Today, I’m excited to welcome author Eleanor Brown to the blog. Eleanor’s novel THE WEIRD SISTERS was published on January 20, 2011. And exciting news! THE WEIRD SISTERS is currently number 15 on the NYT Bestseller List! Congrats Eleanor!
I haven’t had the chance to read this book yet, but you can bet that it is pretty high up on my TBR list. Onto the interview!
You’ve lived in many different places around the world (including my hometown, Philadelphia!). How have your experiences in these different places influenced your writing?
I just spent a lovely few days being snowed in just outside Philadelphia! I think the more experiences a writer has, the richer their writing becomes. Each place I’ve lived (and visited) has its own personality, which affects everything from the people who choose to live there to the kinds of events that take place. As someone fascinated by character in fiction, the breadth of personalities I’ve been exposed to and all the people I’ve met have made my own characters richer.
THE WEIRD SISTERS explores the relationship between sisters. What made you choose to write a novel about sisters?
As the youngest of three sisters, I’ve always been fascinated by birth order – how our role in our family shapes us as we grow up, and even into adulthood – and I knew I wanted to find a story to explore that in. Sisters are friendships magnified a thousandfold – all of the conflicts and emotions are so much more intense when they are held in a family, and I also find them interesting for that reason.
Tell us about your journey to publication.
I had a pretty typical journey to publication. I started out writing short stories, essays, and articles and getting those published. Then I moved on to novels and wrote some genuinely terrible novels that I didn’t show to anyone. And then I wrote a novel I loved, spent a year revising it, and began the query process to find an agent, who then started working on finding the book a publisher. I have some interesting posts online, one about writing those shorter pieces to build a resume, how I got an agent, and my query letter I sent to agents if you’d like to learn more.
In what ways have you and your publicist worked together to promote THE WEIRD SISTERS
I’m fortunate to have the incredible Publicity and Marketing teams at Penguin/Putnam behind the book. We started by working with literary tastemakers – book bloggers and bookstores, mostly – to build some pre-publication interest in the book. Then we moved on to more formal, mainstream media and appearances. One of the things writers should definitely not underestimate is the power of social media and connections – yes, Facebook and Twitter, but also doing guest posts on other people’s blogs and inviting them to visit yours! Writers and readers are really a community, and it’s a wonderful community to be part of!
What are you working on next?
I’m very superstitious about talking about works in progress, so I’ll just say I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about love, and marriage, and divorce, and how those things don’t always align the way you’d expect.
Thanks so much, Eleanor! THE WEIRD SISTERS is out now…check it out!
Great interview! The sister dynamic is definitely an intriguing one and something that confuses me to this day haha! I will have to add this to my TBR list 🙂
Terrific interview! I particularly enjoyed Eleanor’s book as I have no sisters and always wished that I did.
@Beth Hoffman, I do have a sister, so I’m hoping this will make the book all the more meaningful for me. Books about sisters are my favorite.
Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
I’ve heard great things about Eleanor’s book. This interview makes me want to start reading it right away.
Great interview, Jess! Eleanor seems like such a warm, genuine person. I’m halfway through The Weird Sisters now and am enjoying it just as much as I’d hoped to — it’s truly a great novel showcasing the love/hate relationships of sisters. Hope you get to pick it up soon!