1. Did you always
dream of being a writer?
I did. When I
was seven or eight years old, my Mum gave me a children’s typewriter – this was
before personal computers – and I would spend hours typing short stories and
poems. Most revolved around a haunted
house, family tragedy or penniless governess – you get the picture. I remember the beginning of one ballad:
Our fathers bring upon this day
From memories so far away
Fell from the sky with foreign lisp
A lover’s cry, a lover’s kiss.
In Scotland many a year ago
Came traveller, not friend nor foe
Passed by one rainy winters day
Beneath the oak tree he now lay.
To their credit, my family didn’t snicker when I’d
proudly read my work aloud at the dinner table.
2. How did your writing
career develop?
Mum was a single parent. Watching her struggle to raise four children
convinced me I needed to pursue a ‘real’ career. Not art.
Not something that didn’t feel like working at all. So instead of studying literature at
university, I became an attorney.
Although I’d pushed my dream of being a novelist to the back of my
thoughts, I always tinkered with short fiction and even sold a few things. But I didn’t really find my ‘voice’ until I’d
held many jobs wholly unconnected to the craft.
Were I to give an aspiring novelist advice it would be to travel, work
all you can, and make lots of mistakes – in life and love – for that’s what
births the storyteller within.
3. Your debut novel is
called Sweet Breath of Memory, what is it about?
The novel’s about second chances – those Fate throws
our way and those we so often deny ourselves.
It deals with war and its aftermath, focusing on the silent casualties –
women on the home front and civilians caught in the crossfire. The themes explored include the healing power
of narrative, the nature of memory and that very human drive to balance
remembrance with rebuilding.
4. What was your
inspiration for the book?
There were a few inspirations. I wanted to celebrate the sort of iconic New
England town that’s fast disappearing in this age of mega-stores and a dying
Main/High Street. Women business owners are
the driving force in this fictional community which is named for that lovely
village in West Sussex – Amberley.
Amberley is the sort of place that feels like home the moment you
arrive. It’s where we meet people we
wish were our friends, who confront challenges we hope we could.
5. Can you tell us
more about the main character(s)?
The protagonist, Cate, is a remnant woman torn apart
by grief. A war widow, she’s broken and
nearly penniless when she moves to Amberley to work as a caregiver. Cate exists in the shadowed half-light of
grief but the women of Amberley are determined to draw her out. Sheila, owner of the Italian grocery; Gaby,
who runs the diner; Beatrice, former mayor and town matriarch; and, MaryLou,
wise-cracking mechanic; all take it upon themselves to make Cate welcome. In the way of things, she helps each of them
in turn. In time, Cate finds the courage
to rebuild her life and remake herself.
6. Where and when do
you write your stories?
I wish I could say I write in a quiet, book-lined
study with a view of the garden but honesty demands otherwise. Truth be told, this novel was written in
15-20 minute intervals when the house was quiet enough for me to
concentrate. Only then could my
characters take center stage. I write at
the kitchen table, a mug of tea or coffee at hand and cats purring for
attention or plopping themselves down on the laptop keys should I neglect them
for an instant. It is not the ideal
creative environment, but needs must...and I’m lucky it’s worked thus far.
7. What do you do and
enjoy when you’re not writing?
I’m a gardener and watercolourist. Walker and biker. We have lots of animals and they need a bit
of care! The one thing I NEVER have
enough time to do is read all of the wonderful novels my writing sisters-in-arms
produce.
8. If you could switch
places with a character from a book, who would it be and why?
Oh I’d love to step into Sheila Morazzo’s shoes. She runs Amberley’s Italian grocery. Although she gets up in the wee hours to
bake, Sheila spends her day grinding coffee, weighing out cookies, filling
catering orders and generally tucking in to all the treasures in her shop. She’s also married to a lovely man, has great
friends and is mayor of the town. The
perfect package. But it’s Sheila’s 24-hour
access to cannoli cream that tips the balance for me!
