This interview by Brandi Megan Granett first appeared in the Huffington Post on August 30, 2016 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/root-petal-thorn-an-interview-with-ella-joy-olsen_us_57c590f0e4b004ff0420ba6c Ella Joy Olsen’s debut novel, Root, Petal, Thorn, explores how the history of a home and its many inhabitants overlap and reach through time to touch the heart of its current resident at a time in her life where she needs all the support she can get. You will find yourself captivated by how the different story lines throughout time weave together to the present day.
http://www.ellajoyolsen.com/ How does a woman with the middle name Joy write this beautiful line: “Understand there is a little sad in every story?” How did you come to this assessment? Do you agree with this point of view? I started writing Root, Petal, Thorn shortly after my sister died in a boating accident (she was overcome by Carbon Monoxide while swimming). One day she was fine and the next day she was gone. It was unfathomable. After her death, the one thing that comforted me, that let me know joy would return to my life, was realizing everyone carries a quiet sadness, something they may or may not disclose. In grief, you are never alone. As I wrote the stories of the five women who inhabit the hundred-year-old bungalow on Downington Avenue, I realized I gave each of them this, a secret grief, or a little sad in their story. As writers, we can label it “conflict” intended to keep the narrative active, but I prefer to think of it as the truth. In the novel, this conflict comes to my characters in many forms: from sending a child to war (like Eris), coping with a mental illness (like Lainey), or surviving the loss of a husband (like Ivy). But one thing all the women share - that we all share - is given enough time and love, joy can also be part of every story. I’m pretty sure that Bitsy’s story is my favorite; how did you decide which characters to weave in and which to follow more strongly? The modern day character, Ivy, is the one who weaves the stories of the four other women together. She’s the one searching for clues from past occupants and researching the house. I really wanted her to meet a one of the historic characters face-to-face, to hear the story of the house told in-person. So I gave her Bitsy. I’ve always wished someone who lived in my house decades ago would visit and tell me how things were, back in the day. I’m so glad you like Bitsy. She’s also one of my favorites! In the novel, Bitsy is a child who lives in the home during The Great Depression. It nearly breaks her to move away, but her father loses his job and the family is unable to pay the mortgage. Bitsy is an old woman when she finally meets Ivy. Together they search for an antique diary she kept as a child. Those youthful memories paint a vivid and, at times, heart-wrenching picture of Bitsy’s past. Root, Petal, Thorn is also a love story to a home. What makes a house a home in your case? How is that reflected in this novel? I probably shouldn’t say something cliché like, “Home is Where the Heart Is.” But actually it’s true. Not everyone lives in the same home for decades, not everyone owns their own home. Some folks have the white picket fence, or a mansion, or a downtown apartment. These places can all be homes, but they are not the definition of home. Home, to me, means sanctuary. It should be a place where you can be your truest self. Maybe that means eating ice cream out of the container and spending the day in a bathrobe. Or maybe that means safety from the overwhelming world, from mean people, and uncertain situations. Home in this sense is not a given, but it’s something we all strive for. No matter the appearance of the dwelling, we all want a place we can call home. In Root, Petal, Thorn each of the women finds a true home in the little brick bungalow. They are changed by the years lived within the walls, and in turn, the home is altered by each of them. What did you learn about writing from the process of creating Root, Petal, Thorn? If I answered this question completely this interview would fill the pages of an encyclopedia. How about I go for a best and worst? Best: Fellow authors are the best “co-workers” I’ve ever had. They are sponsoring, irreverent, smart, kind, and funny. And they totally understand the pleasure and pain of writing for a living. Worst: I’m not writing for a living. Meaning most authors will never make enough money to give up their day job. Many non-writer friends are aghast to learn I’m not sleeping under a quilt stitched of hundred dollar bills. I liken it being in a garage band. One or two of those bands will become the Beatles, but most will continue to play in the garage. A writer must love the process to persevere.
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Best part of George as Ella Joy Olsen’s writing partner: He doesn’t talk constantly and he’s super-soft
This interview originally appeared on HEA on August 30, 2016 Joyce: Welcome to HEA, Ella! Please tell us a bit about your new release,Root, Petal, Thorn. Ella: Root, Petal, Thorn is my debut and you could say the book of my heart. In the novel, five women (over the course of a century) each call the same historic bungalow in Salt Lake City, Utah, their home. The present-day character, Ivy Baygren, has recently lost her husband in an unexpected accident. Though heartbroken, she knows she can’t mourn forever, so she continues the home-improvement projects they started together. As she works, she discovers clues from past occupants hidden in the walls of her home. The loves and lives of five, very different, women entwine within the pages of the novel. As in real life, each of the five women faces challenges: from a young Mormon woman torn between her anti-polygamist beliefs and her heart, to the Greek immigrant during WWII who can’t bear to send her son to war, to the 1960s cover girl who suffers from bipolar. But in the midst of loss, there is always love. Joyce: What inspires your book ideas? Ella: This is my favorite question because Root, Petal, Thorn draws heavily from my own home, my neighborhood and my family history. The characters are entirely fictional (their lives are much more interesting than mine), but the story takes place in my neighborhood — a sweet historic suburb called Sugar House. Like my characters, I live in a century-old bungalow on a street lined with enormous ash trees. And, I’m not gonna lie, as with many old families in Salt Lake City, I have relatives who were polygamists. It’s fascinating history. Joyce: What do you do when you get stuck? Ella: I go for a hike. I live minutes away from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I find the rhythm of my feet hitting the earth helps to untangle tricky plot points. And it’s gorgeous. Plus, my dogs love it! Joyce: Would you like to share a favorite moment from your writing career? Ella: So far my biggest brag is that Root, Petal, Thorn earned 4.5 stars from RT Book Reviews and is a TOP PICK! Joyce: Congratulations! Do you have a pet that hangs out with you while you’re working? George. Who could resist those