Today The Reading Frenzy welcomes Elaine Hussey to the blog, she's chatting about her new novel The Sweetest Hallelujah and why she chose to write under a new pen name ––"When I wrote The Sweetest Hallelujah, I felt as if I’d finally arrived at that magical place where I could stop, breathe, and say, “Ah, this is it.” I have already written the second book as Elaine Hussey, and I still feel the same way."
- ISBN-13: 9780778315193
- Publisher: Harlequin
- Publication date: 7/30/2013
- Edition description: Original
- Pages: 337
Overview
An unforgettable story of two courageous women brought together by one extraordinary little girl
Betty Jewel Hughes was once the hottest black jazz singer in Memphis. But when she finds herself pregnant and alone, she gives up her dream of being a star to raise her beautiful daughter, Billie, in Shakerag, Mississippi. Now, ten years later, in 1955, Betty Jewel is dying of cancer and looking for someone to care for Billie when she's gone.
An unforgettable story of two courageous women brought together by one extraordinary little girl
Betty Jewel Hughes was once the hottest black jazz singer in Memphis. But when she finds herself pregnant and alone, she gives up her dream of being a star to raise her beautiful daughter, Billie, in Shakerag, Mississippi. Now, ten years later, in 1955, Betty Jewel is dying of cancer and looking for someone to care for Billie when she's gone.
Hi Elaine Welcome to The Reading Frenzy
Thanks for having me, Debbie! I love
that title, Reading Frenzy. It
reminds me of the way I feel when I’m racing toward the finish line and feel as
if words are leaking through my skin.
Tell us a little bit about your new novel The Sweetest
Hallelujah.
I am so in love with these
characters that I’m having a hard time letting them go and moving on to the
next story. The Sweetest Hallelujah revisits a favorite theme of mine, the strength and courage of women. By casting Betty Jewel, a mother dying in Shakerag, and Cassie, a childless widow in Highland Circle, into the burning cauldron of 1955, I made their friendship and their efforts to save Billie not only dangerous but almost impossible.
For me, character is the backbone of story. When I added Miss Queen to the mix – a woman with faith in one hand and a cast iron skillet in the other – I added the heart of the novel, a great but practical spirituality. “When the soul is hurtin’, I feeds it.”
But ten-year-old Billie is the
character who brought the novel alive for me. When I was in her point of view,
my hands fairly flew across the keyboard. She’s smart and sassy, but
vulnerable, too, a little girl who dreams of finding her daddy who will look
exactly like her favorite movie star cowboy. “And suddenly he was there, her
daddy. He was shorter than she’d imagined, and darker. And he didn’t look a
thing like Roy Rogers.”
The novel is set in the upheaval of 1950’s in the Deep
South.
What kind of novel research did you do?
What kind of novel research did you do?
I live in Tupelo, Mississippi, and am familiar with all the landmarks mentioned in the book, particularly the district known historically as Shakerag. Presenting the setting accurately was no problem. Tiny Jim’s Blues and Barbecue joint is fictional but A.M. Strange Library and Glenwood Cemetery are not.
I consulted two very fine attorney
friends regarding Mississippi’s adoption laws in 1955. My research assistant was invaluable,
supplying basic facts such as the music, automobiles, movies, etc. of that
year. Additionally, I steeped myself in the era and gleaned historical
information by reading Black Like M, John
Howard Griffin; Simeon’s Story: An
Eyewitness Account of the Kidnapping of Emmett Till, Simeon Wright with
Herb Boyd; Free at Last: A History of the
Civil Rights Movement and Those Who Died In The Struggle, Sara Bullard; Civil Rights, Yesterday and Today, Herb
Boyd, Todd Burroughs; I Have A Dream: Writings & Speeches that Changed The World, edited by James M.
Washington.
You also wrote under the name many of us would recognize Peggy Webb then as Anna Michaels.
Why the need to change names?
Why the need to change names?
In a very long career, my crazy muse
has whispered stories in every genre from romance to mystery to suspense to
women’s fiction - and finally to literary fiction. An author’s name sets up
certain expectations, so I write under three names in order not to confuse the
reader. (Are you confused yet?
Sometimes I can’t remember who I am!)
My early career (Peggy Webb) was devoted to romantic comedy with a bit of romantic suspense and women’s fiction scattered in. That huge backlist is now available as ebooks. The mid-career transition to comedic mysteries was an easy leap for fans, so I kept writing as Peggy. Then, along came a sprawling novel filled with mysticism, and Anna was born.
Meanwhile, my devilish muse was
whispering an entirely different kind of story, one where the characters were
caught in the web of time, trapped by events swirling around them. The
Sweetest Hallelujah was more than ten years in the making. By the time I was ready to share Billie and Miss Queen, Betty Jewel and Cassie with readers, I knew I had to use a strong name that readers could associate with novels grounded in history but current in theme.
Elaine is my middle name and Hussey is my maiden name. I’m so thrilled
to use it with this novel. Somewhere, I think my parents are smiling.
On your bio you say that by the time you were a teenager you
knew you would be a writer.
What and who influenced that decision?
What and who influenced that decision?
