DPL BookTalk Chats with Kristan Higgins

We're pleased to welcome Kristan Higgins
to DPL BookTalk!

Kristan is a bestselling author and two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA award.  She divides her time between home in Connecticut and summers on Cape Cod.  She's the mother of two lovely kids, the wife of a brave firefighter, and a devoted Ben & Jerry's fan. Previously a copywriter, Kristan began writing fiction when her children graced her life with simultaneous naps...so much more satisfying than folding laundry.  She holds a BA in English, which enables her to identify dangling participles and quote many great novels. 

DPL:  In your newest book, Somebody to Love, you revisit Gideon's Cove, which was the setting for Catch of the Day.  Do you think you'll revisit any other locations in future books?

KH:  Gideon’s Cove, Maine, was always special to me.  I loved the beauty and scruffiness of the town, as well as its remote location (nearly in Canada).  When I was seven, my dad took me out on a lobster boat in Perkin’s Cove, and I never forgot it (even named the hero’s boat after the boat we went on).  It was a real joy to go back to the town, especially through the eyes of a stranger in Somebody to Love and see my old friends again.

For now, I have no plans to go back to any town other than Hammondsport (though my fictionalized version is called Manningsport).  But you never know.

DPL:  Would you tell us a little about the new series you're working on? 

KH:  Sure!  It’ll be three books (maybe more, but we’ll start with three) based around Blue Heron Vineyard, family-run operation in the Finger Lakes region of New York.  The Holland family consists of a widowed dad and four grown kids: Prudence, Jack, Honor and Faith, and the series kicks off when Faith returns to town three years after being left at the altar.  At the moment, I have no idea what or whom the other books will be about.  Better get on that…

Setting is hugely important to me as a writer, and when visiting the area last fall, Terence and I fell in love with Hammondsport…as in, “Let’s check out some real estate while we’re up here!”  The town for the Blue Heron series is very closely based on that village.

DPL:  When did you realize you have an obsession with Derek Jeter?  :)

KH:  Early on, Patti, early on. Derek and I have been together since my daughter was a baby, and we have no plans to split up anytime soon.

DPL:  What did you like most about the library when you were a child?  Who was your favorite author?

KH:  The DPL was a magical place for me as a kid.  Back then, the children’s library was in the basement of the old building, which was often damp and chilly (or stuffy and hot, as I recall…not a lot of in-between).  Even though it was tiny, there always seemed to be a corner I hadn’t found. I loved the Thornton Burgess Mother West Wind series (Little Joe Otter was my favorite), as well as Bullfinch’s Greek Mythology.  Around the age of fourteen, I started sneaking romances into my mom’s bag of books, and the damage was done.

DPL:  What is a completely random fact about you that most people don't know?

KH:  Many years ago, I went to a ball game at Fenway. Of course, I wore something with the Yankees logo on it, and some guy made a disparaging comment, to which I responded, “Get a life, loser.” My boyfriend said, “You know that was Stephen King, right?”

DPL:  Name one book you think everyone should read.

KH:  The Odyssey.  It’s got everything.

DPL:  Favorite movie based on a book?

KH:  I’d have to say The Hunger Games!  It took everything great in the book and made it a little better.

DPL:  What is the proudest moment in your career?

KH:  I got a letter from a young woman named Tiffany a couple of years ago…she was in an abusive relationship for a long time and wrote, “Your books taught me what love should be and what I deserve, and I want you to know I’m not with him anymore.” If people ask me why I write romance, I generally quote that letter.

DPL:  What’s the funniest question you've had from a reader?

KH:  “How could you put a snake in a book?”

DPL:  And the most important question...when will there be a cat on one of your covers again??

KH:  I do love cats, especially my own Huck, but in my heart of hearts, there’s a wriggly little puppy.

DPL:  Thanks for talking with us, Kristan!

KH: You bet!

Kristan's website:  http://www.kristanhiggins.com/

--Patti

PATRON PICKS--Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy

Barbara's picks are Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy, both by Lisa See.

Shanghai Girls is a stunning novel about two sisters who leave Shanghai to find new lives in 1930s Los Angeles.  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5960325-shanghai-girls

 
Dreams of Joy is the continuing the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy.  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9500416-dreams-of-joy

Barbara says:  Very interesting!  Into the lives of Red China and surviving their journey in China's history!

May 19th is a Big Day!

We have some fun events scheduled for Saturday, May 19th!

First is our annual PALS Book Sale, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. There is an Early Bird Preview from 9:00-10:00am, with an admission fee of $10.  DONATIONS:  we accept donations of books, CDs, DVDs, and books on CD, in good condition (please no VHS tapes, magazines, textbooks or encyclopedias).

We'll also have our annual Plant Sale, starting at 10:00am.  Plants can be dropped off at the library on Thursday or Friday, May 17th or 18th, or before 9:30am on the 19th.  Plants must be in pots and labeled.  We're delighted to accept houseplants, perennials, herbs, annuals, and shrubs.

 

And for the Teens, there will be a Melted Crayon Art program from 2:00-3:00pm.  This program is for ages 12-18.  Come create some crazy crayon art!  We'll be gluing crayons to canvas, then using a hair dryer to melt them into fantastic art! The program is full, but you can put your name on the waiting list and Miss G. will call you if a space opens up.


* Wear clothes that can get wax on them, just in case!

So, there is a lot going on at the library on the 19th!  We hope to see you here!

STAFF PICKS--The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Diana's staff pick is The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly (Juvenile book)

Synopsis:  Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones.With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger. As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century.

Debut author Jacqueline Kelly deftly brings Callie and her family to life, capturing a year of growing up with unique sensitivity and a wry wit.

Diana says:  I loved Callie, the main character.  She befriends her cantankerous grandfather, deals with six brothers and a mother who wants to train her in wifely ways, when all Callie wants to do is explore the world around her.  A feminist before their time!

PATRON PICKS--Barefoot Season

Rosemarie's pick is Barefoot Season, by Susan Mallery

Synopsis:   Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside, she’s still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner’s suite occupied by the last person she wants to see.

Carly Williams and Michelle were once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn’s cheerful veneer.

Single mother Carly has weathered rumors, lies and secrets for a lifetime, and is finally starting to move forward with love and life. But if the Blackberry Island Inn goes under, Carly and her daughter will go with it.

To save their livelihoods, Carly and Michelle will undertake a turbulent truce. It’ll take more than a successful season to move beyond their devastating past, but with a little luck and a beautiful summer, they may just rediscover the friendship of a lifetime.

Rosemarie says:  The heroine suffers from a stint in the service.  [She] got through it and the story grips you!

STAFF PICKS--Still Alice

Diana's staff pick is Still Alice, by Lisa Genova

Synopsis:
Genova's debut revolves around Alice Howland - Harvard professor, gifted researcher and lecturer, wife, and mother of three grown children. One day, Alice sets out for a run and soon realizes she has no idea how to find her way home. It's a route she has taken for years, but nothing looks familiar. She is utterly lost. Is her forgetfulness the result of menopausal symptoms? A ministroke? A neurological cancer? After a few doctors' appointments and medical tests, Alice has her diagnosis, and it's a shocker -- she has early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

What follows is the story of Alice's slow but inevitable loss of memory and connection with reality, told from her perspective. She gradually loses the ability to follow a conversational thread, the story line of a book, or to recall information she heard just moments before. To Genova's great credit, readers learn of the progression of Alice's disease through the reactions of others, as Alice does, so they feel what she feels -- a slowly building terror.

Diana says:  I loved the insight into Alzheimer's.  How the main character, Alice, finds a way to test herself.  I will never look at someone with Alzheimer's the same way.