1--What is the title of your latest release?
ALL THAT REMAINS
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Anna and Richard, a long-married Manhattan couple, lost their adult son and only child to a violent mugging a year ago. Time heals nothing. As they struggle to navigate the very different ways in which they grieve their loss, they meet two young people who are fighting their own demons. Over the course of a shattering weekend, Anna and Richard face devastating secrets that have simmered beneath the surface of their marriage and threaten to tear their lives apart.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The two main settings in the book are New York City and rural upstate New York near the Catskills. I’m familiar with both areas, which helped to ground me in the story.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I would. Anna is intelligent and has a wry sense of humor, which I appreciate. She’s also going through tremendous changes in response to the loss of her son. As she tries to find her footing, she finds herself submitting to impulses that surprise her. If I were to hang out with her, I imagine I would be doing more listening than talking.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Strong, uncertain, compassionate
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That it can be done. I’ve written short stories, plays, essays, and articles, but “All That Remains” is my first novel. It took me a looooooong time to write. Years. Most of the time, I was aware that I didn’t really know what I was doing, and I had to accept that that was part of the process.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Somewhat. I don’t seek perfection when drafting, but I do reread what I’ve written, mainly to put my head back into the story in terms of tone, pace, voice, mood, and consistency. That’s when I’ll make minor changes to sharpen what I’ve written.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Oh, boy, so many choices! Lately, it’s bagels. I watched a how-to video of Claire Saffitz making bagels on The New York Times website, and tried it myself, and boy, did they turn out well! Nice and crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside, just like a classic NYC bagel.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
Interesting question. Do you know there’s a copy of Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” next to my desk? When we lived in New York City with its famously small apartments, it was always a struggle to find a quiet place to work, especially when the kids were small. I’d often go to a café or the library where I could block out the sounds of strangers. When we moved into a house in rural Connecticut, I was able to claim a small, former bedroom. (I’m in it right now as I write this questionnaire.) I love my room of my own. It’s cozy and gets great light. I can shut the door and talk and read aloud to myself.
10--Who is an author you admire?
So many. I recently read a lovely novella by an Irish writer named Claire Keegan. The book, titled “Foster,” tells the story of a little girl who is sent to live with a childless couple because her own parents can’t afford to feed her. Keegan is one of those writers who can convey a great deal with very few words. I admire eloquent brevity.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
I’m struggling to think of a book that hasn’t changed my life in ways large and small. As a child, I was a ravenous reader. Our town had a library entirely devoted to children’s and young adults’ literature. I used to spend hours there. One of my favorite authors of my childhood was Madeleine L’Engle, who wrote “A Wrinkle in Time” and “Meet the Austins.” Her protagonists often wrestled with ethical and spiritual issues in a way that appealed to me.
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.
Funny story. I employ carpet-bombing when submitting my work and sent “All That Remains” out to a lot of publishers. One day, I was clearing spam from my computer and noticed an email from Apprentice House Press. “Oh, drat, another rejection,” I said to myself and almost deleted the email without opening it. But I did open it and, lo and behold, here I am.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I enjoy literary fiction, and as that’s what I write, I read a lot of it. Occasionally, I’ll read genre fiction, usually science fiction. I also have a weakness for historical fiction.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
I love Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street. It was made in 1945, and stars Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennet, and Dan Duryea. It’s a satirical take on the commercialization of art and has a fantastic ending. I recommend it highly.
15--What is your favorite season?
Right now, it’s the end of January, and spring looks awfully nice to me. As I live in the country and have a closer connection with nature, I’ve come to enjoy each season for its unique qualities. Sad to say that because of climate change, I also notice the degradation of nature: shorter and warmer winters, fewer birds, more extreme weather…the list goes on.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With a whispered, “thank you.”
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
This one’s a guilty pleasure, but lately I’ve been in the thrall of an episodic series on Netflix called “Younger.” It stars Sutton Foster who plays a forty-year-old divorcee who must pose as a twenty-six-year-old to get a job in publishing. It’s ridiculously silly, but a lot of fun, and Sutton Foster is adorable.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I don’t really have a favorite; I just like well-made food, and I’ll eat anything. Recently, I was in Scotland where I tried haggis. It’s actually pretty good. A friend who was visiting us from North Carolina made us a wicked-good batch of red beans and rice.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I read, swim, garden, hike, cook, travel, and try to finish a needlepoint project that I started years ago.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
It’s another novel with the working title, NOW AND THEN, and it’s so embryonic that I’m afraid that’s all I’m going to say about it. Stay tuned.
Anna and Richard, a long-married Manhattan couple, lost their adult son and only child to a violent mugging a year ago. Time heals nothing. As they struggle to navigate the very different ways in which they grieve their loss, they meet two young people who are fighting their own demons. Over the course of a shattering weekend, Anna and Richard face devastating secrets that have simmered beneath the surface of their marriage and threaten to tear their lives apart.
Fiction Family Life [Apprentice House, On Sale: May 27, 2025, Paperback , ISBN: 9781627205498 / ]
Jane Darby's short stories, essays, and articles have appeared in Lynx Eye, Washington Square Review, Storyglossia, Feminine Collective, New York Runner Magazine, and This One Has No Name. Recently she worked as a creative consultant and researcher for the documentary film, The Art of Eating: The Life of M.F.K. Fisher. All That Remains is her first novel(la). She lives in rural Connecticut.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy