What is the date you began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction? THE TOBACCO WIVES started as a short story in 2000. It was inspired by my grandmother, who was a hairdresser for the wives of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco executives in 1940s Winston-Salem, N.C.
At the time, I was taking a short story writing class in the evenings and my teacher (Alexandra Shelley) suggested that I consider turning it into a longer piece – it feels like there’s a novel here – she had said. Her suggestion stayed with me for many years, planting the seed of the book to come.
Click on the below link to visit Alexandra Shelley’s website
https://www.alexandrashelley.com
Well, that seed “germinated” for quite a while, more than twenty years to be exact. During that time, I built a successful public relations and advertising career, married a guy from Brooklyn and had a child (now 16-year-old Niko). About eight years ago, I decided it was time. I had always dreamed of writing a novel and made a commitment to myself to do it. A combination of factors spurred me to make the decision at that point: my son was older, my work was less demanding, and I had grown as a person. I gave myself permission to focus on my passion.
It took many years to finish the manuscript because I wrote when I could, stealing an hour here and there while working full-time in advertising and being a mom. I finished the manuscript, pitched and signed with an agent, and spent another year getting it ready for submission. THE TOBACCO WIVES sold to Harper Collins in 2020 and I completed final edits with my editor (Liz Stein at William Morrow/HarperCollins) in the spring of 2021.
Click on the below link to visit Liz Stein’s linkedin page.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizsteineditor
Where did you do most of your writing for this fiction work? And please describe in detail. And can you please include a photo? I wrote this book all over, and my habits varied greatly. Many writers have a consistent time and place for writing, but that didn’t work for me. I carved out blocks of time on the weekends, two to three hours where I could really focus, and worked on my laptop at a coffee shop. Then I would print out the draft chapter or chapters and carry them around with me during the week. I would jot down notes and make edits on the subway on my way to work, in my car while my son was at soccer practice, pretty much any time I could steal a moment. Although it may sound chaotic, I actually like working this way. There is something about being in motion, letting your subconscious work on the material while you do other things, that fuels creativity. Ideas, connections, inspiration comes to me during those times when I’m technically not writing.
When the pandemic hit, I switched to writing at home. I bought a small desk for my bedroom and started a ritual to help me get in the flow. I lit a tobacco vanilla candle every time I wrote and placed pictures of my grandmothers and an antique thimble that one of them gave me on my desk. Scent is so powerful. It became a sensory cue that was extremely helpful during a time when I couldn’t write out in the world the way I was used to.
Please include just one excerpt and page numbers as reference. This one excerpt can be as short or as long as you like. This excerpt appears on page 337 of THE TOBACCO WIVES.
Click on the link below to purchase TOBACCO WIVES from Amazon.
Why is this excerpt so emotional for you as a writer to write? And can you describe your own emotional experience of writing this specific excerpt? This is the ending of the book. An epilogue follows, but this is the last paragraph where the reader hears from my protagonist, young Maddie. Endings are difficult. You don’t want to wrap everything up too perfectly, but you want readers to feel a sense of closure and satisfaction.
While THE TOBACCO WIVES is a story about big issues — corporate greed, women’s rights, deceptive advertising – at its heart it’s a coming-of-age story of a young woman who finds her courage and her voice. Capturing the moment that Maddie’s eyes were opened, that she realized that things are not always as they appear, was an emotional one for me. I thought back to times in my life where huge realizations struck me. I relive feelings as I write, so it is quite emotional and moving.
Click on the below link to visit Adele Myers’s website
https://www.adelemyersauthor.com/
Most of the INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links can be found at the very end of the below feature:
http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2021/03/stephenson-holts-arranged-marriage-is.html