Today we talk about Today’s Rain, Tomorrow’s Whiskey, a book by Jaclyn Maria Fowler published with our Publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author, Jaclyn Maria Fowler, to get to know her better, what prompted her to the writing of her book Today’s Rain, Tomorrow’s Whiskey, as well as how she defines her writing style.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- What prompted you to the writing of your book?
It was story—at first, my grandparents’ stories—that made me write, not just Today’s Rain, Tomorrow’s Whiskey but all the books and all the short stories and all the tales that began pouring out of me as a child. As the grandchild and great grandchild of Irish immigrants, I had been exposed early to the stories of longing for things remembered, for spaces lost except in memory. I felt the overwhelming grief of leaving behind the people and places that were so loved, and I felt throughout my very being the ache for a place I had never been. So, I wrote to discover what I could not describe, what I could not know; I wrote to make sense of a world that others were born into, not me. With Irish grandparents, I had always known the story of Michael Collins, the main character in Today’s Rain, Tomorrow’s Whiskey; in fact, I named my son after him. However, only after I passed through his home territory in Ireland did it occur to me to write about him. And as I did, I grew to know him. I began to understand his need to risk his all for the sake of his nation and its people, and I learned why he was so important to those I loved who loved him.
- What would you like to hear from your readers?
Writing books is a journey; it takes a long time from the very beginning of an idea to the final edited work. As an author, I live the story that I’m writing. It can be all-consuming. At least for a little while. I know the characters, and I learn to feel at home in their spaces. I become attached to the story, the characters, the setting. And, in general, I rarely want the journey to end even after publication. So, since we—the readers and I—have lived in the world of the book for a while, our conversations restart my journey. Along the way, I want to hear their reactions. The good and the bad. I want to discuss the effect the story had on them. And how they connected (or not) with the characters. I want to know if something I wrote changed them for the better. Or worse. And why. What made them laugh? What made them cry? In short, hearing from readers gives me the opportunity to visit with the people and places of the book and to meet them in a new way: through the eyes and understanding of readers.
- How would you define your Writing style?
While I mostly write historical novels, I also write some memoir. In fact, a memoir of my time living in the Middle East, 10,000 Things, is currently being considered for publication at Europe Books. Whether I’m writing fiction or memoir, however, I would say my style is more literary. When I’m working on a project, I often sit in nature with my laptop and record what I see and hear and smell. I also spend a lot of time listening, working to find the right rhythm and rhyme even in prose. Moreover, like the repetitive sound of a train on its tracks, I use alliteration—or the repetition of consonants—to pull the reader more fully into the work. As for the creative process, I begin each new work by freewriting or writing without stopping and without worrying about spelling or grammar or even writing in full sentences. What I find is that when the words start to roll—and they always do—the story begins to take shape. When I’m done, I can choose what’s good, cut what’s not, and edit what remains until I’m happy with the structure that frames the emerging story.
- Are there some books you are particularly attached to and that you would like to recommend to all readers?
There are so many books I’d recommend to readers. I guess that’s the curse of being an English professor. 🙂 One of my favorites, The Alchemist, is by the Brazilian author, Paolo Coelho. It is a book of beauty, about listening to the longing of the heart and, once it makes its deepest desire known, learning to trust it. I’ve read it more than a dozen times now. One of my new favorites is not the type of book I usually read; however, I have already read it several times. The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown uses books as portals to magical powers. It is a literary novel wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a bit of fantasy. The genre-bending book about books is a great read. After teaching it for some thirty years now, my favorite teach is still To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Although it’s a classic, its portrayal of vulnerable populations—people of color and women and young girls, for example—was ahead of its time. Almost 70 years later, it still holds up. As for poetry, I appreciate almost everything by William Butler Yeats but particularly When You are Old and Grey and He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven.
- Are you working on a new writing project you can tell us about?
To be honest, I am always working on a new project. That is the beauty of writing. When I’m deep into researching a writing project, I often find new areas of fascination. Tangents that call to me. Although I try not to follow up on them right away, I make a note of them as potential future projects. In fact, Today’s Rain, Tomorrow’s Whiskey is the result of a tangent. I was conducting research in Ireland for another project when I passed through Michael Collins’s home town. When I did, I knew I wanted to write about him, so I did a little research and put it aside for another time. Later, when I began writing Today’s Rain, Tomorrow’s Whiskey, I bumped into the neolithic monuments all around Ireland. They are, according to Irish myths, the entrance to the otherworld where the gods and goddesses of ancient Ireland still reside. They became—the monuments and the pre-Celtic pantheon—the focus of my new book; it has a working title of Two Shorten the Road.
Europe Books thanks the author, Jaclyn Maria Fowler, once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book Today’s Rain, Tomorrow’s Whiskey. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my readers, may this book stir up some emotions and reactions in you and at the same time provide you with some useful food for thought!
So, my dear readers, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!