Writer in Residence

Adventures in Book Signing: why I need a heart-to-heart with my muse

By Bianca Lakoseljac

By Bianca Lakoseljac: Writer in Residence

 

I am back to book signing! Since the release of my new novel, Stone Woman, in September, I’ve embarked once more on this adventure.

I meet some of the most interesting people. I get asked some of the most thought-provoking questions.

And sometimes my own answers surprise me. They open new perspectives. They help me to reassess my writing journey. What I write about. And why.

A common question is, “What else have you written?”

A few weeks back, at a book signing at Indigo, Eglinton and Yonge, I was asked that same question, and was glad to be able to not only “tell” but also, “show.” Nothing beats show and tell.

Along with my last novel, the store had ordered my two previous titles as well, and the display table was rather attractive.

It felt good to be manning the table with my titles dating back to 2010. As if I were at a party among old friends. My characters who have over the past decade resided in my mind’s eye and have occupied, at times even dominated my thoughts, who have imparted their wisdom to me—told me of their aspirations and anguishes and jubilations; who have confided in me their most innate contemplations;  trusted me with their secrets; and at times abandoned me in dispute—only to return to the negotiating table, or better put, to my writing desk, when I conceded, or conceded to consider conceding to their designs and passions and follies…  I would really like to use the word “demands” but I’d rather play it safe, and not get on the wrong side of my characters—for although some of them have rather peculiarly prickly personalities (alliteration at times gets the better of me), they are, after all, friends forever. And one should not offend one’s friends. And this truly was a reunion of sorts.  

A customer asked me where Stone Woman stands in relation to my past work.

This was an easy question. But before I reiterate my answer, here is a bit of info on the two other titles bunking at the Stone Woman’s display table.

Indigo Eglinton and Yonge book signing

 

Summer of the Dancing Bear, Guernica Editions, 2012, is a novel about the rite of passage of a fourteen year old girl befriended by a gipsy clan. It is set in the countryside near Belgrade where I spent my childhood.

Bridge in the Rain, Guernica Editions, 2010, is a collection of short stories linked by an inscription on a bench in Toronto’s High Park. The collection has seven stories. Each is narrated by a different protagonist dealing with a crisis. A discovery of the inscription on this bench would motivate the person to choose a particular path. The bench still stands in High Park, and the plaque with the inscription, “of memories, images, and precious thoughts that shall not die”—which happens to be a stanza by William Wordsworth—is still on it as well.

As I tried to collect my thoughts and formulate an answer, a funny thing happened. Blossom, my Stone Woman protagonist—a forty something bachelorette—began a rather brisk discussion with her long-deceased mother, Liza. Liza was trying to explain that being a single mother in the 1960s was much more challenging than Blossom could imagine, especially when the fatherhood of her out-of-wedlock daughter had to be kept secret. Blossom insisted that Liza needlessly kept many other aspects of her life secret as well, and that her childhood would have been much happier if she had known the truth. After all, Blossom reasoned, she suspected certain things but was reluctant to bring them up out of fear of offending her mother. Liza insisted that she had a lot more serious issues to deal with than confiding the details of her love life to her teenage daughter. As a working single mother, she was passed over for promotions many times—promotions she deserved and had earned. She was ostracized by her coworkers. The office gossip was enough to drive anybody mad. Liza also insisted that Blossom’s inability to commit to a relationship was now a serious issue she needed to face. She needed to stop denying. To stop blaming Liza for it and take responsibility for her own life. That one day, Blossom would wake up and realize that she had wasted her life dwelling on her mothers’ rather than taking care of her own.

The customer standing next to me finished reading the synopsis on the back cover of Stone Woman. She nodded, then looked at me, eyebrows raised expectantly, waiting for an answer. I quickly dispelled my characters’ voices from my head.

For brevity, I will recap my answer to the customer in a few short points:

  • I explained that—what Stone Woman, Summer of the Dancing Bear, and Bridge in the Rain have in common is that they tell stories about women’s lives, and how the roles of women have evolved.

Hearing myself say that felt alright. It took us women a long time to finally open up and tell our stories. And there are still many untold stories that need to be given voice.

  • My second point was—what Stone Woman has in common with Bridge in the Rain is that both are set in Toronto. A good portion of Stone Woman is set in High Park.

“Aha,” the customer said. “Both books set in Toronto. And both in High Park.”

  • Then I added—what Stone Woman has in common with Summer of the Dancing Bear is that both are set in the 1960s.  

Another, “Aha.” A pause. “Two books set in the 60s.”

She said that she loves Toronto books and took a copy of Stone Woman and a copy of Bridge in the Rain.

I realized that putting my last novel, Stone Woman, in context with my two books that preceded it, opened up many questions. One is—why did I set two novels in the 1960s? Another is—why do I love High Park so much?

Since I was at a job doing book signings and having a wonderful time talking with customers, I made a mental note to have a heart-to-heart talk with my muse, as soon as I get home.

I’ll let you know how it went.  

The views expressed in the Writer-in-Residence blogs are those held by the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Open Book.


Bianca Lakoseljac second novel, Stone Woman, which relives Toronto’s 1967 “summer of love”, has just been released by Guernica Editions. Bianca is the author of a novel, Summer of the Dancing Bear; a collection of stories, Bridge in the Rain (Guernica, 2012, 2010); and a book of poetry, Memoirs of a Praying Mantis (Turtle Moons Press, 2009). She is TWUC liaison for the National Reading Campaign, past president of the Canadian Authors Association, Toronto, has judged various national literary competitions, and has served on a number of literary contest panels. Bianca taught at Ryerson University and Humber College.

You can write to Bianca throughout the month of November at writer@open-book.ca