Today is our book club discussion with Randy Susan Meyers about her book, The Murderer's Daughters. She will be available from 9-11 this morning to answer your questions and participate in our book club discussion. So grab a cup of coffee and join us!
90 comments:
Looking forward to meeting Libby and everyone else at Author Exposure! And hoping I can limit my typos. :)
Welcome to Author Exposure, Randy! How are you? Staying warm, I hope.
It's warm for Boston today--supposed to be in the forties.
What a fantastic book! The characters were very convincing and real to me. I absolutely loved how you shifted voices between the two sisters. Was it difficult to write from 2 different point of views?
Hi Randy
I really enjoyed this story. How did you get the idea for this story?
Renee
It wasn't difficult--I loved both girls and actually found it exciting to switch from one to another.
I worked with batterers for almost ten years (I have a post about it on my site today) and my father tried to kill my mother (but than god didn't suceed)
Hmm.. meant to say THANK god didn't suceed! Typo!
When working with batterers they always talked about their children being asleep--which of course they weren't--and I always felt the children, the collateral damage, didn't get attention they needed.
Hi, Renee! Thanks for joining our discussion. Did you enjoy the shifting voices between chapters?
I am not certain if that question was to Renee or to me. For me there is intense fascination with how members of a family will see the prism of events from such differing perspectives.
This is one of the best books I have read, and it is a debut novel.
The shifting voices was a great way to learn what Lulu and Merry were feeling.
Yes, the sisters really grew over the course of this book. It was great to be a witness to this growth.
Hi Irene, Great to see you! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the book.
Folks ask if I wrote this chronologically--I did, in order to have the book grow organically for me as I wrote it.
Readers, do you think Lulu and Merry's father was truly sorry to his actions? I don't think so. I found his denial to be quite disturbing.
Since finishing the book it was hard to leave Merry and Lulu behind--some have asked if I intend to follow up with them--an intriguing future thought.
Thanks for sharing that with us, Randy. Randy, how did you know when to end the story? Do you feel the characters had closure?
I always knew the story should end when they had some sort of closure--good or bad--with their father. How that would happen didn't become clear to me until the end. I'd planned all of the story except the very end--that raced out in a week or two--it was very intense for me.
I agree, the father was in total denial. He refused to recognize the psychological damage his actions created for Lulu and Merry.
You are right, Irene. Most men I worked with want to stay in denial--the main person they are in denial to is themselves. They can't take responsibility because that would mean admitting to themselves how awful they'd been to people they love.
A sequel would certainly be nice :)
Right now I am finishing the book I began when I handed Lulu and Merry over to my editor. But a few years down the road . . . it does pique my interest.
This was a difficult book to read at times, emotionally draining when I realized that this happens every day.
Excuse my grammar errors, never participated in a live chat before!
And Randy, it is a pleasure to "meet" you.
Randy, in preparing for this discussion I learned the original title for this book was "Adopting Adults". On page 185, Lulu talks about how she thinks "adults should be able to offer themselves up for adoption." Can you tell us why you initially chose this title and why the title was ultimately changed?
Irene, it is a pleasure to meet you. I know it's an intense book--but I hope it is also one which people want to finish once they start. I believe it's important to know that people can come out of times like this 'strong at the broken places' as Hemingway said.
ADOPTING ADULTS, for me, stood for the need for folks to find a family--even as adults. My editor feared that it sounded too much like a nonfiction 'self help' book.
Typos are just a part of the live chats. I'm sure by the end of this, we will have all had some. No worries. I apologize for the extra verification step. Unfortunately, we have been having problems with SPAM.
I understand. I am struggling with spam on my blog.
Having read the book, I understand the original title. It's actually a very powerful one. However, I think your editor was right to change it to "The Murderer's Daughters". It certainly piqued my interest.
I found it interesting that Lulu chose the medical profession - healing bodies, while Merry chose to be a probation officer - aiding in the rehabilitation of former prisoners - healing minds.
Irene and Renee, do you have a favorite scene or part of the book?
Thanks, it is a strong title. My only fear was folks thinking it was a mystery. I didn't want to disapoint those who wanted one, or lose readers.
ANother title I'd chosen in the midst of debate was TRICKS AGAINST CRYING--which also comes from a line in the book (as does THE MURDERER"S DAUGHTERS.
Libby
I loved the changing voices. It made the novel addictive.
