1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE COLOR OF ICE
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Set in Iceland’s otherworldly landscape of glaciers and thermal lagoons, and framed by the magical art of glassblowing, The Color of Ice is the breathtaking story of a woman's awakening to passion, beauty, and the redemptive power of unconditional love.
And here’s a longer version if our elevator ride goes more than a floor or two:
A woman’s carefully curated life is upended when she travels to Iceland to interview a charismatic glass artist who ignites a hunger in her for all the things she’s told herself she doesn’t need anymore. Passion. Vulnerability. Risk. Step by escalating step, she abandons the life she knows until she comes face-to-face with devastating choices she never could have foreseen.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I’d visited Iceland a few years earlier— simply as a tourist, with no intention of setting a novel there. But as I began to learn about glassblowing, I remembered the incredible blue icebergs of the Jokulsárlón lagoon in southern Iceland, and I had the idea that an artist might be drawn to the idea of capturing them in glass. It all came together—and once it did, there was no way the story could have been set anywhere else! In fact, Iceland itself plays a key role in many of the most important scenes—the waterfalls, thermal pools, fjords, glaciers and, of course, the iconic Northern Lights.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely—but that’s probably because she’s a lot like me!
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
In the beginning: controlled yet questioning.
As the story proceeds: hungry, and curious.
And by the end: open, loving.
(I know—that’s six words!)
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
In terms of craft, I learned to make every word count when I was writing this novel. But I learned far more than that. You could almost say that I learned to be a better person. As Cathryn came to understand the meaning of unconditional love, I found myself opening too, as she did, and wanting to be worthy of the story I’d written.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Both! I edit as I go, because my stories tend to “grow from the middle”—that is, I know the ending as well as a few key scenes when I start out, but so much of the story unfolds as I get to know my characters. Sometimes that requires spiraling backward, to change what came before in the narrative. I also edit endlessly afterward, but that’s usually at the level of the writing, rather than plot.
During: I edit the “what” of the story. Afterward: I edit the how.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I’m a salt addict! Give me a bowl of popcorn or a bag of potato chips, and I’m in heaven.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I have a very Zen-like space because I work best in silence, with a minimum of distractions. I have an L-shaped glass desk facing a window that looks out on trees and hills. So serene!
10--Who is an author you admire?
There are so many authors I admire for their skill and storytelling magic. Yet one person comes to mind, at this moment, for her courage in moving away from a genre in which she’d been quite successful in order to write a very different sort of book that her heart was calling her to write. I’m referring to Paula McLain, whose recent novel When the Stars Go Dark was so different from her earlier work. It took passion and courage to take that risk.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Many books have changed me, in different ways and at different moments. Probably the book that had the most profound and enduring impact, at an early age, was The Diary of Anne Frank.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.”
Very early in the process with my first novel, I made the decision to go with She Writes Press, the “gold standard” among hybrid presses. I didn’t have the patience to slog through years of queries in the hope of snaring an agent (who might or might not secure a publisher), nor the bandwidth to acquire the skills necessary for self-publishing. Quality hybrid publishing was a natural choice for my goals, resources, and temperament. It was very much like my earlier decision to become a mother through adoption. A mother is a mother, just as an author is an author—no matter how the child or book arrived on the scene.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I usually read in the same genre I write—that is, “upmarket” contemporary fiction.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Just one? Impossible! But three of my enduring favorites are Michael, The Descendants, and Love Actually.
15--What is your favorite season?
Fall, definitely. I have a secret belief that people like the season in which they were born.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Unless it’s a “big one,” I keep it low-key. I like to have a great meal with people I love and reflect on the year that’s passed.
17--What’s a recent book you highly recommend?
I’ve read a lot of fabulous books, but one I read recently and absolutely adored was We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Another hard choice, but I’ll go with Middle Eastern!
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I’m a “serious amateur” pianist, and I take a long walk every day. I also love to travel, cook, and share food and conversation with friends.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
My life has been a series of “unexpected” twists and turns—so no doubt that will continue. That’s what makes it so interesting!
Thus far, my “brand” as a writer has been stories framed around art, and how art can help to make us more fully human. But I have a hunch that whatever I do next will be very different!
Set among the glaciers and thermal lagoons of Iceland, and framed by the magical art of glassblowing, The Color of Ice is the breathtaking story of a woman's awakening to passion, beauty, and the redemptive power of unconditional love.
The stunning new novel by the author of award-winning novels Queen of the Owls and The Sound Between the Notes . . .
Cathryn McAllister, a freelance photographer, travels to Iceland for a photo shoot with an enigmatic artist who wants to capture the country’s iconic blue icebergs in glass. Her plan is to head out, when the job is done, on a carefully curated “best of Iceland” solo vacation. Widowed young, Cathryn has raised two children while achieving professional success. If the price of that efficiency has been the dimming of her fire—well, she hasn’t let herself think about it. Until now.
Bit by bit, Cathryn abandons her itinerary to remain with Mack, the glassblower, who awakens a hunger for all the things she’s told herself she doesn’t need anymore. Passion. Vulnerability. Risk. Cathryn finds herself torn between the life—and self—she’s come to know and the new world Mack offers. Commitments await her back in America. But if she walks away, she’ll lose this chance to feel deeply again. Just when her path seems clear, she’s faced with a shocking discovery—and a devastating choice that shows her what love really is.
Women's Fiction Contemporary [She Writes Press, On Sale: October 18, 2022, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781647422592 / ]
Barbara Linn Probst is an award-winning author of contemporary women’s fiction living on an historic dirt road in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her acclaimed novels QUEEN OF THE OWLS (2020) and THE SOUND BETWEEN THE NOTES (2021) were Gold and Silver medalists for prestigious national awards, and THE SOUND BETWEEN THE NOTES was selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Indie Books of 2021. Barbara has also published over fifty essays on the craft of writing for sites such as Jane Friedman and Writer Unboxed, along with two nonfiction books. Her third novel THE COLOR OF ICE will be released in October 2022.
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