Perfect Life by Rebecca Taylor
The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore
Truth of the Matter by Jamie Beck
Author websites:
Transcript:
Lainey 0:00
This is a special episode because this week on Friday night, the Star Awards for women's fiction winners will be announced. This is an award, think of it like the Oscars for women's fiction, sponsored by Women's Fiction Writers Association annually. And you know, the funnest thing? All six finalists, there's two categories debut and general have been on this podcast, on The Best of Women's Fiction podcast, which means that I selected them as among the best in women's fiction. So I thought it would be really fun to go back and look at what each of the authors said about their books, and also listen to their advice because they had some really juicy advice these award winners. So let's take a quick peek at the actual finalists. So you can see these fabulous books and let me tell you that you can't go wrong with any of these books. In fact, I'd encourage you after you listen to this podcast, go one by one, just one of these books and they are all fabulous. You're not going to go wrong. And hopefully you'll hear you'll find something listening today that will be new for you to read. So in the outstanding debut category, there are three books, Ehsaneh Sadr's A Door Between Us, which is set in Iran. You're gonna hear more about that one. KD Allbaugh's Face Down in Rising Sun which is historical fiction set in Wisconsin, and Rebecca Hodge Wildland which is a fast paced book about outrunning a forest fire. In the next category which is the general category, three more fabulous books Jamie Beck's Truth of the Matter. Kim Taylor Blakemore, The Companion, which is also historical fiction, and Rebecca Taylor's Her Perfect Life. So let's get into it and hear about each of these books. I'm going to start with the category of outstanding debut novel. And first let's hear from Ehsaneh Sadr about A Door Between Us and what inspired the book, A Door Between Us is set in Iran after the 2009 election.
Ehsaneh Sadr 2:03
That's right.
Lainey 2:04
Tell us a little bit about the book.Yeah.
Ehsaneh Sadr 2:05
Yeah, well, let's see. So the book is set in 2090 Iran, right, after a contested elections, that was actually, you know, some people have been drawing parallels parallels to our present election, you know, you have an incumbent who's been in for a while. And then you have a lot of excitement, surrounding, you know, the person who's the challenger. And then the election happens, but the powers that be very quickly announced that the incumbent president had won. And so you know, all these people who had stood in line for hours and have gotten so excited, and in the sense that it could that be right, and information that had come out that made it seem like, you know, no, you know, the election was going through Saudis way, there was just an outpouring of folks into the street. And so what my story does it, you know, kind of picks up on three people who are very different, and you know, who they are and their outlook on life, and how they handle this extremely dramatic situation of protests, and then a really kind of scary police, you know, kind of putting them down. And so you have Sarah, who's this very young newlywed, and, you know, just very innocent in terms of kind of how she thinks about, you know, life and, you know, the things that are most important to her, whatever. And then you've got Azar, who's really out there, like fighting the good fight for democracy. She's risking a lot to kind of hold people accountable. And then you have sadhak, who is a very close with the paramilitary by CG forces. And so it's kind of the type of person that you would think of as like, Oh, he's like, with the police. He's putting down the protesters. He's very loyal to the regime. But what happens is, he starts to have some really fundamental doubts about what's going on.
Lainey 3:51
So the inspiration, I heard you, I saw an interview, you were saying, part of your inspiration was you hoped that we would never bomb Iran again. Tell me more about that. Absolutely.
Ehsaneh Sadr 3:59
Yeah. I mean, so you know, what I really wanted to do was create like a portal, there are not that many opportunities for Americans to travel to Iran. And even if they do get to travel to Iran, they're very unlikely to kind of get into the homes and the experiences of some of the most kind of religious conservative folks. And so those are people that are often very misunderstood and vilified in our mainstream culture. And I think it makes it very easy. You know, when you vilify a group of people to be a little more blahs a about like, Well, you know, not trying kind of every, you know, diplomatic efforts before you kind of very easily or quickly kind of talk about, you know, taking military action. And, you know, for me, it really also comes from I think for a lot of people who grew up either in a multicultural home or you know, you're between two cultures or two different groups. It could be Democrats, or you could have a democratic period and a republican parent, you know, where you're in between two things, and then it can be jarring to see how one you know, one of your groups is talking about the other and you're like, Wait Really, you know, you guys should talk to each other, you'll probably enjoy each other, you know, there are things about you that are more similar than you think. So that's really kind of what I was going for is just giving folks a chance to, you know, meet and even root for people that they might never get to meet otherwise.
