Announcement: Samara L. of Elyria, OH who receives a copy of Valerie Block's new book, Don't Make A Scene!
Here is part two of my conversation with Valerie:
Chica Lit: You make references to Ingrid Bergman throughout the book. What qualities of Ms. Bergman appealed to you and how did she figure so prominently in the story?
Valerie: In the book, I used movie stars and directors to reflect on what is happening in the life of one of my main characters, Diane Kurasik, who is a movie lover. Diane is nearing 40 and still single, so a film like Indiscreet, where Bergman plays an actress in her 40s who is cheerful and single without apologies, appeals to her. Bergman was also one of the few people who stood up to David O. Selznick, who sat her down with a stylist when she first came to Hollywood, and told her how they would tweeze her eyebrows, fix her teeth and put her on a diet. She told him, “If you don’t like the way I look, what am I doing here?” And that was the end of that. When Diane is feeling pressure to conform, she recalls this meeting and finds strength to resist.
Valerie: In the book, I used movie stars and directors to reflect on what is happening in the life of one of my main characters, Diane Kurasik, who is a movie lover. Diane is nearing 40 and still single, so a film like Indiscreet, where Bergman plays an actress in her 40s who is cheerful and single without apologies, appeals to her. Bergman was also one of the few people who stood up to David O. Selznick, who sat her down with a stylist when she first came to Hollywood, and told her how they would tweeze her eyebrows, fix her teeth and put her on a diet. She told him, “If you don’t like the way I look, what am I doing here?” And that was the end of that. When Diane is feeling pressure to conform, she recalls this meeting and finds strength to resist.
I wasn’t able to include all my favorites – only the ones that had something to do with what was going on with the story. So it was Katharine Hepburn who found her way into the book, because of her performance in Summertime, another film dealing with a single woman struggling to reconcile what she wants for herself, and her actual place in the world. Glenda Jackson made it in, because of her harassed intelligence, and Lucille Ball, who became personally and professionally involved with an impossible Cuban. Many others, too: Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Carole Lombard.
Chica Lit: Do your family and friends read your work, looking for themselves in your characters? (Mine do and they never get it right!)
Valerie: My friends and family members often bring up bits that I’ve used where they see direct parallels, and it’s useless to argue that I’ve radically changed the details, the context and/or the outcome. At this point, family members have mentioned some episodes that I’ve created from scratch as if they actually happened. These books take on a life of their own.
Chica Lit: How much did your husband influence the character of Vladimir?
Valerie: There are two main male characters in the book, both Cuban, and I would say my husband influenced both of them, but neither one of them is completely him. I wanted to write about my husband’s world, which I think any Cuban in exile would recognize, without writing about him. Alexis read every draft. He made sure I got everything right, not just the Cubanidad. But you know that it’s fiction — some might say science fiction — because I’ve written about a Cuban man who doesn't want to talk, an affliction from which my husband does not suffer, I assure you.
Chica Lit: Do your family and friends read your work, looking for themselves in your characters? (Mine do and they never get it right!)
Valerie: My friends and family members often bring up bits that I’ve used where they see direct parallels, and it’s useless to argue that I’ve radically changed the details, the context and/or the outcome. At this point, family members have mentioned some episodes that I’ve created from scratch as if they actually happened. These books take on a life of their own.
Chica Lit: How much did your husband influence the character of Vladimir?
Valerie: There are two main male characters in the book, both Cuban, and I would say my husband influenced both of them, but neither one of them is completely him. I wanted to write about my husband’s world, which I think any Cuban in exile would recognize, without writing about him. Alexis read every draft. He made sure I got everything right, not just the Cubanidad. But you know that it’s fiction — some might say science fiction — because I’ve written about a Cuban man who doesn't want to talk, an affliction from which my husband does not suffer, I assure you.
For more information about Valerie and her books, please visit her website!
No comments:
Post a Comment