puppy-dog eyes? Ella: This little mutt, George, sits in my lap while I write (until my leg falls asleep and I have to set him back on the floor). Here’s the best part: He doesn’t talk constantly and he’s super soft. In this pic you can see how he sucks on an old blanket like a pacifier. He’s so freaking cute I even dedicated my book to him. Joyce: Awww. What would be your dream vacation? Ella: I’m crazy about cities — especially historic ones — so let’s say Paris. It would be sunny but not hot. I’d wear a fantastic scarf, skinny jeans and sunglasses like Jackie O. I’d nibble a baguette while pondering the history of a thousand years and the amazing people who have made Paris their home. Joyce: I don’t suppose you’d want to share a picture of you with your ’80s or ’90s hair or perhaps a prom picture? Ella Joy Olsen at her wedding 26 years ago. Ella: I’m going to include my big hair/pouf sleeve wedding picture because our marriage, well, that’s a real-life happily-ever-after story. Twenty-six years, baby! Joyce: Ha! Thanks for sharing! What are you working on now? Ella: I’m so glad you asked! I’m in the thick of book two, so I’ll reveal. The title is Where the Sweet Bird Sings, and it will publish about this time next year. It’s a companion (not a sequel) to Root, Petal, Thorn and is told by the great-granddaughter of one of the characters. Here’s the teaser: Though she has a loving husband, Emma Hazelton is adrift, struggling to rebuild her life after a tragedy. But one day, a simple question and an old black-and-white photograph prompt her to untangle the branches of her family tree, where she discovers a legacy of secrets. What connects us to one another? Is it shared history? Is it ancestry? Or is it love? Joyce: Thanks, Ella! This interview originally appeared on Women Writers, Women's Books on September 14, 2016
http://booksbywomen.org/qa-with-ella-joy-olsen/ Ella Joy Olsen is the debut author of ROOT, PETAL, THORN (Kensington, 2016) and two-time contributor to WWWB. Do not send your manuscript anywhere until you’ve read this piece: “Look Away. You Don’t Want To See This.” As I read it, I cringed, hung my head, and then thanked her. I might have related just a wee bit. Here she talks about insecurity in writing. Ella was born, raised, and currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah with her three children, two dogs, and husband. She spent nearly a decade on the Board of Directors for the Salt Lake City Public Library System (and four decades browsing the stacks). Though she’s crazy about words, Ella is also practical, so she graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Finance. Years later, Ella eagerly gave up her corner cubicle and started writing fiction. She has also lived in Seattle, Washington & Savannah, Georgia. She is a member of Tall Poppy Writers, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and what she believes to be the best book club ever: Salt Lake Bibliophiles. She is also one of September’s WWWB sponsors so we love her extra, extra much! Let’s start at the beginning. Where did you grow up? How did it impact the woman and writer you’ve become? I grew up in Salt Lake City about twenty minutes from where I live now. I was an only child until I was ten when my family adopted my little brother from Korea. Followed closely on the heels of the adoption, my mom had baby (another brother), and three years after that (when I was fifteen) I got a sister. I was still practically a kid, myself, when I got married (age nineteen) and my husband and I moved to Seattle for work/school. After years in Seattle and a brief stint in Savannah, I realized I wanted to come home. Once reunited, I fell in love with my hometown…and as a result, I wrote a couple of books based here. What were you like as a kid? A teen? As a kid, I read constantly. I would read while walking to school, I read ghost stories and romances to my friends at sleepovers, and on school nights when I was supposed to be sleeping I read by the light under the door. I’m proud to say I won most of the reading contests in elementary. As a teen, I was a little rebellious and made stupid decisions, just like all teens. It’s the reason having three teens of my own is such a nail-biter. I just want my children to make it to the other side without permanent damage. Favorite band? I tire of music rather quickly, so I tend to hop around. That means I’m not one of those nostalgic music listeners of ‘80s or ‘90s classics. I take that back, I can’t seem to get sick of the soundtrack from Hamilton. My kids wish I would, though, so I’d stop singing random phrases at them while they’re talking to me. My favorite line: “I am not throwing away my shot.” If you’re familiar with the musical, or with lazy teens, you’ll realize this is super applicable in many circumstances. Favorite food? Anything Mediterranean. Throw a few tomatoes, a little feta, a healthy dose of garlic, and Greek olives on dog food and I’d eat it. Hidden talent? I love to dance. And I’m awful. But sign me up for a Zumba class or take me to a concert and I’m bouncing. I’ve taken pole dancing (huge fail), and I’ve just signed up for a flamenco class with props – castanets and scarves. Where will I use these skills? Does it matter? ROOT, PETAL, THORN is not autobiographical but it does borrow from your personal experience. How so? It borrows from my life in so many ways that I’m a little worried readers will think everything in Root, Petal, Thorn is true. However, the characters are entirely fictional (their lives are much more interesting than mine). That said…the story does take place in my neighborhood, in a home very similar to mine (see following questions for even more detail). The house is old, a fixer-upper, so to speak. As my husband and I “fixed” it, we would always speculate about who made the changes we were busy removing or painting over. And then there were the odd things we’d find tucked into forgotten corners – old newspapers, handprints in concrete, a stray article of clothing. These types of discoveries, called Easter eggs, are what I gave to my modern day character, Ivy, allowing her to discover the women who lived in her home before she came along. ROOT, PETAL, THORN has several narrators. They are all very different people with very different struggles. (The interviewer’s personal favorites were the crotchety Greek mother and the older (feminist?) Mormon sister.) On top of that, they live at different times in history. Do you find writing multiple points-of-view challenging or freeing? How so? Same question for multiple eras? When I started writing this book I had no preconceived notion about what it would become. I had decided to teach myself to write and thought I’d start by describing something I knew: my house. I’d often wondered about the families who’d lived in my hundred-year-old home, so I started imagining. After a (long) time, I had four first person narratives. Basically, I’d written four historical fiction novels. Emmeline’s story, alone, was almost 100,000 words. Hers is currently one of five stories in Root, Petal, Thorn and is about 20,000 words…and that’s called killing your darlings. So, it