Questions for Erick Setiawan? (All about the cover)

[Immortal-Spirit]

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Erick_Setiawan wrote:

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babzilla41 wrote:
Hi Erick, We've been having quite a discussion about the OBaM book cover.  I was wondering if you had any input as to the design or whether the artist had carte blanche after reading the story.  Can you tell us all of the "hidden" symbols - we've found quite a few but wonder if there are more!  Thank you for a great read; I really enjoyed reading OBaM.  It's opened my eyes to a new genre.

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Hi babzilla41,

Thank you so much for raising this question!  I know the message boards were abuzz about the book cover, and people were speculating if there was a ghost, a staircase, an upside-down ghost, or even a pair of glasses.

Let me tell you what happened . . . The art director at Simon & Schuster, Jackie, read the book and loved it.  She went ahead and designed the cover (or commisioned somebody to do it), and sent it to Kerri, my editor, who in turn sent it to me for feedback.  I just about died when I saw it.  It was absolutely beautiful and it captured everything I wanted to say in the book--the mood, the timelessness, the ambiguity of place, the magical essence of the story.  So I said yes.  But funnily enough, I didn't notice any of the hidden items until Kerri pointed them out to me!  Now I see the obvious things (the fawn, the baby, the diamond ring, the necklace, the shovel, the bee, the bird), but as far as the ghost and the upside-down ghost . . . you should ask Kerri.  I'm not saying they don't exist, but it's fascinating that this is becoming some kind of a Rorschach Test!

I feel incredibly lucky because we found the perfect cover on the first try.  This rarely happens.  Sometimes it takes several rounds of revisions, and even then, the agent or author may still be unhappy with the cover.  Hats off to Kerri and Jackie!

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  The cover is great but, I can't find the bee!  

[LISA-BRYAN]

This is so true!    Our emotions impact everyone and everything we come in contact with.

[JerseyAngel]

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Immortal-Spirit wrote:

  The cover is great but, I can't find the bee!  

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On the front cover, upper right hand corner... it's yellow buzzing in front of a black rose

[PB684]

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Erick_Setiawan wrote:

Hi Paula,

Be careful what you wish for.  I might just put that bit about your cousin in the next book but you have to promise you won't sue me for stealing something from your life!

Please see my earlier post to Stephanie and Vivian regarding Hannah.  It's been a joy to have you with us!

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OK Erick, I promise

Paula

[Erick_Setiawan]

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pen21 wrote:
Erick,

I have finished the book. And thank you for asking me to share my thoughts
on the last quarter of the book. I was disappointed in the ending, as I'm
sure you saw on the last chapter thread I posted.

I wanted Eva to have a stronger ending. As you know she is the character I
thought drove the storyline. Everyone turning away from Eva worked out OK.
But did they turn away or by turning away did they just become mean and evil
like Eva. The more I think about it, the more I think that Meridia and Malin
were turning evil. For instance, that Malin took the child to keep it safe,
or was she taking the child to fulfill what Malin wanted. I am leaning toward
Malin doing what Malin wants.

Hannah  didn't have the big ending I thought was coming. Hannah just moved in.
We didn't learn much about her character. I especially thought about what
you said to me (a quote from your post)
'I've drawn enough dots on her and you can fill in the rest yourself.'
I guess I didn't find enough dots. I am OK with how I think it ended.
But would have liked Hannah to have a bigger role at the end, and yes
more information on that character would have worked for me.

I liked that the fragrance theme was continued in the last section.
I think that the use of fragrances was well thought out for this book.
I think it was the best theme.

I hope you are enjoying the comments from all of us.
I have learned a lot from the posts of the group and your replies.
Enjoy all that this first book brings and on your future works.

pen21

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Hi pen21,

It's too bad you're disappointed with the ending.  But as I said to Vivian on my earlier post, you can't please everyone.  (For the record, let me just state that I was kidding about asking Paul to ban Vivian from this club or any future ones!  I hope no one thought that I was being serious.  Of course you're free to express how much you dislike the book, as long as it doesn't degenerate into out-and-out bashing.  This is America, and the club would be so dull without all the different voices.)

