INTERVIEW 5- KIRTIDA GAUTAM INTERVIEWS KAREN FORTUNATI

INTERVIEW 5

KIRTIDA GAUTAM INTERVIEWS 

KAREN FORTUNATI

Karen Fortunati is a writer of contemporary, realistic YA. The subject of her  first book, The Weight of Zero, is mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, and it explores the shame, stigma and anxiety that often complicate the management of this chronic condition. 

Her path to writing and publication was a long and indirect one. She graduated from the University of Scranton with an accounting degree  and then got a law degree from Georgetown. After working as a lawyer for many years, she found herself growing interested and then fascinated with history, specifically the American Revolution. This fascination sparked the idea for a middle grade story so between family, dogs and a return to school (Trinity College for a master’s degree in American Studies), she threw herself into writing.

Thanks Karen for taking out time to answer the questions for this interview. As a clinical psychologist, I am eager to read The Weight of Zero. I hope the book reaches in the hands of people who fight the neurotic demon named Bipolar Disorder. I applaud you for writing a novel on this important topic. 

  

What was the one thing that made you want to write The Weight of Zero?

The Weight of Zero is a young adult novel about a girl considering suicide. Two factors drove me to this story. The first was a collection of personal experiences – observing family and friends deal with mental health issues and treatment. It’s interesting in that I never realized how much these experiences impacted me until I sat down to write this story. The second factor is my husband. He’s been a child psychiatrist for sixteen years and through him, I’ve learned about different mental illnesses and courses of treatment. For this story, I wanted to lift the veil and explore that process – get into the nitty gritty of medications, group and individual therapy and different types of support. I aimed for a respectful and honest approach because I know that treatment can work. In young adult literature, some portrayals of treatment are negative. My goal was to give a positive perspective so that someone who would have never considered talking to someone about a mental health issue might do so now.

What is the theme of The Weight of Zero?

There is always hope.

Tell the readers more about the protagonist. What does she seek?

Seventeen-year-old Catherine has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has made one suicide attempt. When you meet her, she is convinced that a life with this condition isn’t worth living. She’s planning to overdose and is stockpiling meds to take when her depression (aka “Zero”) returns. But changes in her treatment  - a new doctor who prescribes a new med and a new Intensive Outpatient Program – are making a surprising and positive impact. Brand new relationships start to develop with people Catherine could’ve never imagined. So the main issue then becomes whether Catherine can realize that life with bipolar disorder is worth living.

What research you needed to write The Weight Of Zero? Which are the books that helped you the most?  

I read constantly, scouring the Internet for information, personal accounts and blogs. The International Bipolar Foundation presents excellent webinars and publishes the fantastic bp Magazine. I was incredibly moved by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison’s An Unquiet Mind. I also found Two Bipolar Chick’s Guide to Survival: Tips for Living With Bipolar Disorder by Wendy K. Williamson and Honora Rose enormously helpful.  My husband, though, was my best resource! Not only did he give technical advice but was also great at editing.

What was the most satisfying moment of your writing career? 

Two moments tie for most satisfying: the first was when my agent, Sara Megibow, offered me representation and the second, learning that The Weight of Zero was going to be published by Delacorte. When I finally got an agent, I had been writing for about six years, mostly on my first full novel, a middle grade manuscript that had gotten soundly rejected. So when Sara’s email arrived offering representation, I remember staring at it, stunned that it had actually happened, that an agent wanted to take me on. When you get rejected so many times, it feels like that day is never going to come.

If you have to make a movie trailer of your writing career, what the trailer will look like?

This is a hard question…hmmmm. I guess it would be something like Julie and Julia. I loved how that movie showed what publication rejection feels like – when you invest years into writing and it seems to never pan out and then suddenly (six years for me), it does.

