Q & A with Michelle Hoover, author of The Quickening discussion

Any questions or comment you have for me about The Quickening. Feel free too to ask questions and reply to each other's ideas. Hopefully I won't be the only one talking here. Once you release a book, it becomes everyone's project.

I really enjoyed your book it was dark and beautifully written and had a gothic feel to it. I am from North Dakota so in my mind that is where this book took place but did you have a certain state in mind when you wrote it?

I actually didn't want to name a specific location. I think sometimes writers borrow place names to act as setting without making that setting come to life. Basically, they rely too much on the place name, and of course, that choice falls flat if a reader doesn't know the name. In my mind, the book takes place in central Iowa, even though my great-grandmother, whose journal I used in part as inspiration, had her farm in southern Iowa (different landscape). But I love that it takes place in ND for you, Susie. That's exactly the kind of reading I intended.

I introduced your book today to our writing group and we are going to be reading it for our Sept. monthly pick. There is about 10 of us ladies in our group. We ordered 6 books from B & Noble and the others one's get their books online.

Do you have any questions for book groups?

My publisher decided not to post them on the website because they didn't think book groups used them. I've just emailed them after your message to say they might want to rethink. The Q&A on my website and Amazon might be interesting to you. There's a much longer Q&A at http://beyondthemargins.com/2010/08/a.... I'm also open for phone calls and Skype if you want to one-on-one time with the author. Just let me know. Sorry I can't provide you a better answer right now.

Well, our group gets off track too much if we don't have some questions about the book for us to answer. If we have questions about characters, etc. we can get everyone refocused. Hope that makes sense. Anyway, I'll check out your url, but we'd like questions on the book. Also, I will bring it to their attention about a phone call. That would be wonderful. We've had two authors call in to talk to our group and they loved it. We can't use skype but they can set up for a phone call. We meet on Monday mornings around 9:30 am. So a call around 10 am would be a good time. The last two times we had authors call in we took a photo of the group holding the book and sent it by email to the authors, which you would be welcome to use on your website or whatever. I'm so thrilled they are doing your book. I already have mine but haven't started it yet.

I'll keep pushing my publisher for questions. When I'm done traveling, I might be able to just make some up on my own. The phone call is definitely doable in any case, so just let me know what Monday morning in September you'd like that to happen.

Barb--and any other book group groupies--my publisher has now posted a reading group guide! You can find it at www.otherpress.com/reading-group-guid...

Thanks so much Michelle, this will help keep our group on track.

Wow Michelle! It's hard to put this book down once you start. I was slow starting and had to re-read the first few pages. I just couldn't let it sink in at first. But once I started I can't put it down. I only have about 70 pages yet to go and I only started it this morning.

Michelle, I am starting The Quickening today. Hope I finsih while Q & A session is still running.
Best wishes!
Holly Weiss

Great Holly! I can keep the group going, no problem.

I am already engrossed after one chapter.

You write beautifully, Michelle. I long for symbolism in a book. Mary learning to play "piano" on a board with no music seems to foreshadow what I anticipate learning about living on a barren, isolated prairie.

Michelle, I got sidetracked reading about your grandmother on your blog. Fascinating stuff! Forget the reviewer that said something about the characters not exploding emotionally. Your response, "In a contemporary world where women are required to play the emotional outlet, how does a writer express a different kind of female temperament, an older kind that prefers patience and restraint, private suffering and public strength? Are such women to be considered stunted or resilient?"

Right on target. I have had a similar criticism of my main character in Crestmont. (Also 1920s) Are we so comfortable with how we as women function in society now that we can't handle how different it was for our grandmothers?
Best,
Holly

Michelle, Our book group is now discussing your book, I have a question... Eddy is talking to her grandson isn't she throughout the book when we hear her talking or writing to someone, is this right? Some of our book group was confused by this. Isn't her grandson from her daughter? I think she loses her son later on, is this correct? If not, I may have to go back and reread.

P.S. Michelle, Just wondering if you could call in to our group this month? We meet on Mondays and a good time would be 10 am. Please let me know which Monday would work for you either Sept. 20th or Sept. 27th? We meet at our local Barnes & Noble so I'd need to know which one works for you so I can get them to set up a conference call. Also, I will get you the phone number and pm message it to you.

Great comment, Holly. I do think that kind of restraint is sometimes considered cold and unfeminine these days. It's too bad. It'll be interesting to see you wrangle with the same issue in Crestmont. I do think such characters made for some difficult scene writing, but I still wanted to represent them. It just required more subtlety I guess.

Our book group wants you to call in on this Monday at 10 am. Contact me and I'll give you the number. Thanks.

Michelle, Thanks so much for calling in our group. I have a picture and will email it to you later. I will explain more later about thoughts, etc. of the group. It was wonderful for you to have taken the time.

Thank you Barb!