I have to disagree with your assessment that Malin and Meridia are turning evil at the end of the book.  The entire book traces Malin's trajectory from a spoiled, selfish child to a woman who's capable of growth, repentance (for what she's done to Permony), and strength and determination to raise a child on her own.  That is not a slim accomplishment.  If by "mean" you're referring to her ousting Eva out of her life, I think Eva is getting what she deserves.  Would you rather Malin keep submitting to Eva all her life and let her mother ruin it just as Eva did Permony's? What Malin realizes at the end is that she needs to root out the bad influence in her life, and that influence happens to be her mother.  That takes guts and strength of character.  And I don't think she's raising Permony's baby out of selfishness either (those of you who are parents can probaby testify that raising a child has to be one of the most selfless things there is--just look at what Meridia goes through with Noah). Malin's doing it because it's the right thing to do--to protect the child from Ahab, to raise him and love him (how can this be selfish?), and also to repent for what she's done to Permony.  At the wake, when Malin sees Permony's body for the last time, she vows that she will raise the child to honor his mother to the end of his days.  I don't see any selfishness in Malin at all.

Now on to Meridia.  There is no question that she's learned a thing or two from Eva--how to stand up for herself and fight, how to talk to people, how to protect her family. But this doesn't mean that she's turning into another Eva.  At the final scene where Meridia confronts Eva's decaying body, she has a choice to leave her to die in abject misery and not breathe a word to anyone, or she can help her.  Meridia chooses the latter.  Considering how much hell Eva has put her through, how is this mean or selfish or evil?  I think it's the exact opposite.  If the situation had been reversed, Eva for sure would have let Meridia die in agony.  But Meridia doesn't.  She actually takes the trouble to set the maid straight and go to Daniel first thing and tell him to fix things.  Where is the selfishness, the evil?

I don't think it's so much everyone turning away from Eva in the end, but it's more that Eva is turning everyone away.  Look what she says to Meridia when Meridia tries to clean her up (I'm also hard pressed to imagine a single selfish reason in anyone willing to clean up a grown person's excrement, especially if that person has been an abusive tormentor).  Eva's ending is a just one, and you can even call it a merciful one, since Meridia doesn't turn her back on her, and Daniel still finds it in his heart to go fix things with the maid.  I know at least one reader who was upset with me because I let Meridia help Eva--she wanted Meridia to just let Eva stew in her own filth. But I think the ending is the right one.  I cannot envision an alternate or a better ending for Eva.

I've written at length about Hannah to my earlier post to Stephanie and Vivian.  I've placed all the dots out there, and if you don't get them, then you don't get them.  I've said this before: I wasn't interested in defining exactly who or what Hannah is--to me she is all those things I've talked about in my post--but I'm more interested in how she motivates Meridia to grow and explore the inner parts of herself that she doesn't even know exist.  Hannah will always remain a bit of a mystery, even to me.  That is her nature, and I hope readers will continue to discuss her for a long time to come.

Message Edited by Erick_Setiawan on 06-24-2009 11:01 PM

[Erick_Setiawan]

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DSaff wrote:

Thank you for giving us so many choices in this book, Erick. Hannah is one of my favorite characters and I'm glad you didn't put her in a box. It is more fun for me this way. <grin>

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Erick_Setiawan wrote:

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Here's the short answer to Hannah: Just like the book itself, she is what you make her to be.  The secret about her is that there is no secret, but simply what you choose to perceive or ignore.  I never said there would be a big reveal at the end, but I encouraged you every step of the way to explore the many sides of her.  Is she a guardian angel?  Yes.  Is she a ghost adrift from another time?  Yes.  Is she Meridia's muse and inspiration?  Yes.  Is she her lover?  Yes.  Is she Meridia's mirror image and possibly better half?  Yes.  Is she both real and imaginary? Yes.

