The next pick on my 2014 Most Anticipated list is a novel by one of my favourite authors. Her writing is hauntingly beautiful, and I may have fangirled over getting to 'interview' her. The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson.
Girls started vanishing in the fall, and now winter's come to lay a white sheet over the horror. Door County, it seems, is swallowing the young, right into its very dirt. From beneath the house on Water Street, I've watched the danger swell.
The residents know me as the noises in the house at night, the creaking on the stairs. I'm the reflection behind them in the glass, the feeling of fear in the cellar. I'm tied—it seems—to this house, this street, this town.
I'm tied to Maggie and Pauline, though I don't know why. I think it's because death is coming for one of them, or both.
All I know is that the present and the past are piling up, and I am here to dig.I am looking for the things that are buried.
From bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson comes a friendship story bound in snow and starlight, a haunting mystery of love, betrayal, redemption, and the moments that we leave behind.
I need this...like yesterday! The narrator is a ghost. This is immediately awesome. I can't wait to get my hands. I fully intend to read this all in one day with a glass of wine!
As mentioned, I got the chance to ask Jodi a few questions.
1. Describe The Vanishing Season in three words.
Snowy. Ghost. Mystery.
2. From the synopsis it appears that a ghost or spirit of some kind narrates the novel. An intriguing and not usually done premise. What inspired this idea? Did the character come to you first, or did the idea of a ghost narrator inspire you to create the character?
I love “outsider” narrators, like Nick in The Great Gatsby. I love the perspective of someone looking in on someone else’s story…and what their interest and concern says about them. In The Vanishing Season, though, the narrator is more involved than it first seems – that’s part of the mystery. The ghost idea came a bit later than the idea for the original characters (which were inspired by a Neko Case song called Margaret Vs. Pauline). I just love ghosts – and so that found its way in. It fit into this other idea that was there from the beginning: that moments can last forever. The ghost has the ability to visit the past and see those moments.
3. Are you able to share a secret about one of the characters, the world, something that inspired something about the world/characters?
I love settings and I usually start a story because I want to capture the feeling of a place. For Tiger Lily, it was Costa Rica…in this case it was Door County, Wisconsin. I first visited there in the winter – there’s something so haunting and cool about a summer tourism destination when it’s mostly empty. It was so stark and cold and beautiful.
4. What sort of research did you need to do for this novel, if any?
I did a fair amount of research on Door County history, especially nautical history. Not that I used a lot of it in any technical way, but I wanted to have a good sense of that. I also went back and visited again – work was a great excuse!
5. What 2014 release are you most excited for?
What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick. Her writing is beautiful.
As mentioned, I got the chance to ask Jodi a few questions.
1. Describe The Vanishing Season in three words.
Snowy. Ghost. Mystery.
2. From the synopsis it appears that a ghost or spirit of some kind narrates the novel. An intriguing and not usually done premise. What inspired this idea? Did the character come to you first, or did the idea of a ghost narrator inspire you to create the character?
I love “outsider” narrators, like Nick in The Great Gatsby. I love the perspective of someone looking in on someone else’s story…and what their interest and concern says about them. In The Vanishing Season, though, the narrator is more involved than it first seems – that’s part of the mystery. The ghost idea came a bit later than the idea for the original characters (which were inspired by a Neko Case song called Margaret Vs. Pauline). I just love ghosts – and so that found its way in. It fit into this other idea that was there from the beginning: that moments can last forever. The ghost has the ability to visit the past and see those moments.
3. Are you able to share a secret about one of the characters, the world, something that inspired something about the world/characters?
I love settings and I usually start a story because I want to capture the feeling of a place. For Tiger Lily, it was Costa Rica…in this case it was Door County, Wisconsin. I first visited there in the winter – there’s something so haunting and cool about a summer tourism destination when it’s mostly empty. It was so stark and cold and beautiful.
4. What sort of research did you need to do for this novel, if any?
I did a fair amount of research on Door County history, especially nautical history. Not that I used a lot of it in any technical way, but I wanted to have a good sense of that. I also went back and visited again – work was a great excuse!
5. What 2014 release are you most excited for?
What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick. Her writing is beautiful.
If you want to learn more, check out the author's website, or the publisher's website for more information.
The Vanishing Season will be in stores July 1, 2014. Pre-orders for this title are up and here are few places you can pre-order currently.
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Let me know in the comments what you think of the synopsis, or let me know if you've read Jodi's previous books, especially Tiger Lily. Also, check back soon for a contest where you could win one of my featured titles (be sure to pay attention to these Question and Answers as they'll help).
OHHH I'm so excited for this one..I have TIGER LILY screaming at me to be read, so I must get on that. I heard the EPIC READS ladies go gaga for her writing so I had to add this. Also this cover alone would make me squeal with excitement. So excited for another great ghost story.
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Giselle @ Book Nerd Canada