Ask the Author: Helen Klein Ross
Answered Questions (9)
Helen Klein Ross
What a kind inquiry. Thank you, Maria. YES! I am finishing up a manuscript for another novel. This one begins in Germany in the 1930s, continues to 1950s NYC and into the present day, involving sisters and a baby who changes both of their lives.
Helen Klein Ross
Hi, Twyla. Thank you for bidding in the fundraiser. Sorry for delayed response. I just handed in the copyedited manuscript for THE LATECOMERS to be published Nov 6 and am delighted to let you know that you're in Chapter 60 as a wedding planner. Hope you like the book!
Helen Klein Ross
Thanks for this question. The short answer is two years. The long answer is twenty years because the book contains all the angst & discoveries & insights I acquired by raising two daughters in New York City. The book proceeded from my deep-seated fear that I would lose them, somehow, when they were babies. It seemed as if taking a baby would be easy to do. Sometimes in a crowded store or subway, I'd imagine how my daughters might be stolen, hoping that such thoughts would act as prevention. I guess it worked! They are in their late 20s now and have never been kidnapped.
Helen Klein Ross
Thanks for this question, Zoe. Not stupid at all! Someone Else's Child is not a sequel. It is the same book, retitled for UK audiences. The London publisher wanted a title that was a bit less "oblique." I'm glad you asked this and spared yourself (and perhaps others) the disappointment of buying a new book and seeing that you'd read it before. I am working on another novel which will be out in 2018. It's not a sequel, but you'll see similarities in it to "What Was Mine." Thanks so much for your read and your question.
Helen Klein Ross
Hi, Mary--thanks so much for reading What Was Mine. I'm working on my next one now. It's about a crime that takes place in an old house that stays in a family for generations. The crime is a family secret that everyone knows, but no one talks about...until someone talks. When the book
comes out depends on how fast I can finish it. Thanks for asking!
comes out depends on how fast I can finish it. Thanks for asking!
Helen Klein Ross
Fred, thank you so much for your generous read. I'm so glad the book connected with you. I'm also glad the end made you smile. You just returned the favor to me with your last sentence. Thanks so much for reading and for reaching out. One of the loveliest rewards of writing a book is hearing from people with whom the book resonates.
Helen Klein Ross
Thanks for reading the book, Susan! Seven children. Wow. Your sister has a big heart. The issue of who are "real" members of a family is something I'm very interested in, and partially propelled me to write the book. As you may have guessed from my story, I don't think that giving birth is the only way to become a mother. I have nieces and nephews, too, who came into the family through adoption and they are as much part of our family as their cousins are.
I did a lot of research into China, but part of the story is based on my own visits there. I started visiting China in 1982 when it opened to individual travelers. Every time I go, I marvel at how many changes there are.
Funny, your association of Ikea with this book. You're not alone, I guess. A friend called to say she'd given the book to her daughter to read and the next time her daughter needed to shop at Ikea, she asked her mother to babysit because she didn't want to take the baby inside. But as far as I know, no babies have ever been kidnapped from Ikea. The story is fiction!
Thanks for your read and your thoughtful input.
I did a lot of research into China, but part of the story is based on my own visits there. I started visiting China in 1982 when it opened to individual travelers. Every time I go, I marvel at how many changes there are.
Funny, your association of Ikea with this book. You're not alone, I guess. A friend called to say she'd given the book to her daughter to read and the next time her daughter needed to shop at Ikea, she asked her mother to babysit because she didn't want to take the baby inside. But as far as I know, no babies have ever been kidnapped from Ikea. The story is fiction!
Thanks for your read and your thoughtful input.
Helen Klein Ross
Thanks for reading the book and for liking it, Marissa. I'm glad you related to it, as a mother. Part of my writing the book was an exploration of motherhood--all the many ways there are to be a mother and to mother a child who isn't your biological offspring. (Although I hope I haven't made a case for kidnapping one!) I've already started my next novel which will also revolve around a crime committed by someone who doesn't consider herself a criminal. This time, the crime will be set in the 1800s. We've just renovated an old house in Connecticut and I've gained a lot of knowledge about old houses that I want to put to fictional use! Thank you for asking. And for your generous read.
Helen Klein Ross
That's the best "question" an author can get, Dena. Thank you for reading the book...and for liking it!
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