This may come as a disappointment to readers who are looking for a tidy nugget of explanation, but I was not interested in defining Hannah in one way or another (the same can be said about all the characters: I hope they resist easy classification).  I was more interested in exploring the psychology behind what Hannah contributes to Meridia's life, and how in turn those things help Meridia along the way.  So much of the book is open to so many interpretations, and that's no accident--I designed it that way.  It's only right that you also have to draw your own conclusion (if any) about Hannah.  If different readers see different things about her, then I have done my job.

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Hi Donna,

I'm glad you're having fun with Hannah!  I can't ask for anything more!

[vivico1]

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Erick_Setiawan wrote:

It's too bad you're disappointed with the ending. But as I said to Vivian on my earlier post, you can't please everyone. (For the record, let me just state that I was kidding about asking Paul to ban Vivian from this club or any future ones! I hope no one thought that I was being serious. Of course you're free to express how much you dislike the book, as long as it doesn't degenerate into out-and-out bashing. This is America, and the club would be so dull without all the different voices.)

Message Edited by Erick_Setiawan on 06-24-2009 11:01 PM

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Hey guys,
I just wanted to say, as with the book, not all things are as they appear.

No, Erick did not ask Paul to ban me. And no, I am not Eva or the bees to him but as I have told him, I can be a pitbull about answers sometimes and I don't even like pitbulls! He and I talk in pms and really, this was just some joking that looked a bit too serious on both our sides. Here is the deal ok? I will tell you what I think and what I have shared with Erick and then we can get back to everyone calming down and not being worried. Sometimes joking does not come across on the internet as joking because you can not see the other's face. We have all experienced this, I know.

Here are my thoughts. I love Erick's writing, I think he has an amazing way of describing things and I loved the plot of this book and the characters. I think Eva was just evil and self centered and could never change. I think Elias loved Eva but meant for Meridia to save Permony because from the time he saw Ahab at the wedding and saw Ahab looking at Permony, I think he knew what Ahab was and what he wanted and was afraid for her. I think Meridia was a strong woman but I think she learned as much about how she was going to handle life from Eva and she did from Ravenna and she was a mixture of both, caring and conniving and I liked that she was both. I think Daniel was a wuzz but one thing I did not doubt is that he loved Meridia. I was disappointed in Meridia in the end somewhat for a couple of reasons. I wanted her to be better than Eva, and even tho Eva deserved what she got, I wanted Meridia to be above this herself and be more compassionate since Eva was going to die and had got what was coming to her anyway.

This is just my thinking, and we each have our own. I think Malin grew tremendously and had to do a lot of it on her own. She went through her grief on her own but in the end came out of it more compassionate than even Meridia in some ways I think. I hated what happened to Permony but her dying may have saved several others by the gift of the son she gave them. I think she would be very happy that Malin had the baby. I think Noah is something special and has something special about him, a power of his own, born of both families and yet made of light and the fireflies are his light which will break through all the mists and bees of anyone because its pure. A part of me wished Meridia would take back Daniel and a part of me just thought, let he go and move on. I am not sure really in the end what she did. I think Hannah is an imaginary friend of Meridia's, born of a part of her. I think she didn't want people to see her because this was the side of her she needed and didn't want crushed or put down or done away with until she was strong enough to take the side of her that she made into an imaginary friend, inside her and be whole and strong. I don't see them as lovers, but because she is a part of Meridia, it could be finally self love! I think Ravenna and Gabriel did love each other but just couldn't get back there and that was sad. I adored Ravenna actually. Now, all this is my thoughts, not right not wrong but what I got from the book and how I perceived the symbolism in their lives.

Back to the pitbull thing, first of all, others and myself may have misunderstood about what we were to come to know about Hannah. I think it all came from hints Erick offered us, but also things other readers said and even some questions from the mods that made us believe we were going to hear something definitive. I still think Erick used a little writers trick of misleading us (where is the emoticon for sticking out your tongue lol, there is none so know this is STILL just me being a pitbull but what can I say), to get us to look into her more to see what we could in her. So the above is what I saw and I like it! Really tho, what I was too pushy about and maybe but for a good reason to me anyway, was that I wanted to know what Erick was picturing Hannah as, when he wrote her. Who did he see her as. I love to get inside a writer's head about those things and the cop out thing on my part was just my way of saying, ahh come on now man, you had to have something in mind about her!! He did, and actually in the post where I was Eva and he was a cop out lol, he really answered that more. So I am not completely happy with the ending or the symbolism in the book. Not everyone is going to like every book, but yes, I swear, I do like God, puppies and ice cream hehe.