wasn’t difficult while I was writing. I wasn’t thinking about the final product and I didn’t know what I was doing. The braiding and the editing…now that was tough. Thank goodness for Scrivner. I could have never done it without this tool! A certain rose bush connects all the stories and women who lived in the house. The protagonist, Ivy Baygren, digs through library records and follows coincidental clues to discover who the women who shared her home before her. Are you a gardener or history buff? If you weren’t before, are you now? What went into your research? I think most authors share their passions in the pages of any book they write. So, yes, I am a gardener and I have a rose garden. In that garden, I planted a start from a rose taken from my great-grandmother’s yard, which apparently came from her great-grandmother across the plains during one of the Mormon migrations to Utah. So now you know how the Emmeline Rose relates to my own life. I am also a history buff! I love old photos, especially of places that are familiar to me. I like to look for changes in the surroundings and I speculate about what was happening just outside the frame when the photo was taken. So Root, Petal, Thorn is an extension of the imagining I always do. It’s my in-my-head version of historical fiction. Did anything about how ROOT, PETAL, THORN turned out surprise you? Oh, almost everything. What was really surprising was how much each story morphed and changed from the original rough draft. I had a lot of learning to do. ROOT, PETAL, THORN is a gorgeous title with an equally gorgeous cover. What was that decision process like? Did you have a say in either? Root, Petal, Thorn has been named many things. I originally pitched it as The House of Brick and Thorn, which I still like. My agent and I worked together to come up with RPT, and it changed several times at the publishing house…but fortunately they came back to it. Regarding the cover, my editor asked me to present her with several images I liked. So I did and a month later they handed me a cover that looked nothing like anything I’d chosen. I was a little distraught, but the cover art has grown on me and now I ADORE it! Although I know my book is solidly women’s fiction, I tend to read quite a bit of literary fiction, so I wanted something I deemed more literary – a little more obscure, a little less photo image. Turns out, my publisher knew best. You have another book on the horizon, WHERE THE SWEET BIRD SINGS. What was it like to write a book under contract? During the query process for Root, Petal, Thorn I had major surgery and I couldn’t move around for about six weeks…which happened to fall during the month of November. So I thought I’d try NANOWRIMO. I nearly finished a book which I love (but haven’t shopped) during those weeks, so when I signed a contract for a second book, and they gave me a year to write it, I was pretty sure I could do it. That said, while writing Where the Sweet Bird Sings I didn’t indulgently follow any old whim regarding storyline and research. I set a daily word goal and put my butt in the chair. I finished the first draft in three months, and it was good I had some extra time to edit, because it sure needed it. Some authors’ works springs from a specific passion (e.g., motherhood, life and death decisions, ethical dilemmas). Is there a common theme between your first two books? Do you intend to explore it in a different variation in book three or are there other topics or genres that hold interest for you? Sweet Bird (as I call it) is a linked-book to Root, Petal, Thorn – meaning the two novels share one common character. It could be read as a stand-alone or the two books could be read in either order. And it is nothing like RPT. It is a contemporary women’s fiction with only one narrator. If I were to look for a common theme between the two books it would be: searching for secrets from the past. The main character in Sweet Bird does a bunch of ancestry and DNA research. Here is the official teaser for Where the Sweet Bird Sings: Though she has a loving husband, Emma Hazelton is adrift, struggling to rebuild her life after a tragedy. But one day, a simple question and an old black-and-white photograph prompt Emma to untangle the branches of her family tree, where she discovers a legacy of secrets. What connects us to another? Is it shared history? Is it ancestry? Or is it love? Regarding book number three: I have a few ideas churning…but nothing solid, and definitely nothing that I could assign a theme. Do you plot your books or write them from the seat of your pants? If you are a plotter, to what extent do you know what is going to happen? Definitely a pantser. Before I write, I have a general idea of where I “want” to go and maybe a scene or two in mind…but the rest happens as it happens. The cohesion occurs when I edit. I love the editing process. At the beginning it seems so daunting but then the pieces start to fit. It’s like putting together the world’s best jigsaw puzzle. You are a mother of children and pets, a wife, a writer, and undoubtedly more. How do you balance all of your roles? Do you have a set writing schedule? What does it look like? I do my very best writing immediately when I wake up. Coffee by my side, I put in two super-poppin’ hours. Unfortunately, when school is in session, the kids get up by 6:45 and I have to stop to make them breakfast. We all sit down for scrambled eggs so they aren’t starving by lunch time. Train of thought derailed, I try to get back on board once they leave for school. What is the most meaningful or helpful advice you’ve been given in your writing career? Anything you’d like to add to that for writers still climbing the publishing mountain? I think the most meaningful thing for me was finding my tribe. For most of the years I was writing and querying I felt like I was alone. I read the Query Tracker blog like it was the Bible…but it took some time to find interactive groups that were a fit: Women Writers, Women’s Books, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Tall Poppy Writers, and several others. Within these groups I’ve found cheerleaders, mentors, and friends. Advice for those still climbing the publishing mountain: Don’t turn back. And when in doubt, follow a friend who’s right in front of you (meaning they’ve just gone through the same thing). They are super generous with timely knowledge and support. Take their hand and let them pull you through the brush…but don’t forget to reach back and grab the buddy behind you. Thank you, Ella, so much dropping in. You are a beloved member of the WWWB family! We will continue to support and root for you forever more. Thank you, Peggy! I love your interviews and I’m so happy to be here! This originally appeared on SheReads blog on September 26, 2016