Renee
The book I am writing now also has the format of events from the perspective of different characters who are colliding in the midst of a dramatic shift in their lives.
There are so many parts of the book that were special, but the one that stands out for me is Jesse walking into Merry's office, almost at the end. That one line: "Ms. Zach, you never seem happy, he said. I don't think this place is 'your worthy purpose.'"
Hi Randy
When did u know that you had a great story and did it take a long time to find a publisher?
Great point, Irene. I found that interesting as well. I was so happy to learn Merry left her profession as a probate officer. I think she grew the most. She finally realized she didn't have to pay for her father's sins (pg. 301).
Which sister do you think had the most personal growth in this novel?
Thanks for saying that, Irene. I found that small scene was very important. I think many of us struggle with that concept. When I found that idea--from Helen Keller!--I thought it crystalized much for me. And I also think what our 'worthy purpose' is can change over the course of our lives.
Traci: finding an agent took longer than finding a publisher. My agent amazingly sold the book in 8 days!
One of my favorite scenes is when Dr. Cohen takes Merry to visit her father in prison. It was just so powerful and I could feel the tension.
Randy
When I first saw the title I thought it involved some type of mystery but I think that it helps you stand out in the world of literary fiction.
Traci-- I didn't answer your other question! I am not certain if a writer knows they have a great story--but I knew as soon as I switched from a single pov to both sisters that I had a story that had me by the throat.
Despite her flamboyant exterior, Merry always was analyzing past events, past memories, as well as her present situation. She was looking for closure in a number of ways: with her sister, her father, and herself. She suffered in a more tangible way. I feel she had the most personal growth.
Thanks Traci--I am always worrying about the title :)
Irene, I think I agree with you in some ways. Some can't understand how Merry can continue to interact with her father, but I felt like she faced things more. What is, is. Her father killed her mother. She can never change that. But in some ways her way of moving on is to face it. On the other hand, as w/Lulu and Merry, don't we all need to find out own answers? I know that is true w/my sister and I--we often have to agree to disagree and still adore each other.
Irene--great observation about the different professions Lulu and Merry choose! I think you pinpointed what I did without really being aware of it!
Very true. I wonder if Lulu will ever be able to move on. Her regret for letting her father has made her such an angry person.
Yes, Randy, I see your point. I also have a sister, and there was an explosive interaction between us which devastated me. Mostly, because she included her daughters as allies. I love her dearly, as I do my nieces, but that whole incident was a turning point in our lives. BTW, I am the older sister.
Yes, Irene is definitely pointing out some of the deeper meanings in this multi-layered book. Thanks, Irene!
Randy, what was the most surprising thing you learned while writing this book?
I hope you and your sister manage to heal, Libby. I know that after my sister and I had our most difficult interaction was when we became the closest (of course it took a bit!!) There is such an intense bond between sisters--and the intensity can sway back and forth from love to anger.
The most surprising thing I learned was how very deeply each of us is the star of our own show. Our reality is true to us, but it may be totally untrue to someone else.
Unfortunately, I don't have a sister--I have two older brothers. But, I know sisters have a special bond.
That was me, Randy... Yes, we are closer now than we ever were, and my two nieces are part of that closeness. It was important for me that they knew their mother and I were able to come out of that "explosion," with a greater understanding of and respect for each other. The love already was there, it simply has grown.
oops. Think I used the wrong name to address my answer! Sorry, Libby.
I am so happy to hear that ,Irene.
Libby, I agree, Dr. Cohen taking Merry to see her father in prison was so intense, and was written so realistically that I felt I was there. And, I didn't really want to be there.
Thanks Irene and LIbby--that was a painful scene to write. I felt as though the ambiguity of all of their feelings is part of the awfulness we often go through--holding disparate feelings inside us can be so incredibly uncomfortable.
Readers, do you think Lulu is a good mother? I know she struggles with motherhood--having never really had a mother herself.
Randy, what do you think constitutes a "good mother"?
Wow! That is a question and a half. For me, as a mother, the most important things I could do (not always successfully) was to be calm and loving--yelling never helps anyone. Hitting -- in my opinon-- is lethal to children's image and feelings. It never goes away. I did keep my vow to never ever strike my daughters.Keeping ones' children safe is paramount, listening to them, letting them know you are always there for them, and letting them be the stars of THEIR show.