Now for all those of you worried about what was happening, you have both our answers and no Paul was not in on this for either of us. Neither of us were taken back behind the B&N toolshed ok? All is well and I will as I have said over and over, be watching for Erick's future work, heck he might even win me over yet but as for now, it appears that we gave you all one more thing to wonder if it is real or is it a metaphor or mists! hmmmmm. How about we get on with the discussions now, come back Little Shebas, there are no hard feelings between Erick and I. We would just have a great debate in person sometime and that would be great! I never had a problem with the characters or story line, I just wanted in his head and dig out those metaphors for what they were! So Erick, when is tea time??

[USwede16]

At the end of the novel Hannah tells Meridia that her heart couldn't take it to leave her again (p. 393). I do think that this continues to support the idea that the two could be lovers.

I love how you created the ambiguity that surrounds Hannah. It not only fits in with the ambiguity throughout the novel but it also makes for an excellent discussion. I am looking forward to being able to read your future works! =)

Christina

[Erick_Setiawan]

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Readingrat wrote:

Hello Erick,

I don't have any questions, just a couple of compliments.  This type of book is right up my alley, and you had me from the very first chapter.  I loved the use of the child-aged Meridia as an unreliable narrator, the magical realism, the symbolism, and the ambiguous setting.  All of these things kept me thoroughly engaged as a reader trying to figure out what I believed was real, what was metaphorical, and where-in-the-heck this book was set.  Your descriptions of the markets, streets, houses, and other locations reminded me so much of Love in the Time of Cholera, that part of me wanted to set this story somewhere in the Carribean, while another part of me wanted to set it in a more Asian setting (although I admit that having my son actually visiting China during the time I was reading your book might have had more than a little something to do with that). BTW the Asian setting did eventually win out for me and my mental images of all the characters quickly changed accordingly. You have written a beautiful book here, and I am looking forward to reading more of your work

Best of Luck,

Elaine

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Hi Elaine,

Thank you so much!  Love in the Time of Cholera is one of my favorite books--the fight scene between the doctor and his wife over a roll of toilet paper was one of the funniest domestic squabbles I've ever read.  I'm glad to hear that the setting for Bees was versatile enough for you.  Thanks for being a part of First Look. 

[Erick_Setiawan]

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TRJ4SQ wrote:

Erick,

It's been a long day's journey and you've made it! Congratulations on the publication of Bees and Mist!

My apologies that my schedule had limited my time and I have not been able to devote the attention that this book deserves.

I would like to ask you one question. Will the true meaning of each symbolism in the book ever be revealed? Perhaps a companion guide to Of Bees & Mist is in order?

Thank you for sharing your wonderfully complicated book with us here on First Look. I hope you have enjoyed this journey as well.

Talea

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Hi Talea,

Thank you for your best wishes.  While I love the idea of a companion guide for Bees, I think that would defeat the whole purpose of the book.  But if anyone feels strongly about it, don't let me stop you from compiling the different interpretations that people have discussed here.  I'd be honored and flattered! That would be the ultimate compliment.

I have enjoyed this journey a great deal.  Thanks for coming along for the ride!

[Erick_Setiawan]

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dhaupt wrote:

Hi Erick, You've answered my questions in earlier posts and in this one I just want to tell you how wonderful I think the book was and to thank you for letting us share this special story with you. I can't wait to see what you turn out next and hopefully you'll come back to B&N book clubs as a "not so new" author.

Congratulations, I see best seller in your future, I think it was the priest at the Festival of the Spirits in the Cave of Enchantment that told me so. 

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Hi dhaupt,

Thanks so much!  Yes, the seer in the Cave of Enchantment--he's a wise one.  I'll take your word for it!  It's been a pleasure having you here.

