I've been a fan of Eileen Cook's books for years, so being able to interview her after loving her books for so long was a fantastic opportunity! Eileen's newest book, Year of Mistaken Discoveries, is one of my favorites; I highly recommend it! Read on for my interview with Eileen... and don't forget to check out my review here.
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Eileen Cook spent most of her
teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is
great training for a writer.
You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.
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A major topic within Year
of Mistaken Discoveries is family, with an exploration of many different
aspects of adoption. Is there a specific reason you chose to write about
adoption; did something specific interest or inspire you?
I have always been interested in families of choice- people
that we bring into our life who are as close (or sometimes closer) than “blood
relatives. I wanted to explore the
friendship between Nora and Avery and how they had been extremely close and had
grown apart. I decided to make them both
adopted because I wanted it to be something they had in common, but show how
they had dealt with it very differently.
I spent time talking to several teens who had been adopted as research.
The odd thing was that after I’d written a draft of the book,
one of my cousin’s and her husband adopted their baby girl. I had a chance to see them go through the
process and the joy that it brought to their lives and how they created their
own family. It made writing about the
topic more special.
I’ve always found your characters to be very relatable.
You’re able to present very rounded characters, with both good and bad
qualities, who are dealing with very real situations. How do you find the
voices for these characters? Do you ever struggle to find a voice that readers
will find accessible or is it something you easily tap into?
Thank you! Coming up
with characters is one of my favorite parts of the process. I went to college
for counseling/psychology because people fascinate me. The truth is that no one is all good or all
bad; we’re a mix. Even when we make bad
decisions, in the moment that we’re making them, they seem like good ideas. I
think it is easier to write well rounded characters when you don’t judge
them. I like my characters- all parts of
them.
Has the title changed or stayed relatively the same as your
novel journeyed towards publication?
Ha! I think we had
about a million different titles. The
truth is I am terrible at coming up with them.
When I am writing I tend to give the book a really simple title, like
Avery’s Book. Clearly, while this makes
it easy to remember, it’s not exactly catchy.
Once the manuscript is complete I tend to brainstorm a list with my
editor and we trade ideas back and forth until we both have the “a-ha!” moment
and know we landed on just the right title.
What book or author has most
influenced you as a writer or in general?
How is it possible to pick just one! I grew up a total library junkie. I would go
every week and check out stacks and stacks of books. I loved Judy Blume and the book The Mixed Up
Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. When
I was about eleven I convinced my parents to let me check out a Stephen King
novel, Salem’s Lot. I told them I
wouldn’t be that scared because I knew it was just made up. Then I ended up
sleeping with the lights on for three months after I finished it. I remember being so amazed that someone could
make something up so well that even though I knew it was “fake,” I would feel real emotion. It seemed like magic. I wanted to do that.
Many people dream of their ideal jobs while working
somewhere less desirable to make ends meet, never realizing what great
experience those jobs of necessity are for their future. What jobs did you have
on your way to becoming a published author? Is there a certain work experience
that has shaped your writing?
I had all sorts of jobs in school from retail, to the Dairy
Queen, to waiting tables. After college
I worked for years as a counselor. I’m a huge believer that all experiences are
helpful to a writer, from travel to having your heart broken. There’s no doubt
that working as a counselor has been a huge help to me as a writer. I spent years studying how and why people do
the things that they do. It helps with
creating characters and helping them behave in realistic ways.
If you
had to pick a favorite word, what would it be and why?
This was hard. There are so many great words. If I have to pick one, I’d pick dog. I’m a huge dog fan. If there is ever a bad
day I know I can count on my dog, Cairo, to make it better. It’s hard to be unhappy when rubbing a fuzzy
belly.
My blog is dedicated to my personal hiding spot, books. Who,
what, or where can be credited as your personal escape from reality?
Like you, books have always been a favorite escape. I am one of those people with books stacked
in every corner of my house and always have one that I’m in the middle of
reading. In terms of a place, whenever I find myself stressed or need to get
away I take a walk on the beach. That’s my favorite escape and if I can do it
while walking my dog it’s even better.
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Learn more about Eileen and her books here.
Check out my review of Year of Mistaken Discoveries here!
