Critically acclaimed author and Atlanta native Susan Rebecca White joined us for an interview on Facebook last week, and wow! did we cover a lot of territory. This witty and warm writer can spin a yarn like nobody’s business, plumb the depths of the great human questions, and describe food that will make you feel starved even if you’re stuffed! It’s no wonder she’s a rising star in New South literature.
Read on to learn about Susan’s thoughts on writing plus the books Susan loves, the quirky facts she’s uncovered about Atlanta, and what she’s looking forward to most at the Decatur Book Festival.
DBF: Hello Susan, Thanks for joining us this week! 2010 has seen you coast to coast with your book tour for A Soft Place to Land, the story of two sisters whose relationship is defined by tragedy in their childhood.
Since you’re a hometown girl and back in town working on your third novel, let’s start with talking about Atlanta. In A Soft Place to Land and Bound South it features as the backdrop for the story. What have you discovered about Atlanta–both the actual city and your perspective on the city–in writing about it? Will we see Atlanta in your new novel?
Susan Rebecca White: Hi DBF! So excited to be doing this with you, and so excited about the upcoming festival. And super, super excited that at the festival I’m speaking with the ever lovely Joshilyn Jackson about the importance of place in fiction. (1:15–2pm Sunday, Decatur High School.)
I consider myself a character driven writer, meaning my job when writing a book is to figure out the ins and outs of my characters’ lives and psyches, and then allow that knowledge to dictate the twists and turns of the story. But I suppose I’m also a place-driven author, as Atlanta pretty much serves as a character in my first novel, BOUND SOUTH. (And somewhat so in SOFT PLACE, too.)
From the time I was a one-year old baby until I left for college at 18, I lived in the same house in Atlanta, in Buckhead, attending private schools from pre-K thru senior year. Consequently I got to know a very specific world with its own rites and rituals. (“Curious cultural ritual” a California reviewer once wrote…) As most kids do, I assumed that the world I grew up in was representative of the larger world: that everyone lived in big houses furnished with antiques where the mommies drove carpool and made dinners of chicken plus two vegetables while the daddies left for The Office every weekday morning, dressed in suit and tie, to do work that was both important and mysterious.
For the most part, the mommies and daddies in the big houses were white, and the ladies who cleaned the houses were black. In school we learned about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. I was rightly taught to be horrified by the legacy of racism in the South, but it wasn’t until much later that I thought to question why our private school class was made up almost exclusively of kids who looked like me. (Nor did I think to question why grown men spoke of Varsity chilidogs with religious fervor, or why my mother neither drove on the highway nor pumped her own gas.)
Part of my quest as a writer has been to make sense of the world that I come from, the world that in so many ways was nurturing, but was also a world where image meant everything, and where certain questions were not to be asked. There were a lot of beautiful exteriors covering much more messy and complicated interiors. In my writing I started asking the questions: What is the cost (psychic and actual) of keeping those beautiful houses running? And who really does the work to keep the toilets cleaned and the grass mowed? What pressures did the daddies going to The Office feel? What pressures did their children feel?
The question of how to live so that “your insides match your outsides” is not specific to the South, but I think that the South–at least the privileged world that I was raised in–struggles mightily with this issue.
I have a tendency to go on and on, so I’m going to change the direction of my answer just slightly and answer with a couple of bullet points about what specifically I learned about Atlanta by writing Bound South and A Soft Place to Land:
1) Oakland Cemetery is full, but if you want to be buried there you can sometimes find a plot for sell on E-bay.
2) If you call the World of Coca-Cola and ask for a list of the tropical flavors that Coca-Cola produces, a very friendly women will list them all for you, as if she has just been sitting around waiting for your call.
3) When using the nickname “Co-Cola” for Coke, you still capitalize. (Thanks NY copyeditor!)?4) New York copy editors will insist that you spell cornbread as two words: corn bread. But you have God on your side and you will prevail. (Joke, joke, but you will prevail!)
5)Religion is more a part of day-to-day life in the South than it is anywhere else in the US.
6) Atlantans are very loyal to their local institutions: Coke, Krispy Kreme, and the Varsity.
