Kate Jacobs | Memories, Holidays and Families

We had the opportunity to pose some questions to Kate Jacobs for our blog today, so settle down and learn to know the author behind the bestselling Friday Night Knitting series.

After the controversial ending of THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB were you concerned about the reception the ending of KNIT TWO would get?

KJ: I always write the story I feel compelled to tell, though I do think of readers and their feelings. I really like the people who read my books! But ultimately I follow my instincts. You know, I chat about the ending of FNKC a great deal because I telephone book clubs regularly (readers simply contact me via my website). There are many readers who are upset by the death of a certain character in FNKC, and, by extension, upset with me. There are other readers who, like me, find it cathartic to grieve her loss. But it’s important to note that the plot twists are relevant to the themes of the book, to the ideas of recognizing how important our friendships are and how necessary (for us) it is to forgive and to absorb that sense of “why wait until tomorrow?” I also hope it’s clear how much practical health information I tried to tuck in there and how crucial it is that we all look after ourselves. In my mind, FNKC ends exactly as it should, even though parts of it are tough. As with any book I write, there are also issues I’m working out in the story, and there's no question that writing FNKC helped me deal with experiences of my own.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t like happy endings. Of course I do! Especially in real life – those happy endings are much more significant. But I do write them into my stories as well. KNIT TWO is a book that picks up five years after the end of the original story and asks questions about how we deal with grief, and how our lives become burdened by legacy. It’s an examination of how life – with its ups and downs, its gifts and its losses – defines who we are. And it has an upbeat ending because otherwise the book is too weighed down, in my opinion, and because I wanted there to be a full circle-ness to each of the stories in the series. Families – and families of friends – learn how to understand and how to grow together. How to accept. The newest and third book in the series, KNIT THE SEASON, smoothes out some of the remaining rough edges from the first two books and answers lingering questions about characters we haven’t seen in a while. It also incorporates memory flashbacks in which I write in the present-tense voice of the character no longer with the group, because to me the holidays are a time when we reflect on good memories of loved ones. We think about where we are going, and reminisce about where we’ve been.

How old were you when you learned to knit? What was your first project?

KJ: I often talk about my regret that I didn’t learn how to knit until I was an adult – even though my grandmother was a fabulous knitter and she taught my older sister and would have happily taught me. I just didn’t want to learn as a teen; it was the 1980s and knitting was something for old ladies. Ha! Fast forward years later and many of my friends have become knitters and suddenly knitting is intriguing. My very first project was a garter stitch scarf, and then I tried lots of different things – basketweave dishcloths, a cell phone sock, a little change purse. I liked trying it all out. The very first project I ever felt comfortable giving anyone was a scarf (with no mistakes!) that I presented to my husband years ago, and in which we recently posed our dog, Baxter, for the cover of our holiday card this year. He’s a handsome model.

Did the love for knitting influence the choice of material for the first book?

KJ: Sometimes I hear people say “Oh, I don’t knit, so I can’t read that story,” and I rush to let them know that FNKC – and the series overall – is not simply about knitting. Yes, of course, knitting is a backdrop, but the true focus of FNKC is about friendship, about overcoming regrets to find forgiveness, and about believing in second chances. The knitting shop serves as a conduit to bring together a cast of characters, and the knitting background picks up on the resurgence of craft, but the story is about people and about relationships. It’s a read for knitters and non-knitters alike. So although I’m a knitter and I love it, I think I could have written this same story about building community with a different setting as well.

Is there one special thing about being a writer that you learned only after being published?

KJ: Yes. That being published was a long-held and worthwhile dream (and it’s always satisfying to fulfill a goal) but that the real joy in my life has always been – and will always be – found in my support network of family and friends.

Was THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB the first book you wrote? If not was it the first book you submitted?

KJ: FNKC was the first novel I completed and, although several publishers passed, it found a home at Putnam and I’ve worked with the same editor on my other three books. (In addition to the FNKC series, I’ve also written a novel titled COMFORT FOOD.)  However, I did try to write a novel when I was eight years old. I spent all of third grade mapping out approximately 300 characters and their family trees and gave them all sorts of fanciful names. I loved hyphenated names a lot when I was a kid. Problem was, I didn’t get any actual writing done! So my nine-year-old cousin (who said she was going to be my “manager”) fired me. Ultimately, I did become a writer for a living, first as a journalist and editor, and now as a novelist. I love to work with words and story. 

Do you have an office? If you do can you describe it to us? Do you have a specific writing schedule each day?

KJ: We got two matching desks on craigslist for our spare bedroom (which is painted a lovely light green shade called “Lazy Caterpillar”) and call that room our office – though it’s not very glamorous. It’s all the odds and ends of furniture that don’t go anywhere else, including a day bed that is very good for napping. However, the desk has a glass top, which means Baxter can sit underneath and watch me as I work. Some days I wish he could type with his paws and I could just dictate…

Each character in the FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB must be special to you in some way, but is there one character who is more special to you than the others? One who was more difficult to write than another? Did you know which direction each character was going to take, or as you began to write did the characters have different ideas that they insisted you write instead?

KJ: There could be a different answer for every day! In general, Anita is my favorite character to write, but she’s often so good and so wise that it can be refreshing to write Catherine making mistakes. And while I do always like to begin with an outline, I am finding that more and more I let the characters have a little leeway. I don’t always know what’s going to happen and the discovery can be exhilarating. However, one must be careful not the let the story run away with itself. I always ask myself in the editing process if a particular scene moves the story forward or it’s just me, hanging out with my imaginary friends. And that guides how I adapt a piece.

Anything special going on at your website?

KJ: I have two different giveaways going on right now! First, my newsletter giveaway runs all year and, whenever someone signs up for my newsletter, they’re automatically entered to win a tote bag. I change up what cover is on the tote bag fairly regularly – right now it’s KNIT THE SEASON totes. Second, I also have a limited run book-club-visit giveaway in which I’ll make a personal visit to one book club! There are separate sign-ups for each giveaway on the News page at www.katejacobs.com .