[Erick_Setiawan]

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JerseyAngel wrote:

Erick,

   I think there is one thing everyone can agree on. You have definately inspired a lively & sometimes passionate debate with your book! It makes people talk & that certainly cannot be a bad thing! Hopefully this will cause people to want to pick up the book & read for themselves.

Stephanie

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Hi Stephanie,

I'm glad that I've contributed to a lively and passionate debate. But all of you First Lookers should take a big part of the credit yourselves.  You're all very thoughtful, very perceptive readers.  This is heaven for an author!

[Erick_Setiawan]

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thewanderingjew wrote:

Whoa, I am betting you did not really ask Paul to ban anyone from the site. I am sure as an author, you do not believe in censorship!

We all love a lively and interesting discussion and we are all grateful for your participation and hope our questions have helped you to discover how your book will be received. I am sure you realize that we all wish you good luck and thank you heartily.

twj

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Erick_Setiawan wrote: (message edited by twj)

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...Vivian, it's too bad that you're disappointed with the book.  But hey, not even God, puppies, and ice cream can make everybody happy.  But disliking the book shouldn't deter you from expressing your thoughts (I'm talking to everyone here), as long as they are done with respect, tact, and politeness.  Last time I checked, B&N doesn't condone censorship or engage in acts of retribution (Paul, please disregard my last PM about banning Vivian from future First Looks).  It's a free country, and I've said this many times before: I encourage you to think freely and outside the box, and not just with the book.

I'm getting the sense that others have had enough of this.  Vivian, if my answer still doesn't satisfy you, feel free to PM me.  I won't tell Paul about it.

Message Edited by Erick_Setiawan on 06-24-2009 01:07 PM

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Hi twj,

Of course I didn't ask Paul to ban anyone from the site.  It was a joke!  A joke, people!

Thank you so much for your best wishes.  I'm glad you've enjoyed your time here.  I certainly have!

[vivico1]

Erick,

Would you like me to do this? lolol! Surely so!

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Erick_Setiawan wrote:

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Hi Talea,

Thank you for your best wishes. While I love the idea of a companion guide for Bees, I think that would defeat the whole purpose of the book. But if anyone feels strongly about it, don't let me stop you from compiling the different interpretations that people have discussed here. I'd be honored and flattered! That would be the ultimate compliment.

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[Sunltcloud]

Hey Vivian,

Just a (quick) note on "getting into the writer's head." At writers' conferences or at book group expos or in magazine interviews I sometimes hear writers say that readers read more into specific sentences or paragraphs than they themselves had intended. Amy Tan laughed in an interview when she was asked about something and answered that she hadn't thought about it in that way. Khaled Hosseini was made aware of a possibility (in a Barnes & Noble book group) he said he had not considered before. 

We as readers here have a great chance to dissect each piece of a book and, especially in the case of a book not yet published, we come into the conversation with wide open eyes and a clean slate as far as content is concerned. We are thorough; we google background material, test theories, defend and contest opinions, discuss the meaning behind events and occasionally challenge the very definitions that have guided the author to the baring of his soul in a piece of writing.

The author, on the other hand, comes into the conversation with somewhat mixed feelings (this is a generality, an assumption based on conversations I have had) and a singular attatchment to his book. He has lived with his characters for some time, has struggled with them, has allowed them to guide his exploration, and sometimes even let them take over the direction of their own futures. 

When I write a short piece to be read in my memoir writing group I edit many times for various errors, eliminations, additions, transgressions, etc. I read the story out loud several times for consistency of tone, for ease of sentence flow, for clarity. And even small pieces walk with me along the creek, go to sleep with me at night, reappear early in the morning. In short, I spend more time thinking than writing. And in the process of fine-tuning the story either becomes better or it loses some of its original feeling. It has to be put aside for a few days to allow me a fresh look. Except the writer's look can never be as fresh as that of the reader who sees the words in their final combinations for the first time.  That the reader also brings his own expectations and his own background to the experience adds to the value he ultimately places on the product. Conversations with others expand the reader's horizon. And that, I suppose, is why we have book clubs in the first place. And if we are in luck, we stumble upon Barnes and Noble's First Look and are fortunate enough to be allowed a quick peek into the author's head. 

