Please Welcome Author BIANCA ZANDER!

[Bianca-Zander]

---

becke_davis wrote:

Bianca - What was the hardest part of writing this book for you?

---

The hardest part for me was the massive rewrite I did after I had landed an agent. I was so lucky in that my agent was fantastic and really helped to make the book what it is, but the hard part was that I had just had a baby! My son is now three, so he has grown along with the book. I wouldn't recommend undertaking rewrites and new motherhood at the same time...

[Bianca-Zander]

---

maxcat wrote:

Hi, Bianca, welcome to the forum. Your book sounds interesting and I will check it out. Thanks for being here this week.

---

Hi maxcat, thanks for having me! Hope you enjoy the book.

[Bianca-Zander]

---

dhaupt wrote:

Hi Bianca and welcome to Mystery.

Wow a debut author, but i see you're definitely not new to writing, it sounds like your novel would appeal to more than just mystery buffs.

Thanks for the visit you're novel is going on my pile

---

Hi dhaupt. Yes, The Girl Below is about a lot more than solving a mystery - but I hope it is mysterious enough to keep mystery buffs happy. Thanks for taking the time to post. Hope you enjoy the novel!

[becke_davis]

---

Bianca-Zander wrote:

---

becke_davis wrote:

Bianca - What was the hardest part of writing this book for you?

---

The hardest part for me was the massive rewrite I did after I had landed an agent. I was so lucky in that my agent was fantastic and really helped to make the book what it is, but the hard part was that I had just had a baby! My son is now three, so he has grown along with the book. I wouldn't recommend undertaking rewrites and new motherhood at the same time...

---

Oh my gosh - that must have been incredibly difficult!

[becke_davis]

I just realized it's already Tuesday in New Zealand!

[eadieburke]

Bianca:

Thanks for your reply. I will continue to read the book again and try to figure out the puzzle. I will be paying more attention in regards to Madeline, the locket, and the changes that Suki is going through. Reading the book the first time, I didn't get to pay much attention to all the clues, per se, because I was reading to find out what happens. But at the end, I had more questions than answers. It definitely is a book that keeps poking at you. I am also very curious as to the meaning of the teeth. First they are on the strawberry dress from the past and then Suki finds them in the present on the floor.  ????

I am in the middle of reading AFTERWARDS by Rosamund Lupton. This book is very different in the fact that a mother and daughter are both in a coma and they are communicating and visiting each other by meeting in the hall of the hospital while everyone else is wondering if and when they will ever come out of the coma. Interesting concept about what people in a coma are able to do. So, I am wondering how this book will end and still trying to figure out about Suki. 

I'll let you know if I figure things out. Suki will haunt me until I do!

[Bianca-Zander]

Gosh, AFTERWARDS sounds very interesting indeed. I guess the difference with my book and Lupton's is that if you buy into the coma scenario then you buy into the novel. Whereas The Girl Below is less cut and dried. If you're interested in finding out more, I discuss this stuff in the PS Section of the book, and also in the Q & A with Curtis Sittenfeld (which is on another website I won't name here!)

[eadieburke]

Bianca:

I will check out the Q & A with Curtis. Thanks again. I wish you lots of luck with your book. I think it will bring many great discussions with reading groups and many readers which is a good thing.

[becke_davis]

---

Bianca-Zander wrote:
Gosh, AFTERWARDS sounds very interesting indeed. I guess the difference with my book and Lupton's is that if you buy into the coma scenario then you buy into the novel. Whereas The Girl Below is less cut and dried. If you're interested in finding out more, I discuss this stuff in the PS Section of the book, and also in the Q & A with Curtis Sittenfeld (which is on another website I won't name here!)

---

Bianca - It's okay to mention other websites here, just not other booksellers or sites that sell books. Thanks for being so considerate!

[becke_davis]

Bianca - I love to hear author's "call" stories. Would you tell us about when you got the call that you'd sold your book?

