Pump Up Chats with Darien Gee

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Darien Gee photo Darien Gee lives with her husband and three children in Hawaii. She is the bestselling author of three previous novels (Good Things, Sweet Life and Table Manners) written under the name Mia King. You can visit Darien Gee’s website at www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com. And check out the Friendship Bread Kitchen Facebook fan page.

On Friendship Bread:

Q: Can you tell us why you wrote your book?

My daughter Maya had brought home a bag of Amish Friendship Bread starter and some slices of the bread. When I tried it, I was hooked. As I was finishing off the last piece, my protagonist appeared in my mind—a woman who was filled with sadness, who was going through the day to day motions of life even though she hadn’t felt alive in years. I started writing Friendship Bread that night.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

I love beginnings and endings, but the middle is sometimes a bit tricky for me. I don’t plot my stories so I’m often anxious to get to a resolution because I want to know what’s going to happen as well. But the middle is important because it’s the transition, the bridge between where the character was and where the character is going. It’s important not just for the character but for the reader, too, because they’re on the same journey. So when my characters are in limbo or things are looking bleak, I can feel the strain that my characters are going through. And it’s almost always somewhere in the middle.

Q: What part of the book was the easiest to write?

I love the interstitial “chapters” where we get a snapshot into the life of another Avalon resident. I had a lot of fun writing these anecdotal characters, and they were important because they not only showed how the bread was changing lives throughout the town, but they gave the reader a small break from the narrative. It also gave the reader a “forest for the trees” view of what was happening, and let me interject some humor in a fun way.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

That we’re all connected to one another, in ways both seen and unseen. That we’re always touching one another’s lives, and that’s what makes it so rich and wonderful. There’s a line in the book where Hannah is struggling with her feelings for Jamie, with her newfound independence, and she’s trying to convince herself that being alone is a good thing when she thinks about her friendship with Madeline and Julia: “Their friendship, like a breath of fresh air, has swept away the cobwebs from the dark corners of her life, have shown her that while aloneless may have its place, friendship—and love—offer so much more.” That pretty much sums it up.

On Writing:

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

I’ve been writing all my life. The small story books in grade school, the journaling, the short stories, even plays. But I was in my twenties when I really felt a strong desire to write a novel, and it would be another decade before I’d fulfill that dream.

Q: What’s the most frustrating thing about becoming a published author and what’s the most rewarding?

Frustrating? Overthinking and getting in my own way with the creative process. The most rewarding? When a reader chooses to read your book when you know there are so many other things they could be reading or doing. These days we are all pressed for time, so I’m grateful when someone takes the time to read something I’ve written.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

Trust your intuition. Take the time to connect with yourself, to find out what’s important and true for you. The more you can find authenticity and joy in your life, the better the writing.

On Family and Home:

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

Eleven years ago my husband and I gave up our corporate jobs and moved from the Bay Area to the island of Hawaii. We homeschool. All three of our children were born here, the last one at home (don’t worry, it was planned). My oldest is 10, then I have a 5 year old and a two year old. No pets. A lot of creative chaos. We’re a loud family between the yelling, laughing and crying (the kids, usually, but I’ve had my moments, too). We have great neighbors, thank goodness, and they enjoy the craziness as much as we do.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

Bed. Hands down. My husband Darrin used to sleep with a pillow over his head but now he doesn’t even bother. He’s built up an immunity to the glare of my laptop screen and the incessant tapping on my keyboard.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

I don’t like getting away from it all. Whenever I do, I find I’m anxious to get back to my life. I love my life.

On Childhood:

Q: Were you the kind of child who always had a book in her/his hand?

Yup. They were my security blanket.

Q: Can you remember your favorite book?

I loved Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. Still do. I’ve stolen their books from my ten year old daughter’s library bag and found I love them still.

Q: Do you remember writing stories when you were a child?

I sure do! I used to save the cardboard inserts that came with the packages of my mother’s pantyhose and convert them into book covers for my short stories.

On Book Promotion:

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

I did a lot of active book promotion for my first three novels when I was writing as Mia King, and I was a little burned out. It’s a lot of work and you don’t always feel like you’re getting the kind of response you hoped for. With Friendship Bread, I just went with what felt fun—in this case, I decided not to bother with a book or author site and did a “kitchen” site instead. I was experimenting with different Amish Friendship Bread variations and I thought it would be fun to have a bunch of recipes showing people the different things they could do with the starter. I started answering questions about the bread, held a few contests with bakeware and cupcake pedestal stands and mixing bowls, and it just took off. The Friendship Bread Kitchen (www.friendshipbreadkitchen), which is home to the book and the bread, has almost 50,000 fans on Facebook and I know we’re climbing up the Alexa rankings since we launched in March of this year.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

I use Facebook a lot, and those updates go to my Twitter feed. We have a Kitchen Talk on Twitter once a week for the Kitchen, and I have a fabulous virtual Kitchen assistant who helps moderate that. I don’t “blog” but put up recipe posts or book updates instead. I know there’s more I could probably do, but I’m okay doing what I’m doing.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

Book promotion has changed because the landscape for selling (and reading) books has changed. It’s going digital, and social networking is a big part of that. At the same time, I think we have to be careful not to let it take over how we live our lives or what we believe. I think it’s healthy to keep reinventing and reassessing how we do things, and the bottom line is that we’re all moving forward, which I think is a good thing. Being in Hawaii, we’re a few months to a year behind whatever is happening on the mainland, so I’ve given up trying to stay on top of things. Instead, I choose those book promotion efforts that work for me and my family since being an author is only part of who I am.

On Other Fun Stuff:

Q: If you had one wish, what would that be?

A good, rewarding, happy life for me and the people around me.

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world other than where you are right now, where would that place be?

Right now I’m on an airplane with a lot of turbulence [en route to her book signing in Seattle], so I’d have to say home with my family on terra firma.

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

My husband, Darrin. My agent, Dorian. A handful of other people who’ve made a big difference in my life and my writing career—Mary, Mary, Nancy, Abraham, Jerry, and Esther. My parents, my husband’s parents, and my children.

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach