Stages of Grace by Carey Heywood: Interview
Hello, everyone!
Welcome.
Please, find a seat and prepare to meet someone amazing.
I had the opportunity to interview Carey Heywood today as part of the blog tour for her new book: 'Stages of Grace'
She lives in Richmond Va with her husband, three children and nine pound attack Yorkie. Unabashedly silly, she spends her free time bonding with candy loving strangers on Twitter. (I love chocolate, so, yes, *ahem* add me to the list.) Right now she is probably eating Swedish fish. (And didn't invite us.)
Welcome to my humble blog, Carey!
-I was into the book from chapter! Because I know someone
who is going through the same thing Grace, the main character in your book,
went through. With that said, you must have experienced a bit of Denial to
write so vividly about it; or have done a hell of a lot of research. Keeping
that in mind, why write this book? What was the reason under the need to write?
I wrote this book because I could not get the idea of the
pain that comes from living within a dying relationship out of my mind. I've
personally experienced on different levels that feeling of "if I just do
this it will get better" feeling. In some situations it never does. I
wanted to write it real time, that yo-yo feeling of joy contrasting to the pain
of dashed hopes.
-The story takes place in Cleveland. I have been there a
couple of times, which, of course, helped me imagine many things and connect
with Grace in a different way. She lives with Jon, and is very confused about
her feelings, in some part due to his actions. As the writer, was it hard to
write/connect with Grace and her feelings?
I felt extremely in touch with Grace, almost as if she was
whispering in my ear.
(I love to write about those types of characters!)
-What was the biggest challenge you encountered, as a
writer, during or after writing Stages of Grace?
I had a picture in my head of how this book was going to
end. What I wrote ended up being totally different from that. It took me some
time to accept that.
(I do believe that happens to all of us writers. A challenge
for sure. Flavorful, though.)
-I know Grace goes to Florida and has some awesome
adventures. I have been there, too. He-he! Tell me, have you been there?
I have been to Florida a few times for my day job. Never got
to go to Disney or go see the mermaids though. :( The last time I went to
Florida I even had dinner on a boat which was funny because there is a similar
scene in the book so I got to compare what I wrote to the real thing. My real
life dinner ended differently. ;)
(I have tried to go to Disney twice when at Florida! Never
got to go. I will now cry in silence and share your sorrow…)
-This question might be burned, but, I will ask it anyway:
favorite scene?
I love the Jet Ski scene. I'm not sure why but I thought it
was super sexy!
(Keep note of this, those of you who haven’t read Stages of
Grace. There is SEXY!)
-If you could go back and change something in the book
(imagine you can't as of now), what would you change? If nothing, why?
I thought about adding something more about Jon. In the end
I'm at peace with it.
-How was the process of writing this book different (if at
all) from the others you've written?
From the get-go I knew I wanted this book split into five
sections versus traditional chapters. That was totally different from anything
I have ever written, structure-wise.
-Tell us, what new works can we expect from you in the
future? Writing anything new?
I've finished another novel that I hope to release this
summer called Him. I'm also working on a novel; I'm calling Better. I hope to
release this winter.
(Will keep an eye out for those!)
-I drove by Virginia once. How is the weather?
Crazy! It felt like we had the winter that would not end
this year! We do get four seasons and joke that the weather can a bit
indecisive during its transitions.
(Ha-ha! I must say that many of us say the same thing about
Ohio. Which, by the way, is currently very chilly after being hot. Bipolar
states, most certainly.)
-And just to make you suffer, as a last question, who is
your favorite character, and who is your least favorite?
You do not have to answer. But, if you do, I promise some
rum or fizzy water!
I want to say Grace but since I'm dating Ryan in my head…ah,
what were you saying? LOL!
My least favorite is Jon. I have zero respect for people who
choose to intimidate people they claim to love.
Amen to that!
I want rum!!! I have a feeling you saw my interview on
Rachel Walter's blog. ;) <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I’d like some rum as well! And yes, I did.
Now, let’s get some rum and accompany Captain Jack Sparrow
in one of his crazy adventures. HEY, who knows, we might get to see the mermaids
this time!
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog, Carey!
Now read more about Stages of Grace:
When facing death a mourning period is to be expected. But what if it's
not a person but a relationship that dies? Grace and her boyfriend Jon have
been together for three years. They live together and have shared many
beautiful memories. Those memories are what keep Grace from admitting Jon
has changed and is no longer the man she fell in love with.
Afraid of being alone and holding on to something that no longer exists
Grace is a shadow of her former self. Her daily objective is to hide her
pain from the world. Then, an unexpected letter sets off a whirlwind of
potential life changes. In life sometimes the hardest thing to do is let go.
Great interview, J. Luis! And Stages of Grace is a great read :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on it's release, Carey!