1--What is the title of your latest release?
LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A fake relationship, a messy family, career swerves and summer on Cape Cod.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
This is the third book in my Wellfleet series, so staying on Cape Cod was a natural. My family has a house on the Cape, and it’s my favorite place on earth.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Of course! I love her. I want to be her.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Kind, brave, twin. I do love me a twin.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I always learn stuff while writing, whether it’s facts or lessons in humanity. Factually, I learned a lot about medicine, which is a great interest of mine. Humanity-wise, I learned that there are times when, no matter how great the desire to have or do something, you need to leave some things behind in order to find what you’re really looking for.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I draft and also do a big overhaul when I’m done with the first draft.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I have so many. Let’s go with crème brulee today.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I have a beautiful, airy space with a big window seat, floor-to-ceiling bookcases, giant, weird light fixtures, and squishy and luxurious velvet couch that I would carry out on my back of the house was on fire.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Nikki Payne. She writes Jane Austen riffs that are so smart and hilarious. In real life, she’s an anthropologist. I mean, how cool is that? She’s also one of the funniest and nicest people I’ve met of late. You should’ve seen her frantically tossing her kids’ detritus in her car as she made room for me when we went out after a book event. She kept saying, “Look away! Look away!” as I laughed till I cried.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Doesn’t every book change your life a little bit? In the big picture, though, I’d say TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. I was 14 when I read it and had lived a very privileged life in a very white community. Seeing America portrayed as Harper Lee painted it was horrifying and eye-opening and taught me more about American society than anything had thus far. At the same time, it soothes the soul to read about Atticus Finch. He is the penultimate good man…a lonely widower who will fight for someone less fortunate at the cost of his own reputation and safety. It also taught me what “voice” meant in a novel. Scout Finch is truly one of a kind.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My agent called me with the offer for my first book. My husband was picking up our son from nursery school, my daughter was in kindergarten—they are both adults now, but I can remember the moment so clearly. I hung up with my agent and stood there in the kitchen and thought, “Dad? Can you see this?” My father, the one person who believed I would do something special in life, had been dead for nearly 20 years at that point, but for a second or two, I swear I could feel him right there with me.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Women’s fiction.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Jaws.
15--What is your favorite season?
Spring. I also love a snowy winter.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Oh, my birthday’s not a big deal for me. If possible, I like to work in the garden, since my birthday is in the spring. My hubby will bring me flowers. My kids are very eloquent and always write me lovely cards—sincerity from my daughter, humor from my son. This year, my toddler grandson squiggled a few lines on paper with an orange marker, and my heart burst with love!
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The podcast Real Survival Stories. Ordinary people in death-defying situations. You know it will end well, because they’re telling the story along with this delightfully deep-voiced narrator, who is somber and British. Grizzly bear attacks (my favorite!), stranded at sea, some horrific accident when you have to squeeze you artery shut so you don’t bleed out while you wait for help on a mountain…basically all the things that will never happen to me, please God. Still…be prepared. That’s my motto.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Indian. Also dessert of any kind.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I love kids, so my grandson is my favorite hobby. I also garden, bake, arrange flowers and love to iron. I iron my dish towels, so they lie nice and flat in the drawer. I read, of course. I love horror movies and antique stores. Recently, I found hot yoga, which actually might get me interviewed on Real Life Survival Stories. It is with great pride that I say I am the oldest and least coordinated person in almost every class, and yet I keep turning up.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working a story about a 25th high school reunion centered around four high school besties who’ve been estranged since graduation. This year, however, they’ll all be coming back to the tiny town of Stafford, Vermont. I’ve been having a great time writing it.
From the author of Pack Up the Moon comes a funny, romantic, and deeply moving novel about the unexpected rewards that come from life’s detours.
Lark Smith has always had a plan for her life: find a fantastic guy, create a marriage as blissful as her parents’, pop out a couple of kids and build a rewarding career as an oncologist.
Things aren’t going so well.
For one, the guy didn’t work out. Theoretically, she’d love to find someone else, but it hasn’t happened. Two, she’s just been transferred out of oncology for being too emotional. (Is it her fault she’s a weeper?) Three, her parents just split up.
Deviating from the plan was…well, not in the plan. A potential solution comes from the foul-tempered and renowned surgeon Lorenzo Santini (aka Dr. Satan). He needs a date this summer for his sister’s wedding. His ancient Noni wants to see him settled. In exchange, he could make a few introductions and maybe get Lark back into the field of her choice.
As a sucker for old people and fake relationships, Lark agrees. Teeny problem—she instantly falls for his big, warm family. Especially his estranged brother.
Meanwhile, Lark’s mom has moved in with Lark’s colorful landlady, Joy, and an unlikely friendship blossoms. The three women have a long summer and a big beautiful house on the ocean to figure out what’s next…and quite possibly learn that the best things in life aren’t planned at all.
Women's Fiction [Berkley, On Sale: May 28, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593547656 / eISBN: 9780593547663]
Kristan Higgins is the New York Times, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of 20 novels, which have been translated into more than two dozen languages. Her books have received dozens of awards and accolades, including starred reviews from Kirkus, The New York Journal of Books, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and Booklist. She is a five-time nominee for The Kirkus Prize for Best Work of Fiction, and her books regularly appear on the lists for best novels of the year of many prestigious journals and review sites. The proud descendant of a butcher and a laundress, Kristan lives in Connecticut with her heroic firefighter husband, two long-lashed children, a couple of frisky rescue dogs and an occasionally friendly cat.
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