Lainey 5:15
So Facedown in Rising Sun is historical fiction based in Wisconsin. Let's hear from Katie. It's a little bit of crime fiction, it's historical, why don't we start by just having you tell us a little bit about it?
KD Allbaugh 5:28
Well, there was this beautiful young girl, Clara. And the setting is in 1920s 1925 26, um, I grew up in southwestern Wisconsin, Crawford County, which is an absolutely beautiful setting, and large Norwegian family. And, you know, just to kind of do run of the mill, young lady have a wonderful character, but she was a real person. And she met a young man who was very dashing, exciting, everything she thought she wanted in life, she wanted to kind of leave this farm life and you know, rural existence behind, she wanted some more excitement. And so she, you know, step by step kind of became more and more involved with them. And it was probably six months into their relationship that suddenly she just disappeared in the middle of the night.
Lainey 6:33
So how did you come across this story? Like, like, why this one? Have you known it forever? Or to just just find it someday? Like, where did this one come from?
KD Allbaugh 6:42
That's an excellent question. Because the business that my husband and I own, we visit local farms and things, we do home inspections. And there were so many people in that area of Crawford County, Wisconsin that were like, will you heard about what happened in rising sun, you know, kind of the local lore first, and telling the story, and everybody has a little bit different version, because it was, you know, it was a true story. But there were so many things left unsaid. And because it's historical, you know, you have small pieces of it, but you don't have all of it. So I decided, you know, one day I was out there kind of doing this little, basically tour of where she lived and where things happened. And a good friend of mine was with me, and I said, you know, I'm just going to write her story.
Unknown Speaker 7:34
The third of our finalists in the debut outstanding review category is wild land by Rebecca Hodge. And this is a pulse pounding, page turning amazing novel. I loved all three of these debuts. They're outstanding. And I love them all for different reasons. By the way, you can hear me talking about each of them in their original podcasts. But let's hear now from Rebecca about Wildland. Tell us about the story. It's almost set around a forest fire, but give us your pitch. Tell us a little bit more about the book.
Rebecca Hodge 8:03
Yeah, so certainly what started me down this path was interest in setting a story against the backdrop of a forest fire. And it is the story of a woman named cat Jamison who retreats to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Because she's got a really tough decision. Her cancer that she thought was vanquished has returned. Her doctors are encouraging her to face more treatment, and she really doesn't see the point. She's lost her husband, she she's just struggling to find a reason to keep fighting. And her intention is to spend a month completely by herself. But there are other rental cottages on the same road where she is staying. And she becomes involved in the people that live there. And eventually, with the addition of two rescue dogs that wander into the story at various moments, she and two children become trapped in a forest fire. And instead of contemplating her own death, she has to fight for her life. And the story is told in alternating viewpoints between cat and Malcolm who is the father of one of the children who is trapped in the fire.
Lainey 9:23
And so where did the inspiration for this come from? Yeah, I love hearing like there's always that first spark and then it builds and builds and builds and what was that first spark for you?
Rebecca Hodge 9:32
So my youngest son lives in Boulder and I was talking to him on a Sunday afternoon. And he mentioned very casually that he was standing on the balcony of his apartment watching a helicopter drop water on a forest fire that was close enough that he was able to actually see it. And so the MMA part of my brain got a little bit freaked out but the writer part of my brain started wondering what it would be like to set up A story against that kind of backdrop. And that that's what started it off.
Lainey 10:06
Next up, let's look at the three books that are in the general category, the three finalists. And if I haven't said it yet, out of all the hundreds of books that came out last year 1000s in the women's fiction category, it's amazing to get this far. So let's start with taking a quick peek at the three covers. You can see here, Jamie Beck's Truth of the Matter. Kim Taylor Blakemore, The Companion and Rebecca Taylor Her Perfect Life.