[Bianca-Zander]

It's on your main competitor's website, so I definitely won't be mentioning that!

[Bianca-Zander]

Bianca - I love to hear author's "call" stories. Would you tell us about when you got the call that you'd sold your book? It was an email actually, from my agent, and the subject heading was, "We are going to sell your book today!" Inside the email, my agent told me she had three offers on the table. It was 6.30am, NZ time, and I was shaking with excitement. Best email I've ever received!

[becke_davis]

---

becke_davis wrote:

Bianca - I love to hear author's "call" stories. Would you tell us about when you got the call that you'd sold your book?

---

LOL - good call!! ;-)

[becke_davis]

---

Bianca-Zander wrote:
Bianca - I love to hear author's "call" stories. Would you tell us about when you got the call that you'd sold your book? It was an email actually, from my agent, and the subject heading was, "We are going to sell your book today!" Inside the email, my agent told me she had three offers on the table. It was 6.30am, NZ time, and I was shaking with excitement. Best email I've ever received!

---

That is SO exciting! Three offers? Wow!

[becke_davis]

This is a little off-topic, Bianca, but I've always been fascinated by New Zealand. What are some common misconceptions people have about it?

[eadieburke]

Bianca: I read the interview and I understand that some things are left for the reader to interpret. In regards to the teeth, I am thinking that when Suki found them on the floor that it was some kind of a message to remind her about what had happened to her in the shelter, possibly saying to her, "you need to go back there so you can move on and change your bad behavior."

[Bianca-Zander]

Bianca: I read the interview and I understand that some things are left for the reader to interpret. In regards to the teeth, I am thinking that when Suki found them on the floor that it was some kind of a message to remind her about what had happened to her in the shelter, possibly saying to her, "you need to go back there so you can move on and change your bad behavior." Eadie - I like your thinking Throughout the story, Suki receives little prompts that are meant to shake her out of her slumber, if you like, but she's very stubborn in her ways!

[Bianca-Zander]

This is a little off-topic, Bianca, but I've always been fascinated by New Zealand. What are some common misconceptions people have about it? ------------------------------------------ Well, it's funny you should bring this up right now because over on Twitter, a bunch of New Zealand writers and publishers are complaining about how we are representing ourselves at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year (New Zealand has guest of honor status). Chief among the complaints are that we are sending a contingent of 160 people - but only 60 of them are writers. The majority seem to be Maori cultural groups & celebrity chefs, which implies that we don't think our literature is enough on its own. So, to answer your question, I'd say that the most common misconceptions are that we all wear grass skirts and that our main currency is shells (When traveling, I have been asked about those things!). And when we get a chance to change those misconceptions, ie at the Frankfurt Book Fair, we blow it.

[Bianca-Zander]

I seem to have lost the ability to quote other posts in my replies - sorry about that.

[becke_davis]

---

Bianca-Zander wrote:
This is a little off-topic, Bianca, but I've always been fascinated by New Zealand. What are some common misconceptions people have about it? ------------------------------------------ Well, it's funny you should bring this up right now because over on Twitter, a bunch of New Zealand writers and publishers are complaining about how we are representing ourselves at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year (New Zealand has guest of honor status). Chief among the complaints are that we are sending a contingent of 160 people - but only 60 of them are writers. The majority seem to be Maori cultural groups & celebrity chefs, which implies that we don't think our literature is enough on its own. So, to answer your question, I'd say that the most common misconceptions are that we all wear grass skirts and that our main currency is shells (When traveling, I have been asked about those things!). And when we get a chance to change those misconceptions, ie at the Frankfurt Book Fair, we blow it.

---

LOL - I have to admit, your answer surprised me. I guess because I know a lot of authors from Australia and New Zealand (some are romance authors), that hadn't occurred to me. 

My first impressions of New Zealand were formed by reading Ngaio Marsh books. Have you ever read her mysteries?