Author Interview: Abby Slovin (Letters In Cardboard Boxes)

I have something special for you guys today! You all know about the novel Letters In Cardboard Boxes By: Abby Slovin right? Well I had the wonderful opportunity of Interviewing her and I'm sharing that here with you today! Before I let you in on the interview here is a little bit about Abby!

About The Author:
Letters In Cardboard Boxes is Abby Slovin's debut novel. She was born in the summer of 1983 and lived in the same house on Long Island until attending the University of Michigan. She has a deep love for New York City, Brooklyn especially, where much of her family has its roots and loves to spend time outdoors, travel, research family genealogy, and relax at home with her husband, Dominick, and pug-mix, Grumpy. (Taken from the end of Letters In Cardboard Boxes)


Now for the Interview! enjoy =)






1. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I think I realized once it became something that was no longer a choice, when my characters took on a life of their own and it didn't even feel like I was writing them at all anymore. Sometimes, things just click like that. Before I wrote Letters, it was a hobby that I enjoyed, no doubt. But during this process, it became such a huge part of me that it was difficult to imagine a time when it wasn't a huge part of my life.

 

2. In edition to being a writer are you also a reader? If so what types of books do you like to read?

I'll read pretty much anything recommended to me. Some of my favorite books have been recommendations I would never have tried on my own. If I'm browsing book shelves, I tend to sway toward literary fiction, but I'll go just about anywhere so long as there's a good story attached to it.

3. Is the plot for Letters In Cardboard Boxes based on your own experience? If not where did it come from?

Although the story is completely fictional, it was inspired by a personal moment in my own life. While I was cleaning out some of my grandmother’s possessions after she had passed away, I found letters she had exchanged with my grandfather during their courtship and was hit with a lot of emotion. In particular, guilt at not having known this part of her life, sadness for not being able to talk to her about it, but also a lot of happiness that these letters breathed life into someone I loved who was no longer around. I started imagining a story with this idea at its center — of finding remnants of a person’s life after they’ve passed — and organized a fictional story around it. I named the main characters after my grandparents simply because it felt good to hear their names spoken out loud again

 

4. Do you have a favorite place where you like to write?

I don't usually have a lot of time to sit and write, so most of my inspiration happens outside, while I'm walking to work or on a train going somewhere. I usually send myself a text message with the idea and try to find the time later to flesh it out. So, my favorite places to write are places that are moving, the streets, a train, a car. These are the places where -- watching the dynamism of the world around me -- I get the most inspiration.   

5. How long did you have the idea for Parker's character in your head? And where did those ideas come from?

 

The novel took me three years to write, and I began writing in the Fall of 2007, so I guess I've had Parker in my head since then. She sort of evolved around the themes I was hoping to convey -- of loss, isolation, and the power of relationships to see us through difficult times. To "channel Parker" and get ideas for her character, I tried to imagine the experience of losing the single most important person in my own life and used that emotion to write her character. Her experience, I think, is one we can all relate to. Its not the heroic side of humanity, but the real side of humanity. The part that typically doesn't get written about.

6. Lastly should we expect anymore books from you in the future?

 

Yes, I'm working on two new projects right now. The first is a monthly feature on a blog called the Dunce Academy about a recent college graduate searching for work (link below). The other will be my next novel, called 10:15 On A Tuesday, the story of an unlikely friendship between an upper-middle class widower and a psychic (link below as well).
http://www.abbyslovin.com/jack-and-the-brick-wall/about-jack/

http://www.abbyslovin.com/other-work/what-should-i-write-next/1015-on-a-tuesday/

Thanks again Abby, for being willing to do an author interview!
Thanks for having me here!

If anyone has any questions or want to know more about Abby or her writing visit her here or email her @ abby.slovin@gmail.com P.S. Thanks for stopping by!