STRING BRIDGE - the Interview

Welcome back for Part 2 of my STRING BRIDGE treats! On Monday, I posted my review of the book (link), and today we're chatting with Jessica Bell herself (link) about writing it, her path to publication, and how she gets inspired.

Let's get to it!

LTM: STRING BRIDGE deals with such difficult emotions and heavy situations. Yet it has lightness and hope at the same time. What gave you the idea for this story? And how long did you spend writing it?

Jessica Bell: I spent about five years writing it. It went through about seven different revisions. I don’t think there is one thing from the first draft that is in the final version, so regarding "getting the idea," it wasn’t like an idea just hit me and I started writing about it. It was gradual, and developed more and more with each revision.

The thing with this book is that I never really focused on plot. It was more about the characters and their emotions and their interactions with each other. This book is very much centered on the effect rather than the cause, so I think that’s why the emotions are so full on. Also, I’m a very emotional person, so I couldn’t really help but put them on the page.

LTM: Melody's a musician, like you, and STRING BRIDGE has such a nice rhythm and musical feel in the way it unfolds and in the descriptions. Do you think being a musician helped you write it?

JB: Most definitely. I think sound is a very difficult thing to describe so it certainly helped me with that. I spent a long time trying to perfect those parts where music is illustrated. It was quite a challenge to be honest. But what helps, in general, is the fact that I thrive on making sentences with cadence. I love playing around with different words and sounds and seeing how differently they roll off my tongue. It’s just like singing without a melody. It’s writing to a tempo.

LTM: Tessa was one of my favorite characters. She's such a funny, cute little girl, and her reactions to her parents' behavior is so authentic. I know you have no kids, genius, so where did she come from?

JB: I think I created her to be the daughter I hope to have. Haha. I’ve worked with kids her age before in a few English schools here in Athens, so I drew a few observations from that experience. But mostly it was guess work. Thank you for the “genius” comment! Ha! You’ve made my day …

LTM: Serena was also a great character--the loyal best friend who comes right in and carries Melody through her hardest time. I have a Serena, so I was wondering if there's a Serena in your life? Who is it?

JB: I actually have three back home in Australia. Knock on wood they never have to help me like Serena helped Melody!

LTM: I really liked Alex despite his shortcomings. Your depiction of him trying to be modern and "equal rights" in spite of his upbringing and the paternalistic Greek society in which they live was perfect. (Confession: I did not think Alex was acting Greek; I felt he was acting Male.) How'd you approach that dynamic?

JB: Yes, I think I would have to agree with you on his attributes being primarily “male.” Hahaha. Sorry, guys …  But (and I’m totally generalizing here) I think Greek men are nurtured to the extreme when they’re young, and remain dependent on their mothers for quite a long time, which I suppose creates a quality in them in which they crave being ‘looked after,’ and/or maintaining traditional, even out-of-date, views and values primarily because it’s what they grew up with and trust to be ‘the way’ to behave. This is a total generalization and is by no means a definition of the Greek man. It’s just my surface interpretation, mixed in with having known a few men that were quite patriarchal. And I must add, not all of them were Greek. Sorry, I’m rambling here ...

In answer to your question, I wanted to make sure I didn’t create a clichéd Greek man, and so decided to make Alex a little more ‘new wave,’ so to speak, regarding his attitude to male/female egalitarianism. But at the same time, those patriarchal attributes still needed to be ingrained in him. Basically I needed him to want to be all pro equal rights, but when things got difficult, to not be able to control letting the traditions he grew up with override his desire to ignore them.

LTM: I told you reading STRING BRIDGE kept making me think of the Margaret Atwood book CAT'S EYE. The stories aren't similar, but your writing style is a lot like hers--gritty and authentic. Was there a particular book, song, or movie that influenced you into STRING BRIDGE?

JB: Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors, so I’m not surprised her style has rubbed off on me. I’ve pretty much read every single book of hers. But no, there isn’t a particular anything that influenced me into writing String Bridge. I really just wanted to write “art.” To be true to myself, to write the way I’m most comfortable with and flow with it. I love reading books that go beyond telling a story. So I guess that’s my primary influence: writing that delves deeper than plot.

Now for some business questions!

LTM: You published STRING BRIDGE through a small, independent publisher (Lucky Press). What led you to that decision? Are you happy about it? Can you tell us a little about that journey and what it was like?

JB: This is a whole other blog post. Luckily, for those who are interested, I’ve already written one about it! Here's the (link).

LTM: Finally, what's next for you? Any advice to other writers out there at any stage of the game?

JB: My next novel is called, Bitter Like Orange Peel. It’s about a twenty-five year old Australian archaeology undergraduate named Kit, who doesn’t like to get her hands dirty. She feels misplaced and comes to the conclusion that meeting her father, Roger, will make some sense of her life, despite him being worth the rotting orange rind in her backyard. Well, at least that’s what she’s been conditioned to think of him by the three women in her life: Ailish, her mother—an English literature professor who communicates in quotes and clichés, and who still hasn’t learned how to express emotion on her face; Ivy, her half-sister—a depressed professional archaeologist, with a slight case of nymphomania, who fled to America after a divorce to become a waitress; and Eleanor, Ivy’s mother—a pediatric surgeon who embellishes her feelings with medical jargon, and who named her daughter after intravenous. Against all three women’s wishes, Kit decides to find Roger, but in doing so, discovers he is not the only rotten fruit.

My advice for debut authors: Learn the rules until you can recite them by heart. Then learn how to break them without people noticing. And ultimately, trust your instincts. I learned that one the hard way. I spent five years trying to write like other people were telling me to write until Janice came along. She encouraged me to be true to myself. Being true to myself is what got me published.

Rock on! Thanks, Jessica! And now you're wondering how to get it? Glad you asked:

eBook
Amazon.com (link)
Amazon UK (link)

Paperback
Amazon.com (link)
Amazon UK (link)
Barnes & Noble (link)

Jessica also created a soundtrack for the book, Melody Hill: On the Other Side, which contains her own original songs and an original song written by Jessica's mother.

It's diverse and interesting, and worth checking out. Although I'd say do it after you read the book. It might spoil the story!



Soundtrack
iTunes (link)
Amazon.com (link)
Amazon UK (link)

Enjoy the book; enjoy Jessica's lovely singing voice; and have a super weekend, reader- and writer-friends! (Geaux, Tigers!) Til Monday~ <3