7) There are many, many Louise Parkers out there.
8 ) All Saints Episcopal church has seven stained glass windows designed by Tiffany Studios.
9) Contrary to popular belief, Southern women often become less conventional as they get older.
10) Even in 2010, there are still eccentrics in the South. Thank God.
Reader: Susan, I loved Bound South but was left wondering….will Louise come back and tell us what happens when she delves into whether she has a tie to Missy? And how do you suggest “wannabe” writers etch out time to write between work and family?
Susan Rebecca White: ??About Louise and her family’s connection to Missy: In my mind they are related, though I think there’s ambivalence in the text. But my sense is that Louise is going to back very slowly away from the familial tie, because she is not sure how involved she wants to be with Missy and her mama. That is probably not the world’s most generous response, but I think it’s pretty human. And I did want to show by the end of the book that though Missy is going to have a tough, tough, road, she has also developed deeper inner resources, and a deeper connection to the family that actually stuck around. Her daddy bolted, and the Parkers–to a certain extent–never really brought much but trouble to the Meadows, but R.D. and Mama are solid, and they are going to stay in the trenches with Missy and help her raise that baby.
It is sooo hard to get in writing time between work and family! If you want to write, however, you have to make it a priority. First thing: Unplug from the internet. (Oh the irony that I’m writing that advice in this format!) What I would do is set a goal for yourself. Decide to write 1,000 words a day 5 times a week and then stick to it. It doesn’t matter if what you write is bad. It will get better once you go back and edit. But just get in the habit of sitting down and creating a story on the page. Writing does require that other things are sacrificed, however. Maybe start feeding your family Chick-fil-A more often for dinner? ?;)
DBF: In A Soft Place to Land, the story is mostly told from Ruthie’s perspective. How did you decide to use her voice more than or over Julia’s.
Susan Rebecca White: In answer to your question about choosing to write from Ruthie’s perspective rather than Julia’s, gosh, I don’t know if I ever consciously chose that or not. The story just seemed to me to be Ruthie’s from the very beginning. But you know what else it was? Ruthie was more guarded, more self-protective, put up more of a wall around herself, whereas Julia was more out there, more forthcoming. You see that in the excerpts from Julia’s memoir. So with Ruthie, the question was, how can I show who this guarded girl is when she probably wouldn’t be “spilling” her troubles to people who happened to have picked up “her” book? The third person worked really well for me for this particular character. I stuck very close to Ruthie’s point of view, so you could see what she was perceiving, but she never actually introduces herself and says, “Hi I’m Ruthie and boy do I have a story to tell you.” She’s way more private than that, and yet, if you observe her closely, she will reveal her secret self, almost inadvertently. Even though Julia was dealt a bad hand after her parents died, I wasn’t as worried about her ultimately. I knew she would survive. I knew her writing would get her through. It was Ruthie I needed to follow.
Jessica Handler: Are you a list-keeper for research for your books, or what’s your favorite method of keeping up with great stuff, or deciding what you need to know?
Susan Rebecca White: Jessica: you helped remind me to use my old diaries and journals as “research” into the mind of my younger self. Even though my books aren’t really autobiographical, it was still incredibly helpful to look back at my thoughts when I was 15 and 16 and 17 and see how I saw the world during those stages. ??Now to your question: I’m not a list-keeper for researcher. I think I need to be more organized about how I do research, honestly. Especially for my new book, which kinda sorta counts as historical fiction. Right now I’m just watching every movie I can from the 1950′s (when the new book takes place) and reading tons of books that were written then and looking at things like NY subway maps of that era. Actually, recently I found out that the New York transit system has a museum in Brooklyn Heights, so next time I’m up in NY I’ll visit that so I can know for sure what the inside of a subway car looked like in, say, 1957. But as you can probably tell by the way I’m answering this question, I’m quite rambling and discursive in the way I go about everything: from writing to research. I just follow a scent and see where it leads me, then follow another scent. At the end I try to clean it all up.
Reader: I am proud to know a writer who not only endured but prevailed in her quest to educate the world about cornbread–it is one word, not two. Next topic: Sugar in cornbread? I should hope not. Thanks for your writing and for your attention to detail in setting time and place.