http://www.shereads.org/author-author-ella-joy-olsen-marybeth-whalen/ We’re delighted to feature our own Marybeth Whalen, along with Ella Joy Olsen, as they discuss their new books on the blog today. Today Marybeth interviews Ella. Marybeth: Adam’s death is a crushing loss to Ivy. Is there an image or motif in the book that you would say symbolizes or especially communicates the impact of that loss? Did you intend that when you began the story or did it emerge? Ella: This is a tricky question for me. While the enormity of Ivy’s sorrow at the sudden loss of her husband is justified, I consider Root, Petal, Thorn more a book about healing and moving beyond her overwhelming grief. So while she’s crushed, she doesn’t stay there for the whole of the novel. Motif…let’s see…working on their fixer-upper bungalow together is a shared passion for Ivy and Adam. But after his death she can’t bear to continue remodeling without him by her side. However, she knows she must be strong for her two children, and that means finishing up and putting away the tools. While getting her house in order, Ivy begins to uncover a variety clues from past occupants, from buried wine bottles to a half-finished embroidery sampler. It seems her home has a tale to tell. As she learns the stories of four other women who called her house a home, their stories of love and loss help Ivy accept she can go on without Adam. She’ll always remember him, but despite loss, she will survive. So I guess the motif of this sentiment is the home, itself. It’s a place with a deep past. One full of sorrow and joy. Marybeth: Which came first for you– the house and all its history or the main character and all her pain? Ella: This is an easy one. The house and history! I live in a hundred year old bungalow and throughout the years my husband and I have spent crazy time and money fixing it up, making it ours. While we worked we would find amazing things past owners had (purposefully or inadvertently) left behind. I won’t list them all here, but many of our discoveries made it into the novel. Though I’ve researched, I’ll never know exactly who walked across my same wood floors or looked out the same windows, but I love to imagine. So, when my youngest started school full-time, I decided to put pen to paper and write about the characters who’d taken up residence in my mind. And Root, Petal, Thornwas born. With that said, I started this novel shortly after my sister died in a boating accident (she was overcome by Carbon Monoxide while swimming). Ivy’s story absolutely reflects my personal grieving process. Marybeth: You’ve said that you drew inspiration from your own neighborhood. My neighborhood was also a huge inspiration for my novel. Can you give us some specific ways your neighborhood inspired you? Ella: Of course! Root, Petal, Thorn is set in Sugar House, a community originally founded by Brigham Young (the prophet of the LDS church) to grow sugar beets and process them into refined sugar. Though the sugar was a failed experiment, the business center and neighborhood endured, so my neighborhood is one of the oldest in the valley. I love the history of my town, so it was a treat to research facts from all different time periods. I studied old photos, fact-checked my narrative, and read a bunch of non-fiction books. I also drew from the current day awesomeness of my neighborhood. There is a sense of community in Sugar House. People are out on their porches, they ride their bikes to the local grocery, the library is over-run with children, and enormous trees canopy every street. It’s a great place to live. Marybeth: You present a balanced portrayal of Salt Lake City, acknowledging its Mormon roots but showing that there is more to the place than that. Was that your intent or did it just happen? Ella: The novel is based in my hometown, and for better or worse, the LDS faith is a part of our state’s past and present. To write an accurate novel based in Salt Lake City, the story must be touched by the church. Not to mention, my own ancestry is tightly entwined with church history and Mormon migration west. With that said, I’m not Mormon. I consider the history of the state and the modern-day believers an asset to my community, so it was very easy to write a balanced portrayal. The tone of the novel was likely organic. I had no religious agenda when I began. Marybeth: One of your characters has bipolar disorder. How much research did you have to do? How did you put yourself in her shoes and write her from a place of total empathy? Ella: Oh, I’m glad you feel Lainey was written from a place of empathy! Lainey was the last historic character I wrote. I could see her in my mind, and I knew I wanted her challenges to be more internal rather than foist upon her by world events (like several of the other historic characters). Initially, she was in an abusive relationship, but I found I was spending too much time with her awful husband. I’ve had several bouts of depression, personally, and just those weeks when I felt I’d never be happy again, made me want to write an account of invisible internal struggle. Also, I have a sister-in-law who’s dealt with bipolar for most of her adult life and I’ve witnessed the effects. She was incredibly kind to share some of her trials. Along with her first-person account, I read a couple of memoirs for a broader perspective. Lainey was the hardest character to write, but many have said she’s their favorite. Marybeth: And most of all have you ever renovated a home? If so how is it similar to creating a novel?? Ella: As I mentioned above, I live in a historic home. Historic is a lovely word for: this place was lived in for one hundred long years. Any dwelling that stands for a century has felt some serious wear and tear, so I have without question, done my fair share of renovating. Some changes were huge: plumbing, new kitchen. Some small: paint, new flooring. But each required removing layers of “improvements” made by past occupants, you see, our home isn’t your typical old-granny home where one person lived in it, collecting gorgeous patina year by year. It was a home loved across the decades, and a home that’s loved, is a home that’s continually changed. In our case, someone tore out all of our old woodwork (including the floor boards), dug out the basement, lowered the ceilings, ripped out the hearth and replaced it with Pepto-Bismol pink tile. To get to the lovely bones of the house, our renovation process was like stripping away layers of time and trend. In this way, I’d say editing a novel is like remodeling. You start with a rough draft and peel back the layers of drivel you’ve just written to get to the core of the thing, the truth of the story. After you glimpse it, you realize there’s potential, but it’s pretty shabby. You take a hammer to it, some sandpaper, and fresh paint. It’s a long and difficult process. Some of the changes you make you’ll have to rip out again and not everyone will like the paint color you choose. But someday, maybe years later, you’ll be ready to invite friends over for dinner. This post originally appeared on Tall Poppy Writers August 23, 2016
