Interview with Gennifer
Oct •
31 •
2012
“Incapable. Awkward. Artless.That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.
Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.
Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.
Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.
Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.”
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What gave you the idea to write Crewel?
I think it stemmed from a painting, Embroidering the Earth’s Mantle by Remedios Varo. It’s referenced in a Thomas Pynchon novel [The Crying of Lot 49]. It’s quite a beautiful painting. A group of women are embroidering the world, in a tower. I’d had the book on my shelf for years, and one day I looked at it, and I was working on a very different idea at the library that wasn’t going anywhere. I opened up a new document and almost word for word the prologue came out.
How much research goes into what you write?
I research a lot of strange things like textiles and quantum mechanics. I tend to get most of the plot on paper and then go back and do the research for the world and the concepts. It’s such a chaotic method that I’m not sure how much research I do, but I can say I spend a lot of time at the library.
What character is the hardest to write?
Adelice is actually. She’s sort of insular and I have to coax her to open up and show more of herself.
If you can travel anywhere in the Crewel world, where would you go?
Hmmm, I think I’d actually like to rebound I think it would be a fascinating experience. So less the destination and more the experience.
What books to do look forward to reading this fall?
I’m really excited for The Diviners and The Evolution of Mara Dyer. I could go on and on.
Thanks so much for the great interview!
About the author:
” Gennifer Albin holds a Masters degree in English Literature from the University of Missouri. During her student years she served as an editor for Pleaides and The Missouri Review, and since then she’s founded the tremendously popular blog theconnectedmom.com. She lives in Kansas with her ridiculously supportive husband, two small children, and a Tuesday cat.”
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I so enjoyed this book Savy! And I have to say The Evolution of Mara Dyer definitely topped my Fall “must read” list! Love me some Noah Shaw:) I think rebounding would be a crazy experience, definitely one I’d want to try at least once and then that would probably be enough for me!
Love this interview–how awesome to write a book inspired by a painting! I still haven’t read CREWEL yet, but am looking forward to it. Thanks for posting this interview! 🙂
Wendy @ The Midnight Garden
A book based on a painting? Uh… I think I need to read this one. You sold me there. 🙂