Susan Rebecca White: Amen! And believe me, the struggle with the copy editors over that one was ongoing. They kept “correcting” it, and I kept having to go back and re-correct cornbread so it was spelled as God intended. Speaking of the intentions of God: I feel sure that the Divine One did not mean for there to be sugar in cornbread, and I am sure that no such bastardization exists in heaven.
I was on a road trip with my friend Todd Johnson and we stopped at a famous bbq place in AL (I won’t name it to protect the guilty) and there was SUGAR in the cornbread muffins. I couldn’t believe it. Really couldn’t. What I do believe in is cooking cornbread in a cast iron skillet, and before pouring in the batter melting a quarter cup of butter in there so the batter kind of fries in the butter as you pour it in.
YUM. Must go fix cornbread. Another southernism, eh? That you fix food as oppose to make it.
DBF: We recently asked our community members which books they love in honor of National Book Lovers Day (though, we’re not really sure if there is officially such a day. It was reported on the ’50s station, so we thought we’d go with it). ??Which books do you love? As a writer, what do you hope people love/appreciate in your work? Or rather, which of your loves drive your writing?
Susan Rebecca White: I think a 50′s station is a fairly reliable news source…;)
Favorite books:
ALL THE KING’S MEN (Robert Penn Warren): rocked my world when I was a wee 18 year old.
CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES (John Kennedy Toole): Makes me laugh out loud EVERY TIME I READ IT. Atlanta’s Theatrical Outfit, btw, is staging a production of it opening Aug. 12.
JAZZ (Toni Morrison): I love the line about how it’s good for grown people to whisper to each other under the covers.
SUPPER OF THE LAMB: bizarre-o cookbook/theology text that surprised and delighted me, and changed the way I cut onions forever.
ELLEN FOSTER & HUCK FINN: author Kaye Gibbons wrote ELLEN FOSTER in response to reading HUCK FINN. Really illuminating to read the two books side by side.
SOUTHERN FAMILY (Gail Godwin): massive ambitious book that tackles about a million themes really well.
THE TASTE OF COUNTRY COOKING (Edna Lewis): priceless recording of farm life in an autonomous community of freed slaves.
THE ART OF SIMPLE FOOD: Alice Water’s cookbook, detailed instruction, no-fail recipes, sound food philosophy.
THE HABIT OF BEING (Flannery O’Connor): collected letters of FO’C–she was so fierce and funny and stubborn and dedicated. Reading her letters really gives you insight into what she was up to while writing her stories.
A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND: excellent collection of Flannery O’Connor stories. Nobody does the short story better, with startling but inevitable endings.?collected
stories of JOHN CHEEVER: Mad Men on the page.
My love of food and cooking definitely drives my writing. Also, I’m just very interested in how damn complicated people are. How we rationalize our foolish decisions, how we want things that are bad for us, how we fake seeming happy…all of that stuff makes for interesting characters. I also just like to make things explode on the page: Let Caroline Parker get caught in flagrante with her theater teacher; let Missy steal Louise Parker’s bird; let Missy and Charles run off to Durham together; let Phil and Naomi’s plane crash; let Julia and Ruthie be split up; let Julia be sent to a pseudo Christian (in reality sadistic) rehab…
Joshilyn Jackson: Hey Susan! Looking forward to seeing you at Decatur…should be fun. Other than US, what sessions are you excited about? ??I want to hear Melanie Sumner. I LOVED her new book, GHOST OF MILAGRO CREEK. I have never read Lev Grossman, but I want to hear him and get a signed copy of his new book THE MAGICIANS—his stuff sounds fantastic and RIGHT up my alley. ??On Saturday, I kinda want to begin drinking inappropriately early and get a team for the scavenger hunt. ??My husband will bring the kids out as some of their faves— Ridley Pearson and Dr. Cuthbert Soup–are coming. Also my newly 13 year old son wants to go to the TEEN PANEL on VAMPIRES V/S WEREWOLVES. Very tough debate, that should be!