With this I want to say "thank you" to the author and all the readers who have broadened  my view of "Of Bees and Mist" and a special thank you to you, Vivian, for your effort in digging deeper.

Gisela    

PS. I thought it would be a quick note.  

[Erick_Setiawan]

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vivico1 wrote:

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Erick_Setiawan wrote:

It's too bad you're disappointed with the ending. But as I said to Vivian on my earlier post, you can't please everyone. (For the record, let me just state that I was kidding about asking Paul to ban Vivian from this club or any future ones! I hope no one thought that I was being serious. Of course you're free to express how much you dislike the book, as long as it doesn't degenerate into out-and-out bashing. This is America, and the club would be so dull without all the different voices.)

Message Edited by Erick_Setiawan on 06-24-2009 11:01 PM

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Hey guys,
I just wanted to say, as with the book, not all things are as they appear.

No, Erick did not ask Paul to ban me. And no, I am not Eva or the bees to him but as I have told him, I can be a pitbull about answers sometimes and I don't even like pitbulls! He and I talk in pms and really, this was just some joking that looked a bit too serious on both our sides. Here is the deal ok? I will tell you what I think and what I have shared with Erick and then we can get back to everyone calming down and not being worried. Sometimes joking does not come across on the internet as joking because you can not see the other's face. We have all experienced this, I know.

Here are my thoughts. I love Erick's writing, I think he has an amazing way of describing things and I loved the plot of this book and the characters. I think Eva was just evil and self centered and could never change. I think Elias loved Eva but meant for Meridia to save Permony because from the time he saw Ahab at the wedding and saw Ahab looking at Permony, I think he knew what Ahab was and what he wanted and was afraid for her. I think Meridia was a strong woman but I think she learned as much about how she was going to handle life from Eva and she did from Ravenna and she was a mixture of both, caring and conniving and I liked that she was both. I think Daniel was a wuzz but one thing I did not doubt is that he loved Meridia. I was disappointed in Meridia in the end somewhat for a couple of reasons. I wanted her to be better than Eva, and even tho Eva deserved what she got, I wanted Meridia to be above this herself and be more compassionate since Eva was going to die and had got what was coming to her anyway.

This is just my thinking, and we each have our own. I think Malin grew tremendously and had to do a lot of it on her own. She went through her grief on her own but in the end came out of it more compassionate than even Meridia in some ways I think. I hated what happened to Permony but her dying may have saved several others by the gift of the son she gave them. I think she would be very happy that Malin had the baby. I think Noah is something special and has something special about him, a power of his own, born of both families and yet made of light and the fireflies are his light which will break through all the mists and bees of anyone because its pure. A part of me wished Meridia would take back Daniel and a part of me just thought, let he go and move on. I am not sure really in the end what she did. I think Hannah is an imaginary friend of Meridia's, born of a part of her. I think she didn't want people to see her because this was the side of her she needed and didn't want crushed or put down or done away with until she was strong enough to take the side of her that she made into an imaginary friend, inside her and be whole and strong. I don't see them as lovers, but because she is a part of Meridia, it could be finally self love! I think Ravenna and Gabriel did love each other but just couldn't get back there and that was sad. I adored Ravenna actually. Now, all this is my thoughts, not right not wrong but what I got from the book and how I perceived the symbolism in their lives.

Back to the pitbull thing, first of all, others and myself may have misunderstood about what we were to come to know about Hannah. I think it all came from hints Erick offered us, but also things other readers said and even some questions from the mods that made us believe we were going to hear something definitive. I still think Erick used a little writers trick of misleading us (where is the emoticon for sticking out your tongue lol, there is none so know this is STILL just me being a pitbull but what can I say), to get us to look into her more to see what we could in her. So the above is what I saw and I like it! Really tho, what I was too pushy about and maybe but for a good reason to me anyway, was that I wanted to know what Erick was picturing Hannah as, when he wrote her. Who did he see her as. I love to get inside a writer's head about those things and the cop out thing on my part was just my way of saying, ahh come on now man, you had to have something in mind about her!! He did, and actually in the post where I was Eva and he was a cop out lol, he really answered that more. So I am not completely happy with the ending or the symbolism in the book. Not everyone is going to like every book, but yes, I swear, I do like God, puppies and ice cream hehe.