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Kirtida Gautam is a clinical psychologist and an author. Follow her on Twitter @KirtidaGautam  

INTERVIEW 4- KIRTIDA GAUTAM INTEVIEWS ANNE GOODWIN

INTERVIEW 4

KIRTIDA GAUTAM INTERVIEWS 

ANNE GOODWIN

Anne Goodwin’s debut novel, Sugar and Snails, is about a woman who has kept her past identity a secret for thirty years. It was published in July 2015 by Inspired Quill. Her second novel, Underneath is about a man who keeps a woman captive in his cellar, is scheduled for May 2017. Anne is also a book blogger and author of over 60 published short stories. If you’re in the UK, come and meet her at one of her author events. Alternatively you can connect via her website: annethology or on Twitter @Annecdotist.

Thank you very much Anne for taking out time to answer the Questions for Authorprenuer Blog and sharing your journey as an author with the readers. 

What makes the process of writing worthwhile for you?

I find the process of revision the most intrinsically rewarding: cutting out redundant words; finding a way of expressing something with greater clarity, subtlety or eloquence; and, even though my fiction is not plot-heavy, I love spreading clues, like a trail of breadcrumbs, to lead to the climax.However, I must admit my writing is also an addiction that won’t let me go, with origins in my love of reading and the dream of my own words giving a similar pleasure to others. The addiction is driven by a need to express the unexpressible and to tame the thoughts bubbling in my head. It’s maintained by the satisfaction of publication and from readers’ appreciation but, as with any addiction, the highs can leave me wanting more.

What was the most frustrating moment of your writing career?

The writer’s path is strewn with disappointments; how does one choose among so many? But it was certainly frustrating when, after she’d fallen in love with my novel, an agent’s assistant was unable to persuade her senior colleagues in the agency to take it on. Luckily, I was able to find a happy home for my novel with a publisher who accepts direct submissions. A little further along the path, however, I remember the shock when a bookseller informed me that, due to the discount required for a shop to stock it, my novel was priced too low; fortunately something the publisher was able to rectify.

What was the most satisfying moment of your writing career?

A string of moments connected with getting my first novel published: the generous quotes from the early readers; the excitement of publication day; and seeing friends and family actually enjoy themselves at my launch parties and queue up to buy signed copies of my book.

If you have to make a movie trailer of your writing career, what the trailer will look like?

What a fascinating question, although a tricky one for those of us who work with words rather than images. But I’m picturing a girl with a gag across her mouth sitting reading a book. The girl morphs into a young woman scribbling in an exercise book as if her life depends on it (maybe illustrated by that cliché gallows in the background or a ticking time-bomb)! Finally – because don’t we all love a happy ending – she’s older and greyer, but nevertheless radiant as she signs copies of her first book. Alternatively, in the arthouse version, it won’t finish there but will move back to her frantic scribbling, although she’s now quite old and frail, in a dark and shabby room while, through the window, we see “normal” people out in the sunshine getting on with real-life. On reflection, I think I’ll have the Disney version, please.

How much do you rely on personal emotions and memories to write your novels?

I like to read, and try to write, fiction that has emotional depth, so I’m drawing very much on my own emotional experience. I often use my memories of real places, and of houses especially, for my settings, although will happily play around with the details to suit the plot. The occasional episode from my own life can seep into the story, but generally I’m happier making things up. Yet, at an emotional level, much of my fiction could be read as a metaphor for my own personal story.

Would you like to research some vocations as possible jobs for a character?

The narrator of my next novel, Underneath, has worked in a rural school in South Africa, a dive centre in Belize, a car hire firm in Hong Kong and a cycle repair shop in Guatemala. I don’t think I have enough lifetimes to try all these, and I’ve lost the travelling bug, so maybe I’ll pass.

Tell me about some research information which you would never have known if you would not have written your book.

Another fascinating question, Kirtida. I’m a lazy researcher, and tend to write about topics I already know something about, just checking facts and details. However, I was rather thrown in the process of writing Sugar and Snails by the discovery, or rediscovery, that a law passed by parliament one year doesn’t come into operation until the next. Although this sounds pretty humdrum, it caused me some problems with the timeline until I was able to build it into the plot as a point of tension.