I think I was born with a
storytelling gene. I was lucky
enough to have parents who believed that reading was the best way to expand
horizons and foster dreams. Luckily, our little farm in northeast Mississippi
was a stop for the bookmobile. A wonderful librarian I remember only as Miss
Frankie introduced to me the world of Mark Twain and Louisa May Alcott and
Laura Ingalls Wilder. Miss Frankie always left behind a huge box of books I was
supposed to share with the neighborhood kids. I’d hole up in the hayloft and read all day. I learned to
read fast because I didn’t want to let go of a single book before I’d finished
it. Fortunately, reading was the
only excuse acceptable to Mama for getting out of shelling peas.
My fifth grade teacher, Cynthia
Pickens, also deserves credit for my career. Every afternoon she’d pull out a
tattered copy of Huckleberry Finn and
read aloud to the class. Often she’d ask for volunteers to read, and my hand
was always the first up. Standing in a classroom surrounded by the smell of
lemon oil on the wooden floor and glue from the bindings of books, I discovered
that I have a flair for the dramatic. I love the flow of words and the way they
sound on the tongue. I adore being the voice of a character. I can’t remember a
time I didn’t want to be a writer. I plan to write until somebody pries the pen
from my cold, dead hand.
You also say that this is where you’ve been “heading all
along…”
Do you think your journey is over or is this just another fork in your creative road?
Do you think your journey is over or is this just another fork in your creative road?
When I wrote The Sweetest Hallelujah, I felt as if I’d finally arrived at that
magical place where I could stop, breathe, and say, “Ah, this is it.” I have
already written the second book as Elaine Hussey, and I still feel the same
way.
But who knows? My muse is a quirky
trickster who likes to surprise me out of my socks. The minute I say never, she’s liable to say we’ll see. I hope not. Eating for three is fun, but writing for three is
sometimes crazy-making. I wake up as Peggy, spend the day as Elaine and go to
bed as Anna. I might just have to
kill off one of those gals.
You’ve also mentioned that you’re a musician too and
composed the blues lyrics in the novel.
Do you think being creative in one area makes it easy for your creative “juices” to flow in another?
Do you think being creative in one area makes it easy for your creative “juices” to flow in another?
For me, yes. But I have many friends
who write amazing books and don’t have a musical bone in their bodies. I also
have friends who play piano and guitar and just about any musical instrument
you can name, but couldn’t write a book if you threatened to cut their hands
off.
Thanks to a Creator who poured
creative gifts on me, I was born with words in my blood and music in my bones.
I started playing piano when I was eight, began playing for Sunday services at
the little country church where I grew up when I was thirteen, and spent many
years as church musician after I married. I sing first soprano, too, and still
sing in my church choir. One of my
favorite pastimes is sitting at the keyboard of my baby grand, which once
belonged to a jazz musician. When I’m belting out the blues, I can feel his
spirit hovering nearby.
What’s next for you?
I have just finished writing my second novel as Elaine Hussey, and I’m already thinking of my third. The second novel is set in 1969, the summer Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and Hurricane Camille blew away the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Against that backdrop of enormous hope and impending doom, Sis Blake and a cast of feisty, formidable women discover just how far they will go to save someone they love.
This book will come out next summer,
same time, same great publisher (MIRA) as The
Sweetest Hallelujah. You can
find details and updates on my website, www.elainehussey.com
I’ve been reading your blog; I love your sense of
humor and your humility.
Do you blog as a stress reliever, as a way to make a statement or something totally different?
Do you blog as a stress reliever, as a way to make a statement or something totally different?
Thank you! All of the above, I
think. Blogs are a great way to
connect with fans, to hear what they have to say, to answer their questions, to
swap little personal tidbits, to ask what they love to read and what they want
to read next.
Also, I use the blog for giveaways.
A few lucky fans have already received bookstore gift certificates this year.
Currently, I’m running a contest where fans can win their choice of a Kindle, a
Nook or a $100 bookstore gift certificate. This contest runs through August 10.
Details are on the blog and the
blues page at www.elainehussey.com.
Being a seasoned author you’ve seen the publishing industry
change a lot.
Is today a good time to be an author?
Is today a good time to be an author?
I think it’s always a good time to
be an author! You are right about the changes. They have been massive. Because of digital publishing, seasoned writers can now put huge backlists in ebook format.
New writers have the option of
publishing the traditional way, with great editors, the full backing of a
publishing house, and the perks of seeing their books in bookstores, sitting
down for signings and meeting readers. Or they can assemble their own team to
ensure a good product and go solo with digital publishing. So many choices!
Will there be any signings or events for the release of The
Sweetest Hallelujah?
Yes! Happy dancing, now!
I will do launch parties in my hometown of Tupelo, complete with blues,
barbecue and balloons and door prizes. Then I’ll head to Memphis and Nashville,
Tennessee; Birmingham and Fairhope, Alabama, before swinging back through
Mississippi (Oxford and Jackson).
I hope to be in Concord, New Hampshire this fall, and who knows where
I’ll be in between. You can find the complete schedule on the appearance page
of my website.
Elaine, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some
questions. It’s been so nice to reconnect albeit unknowingly to an old friend.
It has been my pleasure.
Wow! We are old friends? I’m dying
of curiosity. You have got to send me a note and tell all! I hope we live close enough to have tea
on my front porch.