Oh, and so much more!
Lulu really didn't want to be a mother, but Drew wanted to be a father. I understand her reluctance, and I felt she was as good a mother as her past experiences and her personality allowed her. Interesting that Lulu even compared her closeness to patients versus her closeness with her daughters.
I think Lulu and Drew make a great team--without Drew I'm not so sure Lulu would be a good parent. By the way, I loved Drew! He's a really great guy.
Randy, are any of the characters based on real people?
Interesting, Irene. Sharp. I think parenting demands such intensity from women and personal intensity was the very last thing Lulu felt comfortable with.
That's right, Irene. Thanks for bringing up the point that Lulu compared her closeness to patients to her closeness with her daughters.
While none of the characters are truly based on 'a' person, I certainly think I took traits from people in my life and then planted them in characters. I don't like writing biographically, but I like taking germs and seeds and blowing them up into a big 'what if' -- certainly my sister and I did grow up in difficult circumstances, but not anything close to Lulu and Merry, That I suppose is where imagination takes flight. Also, I do like working out the worst circumstances I can imagine and finding a plan a, b, and c.
And, drawing up a good husband was a treat. No one is perfect, but there are good men out there. (I married one ten years ago.)
Libby, I really liked Drew, and I agree with you, Lulu and Drew made a good team. Meeting Drew and the instant attraction seemed out of character with the Lulu we knew.
Yes, you certainly started this book with a very personal "what if". Has writing this book helped you work through what happened to you and your sister?
Interesting, Irene. I often think it's when we least expect it, that we meet someone who takes us in a completely unexpected direction.
I agree, Irene. I remember going "hmm" to myself when I read how they met. Sounds more like something that would happen to Merry than Lulu.
I think it was a powerful experience for both my sister and I--we are closer than ever at this point. She remembered far more than I did--so for her it was more intense. It was the first chapter that was the hard one for her. Of course the individual events are not true, but the overall make-up (except for the actual violence!) had much truth. My sister DID open the door when she'd been told not to, and she did let in my father, and she did have to run to the neighbor for help.
I hope everyone has at least one magical moment in their life. :)
Randy, thank you sharing that with us. I'm so glad you wrote this novel. The story really touched me and made me think.
Thank you , Libby. I truly want a greater awareness of the collateral damage of family violence: it goes far beyond the headlines.
We only have about 15 more minutes left in our discussion. Please post your questions to Randy before it's too late.
Yes, thank you for sharing... I really could not believe this was a debut novel. The characters, the writing, and of course, the story offered so much to me as a reader. This book reined me in, and is still running through my mind.
One thing I found out yesterday that excited me beyond my imagination: THE MURDERER'S DAUGHTERS is now on the best seller list in Holland!
We really need to wait "a few years" before your next book comes out?
Thank, Irene. And of course, a debut novel isn't always the 'first' one--I have a few practice ones in the drawer. :)
I am almost done with my next novel--it's getting it's final revision; then my agent can send it to editors--so, I don't think it will be very long. And I already have my nascent plot for the one after that.
Congrats! That's fabulous news. Has the book been sold in any other countries?
I am certainly looking forward to your next book. You are a truly gifted writer. Keep writing!
Congratulations! The Dutch are intelligent people...
I find it interesting that a number of books are published off-shore before being published in the U.S. Why is that?
It's coming out in Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Israel, Germany, Portugal, Taiwan, France and has just released in Australia.
My book was published here(Jan 19) before anywhere else. The Dutch brought it out in early February, as did Australia--so my experience was that St. Martin's had it out first (here and in Canada)
Thank you for your kind words, Libby!
Libby, thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity to not only review Randy's book, but also to be able to participate in this live author chat.
Randy, thank you for writing your book and giving us your time to participate in this discussion.
Thank you for joining us, Randy. “The Murderer’s Daughters” is a very thought-provoking read and I would definitely recommend it. It’s perfect for book clubs. Also, thanks to all who helped make this a successful book club meeting. Next month we will be discussing "The Things That Keep Us Here" by Carla Buckley.
Thank you, Irene and everyone at AuthorExposure. This has been fascinating for me. I gained much insight into my own book. How incredible.
Enjoy the time with Carla--she's a lovely person. I have her book high up on my to-read pile on the nightstand.
Thanks for having me, Libby. This was great.
Have a great day everyone!
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