All those questions you have when you finish a book, imagine being able to ask the author, especially with a psychological thriller like “The Memory Box.” Alleluia! We started talking about the novel before the author arrived. We compared our notes as to all the twists and turns and together we came up with a collective understanding of the story.
By the time Eva arrived, we were ready, wine glasses in hand, for a lively conversation. As it turned out, Eva, herself, is a fascinating person. Her background in public relations at Estee Lauder could have been a novel, in and of itself. Then, her amazing adventure in the publishing world – all her highs and lows. Again, this is definitely material for a book. There aren’t a lot of success stories of self-published authors. The odds of breaking through all the white noise to be heard is quite low, but she did it. “The Memory Box,” is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling book, even bumping “The Girl on the Train,” from the top spot on the list. We were mesmerized by her story of publication and asked her a million questions about it.
We eventually started talking about the book. Everyone always wants to know where the author came up with the idea. Eva said, “Reading a New York Times article about people Googling themselves gave me the idea….” One article she read was about a young boy who had discovered he was abducted. “This idea of Googling yourself and discovering something so personal, that was previously unknown, was a thrilling concept to me.”
The protagonist in the book, Caroline, is at first relatable to women, especially mothers, before the reader understands that she is not a reliable narrator of the story. “I love the idea of facades in literature. How people or places can be facades and that’s what I believe the town of Farhaven represents for us. Also, I do love the idea of memory and what it is we remember about our past, and what we ‘choose’ to forget.”
We talked about Caroline’s therapy sessions. The client/therapist relationship between Caroline and Dr. Sullivan was the part of the novel that Eva researched to have a better understanding of what a therapist can and cannot disclose. “I wanted to be sure I represented the obligation of Dr. Sullivan and what he chooses to disclose or not disclose,” Eva said.
Finally, we asked Eva what was the hardest part of writing the book. “The hardest part for me, and maybe for most thriller or mystery writers, was how much detail to reveal without being condescending. I don’t want to connect the dots for the reader. It’s so much fun to do that on one’s own when reading suspense. But the risk will always be if enough has been disclosed for the majority of readers to get to the reveal.”
Well, we got it!
Eva is represented by CAA and is working on her next novel. She is also a self-publishing consultant. See her website at https://evanatiello.com/. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvaNateillo/ and Twitter: https://twitter,com/EvaNatiello
Authors interested in meeting with book clubs usually address it on their websites. Some authors will travel locally, some Skype, some will phone conference. There is a site called Book the Writer at bookthewriter.com that represents over 100 writers who will, for a fee, come to your book club, usually within New York City limits.
For us, hosting an author completes the experience of reading. Try it. You will definitely like it.
