Today’s special guest is novelist Kathie Giorgio to chat about her new literary fiction, Don’t Let Me Keep You.
Kathie is in the midst of a virtual book tour with Wow! Women on Writing, so you can check out other tour stops, too, if you like! Details are below the interview.
Bio:
Kathie Giorgio is the author of a total of fifteen books: eight novels, two story collections, an essay collection, and four poetry collections. Her new novel, Don’t Let Me Keep You, released on October 3, 2024. 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 work has been incorporated into many visual art and musical events. Kathie is the director and founder of AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop LLC, an international creative writing studio. She lives in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Her four adult children, Christopher, Andy, and Olivia are close by, along with her solo granddaughter, Maya Mae. One adult child, Katie, has wandered off to Louisiana and lives among the mathematicians and alligators.
Welcome, Kathie. What inspired you to write this book?
I am in the phase of motherhood where I’m not so sure I’m a mom anymore. My kids are 40, 38, 37, and 24. They are still the center of my universe, while I am no longer the center of theirs – which is as it should be. But it’s also incredibly hard. Having been a parent for 40 years now, I looked back over my “career” as a mom, and I decided to try to write a book that would show all the phases, from birth through toddlerhood, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood. The challenge was to stuff all that into one book!
Excerpt from Don’t Let Me Keep You:
And she knew, just like Hank chose to build this porch, completely on his own, she chose the life she lived. She chose the fatigue. She chose this life before the fatigue descended, and she kept on choosing it with each subsequent birth. She even chose it when Honey showed up by surprise ten years after Holden died, also a surprise, and Hildy had decided with that death to have no more children, which was possibly the biggest surprise of all. She didn’t choose to conceive Honey, but she chose to give birth and commit herself to another child. Number seven.
She used to want ten children so their family could be an even dozen.
Hildy chose the fatigue. She chose to be a mother. She chose to stop. She chose to start again, even when that conception wasn’t part of her plan.
She was a good mother…she thought.
Was she?
Twenty-five years into marriage, twenty-four years into parenthood, Hildy still wondered.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I am working on another novel, a sequel of sorts to my novel If You Tame Me, though this will be a standalone, just with the same characters. I’ll be tackling the issue of Roe Vs. Wade being overruled, and also the issue of grief caused by the loss of a spouse.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
In the fifth grade. I read a short story I wrote to the class, and from the back of the room, my teacher said, “Oh my god, Kathie. You’re a writer.” It felt like all my confusion about who I was cleared up at that moment.
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?
That’s always a hard question, because I don’t believe a full-time writer works 40 hours a week. A full-time writer is someone who is totally devoted to the craft, who thinks of herself first as a writer before she thinks of any of her other roles – like, for me, wife, mother, grandmother, artist, teacher, small business owner. I’m a writer through and through, first and foremost. So yes, I’m a full-time writer.
But I also am the director and founder of AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop LLC, an international creative writing studio that offers online and on-site courses and workshops in all abilities and genres of creative writing. We also do coaching and editing services. I’ve taught for 30 years, and AllWriters’ will be 20 years old in January.
I find the time to write by being organized and forgiving. My schedule is set so that I meet with clients in the morning, and then clients again, plus classes, in the evening. So my writing time is in the afternoon. But I know that life happens, and so I forgive myself if I have to miss an afternoon.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I assign a song to every book I write, and I play it every day when I sit down to write. I’m like Pavlov’s dogs, with the ringing of the bell. They heard the ring and salivated. I hear the song and 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?
Can’t think of anything!
Links:
Website | AllWriters Workshop | Facebook | Twitter/X | Instagram
Blog Tour Calendar
October 21st @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Kathie Giorgio’s novel Don’t Let Me Keep You. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of her book. https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
October 22nd @ Tracey Lampley
Kathie Giorgio reveals how she had 15 books published with traditional publishers in 14 years, including her latest Don’t Let Me Keep You. https://www.traceylampley.com/guest-author-interviews
October 24th @ What Is This Book About
Get a peek inside Don’t Let Me Keep You with today’s excerpt. www.whatisthatbookabout.com
October 25th @ The Frugalista Mom
Rochie will be reviewing Kathie Giorgio’s latest novel Don’t Let Me Keep You. https://thefrugalistamom.org/
October 26th @ A Wonderful World of Books
Author Kathie Giorgio writes about controversial books and the hurdles they face in today’s post: You’ve Been Banned. Now What? https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/
October 29th @ Michelle Cornish
Learn what Michelle thinks about Kathie Giorgio’s latest novel: Don’t Let Me Keep You. https://michellecornishauthor.com/blog/book-reviews
October 30th @ Create Write Now!
Is Writer’s Block real? Learn what author Kathie Giorgio has to say today on CreateWriteNow! https://www.createwritenow.com/journal-writing-blog
October 31st @ The Frugalista Mom
In a complicated world, author Kathie Giorgio shares how she takes on controversial topics in her writing. https://thefrugalistamom.org/
November 1st @ Michelle Cornish
Author Kathie Giorgio shares the challenges of writing through illness and crisis. https://www.michellecornish.com/blog
November 4th @ A Story Book World
What’s on your TBR list for November? Learn more about Kathie Giorgio’s latest novel Don’t Let Me Keep You. https://www.astorybookworld.com/
November 5th @ Chapter Break
Kathie Giorgio writes about the precarious balancing act of writing and raising children. https://chapterbreak.net
November 6th HERE!
November 7th @ Knotty Needle
Still deciding on your November read? Check out today’s review of Don’t Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio. http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com
November 8th @ Word Magic Author Kathie Giorgio shares her thoughts on Writing as a Business. https://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com
November 12th @ The Faerie Review
The spotlight is on Kathie Giorgio’s latest novel, Don’t Let Me Keep You. https://www.thefaeriereview.com
November 13th @ Words by Webb
Jodi is reviewing Don’t Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio. https://www.jodiwebbwriter.com/blog
November 15th @ Choices
Author Kathie Giorgio writes about Depression: Putting One Foot in Front of the Other. http://madelinesharples.com
November 19th @ StoreyBook Reviews
Looking for a good book for the Thanksgiving holiday? Leslie is reviewing Don’t Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio. https://www.storeybookreviews.com