Juliette Fay
Author Interview - Juliette Fay
Author of Catch Us When We Fall
On her own since the age of eighteen, Cass Macklin dated brilliant, troubled Ben McGreavy, convinced he was the smartest person she'd ever known. They partied their way through their twenties, slowly descending into a bleak world of binge-drinking and broken promises, inebriated for most of a decade. Now Ben is dead, and Cass is broke, homeless, scared...and pregnant.
Author Interview - Juliette Fay
Author I draw inspiration from: Ann Tyler had me from The Accidental Tourist. Her characters are the quirkiest of quirky, and yet you believe them. In fact you feel like you know them. They could be living next door, or a relative, or a friend. Her plot lines don't follow the usual tropes, you don't know what's coming next. And you're in deep - deep into the joy and pain and frustration and hilarity of just living on this earth. Ann Tyler's books make you think about all the kookie-yet-believable lives that are proceeding along all around us.
Author Interview - Juliette Fay | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: I have a blue micro-suede chair with an ottoman in my bedroom that is like a big, soft, chaise lounge. I write in it, I nap in it, I run my tiny but lively empire from it. It is the perfect place to snuggle up with a cup of something hot (or cold) and dive into a good book.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Count Alexander Rostov from A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. I'd want to know how it felt to go from being a rich, brash, supremely self-confident young man to a poor, kind, and very loving older man. How it felt to become a father in the most surprising of ways. How he overcame his ego to live for others. I loved that book.
Author Interview - Juliette Fay | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I had just finished writing my first novel, which I'd been very secretive about because I really wasn't sure if I could do it. I'd made up stories in my head for as long as I could remember, but actually write one down with a recognizable beginning, middle, and end? Maybe I could ... but maybe not. I'd only told three friends that I was even attempting it. They read as I wrote and were incredibly supportive - although they didn't hesitate to let me know when they were confused or bored, either! It was a really fun editorial process, and when I was done, they encouraged me to try and get it published. Until then it just felt like an enjoyable way to spend my spare time. But then suddenly I was holding a novel in my hands, and what was I supposed to do now? Publish it. And that would make me an author. "Yes," I thought. "I'd be okay with that."
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: I'm a chronic multitasker, so I love to listen to audiobooks while I drive or garden or do housework. A good narrator can make almost any book a joy to listen to. Occasionally you get a narrator who's vocal style takes over the story instead of enhancing it, which can ruin a good book. But then I switch to print (paperback, please) and all is well.
The last book I read: The People We Keep by Allison Larkin. It kept me up way past my bedtime because I had to know what would happen next. The teenage protagonist, April Sawicki, is utterly compelling - both wise and naïve, broken and also remarkably strong, with a voice I wanted to hear and a story I wanted to know. A hundred pages in, I was ready to adopt her. Highly recommend!
Author Interview - Juliette Fay | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: I've used pen and paper when I didn't have access to a computer, and it works just as well. But revising is a hundred times easier on a computer, so eventually I'll take those scraps or notebook pages and add them to the digital document. That said, I don't use any of the fancy writing software - too many bells and whistles! I stick with good ol' Word, so maybe I could be called old school after all.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: I could absolutely be great pals with Cornelia from the Love Walked In series by Marisa de los Santos. I love how she's smart and kind, but makes mistakes and heads down the wrong path here and there like the rest of us. She's honest and has a good sense of humor. I would definitely enjoy hanging out with her.
Author Interview - Juliette Fay | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: A post-partum doula for new mothers. I'd come to your house and while you nap and I'd do the dishes and make you lunch. I'd help you sort things out when you're too tired to think straight. I'd get you over the hump of those first bleary, hormone-stormy weeks.
Favorite decade in fashion history: The 1920s. Women were throwing off their corsets and wearing bras and drawers for the first time. I love the idea that a whole generation of women could finally take a deep breath! The dresses were light and flowy, the heels weren't too high, and the jewelry was so fun - hip length pearls and chandelier earrings. When I did events for my last book, The City of Flickering Light, which is about Hollywood in the 1920s, I dressed like a flapper and it felt great!
Place I’d most like to travel: Greece. Just the light there, and the color of the water. And all that history. Also, I love stuffed grape leaves and feta cheese. I think I could spend a year there.
My signature drink: Cosmopolitan. I'm known for making them, and you will absolutely be spilling all your secrets to me once you have one.
Favorite artist: Since the medium wasn't specified, I'm going to chose musical artist and say Joni Mitchell. She has the very rare mix of being a remarkably talented poet, story teller, musician, and singer. Her songs feel so real, told so uniquely, with chords no one had ever heard before, and a voice that soars like a column of clouds in a blue sky.
Number one on my bucket list: I can't wait to be a grandmother. Actually I can wait - I don't want any of my four 19- to 27-year-old kids to have a baby before they're ready. But once they are ready ... boy, am I ready!
