DEBUT AUTHOR AT BOOKPEOPLE TOMORROW!

Tomorrow, at 7:30, we are thrilled to be hosting local author Jacqueline Kelly, the author of The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, which is perhaps my favorite new summer reading book of the season.
Intrigued by the different grashoppers inhabiting her backyard, eleven-year-old Callie Vee finds herself suddenly enthralled by the natural world–a fascination that unexpectedly leads to a new bond with her famously reclusive and standoffish grandfather. Voracious in her newfound love of science, Callie launches herself on a summer of exploration that leads to many new discoveries, not least of which is what it means to be a girl in love with science in turn-of-the-century Texas.

And here’s my recent interview with Jacqueline Kelly, author of this impressive new novel.

*Congratulations on the release of your first book, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate! Since you have a separate career as a doctor, I’m incredibly impressed that you’ve found time to write such a thoughtful, carefully crafted novel. How long did it take you to bring your book from conception to publication?

That’s so difficult to say, because I worked on the book sporadically between 2002 and 2008.  I think that if I had been able to work full-time on the book, it probably would have taken about two years.  I think.  (But I could be deluding myself.)

*What were the some of the challenges in bringing your first novel to life?

I think the scariest thing about writing your first novel is that it is the first.  It’s a huge leap from writing short stories.  Despite all the “how-to” books out there, the only way you can learn how to write a novel is to write one, make your mistakes, spot them (often with the help of your writing group) and fix them.   And it’s such a big, baggy project. You can devote a few days or a couple of months to a short story, and then you move on.  But you need to be excited by your novel and your characters because you’re going to be living with them for such a long time.  It’s difficult to maintain energy, enthusiasm, and interest for a project over the years, so you better have a story that you feel a real drive to tell, and characters you want to spend time with.

*Tell us a little bit about your initial inspiration for the character of Calpurnia?

Calpurnia was inspired by my 140-year-old country house in Fentress.   The house is a fine example of moldering splendor and is falling down around my ears.  Not all of the rooms have air conditioning.  One really hot summer day, I was lying on the day bed in the living room under a wheezing AC unit, when I wondered how people stood it in the heat a hundred years ago, especially the women, who wore corsets.  Calpurnia and her whole family sprang to life right at that moment to answer the question for me.

*In your career, have you ever experienced any of the gender-based obstacles that Calpurnia faces in the book?

When I was thirteen, I wanted to make some money during the summer vacation working as a “grocery boy.”  I wasn’t allowed to because they didn’t hire girls.  I was mightily ticked off.  Just today, I was trying to get into the IRS Service Center to examine patients in the health unit, and I was asked by the security guard if I was the nurse on duty.  There’s nothing wrong with being mistaken for a nurse, because nurses are truly wonderful people.  But people automatically make that assumption  all the time.

*Not to give away too much of the plot, but, at the end of the book, Calpurnia’s future is left somewhat undefined, but certainly as one of difficult choices. Do you personally have a strong idea of how Calpurnia’s story continues after the book ends? Did you ever consider leaving us with a more definitive view of Calpurnia’s future?

Oh, yes.  I originally wrote an epilogue that was quite long and explained what happened to every major character in the book.  It was written from Calpurnia’s point of view as an adult looking back at her childhood.  My editor asked me to take it out, and I did.  Several reviewers commented that the ending seems somewhat up in the air, which surprises me.  To my mind, there’s no need to worry about our girl.  She will be all right.

*The novel takes place in Texas in 1899, and the story is very rooted in its specific moment in time. The people in your book are about to enter a new century, and the sense of impending change is palpable. How much research was involved in creating such a strong sense of time and place, especially since you have not always lived in Texas or even the United States?

I really didn’t have to do as much research as you’d think, because I’ve always been fascinated by this period of time.  Over the years, I’ve soaked up details about turn-of-the-century life like a sponge.   Here’s an example from the first page:  people really did sprinkle their sheets at night with eau de cologne to try and cool themselves down.  Where and when I read this I have no clue, but it stuck with me, and I thought it was a charming and fascinating detail.  The whole pace of life was changing so fast then.  I once saw a couple of old photographs taken on Congress Avenue between 1900 and 1910.  In 1900, the mud street was filled with horses and carriages.  By 1910, every single horse was gone.  They had all been replaced with cars.  Such a shock that it happened so fast.

*So now that the book is done and the rave reviews are pouring in, how would you say the experience of actually publishing your first book has been?

It’s been absolutely wonderful!  I couldn’t have asked for a better group of folks at Holt to work with.  They’ve been the best.  And I adore the cover of the book which was done by silhouette artist Beth White.  You can find her art for sale on-line.

*And, finally, we’d love to know if there are any new projects looming on the horizon (if you can tell us)!

Indeedy.  I may end up doing a sequel to CALPURNIA, I don’t yet know.  But at the moment I’m working on a sequel to one of my favorite books in the whole world, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS.  The title is THE WILLOWS REDUX.  I hope I can do Kenneth Grahame’s wonderful characters justice.