Sophie Littlefield sits down with Fresh Fiction reviewer Lynn Cunningham to
talk
about writing, emotions, and an amazing cast!
Lynn: Hi, Sophie. Thank for joining us at Fresh Fiction. You are
probably
asked this all the time, but was there a particular point in your life where
you
knew that you wanted to be a writer?
Sophie: I remember being about seven years old, already an
enthusiastic
reader, lying sideways in a papasan chair in the living room while my
brother
dangled his G.I. Joe figures from our fourth-floor apartment window in a
daring
escape attempt, turning the pages in whatever book I’d checked out of the
library.
Suddenly it dawned on me that the books didn’t write themselves—that it was
someone’s job to create them. In that moment I became determined that
someday the
job would be mine.
Lynn: You seem to have tackled a variety of genres. Do you have a
favorite
one or do you just write what you are draw to more at the moment?
Sophie: I’ve loved every genre I’ve ever attempted, though some seem,
on
reflection, better suited to me. I’m very happy writing these emotionally
dense
domestic thrillers at the moment, because I’m exploring themes relevant to
my own
circumstances (and here I’m referring not to murder, just to clarify, but to
women’s
friendships and parenting grown children and divorce and so forth).
Lynn: In THE GUILTY ONE, you totally nailed the emotions of the
characters. Each one seemed to deal with the pain of events in different
ways, which
is exactly what happens in life. I could actually empathize with each of the
characters. Did you have any personal experience that helped you to get
inside
Maris, Ron, and Deb?
Sophie: Oh gracious, you couldn’t have given me a nicer compliment!
Getting
the emotional landscape right is my greatest ambition.
Now that I’ve hit the half century mark, it’s safe to say I’ve dealt with my
share
of ups and downs in life: losing a parent, ending a marriage, dealing with
children’s illnesses and poor decisions as well as the great joy they bring.
There
are many small details and some larger plot events in THE GUILTY
ONE
that evolved from personal experience, but overall I would say that I have
tried to
imagine my way into circumstances different from my own.
And, of course, like so many of my fellow authors, I am an emotional voyeur.
I get
very caught up in imagining the inner lives of perfect strangers as well as
those I
know best!
Lynn: I love the way that you kept some of the more startling secrets
in THE GUILTY
ONE
hidden until close to the end of the book! I really had no idea what was
coming and
that is one of the things that make a book great. Did you know ahead of time
exactly
how you were going to do that or did the book sort of write itself in that
regard?
Sophie: Yet again I must thank you for your kind words! In this case,
it’s
because that sort of suspense building and plot twisting is something I had
to learn
very deliberately. It doesn’t come naturally to me, so yes, I have to plan
for it
and often try a few different places in the story before I find the proper
time to
reveal a secret or an unexpected development. I had the help of my very
gifted
editor, Abby Zidle, who actually did some major rearranging of the first
draft and
made it a much better read.
Lynn: The character of Pet is rather unique and someone I would like
to hang
out with! Was there someone in your life that you based her on or was she
just
someone who popped into your head for this book?
Sophie: I’m so very glad you like Pet. She is dear to me. She is a
composite
of many wonderful people I’ve met since moving to Oakland, and perhaps most
closely
resembles a lovely young woman I met in a class I took several years ago.
Though I
did not know her well, she made an impression on me and gave me a starting
point for
my character.
Lynn: THE
GUILTY ONE deals with one of the hardest and more tragic events that
many
parents have been forced to endure. You did not make this book like a fairy
tale.
Rather, you didn't pull any punches with the pain involved as well as the
frustration at everyone who wants to "fix" the situation. I applaud the way
that you
pointed out that what works for some will not work for others. Did you visit
any
support groups or therapists in researching for this book?
Sophie: Without delving too deeply into the personal matters of
others, I
will say that I’ve known some very brave people who have endured the
unimaginable
with grace and courage. I myself attend a support group where I have learned
an
entirely new way of thinking about many challenges that I may have judged or
dismissed in the past. I hope that, as a result, my tolerance and compassion
have
grown.
I’m also blessed with some incredible friends who have shown me over and
over that
there are as many ways to be in this world as there are souls afloat among
us. I
hope I live to be one hundred so I’ll end up twice as wise as I am now!
Lynn: While reading THE GUILTY ONE, I kept finding myself thinking what a
terrific
movie this story would make. If this book were to become a movie someday,
what
actors do you see as Maris, Ron, Deb and Pet?
Sophie: I ADORE that you thought “movie!” From your lips to the
directors’
ears…
Hmmm. Well, I am a huge Ashley Judd fan. Perhaps they could convince her to
play
Maris? And then, how about Kyle Chandler as Ron (he’s a bit too young for me
or I’d
drive over to his house right now and seduce him). Deb would be someone
lovely and
bit fraught, like Julie Benz (from Dexter). As for Pet – I’ve no idea!
Wouldn’t it
be marvelous if they tried someone new and unknown?
Thank you so much for inviting me to chat!
Sophie grew up in central Missouri, daughter of a history professor father
and an
artist mother. She earned a degree in computer science and made very little
use of
it. After living in Chicago for ten years, she and her husband packed up the
kids
and moved to Northern California in 1998.
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From the award-winning author of The Missing Place—in which
“Littlefield’s
writing shines" (The Boston Globe)—another gripping exploration of the
damage people
can do to each other, and the resilience they find in themselves.
A man stands on the Golden Gate Bridge, poised to jump…if a woman on the
other end
of the phone tells him to.
Maris’s safe suburban world was shattered the day her daughter was found
murdered,
presumably at the hands of the young woman’s boyfriend. Her marriage
crumbling, her
routine shattered, Maris walks away from her pampered life as a Bay Area mom
the day
she receives a call from Ron, father of her daughter’s killer. Wracked with
guilt
over his son’s actions (and his own possible contribution to them), he asks
Maris a
single question: should he jump?
With a man’s life in her hands, Maris must decide, perhaps for the first
time, what
she truly wants. Retribution? Forgiveness? Or something more? Having lost
everything, she’s finally free to recreate herself without the confining
labels of
“wife,” “mother,” or “mourner.” But will this shocking offer free her, or
destroy
her?
3 comments posted.
This was truly an amazing posting, and I'm looking forward to reading your book!! Every time I read the synopsis, I keep reminding myself that I have your book on my TBR list, and I better get myself in gear, and pick up a copy already!! Thank you for coming here, giving a little more background on yourself, as well as the book, and reminding us "slackers" to pick up a copy and start reading it!! Your book is the perfect read for this time of year - the lull between late Summer and Fall, when you're itching for a great read to plug into that space. Congratulations on your book!!
(Peggy Roberson 8:15am August 18, 2015)