Ask the Author: Christina Clancy
Answered Questions (8)
Christina Clancy
Hi Renee, I'm so sorry you haven't received your copy. This is all handled through my publisher so I have no idea how to get one to you. I will send them an email and ask about it. Thanks for your interest in reading The Snowbirds and for reaching out. We'll get this sorted out.
Christina Clancy
Thank you so much for reading Shoulder Season and for becoming so invested in Sherri's story--I think we all end up having experiences from our past that we look back on with guilt or remorse, or maybe just a cringe. Also, thanks for adding The Second Home to your TBR. I still can't believe I've published not just one but two books. As for my third book, I'm deep in the trenches right now. I'm not usually superstitious about talking about my work in progress, but I'm hesitant to say too much because the story could change a lot from what I have planned for it. As you can probably tell from Shoulder Season, I'm heavily invested in my characters and they often tell me how the story should unfold, which makes for lots of twists and turns that I don't even anticipate (even Arthur was a surprise for me!). I will say that the new book is set in Palm Springs and follows a couple who are trying to decide what to do with the rest of their lives. It's the story of a long marriage that has reached an impasse when they can't agree on where they want to live as they grow older. I have a feeling there are a few readers out there who might be able to relate. It's nice to know there are readers who are interested in my next book. I really appreciate your question!
Christina Clancy
Hi Shelly, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed The Second Home, and I can't tell you how happy it makes me to learn that your book club is going to read Shoulder Season! I will have discussion questions, and I'll be sure to post them on my website, http://christinaclancywrites.com. Usually Macmillan also posts them on their author pages, too. I'm biased, but I feel like Shoulder Season will provoke lots of good discussion about the ways in which events of our past influence our futures, what it's like to inhabit a young body and then an older one, and there's lots to think about in terms of masculinity. Like The Second Home, I think Shoulder Season asks what it means to be a "good man." And, of course, what's home?
Christina Clancy
Paula, thank you so much! I sure miss spin class. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed The Second Home, and your recommendations mean everything. The second book is finished! Well, I'm in the middle of copy edits, but the cover is being designed and the wheels are in motion for next year. I hope you are having a great summer despite everything. Please say hello to Yacouba and all my friends at PCW! Great to hear from you.
Christina Clancy
Michele, your note makes my day! I love that feeling of having my head stuck in a book after I've finished it. I'm so happy that you were able to return to the sights and smells of Cape Cod through the novel, and that you enjoyed spending time with the characters. This is my debut novel, but I have another book coming out next year (fingers crossed!). In fact, I think I will finish my edits today or tomorrow, and then the fun begins with picking out a cover and working with the press to have the book find its way to you. The topic of book two might sound different, but my editor tells me that it reads like a "Christina Clancy book." Thanks so much for writing!
Christina Clancy
Hi Chris, thank you so much for your question and I'm so happy to hear that you are enjoying The Second Home!
It took me about six or seven years to complete the novel, but during that time I didn't work on it exclusively. I was a college professor and found that teaching and writing used different parts of my brain, so between semesters or over summer break I'd pick at the book. About four years ago I had enough material that I figured it was time to get serious about the story. This involved devoting more focused time to it and making major changes to the order it was told (the original draft went back and forth in time and I thought it made more sense to tell the story in chronology, aside from the prologue).
The plot came to me as I wrote, or on long walks when I'd try to think about what should happen next. Fortunately, the characters always felt very real to me, and they sometimes dictated the story, as crazy as that sounds.
I'm working on a new book now that might sound very different from The Second Home, but it is very character-driven and is also very concerned about our deep and sometimes troubled attachments to place.
My sincere thanks for reading my debut novel!
It took me about six or seven years to complete the novel, but during that time I didn't work on it exclusively. I was a college professor and found that teaching and writing used different parts of my brain, so between semesters or over summer break I'd pick at the book. About four years ago I had enough material that I figured it was time to get serious about the story. This involved devoting more focused time to it and making major changes to the order it was told (the original draft went back and forth in time and I thought it made more sense to tell the story in chronology, aside from the prologue).
The plot came to me as I wrote, or on long walks when I'd try to think about what should happen next. Fortunately, the characters always felt very real to me, and they sometimes dictated the story, as crazy as that sounds.
I'm working on a new book now that might sound very different from The Second Home, but it is very character-driven and is also very concerned about our deep and sometimes troubled attachments to place.
My sincere thanks for reading my debut novel!
