Romance Novelist Gives Readers Recipes Used in Gripping Story
Interview conducted by Irene Watson Managing Editor of Reader Views with Jane Marie Malcolm, author of "The Goodbye Lie."
Irene: “The Goodbye Lie” is your first installment of a historical series set on Florida’s Amelia Island. Please give us an overview of this romance novel.
Jane Marie: Eighteen-year-old Breelan Dunnigan and her cousin decide they need one last adventure before they marry husbands they have yet to meet. Under the watchful eye of an attractive ship’s captain, they sail to New York City to visit family. With her cousin’s innocent encouragement, Breelan makes some serious choices, which follow her home to Amelia Island. The consequences are dramatic and very deadly.
Irene: What inspired you to write “The Goodbye Lie”?
Jane Marie: I never had any intention of becoming a writer until I found out my husband was going to be transferred from Amelia Island. I knew I'd be desperately homesick, so I began thinking how writing a book about the island would be a great way to remember the place.
Irene: Please tell our reading audience how you came up with the characters, and did you model them after any particular people that you know?
Jane Marie: Before I could put pencil to paper, a fisherman selling his catch walked into the store where I was working. He was wearing a yellow slicker, had craggy skin, auburn curls any woman would envy, and powder blue eyes, the color of a husky dog. When he left, I realized I had the first character for “The Goodbye Lie.” I named him Catfish.
I can tell you that the matriarch in “The Goodbye Lie,” Miss Ella, is based on my wonderful mother. She prizes her family above all else. She's a strong woman, able to endure when those around her shatter.
Irene: Does your mother know that you based one of the characters after her? If she does, what is her reaction?
Jane Marie: No. My mother passed away long before I ever thought about writing "The Goodbye Lie." The book is dedicated to my father, so he knows, and is very pleased and proud. He sees shades of his wife in Miss Ella.
Irene: Quite often a writer will put some of their own personality into the character. Is there one in particular that alludes to your own experiences?
Jane Marie: Breelan plays hand bells, has a cat, and writes like I do. I can be impetuous at times as is she, but Bree's recklessness mars her life, whereas I've been much more fortunate.
Irene: Readers can browse your website and find jewelry as well as recipes that relate to the story. Tell us more about the experience readers can have besides just reading your book.
Jane Marie: I am proud to have over 50 articles on our website, http://www.graciousjanemarie.com/ (my sister / partner gave me the title of gracious because I love times past when romance was disguised with a stolen glance or a brush of a hand on an arm), that tie into “The Goodbye Lie.” If you're reading the book and Grammy is serving her Coffee-Roasted Beef for Sunday dinner, the recipe is on site for you. Instructions for making a braided rug, church pew hankie doll, potato stamps, a tussie mussie, plus the history of joggling boards (also called courting boards), the Amelia Light (lighthouse), and Victorian theatre etiquette are just a few of the fun articles available for readers to continue the “Goodbye Lie” experience. I’m doing the same thing with the second book in the series, “Velvet Undertow,” which will be available in the late summer of 2006. Martha Bear™, the mascot and spokesbear for our site, makes a cameo appearance in each of the novels in the series. At RascallyReaders.com, Martha Bear and her critter friends star in my silly short stories designed to encourage family reading. As children listen to / read Martha's adventures, they learn simple lessons about the core values of home, family and friends.
“The Goodbye Lie” Jewelry Collection is designed and handmade by my sister, Nancy Kamp, to honor the women in the story from Breelan and cousin Nora to sister Carolena, Aunt Noreen, Aunt Coe, Miss Ella, and even Grammy and Peeper, the friendly-fussing grandmothers.
Irene: Are the recipes your own creation or some of your favorites?
Jane Marie: Deviled Eggs are from my mother, Roasted Chestnuts from my father, Ham & Bean Soup from my husband, the Coffee-Roasted Beef is a cowboy recipe from his aunt in New Mexico. I've culled recipes from all over and worked them into the story. I wanted everyday home cooking that people like me could and did prepare. The recipes bring life to the story because readers can actually make, eat and enjoy some of the same foods the characters do.