I'd love to talk first about Jamie Beck's book which is called Truth of the Matter. And here's a quick little snippet of a description of it. And this is from Barbara O'Neal, who is the amazingly best selling author. I mean, her writing is beautiful of when we believed in mermaids and several other bestsellers. So here's what she says about Jamie's book, a sharp and graceful tale of mothers and daughters, secrets and Tangled family histories. Jamie Beck brings her clear eyed prose style and smart characterizations to the story of a mother and daughter doing their best and often failing to make their way to a new life after divorce, a thoughtful moving book from a writer stepping into the fullness of her talents. What a gorgeous thing to say. And I actually talked to Jamie about this and her next book that I read, but the one before, and I will tell you that her writing is fabulous. And you don't want to miss these essentially part of a series of three.
So next off, I would love to give you a peek at Rebecca Taylor's book, Her Perfect Life. Let's hear from Rebecca herself on the inspiration and the idea behind this one.
Rebecca Taylor 11:39
In the book, Claire, and she comes to be known as Claire Collins is a sort of internationally best selling Uber successful author in the world. And then her sister Eileen has a sort of much more kind of conventional existence. She's you know, the book kind of opens up with her and her three kids and try to get them ready for school and you know, as a mother, myself, just the, you know, the chaos that that can often entail. And so it really is this kind of the different lives that these two sisters have led and some of the jealousy that Eileen kind of feels for her very successful sister, Claire, well, that particular element of the story, the inspiration came from years ago, and I believe, I believe it was a 2012 Summer Olympics. And Michael Phelps. During one of the races, the camera panned to the audience, and they showed his family and of course, it was his, his mother, but it was the sort of First time I sort of dialed into the fact that he had these two sisters. And they're both older than him. And it just kind of it kind of got the wheels turning in my head, like, what does that be? Like? Like, what must it feel like to be the sibling of this, like, you know, international sensation, this international superstar kind of thing. So, um, that kind of was the initial kind of question for that dynamic between between Claire and I liens relationship. Now with regards to what happens, you know, with Claire, and this is not really giving anything away, because we really sort of want in the second chapter that, you know, Claire, the various successful author has taken her life. And so this is really sort of the impetus for Eileen, going out to her sister's home in San Francisco and trying to figure out like, why, you know, why would she sort of, you know, walk away from this amazing, apparently, seemingly amazing life that she had. And the I would say, sort of the, the inspiration for that really had to do with Kate Spade, when Kate Spade took her, her own life, you know, kind of thing and not that this is any way based on her or her life. But you know, there again, like a very successful designer in the world, internationally known and, you know, she unexpectedly took her own life. And and so, I think this question with regards to, you know, external, what do what does that life look like, on the outside? What is that the media image of a life, you know, and what is it that we see and how very different that can be from what is happening internally, for an individual on that, you know, I also work in mental health, I work as a school psychologist, and so, I happen to, unfortunately, do many suicide evaluations throughout a year, just you know, when we're suspecting suicidal ideation and trying to help families, you know, through that time and so that oftentimes, you know, it nobody really seems to be immune from, from this, like, the capacity to feel that, you know, we're so despondent and so depressed that, you know, we get driven to this place where we feel that that's the only option. But of course, the questions around this book are, you know, specific to Claire, like, what, what got her to this point, and made her feel like, this was her only option at this what she needed to do.
Lainey 14:54
And the third book in the category of overall women's fiction is by Kim Taylor Blakemore. It's called The Companion. And here's a little bit of an insight into that one. Kim Taylor Taylor Blakemore. his novel The companion is the absorbing tale of Lucy blunt, a young woman condemned to death and deeply haunted by her past. Blakemore skillfully immerses the reader in the tech tale world of antebellum New Hampshire with their exquisite choice of details and gorgeous writing style. The novel has everything complexity, mystery, murder, betrayal, Forbidden Love, even a ghostly presence. Treat yourself to a few evenings with this captivating story as you explore the mind and experience of a tortured young woman from another time. And that's a beautiful quote from Amy belding Brown, who's author of flight of the sparrow.