Christina Clancy
My nickname when I worked at IBM (yes, I used to be a blue-suiter!) was "the idea hamster." I'm full of ideas and never really struggle with writer's block, although I do sometimes struggle to decide which ideas are worth writing about. It's best if a story presents a challenge, whether that involves researching something I don't already know about or entering uncomfortable emotional territory so that I can learn something about myself and how I think.
For me, generating ideas is the easy part. What's hard is mustering the discipline to sit still and take a deep dive into the material so that I can figure out why the idea matters to me, and ultimately connect with readers.
For me, generating ideas is the easy part. What's hard is mustering the discipline to sit still and take a deep dive into the material so that I can figure out why the idea matters to me, and ultimately connect with readers.
Christina Clancy
The best advice my writer friend Lauren Fox gave me when I told her I was going to meet my publisher was this: let them stuff books into your arms! I was like a kid in a candy store in the offices of St. Martin's Press. All the shelves are filled with galleys, ARCs and hard copies of books I want to read, many of which aren't even out yet. Now my TBR pile (To Be Read) is higher than ever, and I can't wait to dive into all the books they gave me. Here are the novels I grabbed. Sorry most of them aren't out yet, but that's what the goodreads "want to read" button is for.
- I've started reading THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY, a book by my "imprint sister" Natalie Jenner. Her book comes out a week before mine, in May, and it's about an unlikely group of people who, in the 1940's, visit the town of Chawton, where Jane Austen lived, and fight to preserve her legacy. I'm loving it so far! She renders the characters with such sensitivity and subtlety, and there's absolutely no doubt that the author has the Austen bonafides to write this novel.
I also snagged Therese Ann Fowler's book A Good Neighborhood, not only because I love her historical fiction and am eager to see this new direction she's taking, or because it's such a talked-about novel already, and it isn't even coming out until February. But also because one of my concentrations for my PhD is suburban literature, and if I could come back in another life, I'd become an urban planner. I just love all the messy dynamics of houses and neighbors, especially when they start behaving badly.
- Another book I keep hearing about -- and, good news, it's out now -- is Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center. Not only is it getting great reviews and lots of buzz, it also has a beautiful cover (can you tell I'm that wine buyer who picks bottles by the label design?). My grandfather was a Fire Chief in Denver, and I love stories set in firehouses.
- Another book that's out and super buzzy with over 32,000 ratings is Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuisten. I heard that all the people in the press were going crazy for this book in the early days of acquisition, and when that happens you know it's good, because publishing industry insiders read so many novels. I mean really, how do they read so much?
Another book that was on my summer reading list that I loved, and didn't pick up at the press, was Karen Dukess's The Last Book Party. I'd heard about the novel long before publication because it is set in Truro, the town next to Wellfleet, where my novel is set. I drove all the way from Madison to The Book Stall in Winnetka last July to attend Karen's reading. She was so kind and smart, and the book is a joy to read. I think I'll re-read it in January when I'm missing summer. If Karen comes to your town, I definitely encourage you to attend her reading.
- I've started reading THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY, a book by my "imprint sister" Natalie Jenner. Her book comes out a week before mine, in May, and it's about an unlikely group of people who, in the 1940's, visit the town of Chawton, where Jane Austen lived, and fight to preserve her legacy. I'm loving it so far! She renders the characters with such sensitivity and subtlety, and there's absolutely no doubt that the author has the Austen bonafides to write this novel.
I also snagged Therese Ann Fowler's book A Good Neighborhood, not only because I love her historical fiction and am eager to see this new direction she's taking, or because it's such a talked-about novel already, and it isn't even coming out until February. But also because one of my concentrations for my PhD is suburban literature, and if I could come back in another life, I'd become an urban planner. I just love all the messy dynamics of houses and neighbors, especially when they start behaving badly.
- Another book I keep hearing about -- and, good news, it's out now -- is Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center. Not only is it getting great reviews and lots of buzz, it also has a beautiful cover (can you tell I'm that wine buyer who picks bottles by the label design?). My grandfather was a Fire Chief in Denver, and I love stories set in firehouses.
- Another book that's out and super buzzy with over 32,000 ratings is Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuisten. I heard that all the people in the press were going crazy for this book in the early days of acquisition, and when that happens you know it's good, because publishing industry insiders read so many novels. I mean really, how do they read so much?
Another book that was on my summer reading list that I loved, and didn't pick up at the press, was Karen Dukess's The Last Book Party. I'd heard about the novel long before publication because it is set in Truro, the town next to Wellfleet, where my novel is set. I drove all the way from Madison to The Book Stall in Winnetka last July to attend Karen's reading. She was so kind and smart, and the book is a joy to read. I think I'll re-read it in January when I'm missing summer. If Karen comes to your town, I definitely encourage you to attend her reading.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more