Carrie Link

STEPHANIE KALLOS

Went to hear/see Stephanie Kallos last night. She read from her second (and great) novel, SING THEM HOME. I'm sure many of you are familiar with her first book, BROKEN FOR YOU.

I like hearing authors read, but it's their behind-the-scenes look at the writing process that always fascinates me. You fellow writers will get a big kick out of this essay, HOW TO WRITE YOUR SECOND NOVEL, which she also read.

I'm always fascinated to learn what parts of author's novels are autobiographical, and usually the answer is "a lot."

When it came time for Q&A, someone asked how Stephanie got her idea for BROKEN FOR YOU. She told a beautiful story of a time when her mother and she spent a weekend together, had too much wine, and her mother told her, "You know, marriage is like a teacup. And sometimes that teacup gets broken. Then you have to decide what to do with that teacup. You can either throw it away, or put it back together. But if you put it back together, you can't then just stick it on a shelf. You have to use it. Test it. See if it'll hold together."

I loved that.

And from that one moment of deep connection with her mother, a beautiful book was born.