So next, I'd love to share some of the author's juicy reading advice, starting with Kim Taylor Blakemore, who has some interesting perspectives on how to write historical fiction for non historical fiction lovers.
Kim Taylor Blakemore 15:55
Well I think one thing that I try and pride myself on is I write historical fiction for people who hate historical fiction. So because I think you can get bogged down in all of those details, and what happens in the world. So for me, it's like, drop the person and don't explain it, put just enough that it's the world and make them just be there. And then you don't get caught in all the details, you're more in the story than you are in the details themselves. Yeah. And I think that what happens is, if you right forward, you're going to see the big arc of the story that may not be the one you thought you had to be in the beginning. So when you get to the end, you're like, that's what the story's about. So when you go back and fit in all those elements, some of them will fall away that you thought needed to be there. And I think that it works really well I killed the book, because I over edited it. And I never got past chapter 10. I have a beautiful, beautiful women's fiction book in my drawer. That's chapter 10.
Lainey 16:57
That is great writing advice. Is there anything else you say when you're talking to folks who want to be you with the number one bestseller in multiple categories, but there may be a bit earlier in the journey?
Kim Taylor Blakemore 17:07
I'd say right forward. I really truly believe that right forward, finish the book. Don't worry about theme worry about story and worry about the characters and what they need and feel and yearn for. I think Tiffany Yates Martin says the same thing and a lot. And that's that's what I would say don't over edit it. And don't feel like it has to be perfect the first time around. You're really just trying to get the story down.
Lainey 17:32
Next, let's hear Ehsaneh Sadr. Talk about the power of how you take us inside another culture and right as an outsider Insider. So is there anything you would share with other writers who are trying to get their work published? Like I see so many things you did? Well, in this book, like one of the things I loved is that you take us inside the culture, but in a way that's so natural. So for example, I'm never going to be in a scenario where I'm worrying about my wedding should or being slippery and coming off at the wrong moment. But I felt that pressure on that tension, and so low that I got to go inside another culture, like any tips for upcoming writers and achieve that it's not easy.
Ehsaneh Sadr 18:11
The advice I generally give writers is find your people find a group of people that you know, are going to be able to kind of sustain you throughout and be cheering you on and pushing you to do better, you know, I mean, everything's more fun in community anyway, I think on this particular thing, a lot of it was thinking back on, you know, the first time I wore a chador, what did that feel like to me and it was really slippery and that like I just wasn't aware of how slippery and annoying it would be to be trying to like, because you've got a scarf on. On top of that. You've got to chador the Iranian chowder, you have to hold on to with your hands too. So it's just like, this whole maneuvering thing that so really, for me those pieces that was like, What was that? And, and I think one of the things that, for me, I am also an outsider inside or when I came into this family that was so religiously conservative, that was a new experience for me as well. So I could kind of I can kind of take people's hands and say, these are the things that are surprising for me as well. And you might be interested in knowing about
Lainey 19:08
And next step, how about some positive inspiration from KD Allbaugh
KD Allbaugh 19:12
I guess what I would say is if it's really your dream, pursue it, go after it. There's so many people in our world right now, who will tell us what's wrong, and what you can't do. Find the people who would tell you you can and surround yourself with that positive and be that positive yourself. Because, again, I've had such encouragement from so many authors and people along the way and I at times, it's like, it's I feel so undeserving because it's like I'm one of many. I mean, there are so many gifted writers out there. So if you think you have that, that novel that debut novel in you, go ahead, write it.
Lainey 19:54
Next, let's hear Rebecca Hodge's thoughts on extending time to increase the tension in a book, and also the importance of enjoying the journey. And one of the things that impressed me in this book is you do this thing that really skilled writers do where you extend time, right. So like, this story does not take place over years, it takes place pretty much the core of it over like hours, right within a 24 hour period. Like on the edge of your seat, minute by minute feeling like you're going through this experience of running from a fire, and you've got the main character, cat and the two kids and the dog. I mean, it's it's pretty amazing how you're able to stretch timeout like that was that hard that it changed a lot during editing.