Irene: Gerri Smith, a reviewer for Reader Views commented, “You are saddened, thrilled, surprised and angered,” as she read the book. Obviously these emotions come up for most readers. Please tell us how you combine all the emotions into one plot in order to keep the readers turning pages.
Jane Marie: After the tornado in the opening scene, I introduce the large Dunnigan family as they go about their every day lives, squabbling, and laughing. My intention is to lull the reader into the easy living setting of a seaside town in 1882. The real adventure begins the first moment Breelan leaves the security of her little city. I want the reader to get angry at the foolish choices made, be saddened by the unexpected, be thrilled by the danger, and surprised by the conclusion.
Irene: How much and what research did you have to do for the story to happen in the late 1800s?
Jane Marie: I've always loved history, but I particularly enjoy the later 1800s. I took the classes offered at the Amelia Island Museum of History that focused on the town of Fernandina on Amelia Island. I learned, among other things, to look up at the interesting architectural elements of the still standing buildings down our Centre Street and around town. I incorporated some of actual people from the past into the story to add "fictional authenticity." I've spend countless hours doing what I love- discovering details of times gone by, to fill notebooks with lists of period social customs, activities, clothing, weather, politics of the time, food, etc. After the basic book was written, I went back and punched it up to add detail that turns a reader's black and white mental image to one bursting with textures and colors and the feeling that you're in the very parlor, the preverbal fly on the character's wall.
Irene: What is the difference between a historical romance novel and any other romance novel?
Jane Marie: In historical romance I have so much more to work with in regard to background material. Instead of the present day heroine going with a date to the hamburger stand and a movie where they might "make out," my historic heroine must prepare for the ball. This would include writing her r.s.v.p., choosing the perfect gown, tying her hair in rags to curl it, bathing not showering, a dusting of powder, all the proper layers of undergarments, donning her gown, gloves, and cape, being accompanied by a chaperone, filling out her dance card. All this, and she may only be touched by the gloved hand of her dance partner. The idea is to transport readers back in time so they, too, are fascinated by the lost glories of the past.
Irene: Do you have a particular romance novelist’s writing that you admire and why?
Jane Marie: I saw the movie, “Gone with the Wind,” when I was nine-years-old. That's when I fell in love with period romance, clothing and customs. I've been a "Windie" ever since and have a "Gone with the Wind" section on our website dedicated to Margaret Mitchell’s masterpiece. You can read about my unforgettable experiences of attending the 50th anniversary costume balls in Atlanta, Georgia to honor the release of the book in 1936 and the film in 1939.
Irene: Did writing “The Goodbye Lie” have a broader mission than just being a good romance novel? If so, what was your mission in writing it?
Jane Marie: I wanted to say that no matter your misdeeds, the love of family is forever.
Irene: This is the first of a series of historical novels. Are you planning to use the same characters throughout the series?
Jane Marie: Yes. I purposely gave the Dunnigan family four children, a mother, father, two grandmothers, and a pesky aunt and her family next door so I would have plenty of folks with which to work. Remember, there are generations, past and present, I haven't mentioned in the story so far. My series can go on indefinitely! All the novels in the series stand alone. You will be able to read them out of order if you want to.
Irene: When will your next novel be published?
Jane Marie. The target date is early August 2006.
Irene: Thank you Jane Marie. Is there anything else that you would like your reading audience to know about you or your book?
Jane Marie: Thank you, Irene. Frankly, I just wish I could meet all potential readers out there because I've been told my enthusiasm and sincere love for my imaginary characters gets most folks I talk to all fired up and anxious to enter the “Goodbye Lie” world. So, here is a warm welcome to all.
Irene Watson is Managing Editor for Reader Views based in Austin, TX http://www.readerviews.com
