Friday, December 14, 2012

Book Club Blast: "Bluff" by Lenore Skomal Interview/Promo


So sorry this is late--my computer wasn't cooperating when I tried to post this earlier.  Be sure to enter the giveaway before it ends tonight.



Q: WHERE DID THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS STORY COME FROM?
My real life experience. As my mother lay in her hospital bed in an end-of-life morphine coma, a physician walked in the door, holding a clipboard. In a loud voice, he asked, “I need to ask you a few questions about your mother’s wishes, when it comes to life support.” She was merely feet away. I grabbed his arm, and whispered, “Can we do this out in the hallway.” He stared back and sniffed, “She can’t hear us.” I pushed him out of the door anyway.
In short, the kernel of the idea stems back to her death in 1990, when she died from complications after suffering from 4th stage multiple myeloma for seven months and egregious ravages to her physical body thanks to western medicine. I was dogged by the question, when she was in and out of consciousness: Where is her spirit?
The can of worms was opened, and the story was in the making. Over the next two decades, I allowed the story to unfold organically. It wasn’t until March of 2007, that I actually attended a writer’s retreat in a remote area of Washington State to formally start tying the novel together, allowing the characters to tell me who they were and from then on, writing daily to allow the plot to unfold. I finished the first draft on November 7, 2007 at 3:33 a.m.

Q: WITH A PLOT WHICH REQUIRES SO MUCH MEDICAL AND RELIGIOUS SPECIFICITY, HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT RESEARCHING FOR THIS NOVEL?
Much of the story had to be vetted for authenticity. I handpicked experts with whom I consulted about the development of the plot. A trauma physician, neurosurgeon, head of palliative care at a Catholic hospital, an organ donor representative, and ICU nurse helped bring me up to speed on the culture and issues surrounding the medical portions of the book. None of them had ever had a case similar to Jude’s so they were forced to go into that unchartered territory of having a pregnant patient in a vegetative state. It made for lively discussions.
A family court judge, a lawyer, as well as a detective of police vetted the legal aspects of Bluff, especially addressing the issues of guardianship and paternity in such a unique case. I spoke extensively with rape counselors and psychologists about the validity of the effects of rape on the victim, as well as the motives and mindset of a rapist. That was crucial in lending validity.
Finally, I interviewed a bioethicist and Catholic priest about the Church’s fine-line position on life after death and the continuance of life support. All in all, these experts, along with my own research, made the novel much more credible.

Q: WERE THE CHARACTERS BASED ON REAL PEOPLE? WHO DID YOU PERSONALLY ENJOY THE MOST?
To an extent, all characters we novelists conjure up are based on real people, or at the very least, aspects of certain people. That said, I knew Jude, first. In a way, I have always known Jude. Her morbid nature and morose look on life was part of my own nature many years ago. Much of her inner dialogue is real for me, and her relationship with her mother, an alcoholic, was drawn from my own experiences, of course in an exaggerated form.
Mary Shannon was modeled, in part, after my mother’s primary care nurse on the oncology floor. She was a brusque, almost cold woman, with a level of proficiency that kept my mother comfortable throughout her stays, so much so, that my mother preferred to be in her ward because she felt safe. Safer than at home, quite frankly. I drew upon that and wanted to build a back story for the character that would make her likeable.
Paul started off as a configuration of several men, but when it came to writing the rape scene and explaining his motivations, I admit, it was the hardest portion for me. I wanted to make it believable, but harbored a growing hatred for this character. I had to really focus in order to write that scene.
Frances is actually my mother’s legal name, and in many ways, she exemplifies how my mother viewed herself, but in reality, she was more like Gay, an alcoholic prone to unreasonable outbursts but in essence a sensitive, loving soul who was tormented by her past. Unlike Gay, however, she was a nurturing, devoted mother who defined herself by her children.
As far as my personal preference, I honestly don’t have a favorite because they all represent some aspect of me, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Q: DID YOUR RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING AFFECT THIS BOOK?
Absolutely. I was raised Roman Catholic, capital R, capital C, which is perhaps why both Frances and Jude are Catholic because they represent my own internal struggle with the faith. Frances is devout and Jude is fallen. The setting at the Catholic hospital was pivotal to the plot development and obviously, to the ending. While I no longer practice the faith, I am extremely driven by the exploration and understanding of spiritual, and even religious, issues. Because of that, I truly wanted to explore the idea of having my protagonist be in an altered state throughout the entire novel. Through this, she analyzes and makes peace with her life, the horrible and the selfish, and basically has her own cleansing before she dies. In a sense, the metaphor of death and rebirth is a main theme of this book—a theme crucial to Catholicism by the resurrection of Christ.

