Cornerstone Books will welcome debut author Juliette Fay and her book Shelter Me on Saturday January 31st at 1pm.  Shelter Me, the story of young widow Janie LaMarche’s first year without her husband, a January IndieNext pick, has been called “wise and inspirational” by Publishers Weekly.  Juliette talked to Cornerstone about her book and her experience as a new author.  Come hear more on the 31st!

Everyone’s heard the old saw “Write what you know”.  What did you know about Janie LaMarche and her life?

When I started writing, I really didn’t know that much about her, other than that she was in a mighty fury about this turn in her life. I started with just that feeling, of being ripped off and cut to the bone, and how that might manifest itself. I could feel how every little thing irritated her, as if her skin had evaporated and all of her nerves were inflamed and exposed. It’s how I imagine I might feel if I were in the same situation — so in terms of writing what I know, I knew her right from the get go.

This is either one of the funniest sad books I have ever read, or one of the saddest funny books.  Although, “sad” isn’t really accurate, as it’s also filled with such joy…perhaps “touching” or “tender” would be more accurate.  How hard was it to keep that balance while you were writing?  Did you find yourself getting pulled or stuck in one direction more than the other?

What a great description, and such a compliment! I did do a lot of dancing back and forth between pain and humor, though there wasn’t so much a conscious effort to say, “Oh, we’re getting a little too sad here, let’s inject something sweet or funny.” It came fairly naturally for me because I do believe that life is full of setbacks, and that no one can possibly avoid them, but that funny, sweet, endearing, hilarious things happen every day. You can always find a minor miracle if you look for one.

Your characters are so very real and recognizable, yet are also often quirky individuals.  How do you approach writing character?

I approach my characters from the inside out, almost like an actor would. I get inside them and wander around and see how it feels to be them. This makes me very sympathetic to them — there isn’t a character I don’t love, although I may not like their behavior very much. Father Gilroy, the cantankerous old priest, is one of my favorites — completely unlikeable, but I appreciate him nonetheless. As for idiosyncrasies, the world is so full of them it’s like going to a quirk smorgasbord every time you open your eyes in the morning! Again, it’s just a matter of looking for them and taking note of the more interesting ones.

Shelter Me is your debut novel…was there anything that surprised you in writing or publishing the book?

Everything surprised me! I feel like Alice in Wonderland! When I first started writing, I didn’t have any idea of how similar it would feel to falling in love, thinking about my characters all the time, and being anxious to be with them. And though there have been some setbacks along the way, I can still barely believe that an agent loved the book enough to take it on, and that she could get it sold so quickly, and now here I am in the wild, wild world of publishing, where I’m still learning the language and customs, but am enjoying it immensely. I feel utterly grateful, especially with things being so tough in the industry.

What are you currently reading?  What was your favorite book of last year?

I am just starting Love Walked In by Marissa De Los Santos, having already read the sequel, Belong to Me, last summer. I’m really looking forward to it because Belong to Me was so rich and interesting. At the moment, my favorite book of all time is Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. A brilliant, deep, gift of a novel. But I also like lighter, kookier stuff too, like Why I’m Like This by Cynthia Kaplan.

Beth