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Kirtida Gautam is a clinical psychologist and an author. Follow her on Twitter @KirtidaGautam  

If your book is like your child, then what is the role of other people associated with your book?

I often hear authors saying that, "my book is like my child." I don’t 

disagree. Of course it is. It’s their brain child and it’s as dear to them 

as their own child. Let us stick with this connotation and try to 

understand roles of some of the key people associated with books in 

relation to a mother and her child. 

Father of the child

So the first important role in a child's life after his/her mother is a role of 

a father. Father's typical role is to protect and provide. A Father helps his 

child to grow by providing financial support for his/her education, medical 

expenses, food, and means for a safe environment and a happy life. This 

is what a publisher does for a book. Indisputably it’s a writer who delivers 

it, but a publisher bears all the expenses of publishing, marketing, and 

everything that a book needs to grow. But there are millions of self-

published authors, who don’t have anyone supporting their work. They 

are like single parent raising their child all alone by bearing financial load 

and giving the required nurturing. They mostly have to become involved 

in all the steps required for a book to reach its potential height by making 

sure that their book gets established in the market and reaches to 

the hands of the readers. It’s no surprise that being a single parent is 

one hell of a difficult a job.

Your Gynecologist

Now what is the role of an editor? An editor is a gynecologist, who makes 

sure you deliver a healthy baby with minimum complications. I truly believe 

that writers should give their editors same respect that they would give to 

their gynecologist during pregnancy. The way only a mother feels a baby's 

movements when it is in her womb, but a doctor who performs a sonography 

has a clearer view of the child, an editor has a more objective and clear vision 

of a book. Just the way a doctor provides time to time medicine to keep your 

baby healthy, an editor gives you timely feedback to explain what is working 

in the favor of your book and what’s not. There is a professional term “Book 

Doctors” used widely these days for the developmental editors, who support 

the authors in the whole process of turning their draft manuscripts into a full 

grown professional book. If a doctor doesn’t perform his or her job with 

precision, you are bound to have complications in delivery. In reference to 

writers if an editor does a shabby job, you’ll face troubles in delivering a 

potentially successful book. 

Importance of a good Nanny

There is another important role these days for a mother’s and a child’s life. 

Think for a moment that you are a mother, who just gave birth to a tender 

newborn baby and you already have another baby conceived in your belly 

and also have planned the third baby that you want to conceive as soon as 

you deliver your second child...ohhh, that’s scary!  At least if you are a single 

mother having no support of your partner. Now think about a similar scenario 

in a life of a self published author. He/she has just published her first book, 

has started writing the second book and his/her mind is already wrangling 

with the idea of the third book. Just the way you cannot plan for another 

baby till your first child is grown up a little, especially if you don’t have a 

family support, you cannot focus on writing your second book if your first 

book is out there in the market and you know that you have to do all the 

marketing on your own to make sure your book is a success. Here comes 

the role of a nanny. She is not the mother and hence probably won’t feel 

the same emotions for the child, but as she spends more time with the child 

making sure the baby eats & sleeps in time, is cleaned properly, is engaged 

well in playing, she also gets attached with the child. In the world of books 

and publications that’s the job of a marketing and PR person. A marketing 

person supports the author in making his/her book a success by looking after 

all the tasks associated with marketing, creating readership, and engaging in 

social media campaigns of the book. If you have a strong support of your 

marketing person, you can give your brain child in his/her able hands and 

focus on writing your next book. If your marketing person is not efficient, 

you wouldn’t have time to write your next book as all your time will go into 

marketing your first book.

The more I am getting engaged with self published writers, trying to 

understand their issues and roadblocks, the more I understand and 

respect the role of an editor and marketing person for the book.I have 

made a humble effort for providing these two crucial services of editing 

and marketing to authors through my freelance service called 

"For Your Fiction". I am determined to take my duties as an editor and 

a marketing person seriously, because as a mother I know, if you have 

an amateur doctor and an inefficient nanny, how difficult your life would 

become.