Author Interview L Alison Heller- The Never Never Sisters

Today I'm welcoming back L. Alison Heller who was here last year talking about her debut novel, The Love Wars. Well she's back and she's got her second novel under her belt and it looks like another winner that I can't wait to open the pages of.
Sit back and enjoy our interview!
Alison, it's all yours!

• ISBN-13: 9780451416247
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Publication date: 6/3/2014
• Pages: 352

 

Overview

An absorbing, highly entertaining novel about family secrets, The Never Never Sistersintroduces you to the strong-willed and big-hearted Reinhardt women, as they reunite one summer in New York. Gifted storyteller L. Alison Heller has written another witty and moving page-turner that will captivate readers and keep them guessing right up until the satisfying end.

Sometimes you just need to get away….

Alison welcome back to The Reading Frenzy.

Hi Deb! Thank you so much for having me back.

Please tell my readers about The Never Never Sisters.

At its heart, it’s a book about the inevitability of lies—those that protect as well as those that harm—and their effect on even the closest relationships. The two sisters at the heart of the story are Paige who finds out that, starting with her husband, her family may not be as close-knit as she thinks it is, and Sloane, who comes back home after a two-decade absence.

Alison you’re now a seasoned author with two novels under your belt.
What was the biggest difference with the writing of your second novel apposed to writing number one?

Such a good question, Deb! And I still feel like a newbie, I must admit. There were several difference though: this time I was under time pressure, but that time pressure was abated by having a wonderful editor who could to give me incisive comments throughout the drafting process.

From a craft perspective, I tried to up my game a little and challenge myself with both the timing and structure of the story. Perhaps because of this, I think I wrote more pages and thought a bit harder to get to the final product.

Alison during our previous interview you described writing your first novel as “ that little buzz became a burn in my stomach. Which then became a flame. Which then became an obliterating fire”
How would you describe the writing creation of this one?

Much the same. I was perhaps a little harsher with myself in drafting this—as part of the challenge described above, but I had the same kind of can’t stop until its done feeling.

Which character gave you the most trouble in this novel?

Another good question: probably Paige. I thought I had her all figured out, but with each draft she got increasingly demanding.

When you start a writing project do you pretty much know how it ends or are you as surprised by some goings on in the story as you hope your readers will be?

I usually know what the ultimate resolution is, but I’m always surprised by how they get there. With both books (and also with my third, which I just completed a draft of), I think I know how it’s going to go, but then I end up spending a lot of time getting to know the characters before fleshing out the plotting.

Alison is your time still divided between being a practicing lawyer, wife, mother and author?

It is, somewhat. The proportions are different: while I still have a few clients, trying to publish a second novel in the year after the first required shifting things around to give the writing more “daylight hour” prominence than it had with The Love Wars.

And as far as the wife and mother part, yes!

Do you hope/dream of one day writing full time?

I feel like I am already! (See below).

Do you have a certain place/time that you devote to writing?

To me at this point, it’s sort of a 24-hour pursuit, in that I’m always trying to at least think about whatever I’m working on. That said, I have little kids and the hours that they’re in school are absolutely crucial for getting work done.

You mentioned before that you’re a voracious reader. When do you have time?

Oh, I’m the worst—I haven’t broken my childhood habit of staying up way too late reading. 

What’s the best book you ever read? Why?

Hmm. It’s impossible for me to pick a favorite but here are some: Bridge to Terabithia, anything by Judy Blume, Jon Krakuer’s Into That Wild, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, Dave Egger’s What is the What—oh! And Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I love that book.

Thank you so much for chatting with me today. Good luck with your novel.
Are there events listed for fans on your website?

Thank you, Deb! We’re still getting some final details squared away, but as soon as we do, I’ll be putting them up for people to check.

Check out the reviews- Editorial - Reader

MEET THE AUTHOR:
Alison Heller is a lawyer and the author of The Love Wars. She lives with her family in New York City.

Connect with L. Alison – Website – Facebook – Twitter- Goodreads