Monday 12 March 2012

Author Interview: Kim Wright

I have Kim Wright over for an interview today. I reviewed her book, Love in Mid Air back in February. 


Could you tell me a little bit about yourself…
Love in Mid Air is my first novel, but I’ve been a food, wine, and travel writer for 35 years.   I live in Charlotte, NC and have two grown children.   My present obsession is competitive ballroom dancing.   I have a tango competition coming up next week!

Where did you get the inspiration for Love in Mid Air?
When I got divorced, women just started coming up to me and telling me their own divorce or unhappy marriage stories.   It was really strange – I certainly wasn’t asking them questions or encouraging them, but it seems like when you’ve been divorced yourself you become a safe person  to talk to.   I’d laugh and say I was the Mother Confessor for every unhappily married woman in town.   I’ve always kept a journal and I started writing down the stories, and I always knew I’d eventually turn them into a novel.   Love in Mid Air is a very loose interpretation of these “confessions” – I took care to slice and dice the stories to the point that no one would recognize themselves or feel I had betrayed their trust.    But, like most fiction, the plot does have a basis in fact.

Friends play a big part in this book. Would things have turned out differently if she hadn’t had friends to complain to?

I wanted to show the effect that an affair and divorce can have not just on the couple involved but on their entire circle of friends.   So I gave Elyse her book club so that we could see a variety of women’s reactions to what was going on.   This was another thing I learned through my own marital breakup, that it made some of my friends very nervous.  They felt I was upsetting the applecart and I know at least two of them said it made them evaluate their own marriages.  

I sure do not like cheating, but here it seems like it had to happen. There is no other way. How did you manage to get this feeling?

I didn’t write the book to advocate cheating.   I don’t like it either.   That said, it does happen and I wanted to put my main character in crisis to make the book a more interesting read.   So I had her meet a fascinating man in the first chapter, when she’s on a plane.  I think all women have some notion of this whether they are married or single, contented or not….that a handsome stranger is going to suddenly appear and pay the right kind of attention of attention to us, that in his presence we would feel prettier, smarter, funnier, etc.  She wasn’t lured by the sex as much as the promise of romance and I think few women are utterly immune to that promise.

You write that what women do best is staying, and it was just perfect. What was the cause behind this?

It just seemed true.   That we’re the gender that keeps hanging in there, trying to make things work, even when it’s obvious it’s not working at all.   I’ve written for a lot of women’s magazines and I know we’re always reading articles on how to understand men, attract men, comfort men.   It’s like the women are the societal custodians of the marriage and it’s our jobs to keep it together, come what may.

Are you writing something else at the moment?

Yes, something quite different.   It’s a mystery series about the first forensics unit in Scotland Yard, which was formed during the Victorian era.    The famous case of Jack the Ripper, which of course was never solved, was actually a boon to scientific policework because he was one of the first serial killers, someone who selected his victims at random with no apparent motive.    So detectives had to switch their thinking and stop asking “Who benefits from this crime?” and begin asking “How was it done?” because, for the first time, they saw that the “how” could lead them to the “who.”   It’s a fascinating period of history and I love my lead character who is a detective who is being very reluctantly pulled into the modern world.

What would you say to aspiring writers?

Don’t work in isolation.  Find a critique group, or attend workshops and conferences.   If that’s tough because you live in a rural area or have young children or health problems, make friends online.   The Internet is a great way for writers to connect, via Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.   So many writers stay off on their own, just spinning their wheels,  but I think community is essential.  Not just to strengthen and then sell our work- although networking certainly helps with that – but sometimes just to keep our sanity!


35 comments:

  1. "She wasn’t lured by the sex as much as the promise of romance and I think few women are utterly immune to that promise."

    As much as I abhor cheating, this is a statement I can definitely at least relate to and understand. If I was in an unhappy marriage, the promise of romance would be a very difficult one to ignore I think. Thanks for the interview!

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    1. I sure hate cheating too, but here, I just felt so sorry for her

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  2. Love in Mid Air is not my cup of tea, but the mystery series sounds quite interesting!

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    1. I am glad the other one sounds better to you

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  3. I HATE CHEATING!

    Though the lure of romance would be hard to resist if I was perpetually unhappy. I would like to think I could resist though.

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    1. I hate cheating too but here it works. Cos what is better in the end. To stay in a marriage that makes you sad or try to get out..

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  4. This one sounds like a novel I would enjoy. Great interview!

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  5. I'm not sure if I would enjoy this one, but I really enjoyed the interview.

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    1. Don't let the cheating scare you away if it's that

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  6. After this interview I am really encouraged to try Love in Mid Air. ;)

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  7. I have Love in Mid Air in my TBR, I think I may have to move it up a bit and read it soon. Great interview.

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  8. Thank you for the interview Kim :)

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  9. I know I'm still waiting to meet my sexy stranger. I know he is going to sweep me off my feet and I want to be ready. LOL! :)

    Divorce is definitely a struggle, well at least for me it is. When you are divorced, it seem like married people are afraid to tell you they are happy, and I don't quite get that. I'm glad for them. Just because it didn't work out for me doesn't mean I want the same for them.

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    1. LOL :) Good luck! To be swept away is nice

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  10. I don't think Love in Mid Air is for me but her mystery series sounds pretty promising.

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    1. I am glad at least that one sounds good :)

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  11. That’s funny how divorce became a common denominator between you an all these women an that they felt comfortable enough with you to tell you their personal stories.

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  12. Great interview ladies!

    Thanks for stopping by Kim Wright!

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  13. Love in Mid Air sounds like a must read. Wonderful interview ladies.
    "That we’re the gender that keeps hanging in there, trying to make things work, even when it’s obvious it’s not working at all."<- This is so true.

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    1. It sure is true. I did like how she put it in the book. Made me wonder

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  14. Great guest post and this sounds like my type of book. I can connect with the character trying to make things work..that's what we do!

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  15. Great interview ladies. I really loved Love in Mid Air. Kim's next book is really different but I'd still be willing to read it. I like her writing style.

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  16. Great review! I love your questions.

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  17. Great interview. I am really excited about Kim's next book as that appeals to me more..please keep us posted.

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  18. Thanks for the interview, very interesting. There is a cozy mystery series, written by Robin Paige that also is high on the new developments in forensics. I really love that one. And, they solve the Ripper case ...

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  19. Really enjoyed this interview and I think I'd like Love In Mid Air. Totally agree that women usually do staying/persevering/flogging a dead horse ;) better than men LOL

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