http://tallpoppies.org/celebrate-author-ella-joy-olsens-debut-root-petal-thorn/ We’re welcoming Tall Poppy author Ella Joy Olsen to the blog today! Her debut, ROOT, PETAL, THORN hits shelves August 30th, and here’s what RT Book Reviews had to say about it: “In this beautifully written and powerful debut novel, Ella Joy Olsen traces the stories of five fascinating women who inhabit the same historic home over the course of a century — braided stories of love, heartbreak, and courage connect the women, even across generations.” 4.5 Stars – Top Pick – RT Book Reviews About ROOT, PETAL, THORN: Ivy Baygren has two great loves in her life: her husband, Adam, and the hundred-year-old bungalow they buy together in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Salt Lake City, Utah. From the moment she and Adam lay eyes on the home on Downington Avenue, Ivy is captivated by its quaint details—the old porch swing, ornate tiles, and especially an heirloom rose bush bursting with snowy white blossoms. Called the Emmeline Rose for the home’s original owner, it seems yet another sign that this place will be Ivy’s happily-ever-after…Until her ever-after is shattered by Adam’s unexpected death. Striving to be strong for her two children, Ivy decides to tackle the home-improvement projects she and Adam once planned. Day by day, as she attempts to rebuild her house and her resolve, she uncovers clues about previous inhabitants, from a half-embroidered sampler to buried wine bottles. And as Ivy learns about the women who came before her–the young Mormon torn between her heart and anti-polygamist beliefs, the Greek immigrant during World War II, a troubled single mother in the 1960’s–she begins to uncover the lessons of her own journey. For every story has its sadness, but there is also the possibility of blooming again, even stronger and more resilient than before… Ella popped by the Tall Poppy blog to share what always makes her laugh, why she loves her book’s title, and when she realized she wanted to be a writer… Talk about one thing that’s making you happy/unhappy right now. Right now I have two things on my mind. The launch of Root, Petal, Thorn is all consuming which is fortunate because the other big thing in my life is bitter-sweet. My oldest child left for college this week. Here’s the sweet: he got himself a scholarship – full tuition plus room and board! Here’s the bitter: even if he moves home during summer break, he’s no longer my little boy. There you go, I’m crying again. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? When I was young I read incessantly. Authors were my Shaun Cassidy (and with that one statement, I’ve dated myself), so I was determined to become an author. More than once I started with my finest handwriting on a crisp page: Chapter One. By page three, it would be time for a snack and my writing career would be over (for the moment). At age ten I realized how hard it is to put words on a page. Desire is one thing, sticking with it, is another. Share something that’s always guaranteed to make you laugh? Okay, this is a little embarrassing because I think it speaks to the true baseness of my sense of humor: Uranus jokes. When my kids get going in the backseat, one upping each other with potty-humor, I have to stop the car for fear of crashing. Here’s another: There’s this video on YouTube of a wiener-dog in a Mickey Mouse costume. It’s the stupidest thing. But I dare you – watch it and you will laugh. Or your money back. What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had? I was a birthday party hostess at a historic farmhouse, called Wheeler Farm. I had to dress in a long polyester skirt (made to look like a calico from a century earlier), a polyester blouse, and a bonnet. I would hand-churn vanilla ice cream and take the kids on wagon rides in the blistering sun, the sweat running down my unventilated legs and soaking my socks and sneakers. God, I hated that uniform. The ice cream, however, was top-notch. After the kids left I’d gorge on the creamy remnants at the bottom of the churn. I think I sweated off the fifteen pounds I would have gained. And there’s the silver-lining. Talk about your book’s title? Naming a book isn’t a decision a traditionally published author makes alone. A team, who understand the significance of a title and what sells, helps to craft the final. This novel has been named many things, however I think Root, Petal, Thorn is my favorite because it fits the theme of the book. Root – family and home. Petal – the beauty in each day. Thorn – an indication that things aren’t always easy. Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Ella Joy Olsen to HJ!This originally appeared on September 4, 2016
http://harlequinjunkie.com/spotlight-giveaway-root-petal-thorn-by-ella-joy-olsen/ Please summarize the book for the readers here: ROOT, PETAL,THORN is my debut and you could say the book of my heart. In the novel, five women (over the course of a century) each call the same historic bungalow in Salt Lake City, Utah, their home. The present day character, Ivy Baygren, has recently lost her husband in an unexpected accident. Though heartbroken, she knows she can’t mourn forever, so she continues the home-improvement projects they started together. As she works, she discovers clues from past occupants hidden in the walls of her home. The loves and lives of five, very different, women entwine within the pages of the novel. As in real life, each of the five women faces challenges: from a young Mormon woman torn between her anti-polygamist beliefs and her heart, to the Greek immigrant during WWII who can’t bear to send her son to war, to the 1960’s cover girl who suffers from bipolar. But in the midst of loss, there is always love. Please share the opening lines of this book: The sound was only mildly alarming, a persistent non-menacing scratch like bare branches against thin glass on a blustery December night. But it wasn’t winter, the covers were kicked to my ankles and the house was July-muggy. I reached over and tapped the mattress near my husband’s head to wake him, knowing without opening my eyes our raccoon was back and nesting in the attic. Please share a few Fun facts about this book…
Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you? Since there are five voices which braid throughout the pages the novel, I’ll just give you the skeleton sketch of each of them, except the present day character, Ivy Baygren, who I mentioned in more detail in an earlier question:
