A friendly chat with Linda Dahl...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Geoffrey Doughlin

Today we are pleased to welcome Linda Dahl to CLC. Her latest novel, Tiny Vices, is now available and it sounds fascinating! We enjoyed learning more about Linda and this novel and we hope you will too. Thanks to Caitlin Hamilton Marketing & Publicity, we have TWO copies to give away!

Linda Dahl began her career as a travel journalist and college teacher before turning to writing full time. An award-winning author, she has written groundbreaking books about women in jazz and women’s needs in recovery from addiction, as well as six works of fiction. She has been widely interviewed in print, at conferences, and on NPR and BBC programs and other radio stations (including a 2023 3-hour presentation on WKCR about women in jazz.) She has also co-produced several New York jazz concerts. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Jazz Studies. Soul on Soul, her screenplay about legendary pianist Mary Lou Williams, was a finalist for the Sundance Episodic Lab in 2020. Her latest novel, Tiny Vices, is now available from She Writes Press. She lives in New York City. Visit Linda at her website.

Synopsis:

Mid-life: Its obligations and demands, its petty foibles and evasions. And sometimes, its crises. Dreams are deferred, shortcomings rationalized. Like favorite old clothes, petty misdemeanors may feel comfortable, but they’re not a good look.

The Talley siblings are planning a family beach vacation—all four of them together for the first time in years. They suspect it will be their last. And God knows they all need a vacation. But wait, is it really such a good idea? Corina, with her recently diagnosed Alzheimer’s, can hardly manage to get through a day without a debacle. Pete is a just-barely-walking catalog of medical calamities stemming from his longtime addictions. Becca is reeling from her teenage son’s latest misadventure. And then there is Kathy, the eldest. After firmly avoiding going back to Rincón Bay, the beach town just a few hours south of the Arizona–Mexico border that has haunted her since a college spring break trip three decades ago, she’s determined to go back and face her ghosts—though she might be better off facing the fact that her marriage is in serious trouble.

When the Talley siblings and their entourage (two spouses, added on at the last minute, and Corina’s Mexican housekeeper/caregiver) finally land in Rincón Bay, they all encounter unexpected consequences from the wounds inflicted by careless loving—but maybe, too, the seeds of healing and hope. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“Siblings take a last-gasp vacation to Mexico in Dahl’s novel....There’s a lot of complexity crammed into this fairly brief story, and the realism is impressive . . .”
—Kirkus Reviews

“. . . a wise novel about navigating midlife . . .”
—Foreword Reviews

“. . . a feisty, well-written tale of present-day adult siblings. . . .The plot twists and character development will keep readers turning the pages, and maybe even see a bit of themselves in some of the sibling interactions. A very worthwhile book to read.”
—StoryCircle Book Reviews

What is a favorite compliment you received on your writing?
I like a review on Amazon for my last novel, An Upside-Down Sky: “Fast paced. Riveting. Hilarious. Pitiful. The author had me from page 1. A great story about human conflict and love.”

Side note: This novel was reviewed at CLC a few years ago.

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing Tiny Vices?
The biggest challenge for me in writing Tiny Vices was that, in focusing mostly on the petty failings and resentments of a group of siblings and their loved ones, I sensed how easily the story could fall into cliché or triviality. The reward? When I let the characters take the lead and attempt to forgive and accept each other and past hurts in the course of their day-to-day living.     

If Tiny Vices were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
It’s a big cast! First, the three Talley sisters: I’d love to see Parker Posey play oldest sister Kathy Talley, Chloe Sevigny as the middle sister Corina (recently diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s), and Jenna Fischer as the youngest sister, Becca. Christian Slater would be great as Pete, their brother and Daniel Kaluuya as Kathy Talley’s husband, Bernard Barris Junior. Finally, Selena Gomez would play Imalia, Corina’s Mexican housekeeper.

What is the last movie you saw that you would recommend?
I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui), a Brazilian film about a woman who is an ordinary wife and mother of five until the violently repressive military dictatorship, which ruled with an iron fist in Brazil from 1964 to 1981. After her husband is one of the many thousands who are “disappeared” by the military, she reinvents herself, becoming a courageous lawyer and activist. 

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
Jamie Lee Curtis would be my first choice. Like me, she is open about being a longtime recovered alcoholic/substance abuser - a through-line in both of our lives. She would “get” the before and after parts just right, I think. 

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I live in New York City at the northern tip of the Bronx next to the Hudson River. We have beautiful paths along the river for walks or biking, and beautiful gardens nearby. We would go to Wave Hill, with its incomparable views of the river and magnificent old trees and gardens. Then on to Untermyer Gardens in nearby north Yonkers, which boasts a beautiful walled Persian garden, an amphitheater and a stunning mosaic reflecting pool. Hungry now? Let’s go to my favorite restaurant in Riverdale, Tobala, which takes Oaxacan-Mexican cuisine to a new high level.  

Thanks to Linda for visiting with us and to Caitlin Hamilton Marketing for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends July 27th at midnight EST.

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