Hi Virginia
The book had a very special meaning for me. I am in my 70’s so I definitely relate to many of Sybil’s aging concerns. I also have a challenging relationship with my daughter who is in her 40’s so Sybil’s relationship with Fiona was familiar. While I have experienced grief in my life, Sybil’s grief as a mother was devastating and should not be nature’s way.
The location of your novel brought back many wonderful memories for me. I was born in Annapolis, Md and had family friends in Arnold Md. I also have fond memories of sailing on the Severn River as a young adult.
James Madison University is roughly a 2 hour drive to DC obviously depending on the traffic.
Did that close proximity play a role in choosing the metropolitan area of Washington DC?
I am thrilled for you that The Correspondent has received outstanding reviews and is on many best selling book lists for the year. I am definitely looking forward to reading your future novels.
Thank you for enriching my life as I read your book.
Lynne
Thank you! I grew up near Annapolis, so that’s why I chose the locale. That whole region of the US is very familiar and reachable for me, in terms of place and writing.
Our book club was unanimous in our love of your novel and had to extend our typical hour and a half discussion period because there was so much to talk about. We are all in our 70s and 80s so it was particularly relevant.
My question is: how did you limit the titles you chose to have Sybil and her correspondents read and mention? I had read all of them and it was such fun when each popped up. But with so many great books to choose from, why these?
Interesting! I have generally tended not to like epistolary novels, but The Correspondent had been reviewed so highly by many of my reading friends that I decided to give it a shot. I’m enjoying it and it’s making me more open-minded about epistolary novels more generally.
I just wanted you to know that I absolutely loved The Correspondent and look forward to reading it a second time since I am recommending it to my book club for 2026. I’m a letter writer, so it meant a lot to me.
What was your process? I’m always curious to know/understand how authors know when to reveal information to the readers. So did you write straight through or follow some plot threads/letters and then interweave or some other technique? However you did it, it worked!!
Greetings Virginia!
I just want to echo everything that everyone here has said about The Correspondent. It was a fantastic read and I will be rereading it with my book club this year too. It was the overwhelming favorite at our Christmas exchange. I’m happy for your success!
Hi Virginia, I finished reading The Correspondent two months ago, and I’m sure I have thought of it every day since! That is the impact it had on me. I am so happy it - and you - have gotten the recognition so richly deserved for this achievement. (I was thrilled to see the Wall Street Journal interviewed you - I loved the article.) I have a question, but first a quick comment on how beautifully crafted Sybil was. It is rare to find the protagonist to be so cantankerous and opinionated (she infuriated and disappointed me at times), yet somehow still deserving of the reader’s affection. This was a masterful accomplishment! Now my question - you do not reveal the reason Sybil was put up for adoption by her parents. I personally think this mystery adds to the story, but I would love to know if this was a conscious decision on your part, or did you consider revealing the reason? Thanks so much, and I send heartfelt congratulations on your success!
Thank you so much, Karen, for your enormous kindness. I’m delighted you loved the book and that it resonates with you. I love when a book stays with me…
I left it unanswered because I didn’t see a way that Sybil could have ever known the answer, with the woman her mother was, the man her father was, and the family story. And I felt that it seemed true to life, that there are so many things we are left wondering about–every family with its own mysteries and open-ended stories. I thought, how many things are like that in my own life. Why did he/she do that? Say that? Why did things go that way? I think so many things we wonder about and never have the answer, and that is a very authentic and universally lived experience. I’m not sure there was an intentional “I won’t reveal and here’s why” moment, but the way it was left felt, to me, right when I was writing and revising.
How did you choose who Sybil would correspond with? Which of her correspondents was the most difficult to craft, and which was the easiest? Did you have a favorite character?
It takes time and discipline to write a novel. What made you decide to start writing The Correspondent in the first place, and how did you make time in your life to work on it?
I definitely had the most fun writing the correspondences between Sybil and Basam. I found Writing the character of Harry Landy to be a significant challenge! But I feel like I got there in the end.
I have a wonderful agent, and she was with me through the writing, revising, and submitting of the novel! She sent the novel to a curated list of editors she thought would love it, and it found a home thankfully with the wonderful Amy Einhorn. I feel very fortunate.
I am working on something new! It’s about the making of a movie, in modern times, from a classic novel. I’m in the grueling middle, but I am hoping to get there in the end
Thank you so much for visiting with us, you’ve been a wonderful guest. Our best wishes for your future novel; may it be an even bigger hit than The Correspondent. Happy holidays to you and yours!
