Alice Hoffman, June 22-26

[Mary_Lewis]

The book reminded me of a Salvador Dali painting - vivid, beautiful, dischordant, striking and magical.

Mary

[Alice_Hoffman]

Dear Bethanne

Of course, my apologies for being a literary hothead!

I agree to disagree. I think I reacted largely because I believe language and story go hand in hand. My mentor, Albert Guerard, believed the most important piece for any writer was "Voice" and that each writer had a unique voice that was like a fingerprint, a voice impacted and changed each story. 

Sorry to react so, but it's a sensitive topic for me!

with all best wishes, Alice 

[Alice_Hoffman]

Thank you Janelle -- hope you like The Story Sisters. It's an entirely different world.

ALice 

[Alice_Hoffman]

Really interesting because I do want that feeling of timelessness. It does take place in the here and now, but I like to think emotionally it could happen any time.

[debbook]

Ms Hoffman, you are one of my favorite writers. The first book of yours that I read was Turtle Moon and after I finished it, I promptly read it again. Your writing is so lovely and moving. I always feel different after I have experienced one of your novels. I am unfortunately 500th(at least it seems that way) in line at the library for The Story Sisters but I can't wait to read it. Thank you for all that you have brought to my life with your work.

[Lolo27]

Hi Alice,

I have read many of your books including the young adult novels, which I have really enjoyed.

I found The Story Sisters  a beautifully written adult fairy tale. It frightened me and yet I couldn't put it down. 

I want to add that one of my absolute favorites was The Green Angel. Also disturbing but

much like the Story Sisters, it grabs you right away and won't let you go.  

Lolo27

[ReaderIam]

Alice - I would like to know if there has been any difference between how you write now than you did when you first started writing (or rather being published) at the age of 22? I assume that as you mature, your writing matures. I feel that authors put little peices of themselves into every novel whether it be from experiences they've had or from experiences other people have had. Do you agree?

Thanks,

Paula

[Bethanne]

---

ReaderIam wrote:

Alice - I would like to know if there has been any difference between how you write now than you did when you first started writing (or rather being published) at the age of 22? I assume that as you mature, your writing matures. I feel that authors put little peices of themselves into every novel whether it be from experiences they've had or from experiences other people have had. Do you agree?

Thanks,

Paula

---

Paula, what a wonderful question. Since Alice talked about the importance of an author's individual "voice" and how essential that imprint is to a novel, I know she'll have an interesting answer. Have you read a range of Alice Hoffman's work? Thanks for stopping by Center Stage!

Bethanne 

[Bethanne]

---

Lolo27 wrote:

Hi Alice,

I have read many of your books including the young adult novels, which I have really enjoyed.

I found The Story Sisters  a beautifully written adult fairy tale. It frightened me and yet I couldn't put it down. 

I want to add that one of my absolute favorites was The Green Angel. Also disturbing but

much like the Story Sisters, it grabs you right away and won't let you go.  

Lolo27

---

Lolo27, you wrote about THE STORY SISTERS "It frightened me and yet I couldn't put it down." I wanted to point that out because I think it's exactly the reaction so many of us have as children to...fairy tales!

Alice, I'd love to hear more about how you thought about fairy tales while you were writing this novel.

Bethanne 

[Alice_Hoffman]

Thank you so much. Turtle Moon was a favorite for many people, including me. While I was writing the book a dear friend of mine who was a writer and wonderful died in an accident and I stopped writing for several months. When I went back to the book, the Angel was in the tree. My dear friend's gift to me. 

Hope you like The Story Sisters. And again, many thanks. 

[Alice_Hoffman]

Thank you! Green Angel was written after 9/11 and it helped me rediscover how important stories are. A sequel will be published in March --- Green Witch -- mostly because many readers didn't feel the story was over. They were right.

[Alice_Hoffman]

Paula, I totally agree. My first novel Property Of was just reissued by FSG classics, 32 years after pub!!! (I was a child) I wrote a new intro that speaks about what it was like to write that first novel, live in California, enter the world of publishing, which I never expected to do. I think my writing has matured, but still, every time I start I have to relearn how to write a novel.

[Bethanne]

---

Alice_Hoffman wrote:
Thank you! Green Angel was written after 9/11 and it helped me rediscover how important stories are. A sequel will be published in March --- Green Witch -- mostly because many readers didn't feel the story was over. They were right.

---

Very exciting to hear about the sequel, Alice -- thanks for sharing.

Bethanne 

[GreenFairyLV]

Just wanted to say I love the design of the book.  Did you play apart in it's design?  I love how the papers are. 

P.S.  Why do you not follow your fans on twitter?

[Alice_Hoffman]

I was involved with the design of the book -- and I love the result, but the edgy papers were a lovely surprise.

I started off following everyone who tweeted me -- but I became too confused, and so follow as many as I can follow at the moment. Twitter is still something that I'm learning how to use.  

[GreenFairyLV]

I love your little short stories on twitter.  Amazing how you can entertain w/ just 140 characters. 

I love Green Angel, when first looking for it I had a difficult time, I didn't know it would be in the YA section.  Do you think there should be an YA section for books such as Green Angel, or do you think they should all be in the fiction section?

[Bethanne]

---

Alice_Hoffman wrote:

I was involved with the design of the book -- and I love the result, but the edgy papers were a lovely surprise.

I started off following everyone who tweeted me -- but I became too confused, and so follow as many as I can follow at the moment. Twitter is still something that I'm learning how to use.  

---

Alice, Twitter is something we're ALL still learning how to use. You're tweeting quite well! I know that I and my fellow readers are truly glad that novelists like you are on it. 

I'm delighted to hear you were involved with the design of THE STORY SISTERS, because it really is well done, including those edgy papers. Yours and a couple of other recent novels I've purchased have been beautifully put together and remind me of why I love traditional, bound books.

Bethanne 

[Bethanne]

---

GreenFairyLV wrote:

I love your little short stories on twitter.  Amazing how you can entertain w/ just 140 characters. 

I love Green Angel, when first looking for it I had a difficult time, I didn't know it would be in the YA section.  Do you think there should be an YA section for books such as Green Angel, or do you think they should all be in the fiction section?

---

Hello, GreenFairyLV -- what a good question. I love so much recent YA fiction that I hate to see it shelved in the part of the bookstore with tiny chairs and puppets...on the other hand, my daughters have introduced me to many wonderful novels through their YA finds!

What do you think? Should this separation continue? I look forward to Alice's answer, especially as I believe my teenaged daughter (a serious reader) would find a lot to love in THE STORY SISTERS.

Bethanne 

[Alice_Hoffman]

Thanks I love to write fiction on twitter.

Hard to know about YA books --- I don't classify Green Angel as a teen book but it's sold as one. And then there are teen books marketed as adult books. Very confusing and I'm not sure what I think on that subject. It's a thin line...

[Maddy77]

Hello Alice,

My favorite book of yours is Practical Magic.  When I read it, I felt I had never in one book before read so many well developed, interesting female characters and I absolutely fell in love with all of them.  I saw the movie and felt the lead actresses perfectly embodied the spirits of Gillian and Sally.  I'm curious if you agre and if you were pleased with the end result.

Thank you!

Maddy