Q: THE ISSUE OF LESBIANISM COMES UP IN THE BOOK, SINCE JUDE IS A CLOSETED GAY WOMAN. DID YOU INTEND FOR THIS BOOK TO BE PART OF THE GLBT GENRE?
No, that’s not its intent because Jude isn’t a whole or fully developed depiction of a gay character. Her sexual preference was only revealed to me as I further developed the plot. She was not intended to be gay, just misunderstood. It was while I was fleshing out the details of her hidden pregnancy, that Jude spoke to me and basically said, “You know, I’m gay.” Which cracked me up because she was so good at hiding it, even me, the person who invented her didn’t know. I don’t want to say her sexual orientation was a footnote to her character—it wasn’t. But she viewed it as she did all the other factors that shaped her. (For example, being a fatherless child, the daughter of an alcoholic, and someone suffering from clinical depression.) Her sexual orientation was yet another thing to alienate rather than engender herself to society. For this very reason, I don’t view this novel as being classified in any genre that is topic specific, such as GLBT. No more so than being a book for adult children of alcoholics, manic-depressives, fatherless children, Catholics, coma patients, rapists or those who cheat on their spouses.

Q: THE SCENES TOWARD THE END OF THE BOOK ARE JARRING, TO SAY THE LEAST. WHY DID YOU FEEL IT NECESSARY TO CONCLUDE THE BOOK IN SUCH AN INTENSE AND EMOTIONAL WAY?
The ending is crucial, even cruel, but constructed with purposeful intent. I wanted it to be jarring. The ending, and I define that as the last third of the second part, ushers in justice. There had to be consequences for actions, and this is how it all plays out. Those who have been hiding damaging secrets must revealed. I knew all along, well before I worked out all the plot details, that this would be how the novel ended. In my mind, there was no other resolution. The only two who aren’t forced to face their punishment are Frances and Paul. But as Jude alludes, Bluff might not be the end of their stories.

Q: THERE ARE MANY LIFE LESSONS AND HEAVY THEMES IN BLUFF, WHAT IS YOUR HOPE FOR YOUR READERS WHEN THEY PUT IT DOWN?
My burning desire is for them to reexamine their own beliefs about death and life. As an inescapable truth facing us all, death is an uncomfortable topic. If you have watched the most important people in your life die like I have, it seems we are gypping ourselves by not discussing it. End of life issues and whether or not the soul exists, are just the tip of the iceberg in this book. The much larger discussion is about life. Judgment and petty differences only prevent us from honoring each other and respecting choices. How we live our lives individually and collectively is a daily decision. And lying on our deathbeds may not be the best place to evaluate that.

About the Author
Lenore Skomal is the author of the recently released novel Bluff. As an author, Lenore wants you to eat her books. She wants you to chew them in your teeth, savor them on your tongue, breathe them in, and feel her words in your skin. Her passionate desire is to touch your heart, inspire you, and luxuriate in the world of the written word. Winner of multiple awards for blogging, literature, biography and humor, Lenore Skomal’s catalogue spans many genres. With 30 years of writing experience, over 17 books published and a daily blog, the consistent themes in her work are the big issues the human experience and adding depth and voice to the intricacies involved in living a multi-dimensional existence. www.LenoreSkomal.com


Synopsis:
To the medical world, I was a host body, surviving only to bring a new life into the world. And while I wanted to die more than anything in the world, I never wanted this. No, I never wanted to cease to exist. This was the worst death of all.

Jude Black lives in that in-between, twilight place teetering on death but clinging to life in order to bring her baby into this world. Only she knows the circumstances surrounding her mysterious fall off the bluff that landed her in the hospital being kept alive by medical intervention. Only she knows who the father of her baby is. In this poignantly crafted literary novel, the mystery unfolds and the suspense builds as the consequences of Jude’s decisions threaten to reveal everyone's deceptions, even her own. Bluff offers a sensitive look at essential questions such as the value of human life, the consciousness of those in a coma and the morality of terminating life support. At the core is the story of a tragically misunderstood woman who finds peace, acceptance, understanding and even love on her deathbed.

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1 comment:

  1. Thanks, Ruth, for posting this Q&A. I reread it and reminded me of the many reasons why I wrote this book. I appreciate your venue and allowing me the space to share. Blessings back on you. Lenore Skomal

    ReplyDelete

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