Elizabeth Bass Parman
Author Interview - Elizabeth Bass Parman
Author of The Empress of Cooke County
Posey Jarvis knows she’s the rightful empress of Cooke County . . . She just needs to make everyone else realize it too.
Thirty-eight-year-old Posey Jarvis is the self-appointed “empress” of rural Spark in Cooke County, Tennessee. She spends her days following every word about her idol and look-alike Jackie Kennedy, avoiding her stalwart husband Vern, and struggling to control her newly defiant daughter Callie Jane—all while sneaking nips of gin. When Posey unexpectedly inherits a derelict mansion from her quirky old aunt Milbrey, she finagles her way into hosting her high school’s twentieth reunion there. She cares nothing about seeing her classmates, but she cares deeply about seeing the love of her life, a man who dumped her nineteen years ago. Possums are nesting in the parlor and the stench of cat urine permeates the sunroom, but she must be ready for the big day, even if she has to do the work herself.
Eighteen-year-old Callie Jane finds herself accidentally engaged and is panicking about her fast-approaching wedding. She’s also had enough of her domineering mother. Even though she loves her father, the idea of working at his emporium for the rest of her life just makes her . . . so sad. She longs to escape from her mother, her job, her upcoming wedding, and the creepy Peeping Tom terrorizing the town. She dreams of leaving everything she’s ever known in her rearview mirror and starting over in California. But when her life has been mapped out for her from birth, how can she break free?
Set in a gossipy small town during the turbulent 1960s and full of Southern charm and unforgettable characters, The Empress of Cooke County is a novel about found family, what it means to be loved, and how being true to yourself can have life-altering consequences.
Author Interview - Elizabeth Bass Parman
Author I draw inspiration from:
Author Lee Smith was my seventh grade English teacher. We had creative writing assignments every week, and she was the first to tell me I was a writer. I love everthing she's written, but Fair and Tender Ladies is my favorite. I also love Adriani Trigiani, especially her Big Stone Gap series. I always wanted to create another Mitford. My writing style is a little quirkier than Jan Karon's, so my town of Spark is like Mitford after a couple of beers.
Author Interview - Elizabeth Bass Parman | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
I love to read on my back porch, wrapped in a blanket on a chilly day, with a cup of tea in my hand and my dog in my lap.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I think I'd like to be stuck with Bridget Jones, from the original Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding. I doubt she would be any help getting us rescued, but we'd be too busy laughing to notice or care.
Author Interview - Elizabeth Bass Parman | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
Shortly after my fourth birthday, my parents had a cocktail party. One of their guests known for his practical jokes asked me what career I had chosen. I looked confused, and he solemnly explained that everyone knew they had to commit to a career when they turned four. I spend a panicky day thinking of all the possibilities, then went to my mother (who knew nothing about this conversation) and asked her two questions: were princesses real, and how were books created. She told me that some princesses were real, and that people wrote books. I announced that day I would be either an author or princess, the two best things any person could be.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I love the significant feel of a hardback in my hand, but I am an active reader, and worry about damaging the book with pool water, a spilled cup of tea, or the book being shoved in my purse one too many times. I think paperbacks are my favorite form of book. I don't worry as much about keeping them pristine, and I can easily check back in the story to reread something. E-readers offer the chance to enlarge the font, always a plus for someone who has reading glasses squirred away throughout her house. Audiobooks have a special place in my heart, as they have accompanied me on road trips, plane rides, hikes, and walks.
The last book I read:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt was the last book I read. I found it both poignant and gripping, and was rooting for the octopus, Marcellus, from his first appearance on the page.
Author Interview - Elizabeth Bass Parman | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I have a notebook I keep with me to jot down ideas. I try to always be aware of what's going on around me, looking for characters and situations that intrigue me. For example, once after stopping at a roadside stand for tomatoes, the customer behind me remarked to the woman at the register, "That's quite a scar on your arm." She answered, "Oh, that's where my sofa shot me." I had to pretend I couldn't find my keys for a solid five minutes so I could hear the story! I also dream about book ideas, and have learned to scribble down those ideas as soon as I wake up, ot they're gone. I use a computer to write my novels, and am both impressed and amazed by those who write longhand.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I wrote the character of Evangeline in The Empress of Cooke County to be everything I want in a best friend. She is loyal, kind, and honest. She sticks up for her friends and does not gossip. She has a great sense of humor and rescued a dog that needed help.
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I was a diagnostic reading specialist for many years, working with a non-profit to help children and adults with reading disabilities. I found that very fulfilling.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The 1960's! I love the music and the fashions and the explosion of new ideas in the world.during that time. The Empress of Cooke County is set in 1966, and the second book in the Spark series is set in 1969.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I love the ocean, and long to travel to a place with overwater bungalows. I could experience the ocean all around me, with beautiful views of endless water, lulled to sleep by the waves. I've looked at places in the Maldives and French Polynesia, and am open to suggestions!
My signature drink:
I have two: every morning I have a cup of Irish breakfast tea with a little sugar and more cream than is good for me, and in the evenings I love mixing pineapple juice with sparkling water for my favorite mocktail.
Favorite artist:
There are so many! I fell in love with Monet's work in my middle school art history classes, but I will never forget standing by Michaelangelo's Pieta, stunned by the emotion and beauty he captured in the marble. My favorite painting might be The Birth of Venus by Botticelli. I interpreted his image of Venus on a shell in The Empress of Cooke County, with one of my characters driving a beat-up Volkswagon Beetle she named Shelly.
Number one on my bucket list:
I love to shell, and hope one day to spot an unbroken Junonia in the waves. I once found one that has a piece missing, and proudly display it on my desk. I think about how that flawed Junonia is an apt metaphor for life. You can dream of perfection, but getting most of what you want is still pretty good.
Anything else you'd like to add:
I know debuting at the age of 63 is unusual. I had thought I would be enjoying retirement and grandchildren, but am instead busier than ever in my new role as an author. I want to encourage every writer to keep trying for their dreams and to never give up!
Find more from the author:
Instagram: @elizabethbassparman
Facebook: elizabethbassparmanauthor
Twitter @e_parman
Website: www.elizabethbassparman.com
About Elizabeth Bass Parman:
Author Interview - Elizabeth Bass Parman
Elizabeth Bass Parman grew up entranced by family stories, such as the time her grandmother woke to find Eleanor Roosevelt making breakfast in her kitchen. She has lived in Manhattan and England, and spends her summers in in a cottage by a Canadian lake. She has two grown daughters and lives outside her native Nashville with her husband and rescued maybe-Maltipoo, Pippin. She is busy writing the second book in the Spark series, a story based in magical realism about the mystical power of bees, and how they help a woman struggling to escape a bleak life navigate to freedom. Elizabeth’s website is www.elizabethbassparman.com and can be found on Instagram at @elizabethbassparman. The Empress of Cooke County is her debut novel.
