Posted at 02:54PM Jul 22, 2008 by Anna in General  |  Comments[29]

Hello again,

A couple weeks ago I did a reading at Books of Wonder on West 18th Street, and despite my shyness and tendency to mumble when speaking in public—or speaking to anyone, for that matter—it was a really great experience. There was a diverse group of other writers, which was interesting, and I got to meet a few readers, which I loved. Writing a book is such a long, intense, and individual experience—sort of like reading a book, actually—so to meet people who have really dived in with my characters is really wonderful and moving.

One young woman asked me a question I thought was a really good one: She asked what the most difficult part of writing historical fiction was. I told her that the greatest difficulty is that I can't take anything for granted while writing—not the kind of flooring a character walks across or the silhouette of her dress or the height of the skyline framed in her window. But thinking about all those things makes me that much more attentive and my writing that much more purposeful, so it's a challenge I'm happy to have.

While reading from Rumors in front of all these people I felt nervous, but once the format opened up and became a kind of conversation I began to really enjoy it. Having that back and forth is so much better, and I only wished that I had had time to do more of it. So thank you to those of you who came, and for those of you who weren't able to, I'd love to answer any questions you might have—about The Luxe, or writing in general, or whatever!

Ask away…