Now for all those of you worried about what was happening, you have both our answers and no Paul was not in on this for either of us. Neither of us were taken back behind the B&N toolshed ok? All is well and I will as I have said over and over, be watching for Erick's future work, heck he might even win me over yet but as for now, it appears that we gave you all one more thing to wonder if it is real or is it a metaphor or mists! hmmmmm. How about we get on with the discussions now, come back Little Shebas, there are no hard feelings between Erick and I. We would just have a great debate in person sometime and that would be great! I never had a problem with the characters or story line, I just wanted in his head and dig out those metaphors for what they were! So Erick, when is tea time??

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Everyone, I want to assure you that despite rumors to the contrary, all is well between me and Vivian!  I appreciate the time and effort she put into reading the book, which is evident in how insightful she is about the characters.  Imagine if she had actually loved the book! Oh well, one reader at a time . . .

[Erick_Setiawan]

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USwede16 wrote:

At the end of the novel Hannah tells Meridia that her heart couldn't take it to leave her again (p. 393). I do think that this continues to support the idea that the two could be lovers.

I love how you created the ambiguity that surrounds Hannah. It not only fits in with the ambiguity throughout the novel but it also makes for an excellent discussion. I am looking forward to being able to read your future works! =)

Christina

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Hi Christina,

Again, you're spot on!  You don't have to think of it this way, but I always see that last line of Hannah's on p. 393  as the one thing she has been waiting to tell Meridia for close to twenty years, and she finally says it.

I'm glad you love the ambiguity.  Every book should be so lucky to have an astute reader like you! 

[vivico1]

Gisela,

I do like reading books and putting my own experiences and thoughts to the story, or pull out my own understanding about them. Even here, on that post I did about what I see in it, that is exactly what I did and I also have had authors tell me, I never thought about it that way. I have even made great friends with a couple of authors through the B&N experience and we email and keep in touch and discuss many things like that too. So I never want to take away that side of a reader's experience, but on the other hand, when we have all read the book and some things are just not gelling for me, I like to know what the author was seeing in his/her head at the times they would write about a character or a scene. Very often, at the end of a club, authors will share that. Sometimes they don't or won't. But I dig lol, I do like to know ,especially when I don't get something, I want to understand what they wanted me to get!

I will tell you a funny story, and no I don't dog everyone ok lol, actually if i really hate a book, i just stop reading it and go do something else and don't talk to the author at all. It is only the ones I like that if I am just really frustrated or disappointed in something, I will talk to them about it as if we were in a coffee shop or something discussing it together.

Anyway, some of you may know James Rollins and his books. I met him in here while doing a club on his book The Judas Strain. It was my first try at action thriller books. Not my genre but always ready to try something new. This book was high octane and action packed with a thing in it that was eerie and good and bad guys trying to find it first. It reminded me a lo of the Raiders of the Lost Ark style of stories but with some really really bad guys and some hi tech good guys like Navy Seals or something. Ok, so I am reading this book and loving it. We get to the end and they find this stuff, something happens to someone, I won't say what, its a great read so don't want to spoil it, but the ending was like huh??? So I came into the club and said, James! What the heck kind of ending was that??? What the crap does that mean? What happened? This is like 2001 a space odyssey! I loved that book and movie too but I never did figure out the ending, what the heck were you thinking when you wrote this , what does it mean????? ROFL, I really did say that to him. We had had a good club, and wonderful talks, all of us, it wasn't a first look club so less people but more one on one talk. He said, i want the readers to decide. I said oh no you don't! This was so supernatural what happened, what the heck does it mean? What happened to her? He said, pm me. I did, and he said, give me your email address and I will tell you since you asked. So I did, and he emailed me what it meant to him and it was amazing! I LOVED it! I said, I can see that, that is awesome. He said, I hope some people get that but again some might not like it or think its too spiritual and ruin it for them. I said man, that is perfect to me, I wish you could share that with everyone. I told him, your writing reminds me of the Raiders stories. He told me, well I will tell you something, there is a new Raiders movie coming out next year (which was last year remember?) and they have asked me to do the novelization of it and I hope I can put in some of my stuff too. I said that is great. He could not tell me one detail about the movie tho, everything about it was sworn to secrecy and that is something I would NOT push on. But yeah, he did wind up doing it and another book on it too and he has tons of books out there.We kept in touch for awhile, talking about things in the news, global things that were a lot like some of hte things in his book, and also about the latest movies we had seen. It was nice! And I am glad I bugged him about the ending lol and that he was ok about it too.