If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why? This is a tough question. Since the story is told in five voices, I would need five scenes. So I’m going to break-away from the question and describe the trailer of the movie-version of Root, Petal, Thorn. Of course, I don’t know the technical film terms, so bear with me. The opening shot would be of the home in the evening. Ivy would be at work somewhere in the house, her two children at play. The camera would focus on a few of the features of the home that are common to all of the characters across the decades: the Emmeline rose, the porch swing, the towering ash trees lining the street. Cut scene: Brief snippet of a night-time. Ivy hears raccoons in the attic, tries to alert her husband, camera focuses for several seconds on his empty side of the bed as she realizes he’s not there. Cut scene: Ivy’s in the attic searching for the raccoon nest when she discovers a tiny leather case with a rusted clasp. She opens it to discover an incomplete embroidery sampler reading –Marriage of Emmeline and Nathaniel. She asks aloud, “Why was this hidden?” Final: Two young women in old-fashioned dresses are sitting on the recognizable porch swing in front of a familiar home. One girl speaks, calling the other by name. Her name is Emmeline. What do you want people to take away from reading this book? Ultimately people read books for enjoyment, so I hope my readers enjoy my characters and are willing to follow them through the pages and cheer them on through their challenges. If you are wondering about a larger theme, I guess I wanted to explore the permanence of place and the impermanence of people. The place stays and the people move on. There’s something haunting, yet beautiful, about this concept. However, I also think these braided stories illustrate the nature of home. Home, to me, means sanctuary. It should be a place where you can be your truest self. Maybe that means eating ice cream out of the container and spending the day in a bathrobe. Or maybe that means safety from the overwhelming world, from mean people, and uncertain situations. Home in this sense is not a given, but it’s something we all strive for. No matter the appearance of the dwelling, we all want a place we can call home. What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned for 2016? People always ask me if I’m writing another book. I’m in the thick of it, so I’ll reveal. The title is WHERE THE SWEET BIRD SINGS and it will publish about this time next year. It’s a companion (not a sequel) to Root, Petal, Thorn and is told by Emmeline’s great-granddaughter. Here’s the teaser: Though she has a loving husband, Emma Hazelton is adrift, struggling to rebuild her life after a tragedy. But one day, a simple question and an old black-and-white photograph prompt her to untangle the branches of her family tree, where she discovers a legacy of secrets. What connects us to one another? Is it shared history? Is it ancestry? Or is it love? Thank you for having me! This interview originally posted on the Sharing Your Book Blog on August 29, 2016. Interviewer: author, Jill Hannah Anderson.http://sharingyourbook.blogspot.com/2016/08/rose-petal-thorn-by-author-ella-joy.html ROOT, PETAL, THORN, by author, ELLA JOY OLSENIn this beautifully written and powerful debut novel, Ella Joy Olsen traces the stories of five fascinating women who inhabit the same historic home over the course of a century—braided stories of love, heartbreak and courage connect the women, even across generations.
Some Q & A with Ella: 1. 1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. I’m the mom of three teens: A boy who leaves for college a week before my book hits the shelves, one sixteen-year-old girl who is a teen cliché (but we still love her madly), one who barely became a teen and would like to find at least one armpit hair (nothing yet). I have a super supportive husband who also works from home, so we wear matching bathrobes all day long and meet in the kitchen at noon for frozen burritos. I also have two dogs who, I swear, smile at me every time I look at them (more than I can say for the teens). I live in Salt Lake City, Utah and I based my first two books in my neighborhood which is full of old houses and history. I’ve always loved imagining scenes from the past when exploring an ancient place (you can only imagine how long pondered the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris), so when we searched for our home, I insisted we buy one which spoke to the passage of time. My husband groaned about the old wiring and I squealed about the porch swing. Guess who won? 2. What are some things you enjoy when not writing? I love to travel (see above – I have an obsession with historic locations). I spend as much time in the mountains near my home as I can. And I adore all things summer (outdoor concerts, al fresco dining, art festivals, family reunions, farmers markets, cold drinks with a kick). And I read, like crazy. 3. Can you tell us how you started writing and your challenges in getting your first book published? I was one of those nose-in-book kids. Of course, I tried to write back in the day. I would complete one opening chapter, exactly like the book I was currently reading (names and location changed). Then I would stop writing, as I realized how hard it was, and I would pick up another book. Throughout junior high and high school I scripted angsty-teen poetry and diary entries full of broken hearts and 1980’s pop-culture. As an adult, I wrote hundreds of two-page analyses on the financial stability of publically held companies – and died a little every day. After my youngest kiddo started first grade, I decided to teach myself how to write a novel. Not so easy. It was slow going at first, maybe three hours a week. When I finally typed THE END I didn’t realize I was actually at the beginning. Years of rewrites, querying and rejection followed. I developed a thick skin, likely rewrote the entire book several times, and sent hundreds of query letters. It took me almost eight years from conception to publication. 4. What are you working on now? Currently I’m working on a “sister” book, publishing September 2017. The title is: WHERE THE SWEET BIRD SINGS. It’s not a sequel but a linked book, sharing a couple common characters. Here’s the elevator pitch: Though she has a loving husband, Emma Hazelton is adrift, struggling to rebuild her life after a tragedy. But one day, a simple question and an old black-and-white photograph prompt Emma to untangle the branches of her family tree, where she discovers a legacy of secrets. Where the Sweet Bird Sings explores the meaning of family and identity. What connects us to another? Is it shared history? Is it ancestry? Or is it love? 5. Is anything in your book based on real life experiences? Oh, don’t get me started. Root, Petal, Thorn takes place in a hundred-year-old bungalow and traces the stories of five women who lived in the home over a century. The location is based on my own home, in my own neighborhood. Some unknown family inhabited my beloved home when the Titanic sunk, on V-E day, when JFK was assassinated, when the Beatles performed on Ed Sullivan – and all the years in between. So I started imagining. Then I started writing. And a story was born. The characters, by the way, are entirely fictional. Their lives are much more interesting than mine. 6. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? The easiest advice to give and the hardest advice to follow is: Just Keep Writing. If you give up, the book you want to write will never be written. There are oodles of times you’ll want to quit: after someone insists your main character is unlikeable, after a red-pen session with a beta reader, after you read a gorgeously written book and realize yours is nothing like it, after your hundredth query rejection, after you celebrate selling your book to a publisher then realize you’ve been paid essentially $.07 per hour for your hard word, after you realize you must spend most of said advance to promote your own book, after your first bad review… 7. Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans? Please read my book! Too desperate. Read it, love it, and write a fantastic review! Too direct. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy! Better. I’d love to connect! This interview originally posted on the Writers on Wednesday on August 31, 2016. Interviewer: author, Leslie Lindsay: https://leslielindsay.com/tag/ella-joy-olsen/ By Leslie Lindsay What an amazing read! Five fascinating women. The same historic home. One hundred years. Interconnected stories of love, courage, and heartbreak. When I first read this description of ROOT, PETAL, THORN (Kensington Publishing, August 30, 2016), I fell in love. The first home my husband and I owned was a two-story stucco built in 1920. The front was flanked with a charming three-season porch, a maple tree, oodles of peonies, hydrangeas, and more charm inside: wood floors throughout, fireplace, claw foot tub, and small built-ins. I often wondered what families had inhabited the house before us. Obviously, we knew who we purchased from: a childless artist couple, their impressive art lining the plaster walls. Once, we met a little girl dressed up as a fairy princess on Halloween, who rang our doorbell and boldly told us, “I was born at this house.” And we knew who built the house: a minister and his family. Apparently, it was on the grounds of the church, the church long gone, ironically. And then ROOT, PETAL, THORN came along. Immediately, I knew I had to read it. Ella Joy Olsen writes beautifully, tracing the lives of Emmeline, Cora, Bitsy, Lainey, Eris, and Ivy through tumultuous times, from two World Wars (the first inhabitant of the house is Emmeline, 1913), the Great Depression, Korean war, Vietnam war, and ‘present-day.’ Set in Salt Lake City, Utah, ROOT, PETAL, THORN is different than the history of my Northfield, Minnesota home, but ultimately it’s about the permanence of place and the impermanence of people. So grab your coffee, or bubbly late-summer beverage and join me with Ella Joy Olsen as she chats about her inspiration and the story behind ROOT, PETAL, THORN. Leslie Lindsay: Stephen King tells us its bad form to ask a writer what inspired them to write a particular story; that it’s akin to asking what you ate for dinner last night or where your children were conceived. But I’m going to do it, anyway. What were your inspirations behind ROOT, PETAL, THORN? And feel free to tell us what you had for dinner, too. Ella Joy Olsen: I actually love this question because you could say ROOT, PETAL, THORN is the book of my heart.I think most authors would agree the first book written lingers in the author’s mind the longest. That doesn’t mean it will be their best book (or even the first published) but it’s the one dreamed about well before the nitty-gritty process of putting words on paper. And so it was with me. My inspiration came from two places. First, my home: I live in a hundred-year-old bungalow very similar to the one in the story. My husband and I have spent years remodeling, fixing things, making it ours, but as we worked we found crazy things: a trapdoor at the bottom of a closet leading to a tiny dirt-floor enclosure (where we discovered a single button-down shoe). We think it was the laundry chute that was boarded up when the basement was remodeled, but who knows? There were other odd discoveries, all of which I won’t list here, but many found their way into the book. I don’t know who left these items (or improvements) behind, or why, but I love to imagine. The second inspiration: My across-the-street neighbor, George. He lived on my street for fifty years helping the neighborhood evolve, watching his children grow. He went from young man, to old man, to gone – all in the same house. When he died, I was newish to the neighborhood and had my own young children. I couldn’t imagine the passage of so much time under one roof. Now I’ve lived nearly twenty years in my home. I figured it was time to tell the story. Regarding dinner, thanks for asking (giggle). Last night I grilled pizza and my husband and I shared a bottle of wine.Two of the three kids were home, which made it delightful! L.L.: ROOT, PETAL, THORN is told from the perspective of five different women, their stories bound by a common ground: the house. But there’s more, too. It’s about being a woman in uncertain times, about history, and the bittersweet passage of time (we’ll get to that later), but I’m curious to know if there was a particular character who ‘revealed’ herself to you first? One you felt a particular kinship with, and if there was one that provided more of a challenge for you? Ella Joy Olsen: For anyone who has already read the book this answer will be a surprise. Most readers think the modern day character, Ivy, is based on me. She’s the one researching and imaging the other women, after all. But she was actually a late addition. I’d written all of the other stories (in rough form) and handed them to a couple of beta readers who said they weren’t sure what the book was supposed to be – A short story compilation? A disjointed novel? I knew I needed a character to entwine the stories into a cohesive narrative. So I created Ivy (and now you know the meaning behind her twisty name). Once I wrote her, I realized how closely her story mirrored many of my own experiences, but not until she was fully written. Emmeline came to me first. Probably because I’m such a fan of historical fiction and I love the history of my hometown. My great-grandma wrote several essays detailing events in her life. They are a treasure trove of family lore. I incorporated many details from her experiences into Emmeline’s story. Lainey was the hardest(more on that later). L.L.: The house on Downington Avenue stands sentry to a world spanning 1913 through ‘present-day,’ roughly one-hundred years. It covers a lot of ground (the house and the story). But what I’m really getting at is the permanence of place and the impermanence of people; that structure stays, but people go. Can you talk to that, please? Ella Joy Olsen: I love that you asked about this! Permanence of place and impermanence of people is at the heart of ROOT, PETAL, THORN. It is the very nature of home for all of us. Think about the time spent in one comfortable spot, the only place you can truly let it all hang out. Think about the money and careful detail incorporated into remodeling, painting, decorating – an expression of self. In the novel, the house on Downington Avenue is an anchor and an oasis for each of the women. But like the characters in the novel, no matter how much we adore our homes – at some point, for one reason or another – eventually we all must move on. I want to add a few more thoughts (slightly off topic) in response to this question. Like many, I’m crazy about the typical historical sites like the Acropolis or the Empire State Building, places with a traceable past. But more often, I find myself considering the garret where we stayed in Paris rather than the Notre Dame cathedral. I like to ponder the less noteworthy places. Maybe it’s because I get to imagine the history of those locations rather than reading the facts. I seek out places or things that give me only a