Susan Rebecca White: Hola Joshilyn!! Can’t wait to see you Sunday, and Saturday night, for the inappropriately early drinking before scavenger hunting…
Well, if I weren’t on a panel with you I’d be first in line to see you in action. For anyone reading this who hasn’t yet seen Joshilyn on stage, get you to the Decatur High School auditorium on Sunday, stat. Joshilyn’s theater background really comes through when she is doing book events: she’s funny and fresh and poignant and thoroughly entertaining. And she does not mumble and she has interesting things to say! Plus, her novels are sooooo good. Her first, Gods in Alabama, and her most recent, Backseat Saints, are told in concurrent time and work together as a pair in a really smart and satisfying way. They don’t have to be read together, but it’s kind of like reading Huck Finn and Ellen Foster together–adds to the experience of each to do so.
You know, I haven’t read Melanie Sumner’s new book yet but I’m so glad to have the recommendation. She’s published by Algonquin, yes? They put out such kickass novels. (And apologies if she’s published by someone else this time around–her novel is still kickass, I’m sure.) The very first time I was paid for my writing was when a story of mine was selected for Atlanta magazine’s summer fiction issue. And guess who else was in said issue? Melanie Sumner. So I feel she and I have a connection…
There are so many folks I’m looking forward to seeing at this year’s DBF. I’m probably most excited about seeing Marshall Chapman perform at Eddie’s Attic. Marshall is a self-described debutante gone bad, a six foot plus woman with big hair, pearls, and dirty jeans. She’s got a husky voice that sounds like she’s smoked a million cigarettes, and when she speaks you think she’s talking straight to you. She’s funny and irreverent and sexy and wild. Makes you feel like the world is full of possibility and heartache.
Also excited to hear my good buddy Jessica Handler’s panel on social networking. I’m interested in the topic, but also, Jessica has such a great “radio” voice, authoritative and melodic at the same time, I just enjoy listening to her. Patti Callahan Henry and Jack Riggs are doing a panel together, and I have a feeling Jack might be SINGING. Must check that out. I once had dinner with Joyce Maynard in San Francisco. She’s the author who went to live with J.D. Salinger when she was 19 and then later wrote a tell-all book about the experience. The folks from Theatrical Outfit who are adapting A Confederacy of Dunces are doing a panel. I’m interested in that. So many others: Natasha Trethewey, Rehta Grimsley Johnson, Emily Giffin, ALAN DEUTSCHMAN!!…
DBF: In your last reply you write that you “love to make things explode on the page.” In providing examples for explosions you use the word “let” followed by a character’s action or event: ” Let Caroline Parker get caught in flagrante with her theater teacher; let Phil and Naomi’s plane crash; let Julia and Ruthie be split up.”??What guides the “making” v. the” letting” in a story. Have you ever found yourself struggling for creative authority with your characters?
Susan Rebecca White: In terms of “letting” things happen to my characters, as opposed to “making” them happen—I guess “letting” implies a certain inevitability. If you let something happen to a character, it means that thing SHOULD happen. That the story calls for it, and the way the characters have been developed support it. If you “make” something happen, it can feel forced, like you can see the hands of the author cranking the story forward. You want the story to feel organic, natural, like you’ve let loose real people and are now watching what is to become of them. Also, letting implies that you are allowing real consequences to happen to your characters. You let them get hurt. You don’t protect them from real life, because otherwise, they won’t be real…
Alan Deutschmann: Hey Susan, would you like to tell everyone about the wonderful aromas wafting through our house at this moment from the local pastured grass-fed organic short ribs that I’ve been braising (and about the great sides you’ve been fixing)? And are you going to be done blogging in time to eat it with me, or can I help myself to an extra portion…
Susan Rebecca White: Your short ribs smell divine. A mix of sweet onions caramelizing and umami. Sides are stone ground grits and lady peas. Drink is beer. It would be a perfect evening had I not been bitten 10 dozen times by mosquitoes while sitting on the front porch reading Zora Neale Hurston’s MULES AND MEN.
Good Lord I’m southern.
Next up in our mini-interview series–Cassie Clare on Twitter!
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