So grasshopper. I bugged Erick to death, gave him a hard time, he in turn pulled the Eva and the Bees card on me, but it was all in joking manners, really. We are fine with each other but it wasn't coming off that way in here so we both wanted to "clear the air", seemed some things were obscured by the mists hehe, but hey we got a good rise out of everyone too.

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Sunltcloud wrote:

Hey Vivian,

Just a (quick) note on "getting into the writer's head." At writers' conferences or at book group expos or in magazine interviews I sometimes hear writers say that readers read more into specific sentences or paragraphs than they themselves had intended. Amy Tan laughed in an interview when she was asked about something and answered that she hadn't thought about it in that way. Khaled Hosseini was made aware of a possibility (in a Barnes & Noble book group) he said he had not considered before.

....

That the reader also brings his own expectations and his own background to the experience adds to the value he ultimately places on the product. Conversations with others expand the reader's horizon. And that, I suppose, is why we have book clubs in the first place. And if we are in luck, we stumble upon Barnes and Noble's First Look and are fortunate enough to be allowed a quick peek into the author's head.

With this I want to say "thank you" to the author and all the readers who have broadened my view of "Of Bees and Mist" and a special thank you to you, Vivian, for your effort in digging deeper.

Gisela

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[Sunltcloud]

 I figured that it had to be the mists that obscured things a bit and thought the exchange was rather funny. I got the humor about banning you.

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vivico1 wrote in part:

So grasshopper. I bugged Erick to death, gave him a hard time, he in turn pulled the Eva and the Bees card on me, but it was all in joking manners, really. We are fine with each other but it wasn't coming off that way in here so we both wanted to "clear the air", seemed some things were obscured by the mists hehe, but hey we got a good rise out of everyone too.

[vivico1]

Erick,

Now that we are down to the end of the club, (are you going to be here Monday and Tues.?) I had a question that occurred to me early on. I think you have a good sense of pacing and for all the things I have bugged you about, that was not one. But as we read through the first section of the book, there were people who said they were not sure from the first chapters if they were going to like the book or not and thought about putting it down, but hung in there to see if it got better and were glad they did. I am not talking about those of us, including me, who were not sure about liking it because it was out of our normal genres of reads, but rather those who didn't think the first part was as good as the succeeding chapters.

I do believe a book can grab you in two ways, it can build so that each chapter begins to pick up and propel you to read more and there are books that from the first sentence, you hit it at a run, from beginning to end, tho I think those are really harder for a writer to sustain the pace throughout. Anyway, when some were talking about not really getting into the book with the first chapters, did that have you worried some as a writer that people may not continue with the book, and that this might be a problem? Did it make you wonder about your first chapters? Did it make you wonder if this might be a problem with individual readers who were not in a group and kind of brought along by the experience? I have heard it said that if you don't like a book in the first 50 pages, its probably not for you, and there is a formula after that for how many pages it should grab you in, according to your age too. I don't know what I think about that, I am trying to think back on books I have set aside and not finished and there is probably something to it. I thought you had a wonderful and intriguing opening line so it kept me here, out of my genre to continue. But when you read some posts that some just found the first part slow and not as good as the following sections, did that have you worried, or what did you think? I think it would have me a bit worried about will people continue. Most are really glad they did, but how did you feel about it as the author?