tiny glimpse of the past – forgotten barns surrounded by weeds, amusement parks which had their heyday decades earlier, historic houses with mismatched additions and rusted clothes lines, a crumbling grand hotel on the corner of a busy intersection. Who created these places? How did they evolve into their current state? What were the stories of the people who frequented them? L.L.: And so, the passage of time. I tend to look back on memories, well…fondly. I still think of that old house in Minnesota and wonder who is living there now, and our very early beginnings as husband and wife. But there were hard times there, too. We were miles away from family, from the life we knew in Missouri, and I felt like my work at the time wasn’t my true calling. Are you the type of person who looks back on your life, or do you look forward to things with giddy anticipation, and does it really matter? Ella Joy Olsen: Again a very telling question. Leslie, you’re super intuitive because this is currently a hot button at my house. My impulses are in opposition to each other on this point. I anticipate grieving over my college-bound son’s empty room (looking back) so much that on several occasions I’ve shopped for office furniture to fill the void (desperately looking forward). My husband insists I’m hiding my heartbreak with an unnecessary purchase, which is true. So I won’t turn my son’s room into my office because I ache for him to come home, but still, his echoing room…how can I bear it? On that same point, I’ve already informed my husband we’re moving from my beloved bungalow (inspiration for Root, Petal, Thorn) just as soon as all the kids are in college. It would seem I lack sentimentality based on these hasty retreats, when I’m actually overwhelmed by it. So to answer your question, I must look forward with giddy anticipation to avoid being swallowed by the bittersweet passage of time. L.L.: But part of my life wasn’t always so rosy. My mother, like your character, Lainey suffered from a myriad of mental health issues, among them, bipolar disorder. I have to applaud your accurate portrayal and sensitivity to this stigma. I can only imagine what it must have been like in the 1960s, when the character of Lainey inhabited the house. Can you share your research and why you chose this particular issue to highlight? Ella Joy Olsen: Lainey was the last of the historic characters I explored. I could see her but I didn’t know her story.I’d already written characters intensely affected by world events and I wanted to write a character whose life was more affected by personal circumstance. Originally, Lainey was in an abusive relationship but I found I was spending too much time on her husband. I needed something different. Personally, I’ve had several bouts of depression and found an invisible illness so much more difficult to deal with than one where you can point to a wound and say, “See? This is why I feel yucky.” Through Lainey, I wanted to express the double edged sword of mental illness. Regarding research, I read several non-fiction accounts, but most importantly, my sister-in-law suffers from bipolar and I’ve seen the effects on her life. She has a very supportive relationship with her daughter and she was nice enough to talk with me about some of the emotions, medications, and trials she’s experienced throughout her life. Thanks Linda! L.L.: Still, ROOT, PETAL, THORN is about grief and the bittersweet connection to people, place, and time. Ivy is dealing with the recent accidental death of her husband, Eris is fraught with sending her son off to war, and Emmeline can’t decide who to marry, or why to marry…was this your intention all along, to create a sort of vignette of grief? Ella Joy Olsen: I would say it wasn’t my original intention to write a vignette of grief, but I firmly believe in the sentiment expressed in the novel – the one Ivy uses to help her move beyond the death of her husband – that “everyone has a little sad in their story.” People seek out different reassurances when life throws lemons. Many turn to a higher power to explain the unfair things. I started writing this novel a couple of years after my sister died (she was overcome by carbon monoxide in a freak boating accident). Writing the stories of these five women was, in retrospect, part of my grieving process. Originally, I simply wanted to challenge myself to write a book – but ROOT, PETAL, THORN is what emerged. My sister’s death is still a turning point in my life (and in the lives of my family), but over the years I’ve come to realize there are an awful lot of people out there, going about their business, harboring a secret grief. So, yes, there is a little sad in every story. Learning this certain truth made me a more empathetic person. Understanding it confirmed that despite heartache, joy returns and life is worth living. L.L.: Switching gears a bit, what’s keeping you awake lately? What has your attention? Ella Joy Olsen: Launching ROOT, PETAL, THORN has taken most of my attention and has at times kept me awake – which is good, because as I mentioned, my oldest moved away for college in the middle of August. For the first time in eighteen years he’s not shuffling up the stairs for breakfast before school. His absence would kill me (or keep me continually awake) if I thought on it for too long, so I’m forcing attention on book launch details! And there are a bunch of details. L.L.: What are your must-read fall books? Ella Joy Olsen: One of the best parts of being an author is mingling in a community of other authors. They understand the journey and are so generous with their help and encouragement! I have many new favorite authors (and friends)! I try to read several of their books each month so I can support my “co-workers” and so I can recommend their books widely. Truly, this is a huge perk of my job! There are tons of debuts I’m excited about but I don’t want to leave anyone out, so I’ll mention a couple of books that have been sitting on my nightstand that I fully intend to finish before Christmas: DEAD WAKE by Erik Larson and FURIOUSLY HAPPY by Jenny Lawson. L.L.: What questions should I have asked, but may have forgotten? Ella Joy Olsen: People always ask me if I’m writing another book. I’m in the thick of it, so I’ll reveal. The title is Where the Sweet Bird Sings and it will publish about this time next year. It’s a companion (not a sequel) to ROOT, PETAL, THORN and is told by Emmeline’s great-granddaughter. Here’s the teaser: Though she has a loving husband, Emma Hazelton is adrift, struggling to rebuild her life after a tragedy. But one day, a simple question and an old black-and-white photograph prompt her to untangle the branches of her family tree, where she discovers a legacy of secrets. What connects us to one another? Is it shared history? Is it ancestry? Or is it love? L.L.: Ella, it’s been a joy connecting with you and sharing ROOT, PETAL, THORN. I just loved it! Ella Joy Olsen: Leslie, thank you so much for talking to me about my book. I love your interviews and feel honored to be among the fantastic authors you’ve featured! |
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