When I was in fifth grade, I announced to my Hebrew School class that I did not believe in God. A hush fell over the group, and then one kid loudly exclaimed that was awful. We never talked about it again.
It's thirty five years later and my feelings about God have grown and changed over the years. As a Reform Jew, I've been taught to question everything about my religion. And I do.
It's my experience, thinking about religion so much, and how it's impacted me, that started the shape of my new book, The Opposite of Normal. (It's out in just a week and a half!) But I didn't want to write a book solely about religion. For one thing, I'm not interested in doing that. For another, I wanted my book to have many layers. Religion -- specifically Judaism and Christianity, and how characters use their religion for both good and bad -- is just one layer. The book is really about growing up, surviving the confusing teen years, as well as learning to live with grief and how not to let grief destroy your life.
I like to write what I know. I completely admire those authors who can step into other worlds, like the 1800s or some science fiction-y place a million years away, but I'm not that kind of author. I like to write about (and, honestly, read about) contemporary women and families and relationships. I like to read about why characters make the decisions they do and then I like to think about what I would do in that situation. I want characters to feel real to me. That's what I try to do in my writing.
So the time for The Opposite of Normal is getting close. It's nerve wracking and exciting all at once. I get to hear how readers feel about the book -- and whether they like or it not, I have to take responsibility for my words. Please let me know how you feel about it, either way. And if you have a book club and want some home baked treats while we talk about the book, just let me know. I'd love to bake for you and talk about it. What you, my readers, have to say is what's most important to me.
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