9. What books have most influenced your life?
Thomas Hardy’s
writing would top the list. I relate to
that tug-o-war between celebrating Nature and lamenting how rigged everything (including
Nature) is against the ‘little guy.’ And
I applaud his pathos when writing about the working poor and the clash of
modernism with the idealized golden days of old. I love Anthony Trollope’s humour, and admire
how the Brontë sisters imagined such full worlds when their own society was so
limited. And, of course, Jane Austen is
peerless.
10. What are you working on at the moment?
The sequel to Sweet Breath of Memory, a Young Adult
novel, and an adult historical series set against the backdrop of London’s
Fifteenth Century merchant guilds.
11. What do you enjoy
most about writing?
How incredibly tough it is. Often you feel no more than an editor –
fixing, fine-tuning and trimming. But sometimes
your fingers can’t type fast enough to keep up with the characters’ actions;
that’s a feeling beyond description.
It’s a bit like horseback riding.
Most of the time, you have a nice trot going; it’s pleasant and
diverting - nothing spectacular. But if
you pull off the saddle and ride bareback, the horse and you move as one. That unique connection is similar to the one
writers experience when they merge with their characters.
12. Pick three authors
you want to have dinner with and tell us why.
Oh, fun! I
assume they can be called back from the other side, right? Let’s set the menu first: pasta, crusty
bread, olives and salad. We’ll get to
know each other over Irish whiskey, drink Chenin blanc during the meal, and sip
Grappa with our cannoli and almond cookies.
And now for the guests - Oscar Wilde and Maeve Binchy. To represent America, I propose
comedian/writer Groucho Marx. I’d love
the chance to chat with each of them and I think they’d get along famously. Lots of laughs. Hopefully, at the end of the night Groucho
won’t give his trademark exit line, “I’ve had a lovely evening and this wasn’t
it.”
13. Imagine Sweet Breath of Memory would be turned into a movie,
who would you cast for the main characters?
Protagonist widow, Cate – Sandra Bullock or Drew
Barrymore;
Wise, elderly priest, Father Sullivan – Alan Alda;
Town’s ornery matriarch, Beatrice – Helen Mirren;
Italian grocery owner, Sheila – Katey Sagal (an American
TV actress who would be perfect for the role);
Empathetic diner owner, Gaby – Cate Blanchett;
Tough-as-nails mechanic, MaryLou – Susan Sarandon.
14. If you could travel
to one place anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I’ve always wanted to visit Prague; I just feel
compelled to go there. Perhaps after the
trip I’ll know why.
15. How would you
describe your style of writing?
Opportunistic in that I write when and where I
can. Also, open-minded. I set out in a very definite direction with
anything I’m creating but, inevitably, I’m taken by the hand and led another
way. Artists have to be open to the
breadcrumb clues left for us to find and interpret. Writing is very much about the journey.
16. Coffee or tea?
A.M. = two lattes; P.M. = herbal tea.
17. Paperback or
e-reader?
Paperback. I
love the feel of a book and the smell of clean paper. There’s a sort of sigh when you bend back the
cover and a slight resistance from the binding, as though the book is guarding
its secrets – but not too much.
18. Mountains or the
sea?
The sea, although one of my favourite towns in Maine –
Camden – has a lovely mountain overlooking the Atlantic.
19. Summer or winter?
Summer for the garden, winter for the quiet of a
snowfall.
20. Sweet or salty?
Salty.
Pretzels. Chips. Sea salt on Irish brown bread is heaven.
Thank you, Simona,
for inviting me to chat!
About the Author: Ariella Cohen is a graduate of Columbia University, the Hebrew University and the University of Michigan Law School. Although she makes her home in New England, her dream self resides in County Mayo, Ireland. Ariella believes in the healing power of cat purrs, cannoli and coffee. SWEET BREATH OF MEMORY is her debut novel and she's hard at work on the sequel.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariella_
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