Rebecca Hodge 20:36
It definitely was a conscious decision that I knew I needed to do that. I think that one of the big advantages writing has over visual media is that ability to play with time to really skip 20 years easily or to take two minutes and stretch it out over 15 pages. And I think that that that plus the ability to really get into a character's head are the two things that the written word can do better in most cases than the film. And so I think it's good to take advantage of that, I think the important thing to focus on is, especially when you're starting out is making sure that you are enjoying the journey. In writing, there is a limited number of things that you can control directly. And there is a huge number of things that are out of your control. You know, in a lot of jobs, the results that you get are directly impacted by how much you pour into it. And in writing. That's not always the case. And so while I would encourage people to be persistent, I would also encourage them to make sure that they're enjoying what they're doing.
Lainey 22:00
Lastly, Jamie Beck is going to take us home, in case you're not aware, Jamie's books have sold over 2 million copies. And I love given that that what she talks about is self doubt, and resiliency and the importance of community. In this chair, she mentions Barbara, she means Barbara O'Neal, the author of when we believe mermaids who's also sold multiple millions of copies.
Jamie Beck 22:24
Everybody struggles, everybody struggles with self doubt with process issues with books that aren't working and why and, and it's, it's, it's, it's amazing. It's heartening to me because then I don't feel so alone. And of course, the writers who've been doing this longer have that perspective. They don't get quite as dumbed up as some of us do. Because they're like, Oh, it's, it's okay. It'll be okay. You know, Barbara has that real soft voice to it. It'll be okay. So it does. You know, tenacity is everything right? You just have to it's just a painful, there's no, there's no easy thing. And there's no one level you're going to get to where all of a sudden you think, oh, finally I'm there like it, there's always something more. And so you have to kind of like
Don't ever compare, don't, it's good to set I like I like to set micro goals. Because then I feel like I'm accomplishing something. So whether it's just one scene today or the next book, or, you know, if you have bigger goals, you know, just like realistic accomplishable goals help you feel like you're moving forward. And but I'd say as I've gotten older in the writing, and Barbara, actually, I'll bring her up again, because she really helped me with this. Like, she's a beautiful writer, or my friend Sonali Dave she these beautiful writers that just have this way of painting their words, and I admire it so much. And I don't do that. That's just not my voice. And, and I wanted so badly like to write like them.
And Barbara finally was like, stop, you know, like, lean into your own voice readers, there's readers for every writer, and every storytelling style, every voice, lean into your voice be authentic to you.
That's the authenticity that will resonate. And it kind of freed me up from not feeling so bad that I can't be as beautiful with my prose as some writers that I really admire. And it kind of allowed me then just to kind of go really hard at my very frank, quick style and and not feel guilty about it, you know, so that was really helpful. So that helps someone else feel good. Go for it. Just knowing that that there's There are endless amounts of readers, there's literally millions and millions and millions of readers and someone else's success doesn't prevent your success. Someone else's popularity doesn't prevent yours. Someone else may have a complaint. Different readership than you, but it's fine. You know, your whole point is, you just hope that your story resonates with some people and it makes them feel good or feel something, whatever that point of your book is. You hope that that works.
For me, what I try to do mostly is really appreciate all of the different people that I meet in this career at conferences, online, these kinds of conversations, these opportunities. Not only have I met some of the most intelligent and hardworking, inspirational women in the last five years, but the pay it forward attitude that everybody has, has been so wonderful for me making me feel comfortable asking people for advice. And also, I always want people I always say I mean I've people that write me all the time and I try really hard to give them my time and and you know, write out a bunch of advice if they have specific questions or whatever. Sometimes I'm not in a place where I can do that. If I'm under a deadline, I'll have to say like, I'll get back to you later. Or go here for information first come back to me with questions. But I just think that for the writers out there, and for readers to know that to like this, it's very women centric when you're writing in romance or women's fiction, and it's been a beautiful, a beautiful experience. I it's such a joy that we get to do this, that we and that somebody wants to pick up a book and read my imagination, that's still that still blows my mind. So I hope I always keep that feeling.