Today’s special guest is writer Jim Naremore to chat about his new novel, American Still Life.
You’re invited to learn more about Jim as he tours with Wow! Women on Writing by visiting his other tour stops, too!
Bio:
With roots in the American deep south and the Midwest grounding his sense of place, Jim Naremore has published an array of short fiction and the award-winning novel The Arts of Legerdemain as Taught by Ghosts (Belle Lutte, 2016). He holds an MFA from the Solstice program at Lasell University in Boston and currently lives with his partner and cat in New York’s Hudson River Valley.
Welcome, Jim. Please tell us about your current release.
American Still Life is the story of a young woman’s journey back through the wreckage of her past to find some kind of place she can stand and maybe some redemption. Skade Felsdottir is forced by circumstances of her own creation to return to the town where she lived as a teenager. Skade is a gifted photographer working on a photo essay book, she is also an alcoholic and an addict who is barely scraping by. The people and situations Skade encounter as she struggles to complete her project force her to come to grips with her past and her present and meet her true self. This is my second novel (The Arts of Legerdemain as Taught by Ghosts, 2016), and both share a setting and even a character!
What inspired you to write this book?
When I was shopping The Arts of Legerdemain for publication I had an agent give me some wonderful feedback even though ultimately she passed on the book. She suggested I needed more of “me” on the page… my personality and my personal experience. As such, I set out to write a novel that related in some way to my own personal struggles. Skade is in some ways me. I’ve been sober for well over a decade now, but I remember what those days were like. I also have always been fascinated by roadside memorials and had the idea of writing a story about someone doing a photo essay on them for a long time. This story just seemed to fit that idea.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m swinging back and forth right now! I have two projects I’m working on (and two more on the back burner, along with trying to compile my short fiction into a collection for publication). One is another literary fiction novel with a possible tie-in to both Legerdemain and Still Life about a young man who is (or rather feels) cut off or disassociated from his extended family who receives an odd request from his dying grandmother in the mail. Although he hasn’t seen her since he was twelve years old, she asks him to come back to the town she lives in and write and deliver her eulogy… even though he barely knows his grandmother. It’s a story about family and connection and also has a pair of parallel romances in the plot. The other project is a mystery. I have always loved mysteries–I grew up reading Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet. It’s a story that begins with a young mother hiring a reluctant detective to find her two young children. She believes the kids’ father, her ex-husband, has run off with them. But, as with a lot of mysteries, there’s more to the story than meets the eye at the beginning. I will see which story wins to get written first.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’m not sure I know what it means to be “a writer.” I’ve always loved creating stories, even as a young child (my first story as a seven-year-old was very well received by the teachers at school). I tried writing screenplays (unsuccessfully) in my 20’s. At some point the desire to actually seriously try writing overwhelmed me. I began writing and publishing short fiction in my early 40’s (I wish so much I had started earlier). I think I’ve always been a writer, but I didn’t allow myself to “be” a writer until I started getting published, even though that’s pretty harsh. I think anyone that tries to craft a story should call themselves a writer. Publishing has very little to do with it.
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?
This is another question with a slippery answer. Often you will hear that you cannot consider yourself a writer unless you write EVERY DAY. If you assume writing every day means typing or writing pages longhand, then I will tell you that almost no one is a writer. No one can do that every day. But, I believe “writing” means thinking about your story or your scenes or your characters as much as actually putting words down, and if I’m right about that, then yes, I’m a full time writer. I do other things: I buy and sell antiques, I teach yoga, but mostly now I think I’m a writer that does those things rather than say, being an antique dealer who also writes. I try to set aside blocks of time for things, but I can’t be too stubborn about them. I tend to write in waves, so I’ll do a lot of work for several weeks, then regroup and see where I am with a project. Get other things done, and come back again.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
For someone who has lived what some people might consider an interesting or slightly unconventional life, I feel pretty quirk-less. I was a competitive and nationally ranked pool player as a teenager. Maybe that? But I have a lot of random stories.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I think I wanted to be a writer, actually! But I couldn’t figure out how anyone actually did that, and it was something that made the grownups frown, so I then said I wanted to be a scientist–which is true, I always loved science of all kinds. I got a degree in psychology after cycling through majors in biology and anthropology, and promptly didn’t use it. I worked for years in nonprofit management, primarily in big NGOs and then spent years working in city government tackling issues like homelessness and hunger. And now I’m a kid again! Writing!
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Just a huge thank you. No book, no story, is actually ever complete until it is read. It is the interaction with the reader that closes the loop, so to speak. So thank you all for helping to finish my stories and thousands of other stories you read.
Blog Tour Calendar
January 6th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Jim Naremore’s literary fiction American Still Life. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of his book. https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
January 7th @ C.C. King
Author Jim Naremore stops by with a guest post about how you transform an idea into a full-blown story. https://www.caitrincking.com/blog
January 9th @ Some Thoughts – Everything Creativity
Jim Naremore, author of American Still Life, share his thoughts on the MFA: what do those three letters get you? https://www.kaeceymccormick.com/blog
January 10th @ What Is That Book About
The spotlight’s on American Still Life by Jim Naremore. Could this be your weekend read? https://www.whatisthatbookabout.com/
January 12th @ Knotty Needle
Judy reviews American Still Life by Jim Naremore. http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com
January 13th @ Tracey Lampley
Author Jim Naremore wants to talk about sex…and the challenge of writing a good sex scene. https://traceylampley.com
January 14th @ A Storybook World
Want a cup of tea and a good read on this winter day? Check out the spotlight on Jim Naremore’s American Still Life. https://www.astorybookworld.com/
January 15th @ Choices
Jim Naremore stops by with the ABCs of a good writers’ group. http://madelinesharples.com
January 16th @ Words by Webb
Thoughts on the novel American Still Life. https://www.jodiwebbwriter.com/blog
January 18th @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion
Meet writer Jim Naremore in today’s interview. https://bootsshoesandfashion.com
January 21st @ Word Magic
Before you “kill your darlings”, what does that misunderstood axiom really mean? Author Jim Naremore shares his thoughts on darlings and their demise! https://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com
January 23rd HERE!
January 24th @ A Wonderful World of Words
What’s the first thing Jim Naremore tells students in his Novel Class? Stop by and find out! https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/
January 29th @ The Faerie Review
Discover author Jim Naremore with a review of his latest: American Still Life. https://www.thefaeriereview.com
January 31st @ Nikki’s Book and Movie Reviews
Looking for a new book for next month? Check out Nikki’s review of American Still Life. https://nikkitsbookreviews.wordpress.com
February 4th @ Writer Advice
Stop by for some tips from Jim Naremore on ways to find and maintain (and recover!) your “voice” in writing. www.writeradvice.com
February 7th @ Boys’ Mom Reads!
American Still Life is reviewed by Karen of Boys’ Mom reads! https://karensiddall.wordpress.com