An interview with author Diana Spechler
I was very much entranced by Diana’s humorous and honest writing style when she did a guest post on Bleeding Espresso recently and am therefore thrilled to quiz this charming author of Who by Fire.
How would you describe your first novel Who by Fire? Who By Fire is a family story set in Israel in 2002 that explores what happens when we try to rescue the people we love.
Could you explain the mystery behind the title and the use of the back view of a girl’s hair pulled back into a ponytail for your cover? People keep asking me if the title is an homage to the Leonard Cohen song, Who By Fire, but in fact, it seems that Leonard Cohen and I had the same inspiration. The words come from a prayer. In fact, the words are part of a litany of modes of death: Who will die by fire and who by water, who by sword, who by beast, etc. It’s a very cheerful prayer that Jews recite on the High Holidays. As for the cover, I’m not sure which character the girl is meant to represent. There are several elusive female characters in the novel. I suppose she could be any of them. My grandfather thought it was me. He said, “Why did you let them take a picture of the back of your head? Why didn’t you turn around?”
In regards to content where did you draw inspiration from? Travel. People. Nights when my phone didn’t ring. Nights when my phone rang too many times. Human folly. Disappointment. My family. Other people’s families. The families people wish they had. Religion. Atheism. Inner demons. My own self-consciousness. My own bravado. The times I’ve tried to rescue people who didn’t want to be rescued.
What about when you went to Israel for research purposes ~ how long did you spend there? Did ever feel concerned for your safety? Bus bombs etc Any interesting stories or tips to share? I spent a summer in Israel during high school, a semester there during college, and ten days there when I was working on Who By Fire. Mostly, I don’t feel nervous in Israel. I feel nostalgic. I feel elated and sad. I feel like I want to touch the Jerusalem stone with two flat palms, like I want to buy souvenirs, like I want to watch the sun rise and fall. Of course, I had occasional moments of paranoia. I remember shopping one afternoon at Mahane Yehuda (an outdoor market) and thinking, There have been bombs here. There could be a bomb right now. It would be impossible not to have bad thoughts like that as a tourist in Israel, considering the way international media portrays life there.
How long did the process from conception to publishing take? Bits and Ash, the brother and sister protagonists, introduced themselves to me in the spring of 2003. The novel hit the shelves in September, 2008.
How many brothers and sisters do you have? What is your ranking in the family? I would rank myself first place and give myself a blue ribbon, but in fact, I’m a middle child. I have an older sister and a younger brother.
I understand your younger brother went to Israel to become an Orthodox Jew. However this occurred after you created this fictional event in your novel. Do you feel you somehow contributed? If I had to guess, I would say I must have had some clue that he was headed in that direction. My sense was definitely unconscious, but he must have been exhibiting signs of making a transformation. It was still eerie, though. Coincidences are eerie. They make people have crazy thoughts. They make people say, “It must be divine!” They make people say, “I think I’m psychic.” I don’t really think I’m psychic. Unfortunately, I don’t think I have any super powers. But if I could have one, I’d probably choose to fly, not to see the future.
Were your feelings (about your brother’s decision) similar to your character “Bits’” feelings? Not really. My relationship with my brother is very different from Bits’ relationship with Ash. My brother and I are really close. We were buddies when he was doing his spiritual searching, we were buddies before, and we’re buddies now.
Did this make you even closer to your characters? In some ways, yes, having my book come to life helped me write my book. In other ways, it was confusing. I had to remind myself that I was not Bits and my brother was not Ash. That always happens to me when I’m writing fiction. I get confused. It’s a sign that I’m really into the work, so it’s a good thing. For example, right now I’m working on a character whom I’ve based on a friend. Whenever I talk to the friend now, I keep almost calling him by my character’s name. One of these days, I’m going to slip. It’s going to be embarrassing.
I read that you presently wait tables at an Israeli restaurant in New York which means you overhear Hebrew quite a bit. Despite describing this as a “dumb job” was this an intentional move on your behalf to aid in your book research? It was. I don’t work there anymore. I quit about two years ago because I was almost done with my book and also because the managers started making us pool tips. I hate pooling tips. Now I work in a tequila bar.
You say real living in New York involves dining with mice and living in a closet. Does the Big Apple make up for that by indeed making dreams come true? Can you describe the “vibe”, the atmosphere of New York? I live in the East Village in a studio that’s smaller than a dorm room. My bed is lofted. If I leave a shirt on the floor, it’s like having a roommate. But once I step outside, I’m on a block with four bars, several restaurants, a few boutiques, a consignment store, a coffee shop, and a shoe repairman. And that’s just my one little block. New York is stuffed with people and places and things to do. It’s crowded and crazy and expensive, but it is also the New York you know from movies. It’s fun as hell.
I noticed you have gorgeous dark curly hair and that is enough to make me ask (let alone where your brother moved to!) do you have Jewish origins yourself? You’re awesome! I hate my hair! Yes, I’m Jewish. And my brother looks just like me (in a boy way) and lives in Austin, Texas.
Your next upcoming novel is about the emotional journey of weight loss… Is this based on personal struggles with weight or from your experience working at weight loss camps? When I decided to write my second novel about weight issues, I spent ten weeks working at a weight-loss camp. I’ve never been overweight, but I am female. In other words, I worry about my body. Don’t we all?
If your readers could take just one thing away from reading Who by Fire what do you hope that is? My two favorite compliments have been, “I stayed up all night because I couldn’t put your book down,” and, “Your book made me want to go to Israel.” Okay, that’s two. Sorry.
To purchase Who by Fire through Amazon go here
NYC image from here
3 Comments
December 4, 2008 at 8:14 am
Excellent interview and answers! I love Diana’s grandfather’s comment on the book cover–that’s *so* something my late grandfather would’ve said!
I have a strong feeling I’m going to have to set aside a couple days to read this book straight through when it arrives on my doorstep….
December 4, 2008 at 9:14 am
Wow, what a fabulous interview, I think I am going to have to read the book now, it’s definitely added to the list!
December 11, 2008 at 6:02 am
[...] Who by Fire. This book has been blazing the blogosphere lately, with giveaways, author interviews and guest posts popping up at many of my favorite sites. The book sounds fantastic – there is [...]