Ask the Author: Jay Gilbertson
Answered Questions (13)
Jay Gilbertson
Two years later...how is your writing going? You have seen so much. If your work is even half based in actual experience. Wow. It seems like you have found your peace. Or it has found you. Wishing you only the very best...xo j
Jay Gilbertson
Well, I had heard on NPR about a new book, 'The Bestseller Code.' It sounded rather intriguing and I certainly need all the help I can get! I also just found a copy of Penelope Lively's new short story collection and heard her speak about it. She sounds like a live wire, and I have loved her work in the past. She must be in her eighties now. Which is just so reassuring. I still have time...Personally, I have one novel my agent is shopping and another one I have just finished. So, stay tuned and thank you so much for the question. So, what are YOU reading this summer? xo j
Jay Gilbertson
My dad's dad died when he was still in college. Had an aneurism that ended up lodging in his leg and eventually killed him. He was a mystery in that no one ever speaks of him. Not really. As though he were an image of a dad, a face in black & white pictures. It has been suggested that he was an alcoholic like my dad. There, dear reader, is at least one novel...Thank you for asking! Read ON! xo
Jay Gilbertson
Blushing!
And yes, I have a new novel that my wonderful agent is pitching as I write this.
It's called, 'Tin Can Life.' It's about a 69 year old woman who runs an old supper club along with a crew that really is her family. She was raped and got pregnant and gave the baby away. The child, Jojo, was a boy, and now is a woman who finds her birth mother who runs the supper club...life is a circle. It's also about a fire and love and a river and an eagle.
Thank you so much for asking!
xo
Jay
And yes, I have a new novel that my wonderful agent is pitching as I write this.
It's called, 'Tin Can Life.' It's about a 69 year old woman who runs an old supper club along with a crew that really is her family. She was raped and got pregnant and gave the baby away. The child, Jojo, was a boy, and now is a woman who finds her birth mother who runs the supper club...life is a circle. It's also about a fire and love and a river and an eagle.
Thank you so much for asking!
xo
Jay
Jay Gilbertson
Ove & Sonja...From 'A Man Called Ove.' They were perfection with all the faults of being human. LOVED that novel.
Jay Gilbertson
Hello Suzy, So nice to hear from you. Sorry you didn't like my last book about the gals. I have a new set of characters and setting and all sorts of goings on that my agent is pitching. Hope to have it out soon. And am busy with something new for next year too. Not sure when another Madeline Book will be out. You just never know...Happy Summertime!
Jay Gilbertson
Blushing!
Thank you for you kind note. And yes, there is a fourth and I'm unfolding the story as I waltz into fall and harvest and all that comes after that.
You made my day start with a grin, awesomeness!
xo
---Jay
Thank you for you kind note. And yes, there is a fourth and I'm unfolding the story as I waltz into fall and harvest and all that comes after that.
You made my day start with a grin, awesomeness!
xo
---Jay
Jay Gilbertson
My last novel, which has yet to find a publisher, is about a supper club up north. It's about the life of the crew that runs it and how, even when everything falls apart at the seams, you can still find your way.
It's also about secrets and bodies buried in the basement and a ghost named Esther.
It's also about secrets and bodies buried in the basement and a ghost named Esther.
Jay Gilbertson
Reading. Listening to others when they speak to one another. Watching strangers in grocery stores. Eves-dropping in restaurants. Looking in windows. Noticing what people do with their furniture; are there flowers, what books line their shelves, what's on their counter-top.
I am fascinated with humans. What a bunch we are.
I am fascinated with humans. What a bunch we are.
Jay Gilbertson
A totally new novel set in a fictional town. It's about a bakery and a woman and how to find your place. The woman wasn't always a woman...
That's all I'm going to say.
That's all I'm going to say.
Jay Gilbertson
READ! Read the old stuff, read the latest stuff. Don't follow trends. Don't do it. Be original and write your brains out. Read some writing books, but not too many. Go to some workshops, but not too many.
OH, and READ!!!!!!!!
OH, and READ!!!!!!!!
Jay Gilbertson
Oh gosh, there are so many. One is that you can explore different ways of being in the world through your characters. I also like to learn about new places or create them. How fun is that? I tend to write about things I don't know about and then fold in what I do. Some of the most interesting things are when I am so into writing that I am immersed. I call it "being in the flow." Love that when it happens. I also love how you can touch people you've never met. That's a rush, especially when they take the time to write to me. LOVE hearing from my readers/fans. Such a joy.
Jay Gilbertson
There is no such thing. It's simply an excuse to not sit down and get cracking. I'm honestly not sure who came up with that term. I feel that if the writing is not flowing, go do something else. If you force the words, they'll read that way...
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