Author Kathie Giorgio chats with me today about her new magical realism novel, Hope Always Rises.
Kathie is currently on tour with WOW! Women on Writing, The Muffin. You can visit her other tour stops any time – information is below.
Bio:
Kathie Giorgio is the author of seven novels, two story collections, an essay collection, and four poetry collections. Her latest novel, Hope Always Rises, was released on February 28, 2023. She’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in fiction and poetry and awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association, the Silver Pen Award for Literary Excellence, the Pencraft Award for Literary Excellence, and the Eric Hoffer Award In Fiction. Her poem “Light” won runner-up in the 2021 Rosebud Magazine Poetry Prize. In a recent column, Jim Higgins, the books editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, listed Giorgio as one of the top 21 Wisconsin writers of the 21st century. Kathie is also the director and founder of AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop LLC, an international creative writing studio.
Welcome, Kathie. Please tell us about your current release.
In Heaven, there is a special gated community for those who end their lives by suicide. This is a complete surprise to Hope, a 43-year-old woman, who ends her life one morning on the banks of the Fox River in Waukesha, Wisconsin. When she opens her eyes, she is sitting under a weeping willow tree. By her side is God, though he certainly doesn’t look like the God she’s been led to believe in. After introducing himself, he hands her a teddy bear from her childhood.
Hope has dealt with deep sadness throughout her entire life. From childhood on, she visited therapists, doctors, alternative medicine practitioners, Reiki artists, etc., to no avail. Hope leaves the earth, also leaving behind her two teenage children and her husband. In Heaven, God tells her that he knows what caused the sadness, but he is not ready to tell her yet.
All residents in the community are required to attend weekly group therapy, led by someone who also committed suicide. Hope’s first group is led by Virginia Woolf. Several of the book’s chapters tell the stories of other members in Hope’s group therapy group.
While the book may sound grim, it is not. It has many moments of striking humor and uplifting realizations. Hope meets many new friends, who help her restore her forgotten artistic talent and passion, and God himself, who is amazingly human in the most inhuman of ways. As for Hope, she does exactly what the title says: Hope Always Rises.
What inspired you to write this book?
As a creative, and someone who teaches creatives, I’ve known many people who have chosen to end their own lives. The incidence of suicide among creatives is higher than that of the average person on the street. For me, the decision to write this book came when I overheard a conversation between two women who were talking about a “friend” who’d recently chosen to end her life. They talked about how selfish she was, how awful, a monster, what a terrible thing to leave her husband and family behind. I was in a coffee shop, and before I left, I turned to them and said, “Did it ever occur to you to think about what kind of pain your friend must have been in to make this decision? To make it seem viable and the only way out?” And then I left.
I went home and began to write this book.
Excerpt from Hope Always Rises:
I never knew God slept. I certainly never expected him to wear pajamas or have rumpled hair. But if he looked like the God I always imagined, the God with long white hair and a beard and a mustache and a serious, serious face, I never would have been able to rest my head on his shoulder, like I was able to do now.
I was very glad he wore blue flannel pajamas.
“You knew you couldn’t expect them to be happy, right, Hope? You knew that,” he said, and wrapped his arm around me. “It was part of your choice to end your life.”
I turned my face into his chest and wept.
It had been my choice. I didn’t expect them to be happy.
But I never thought I would witness their sadness.
For the first time, I regretted Heaven. I wished for the black void that I thought death might be, that day that I swallowed each pill with a gulp of wine.
“It’ll be okay, Hope,” God said. Not a booming voice from a burning bush or a dark cloud. A soft voice that soothed me as I cried.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I am currently working on a novel that will explore what I consider to be the hardest stage in parenting – when you have to let your children go into the world and be adults who no longer need you.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
There was never a time in my life that I wasn’t writing. Before I could actually write, I told stories. But in the fifth grade, when my English teacher Mrs. Fatticci, introduced creative writing to the class, I stood up and read an entire short story, complete with dialogue, description, setting, conflict, and resolution. From the back of the room, my teacher whispered, “Oh my god, Kathie. You’re a writer!” And it fit perfectly. That’s who I was. Who I am.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I consider myself a full-time writer, even though I don’t write 8 hours a day. Many people manage to hold down two full time jobs, and so do I. I write, and I own an international creative writing studio, AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop LLC. I teach writers of all genres and abilities, and I also do coaching. I edit and I advocate. Basically, everything I do is about writing.
My schedule: I meet with clients in the morning and write in the afternoon. In the evening, I meet with more clients, teach classes, and read manuscripts.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
For novels, I attach a song to each book. Then every day, when I sit down to write, I play that song. I’m very much like Pavlov’s dogs. They heard a bell and drooled. I hear a certain song and I write.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Write for the sheer love it. Not for the “fortune”, not for the “fame”. If those come, that’s very nice. But if you choose to be a writer, and you write, then you’re already a success.
Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Studio website
Blog Tour Calendar
April 24th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the blog tour launch of Hope Always Rises by Kathie Giorgio. You’ll have the chance to read an interview with the author and win a copy of the book. https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
April 26th HERE!
April 27th @ A Storybook World
Join Deirdra as she features Hope Always Rises. https://www.astorybookworld.com/
April 29th @ The Faerie Review
Join Lily as she shares a spotlight of Hope Always Rises. https://www.thefaeriereview.com
April 30th @ Madeline Sharples’ Blog
Stop by Madeline’s blog to read a guest post from Kathie about selling 14 books to traditional presses in 13 years. http://madelinesharples.com
May 1st @ The Mommies Reviews
Join Glenda as she reviews Hope Always Rises. http://TheMommiesReviews.com
May 3rd @ Michelle Cornish’s blog
Read Michelle’s interview with Kathie Giorgio. https://www.michellecornish.com/blog
May 5th @ The Mommies Reviews
Join Glenda as she shares a guest post from the author about balancing a writing career and raising children. http://TheMommiesReviews.com
May 6th @ World of My Imagination
Stop by Nicole’s blog where Kathie Giorgio is a guest for “Three Things on a Saturday Night.” https://worldofmyimagination.com
May 8th @ Mindy McGinnis’s blog
Stop by Mindy’s blog to read a guest post about writing the hard stuff. https://www.mindymcginnis.com/blog
May 10th @ Create Write Now
Stop by Create Write Now to read a guest post by Kathie about having your books banned. CreateWriteNow.com
May 13th @ Boots, Shoes, and Fashion
Join Linda as she interviews author Kathie Giorgio. https://bootsshoesandfashion.com
May 15th @ Life According to Jamie
Join us as Jamie reviews Hope Always Rises. http://www.lifeaccordingtojamie.com
May 16th @ Michelle Cornish’s blog
Stop by to read a guest post about how and why Kathie is both a plotter and a pantser. https://www.michellecornish.com/blog
May 18th @ The Frugalista Mom
Read Rochie’s review and a guest post from Kathie Giorgio about dealing with depression. https://thefrugalistamom.com
May 19th @ Nikkie’s Book Reviews
Stop by Nicole’s blog to read her review of Hope Always Rises. https://nikkitsbookreviews.wordpress.com
May 20th @ Freeing the Butterfly
Check out Michelle’s review of Hope Always Rises. https://www.freeingthebutterfly.com/blog