Checking in with Author Alice Wisler
One thing I love about my job is meeting up with other authors - book junkies, I like to call them. Many times we don't actually get to meet in person, but enjoy "getting to know each other" via the world wide web. Alice J. Wisler is one such individual. From her website:
Alice J. Wisler has always enjoyed writing and sold her first short story to the David C. Cook Publishing Company in 1988. Since then she has been published by The Upper Room, ByLine Magazine, Standard Publishing's Devotions,The Canadian Writer's Journal, Sydney's Child, Carolina Parent, Inscriptions, The Writing Parent, Alive Now, BackHome Magazine, The Urban Hiker, Personal Journaling, Bereavement Magazine, The Food Writer, Carolina Woman, The Christian Communicator, We Need Not Walk Alone,
and many North Carolina newspapers. Her contribution to the books, Feminine Writes (National Association of Women Writers, 2003), and Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul, Daily Inspirations (2005), deal with writing through the heartache of grief. Alice was also a columnist at the How To Make A Family site.
Whew - this woman has been busy!
I'm celebrating with Alice this month, as she and her publisher (Bethany House) release her first novel, Rain Song. A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of interviewiing Alice about the arrival of her new "baby.":
1. Why did you choose Kyoto, Japan for Nicole's mysterious childhood? Have you been there? Kyoto is a beautiful city, known as the old Imperial Capital of Japan. I attended Kyoto International School where we played dodge ball and kickball at the Gosho, or the Imperial grounds. When Harrison, Nicole's email friend, writes that he thinks Kyoto is the best Japan has to offer, I have to agree. With its quaint back roads, temples, gardens, and covered shopping-streets, the city is a lovely blend of traditional and modern Japan. I choose Kyoto because of the Kyoto Baptist Hospital. Nicole's parents and Harrison's worked there during their years in Japan as medical missionaries. 2. How long did it take you to write Rain Song? And what is the significance to the title? RAIN SONG (my agent, Kristin, came up with the title) is a product of many drafts, written over the course of two years. The title is from the Japanese children's song about the falling rain and a mother coming to pick up her child with a janome, which is an old wooden umbrella. In my novel, this song actually is significant in saving a little girl's life. 3. The theme for Rain Song seems to be overcoming fears - why do you think this is such an important topic to cover in a novel? I feel that all our lives we have to overcome fears whether they be tiny or large. While I hold no fear of flying as Nicole does, I do have a new fear of rats. When I taught English as a Second Language in the Philippines at a refugee camp, fat rats skidded across the classroom rafters. One even scampered over my bed, while I was sleeping! I wasn't bothered then, but now, twenty years later, rats make my skin crawl. Some fears keep us from doing what we need to do so that our lives can be more fulfilling. Fear of trust, or commitment, or to dream big, or the fear of falling in love, are some typical ones. Often our fear is that God isn't big enough to help us with our struggles.In RAIN SONG, Ducee encourages Nicole to take the plunge and "be like the duck that jumps into the pond." Ducee wants her granddaughter to make the long trip to Japan to meet those from Nicole's past. Nicole is afraid that if she jumps, she won't be able to swim as the duck does. 4. What is your greatest challenge of being a writer? I could seriously spend all day and night writing novels and never do laundry, mow the lawn, or take out the trash. A balance of writing about my characters' lives and living my own is a huge challenge. 5. Who is YOUR favorite author? Elizabeth Berg's novels draw me in because of her ability to create realistic stories with great dialogue. She has been my hero for about seven years. OPEN HOUSE is one of my favorite Elizabeth Berg novels. My uncle, Eugene Peterson (THE MESSAGE) is another author I think highly of for his influence in my life. He's a great listener and makes me feel important. I strive to listen like that to my children, and to those I love.
Congrats again, Alice! I look forward to getting a copy of Rainsong at my local bookstore asap!
Thanks, Jenn, for giving me the opportunity for this interview.
I'm savoring this book right now. It's truly beautiful, and I'm enjoying
the beauty of her words, and of the story line. I just passed the halfway
point, and may have to race through now to see what happens!!!
