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| Photo by Kyle Bice KAB Studio |
We're excited to welcome Beth Kander to CLC today to celebrate the publication of her debut adult rom-com, I Made It Out of Clay. While the title is giving Hanukkah vibes, the story can be read any time of the year. We enjoyed Beth's thoughtful and funny answers to our questions and we know you will too. Thanks to HarperCollins, we have TWO copies to give away!
Beth Kander is a novelist and playwright with tangled roots in the Midwest and Deep South. The granddaughter of immigrants, her writing explores how worlds old and new intertwine—or collide. Her work has been described as “riveting,” “emotional,” “expertly crafted,” and “habit-forming." Expect twists, turns, and secrets, with surprising heart and humor. Beth has too many degrees and drinks too much coffee. Her favorite characters are her dashing husband and their two lovely kids.
Synopsis:
Nothing’s going well for Eve: she’s single, turning forty, stressed at work and anxious about a recent series of increasingly creepy incidents. Most devastatingly, her beloved father died last year, and her family still won’t acknowledge their sorrow.
With her younger sister’s wedding rapidly approaching, Eve is on the verge of panic. She can’t bear to attend the event alone. That’s when she recalls a strange story her Yiddish grandmother once told her, about a protector forged of desperation…and Eve, to her own shock, manages to create a golem.
At first, everything seems great. The golem is indeed protective—and also attractive. But when they head out to a rural summer camp for the family wedding, Eve’s lighthearted rom-com fantasy swiftly mudslides into something much darker.
With moments of moodiness, fierce love and unexpected laughter, I Made It Out of Clay will make you see monsters everywhere. (Courtesy of Amazon.)
“With engaging prose, emotionally rich characters, and darkly fun twists, I Made It Out of Clay by Beth Kander is a modern-day Jewish folktale that boldly re-envisions the meaning of monsters.”
—Jean Meltzer, International Bestselling Author of The Matzah Ball
"An immensely enjoyable story of an imperfect heroine who finds a way through her grief and resentment with the help of an eager-to-please golem. Wry and absorbing and hopeful and just the right amount of grumpy."
—Holly Gramazio, author of The Husbands, a Read with Jenna Pick
"Full of dark humorous twists where a woman accidentally makes a golem and then tries to bring him as her plus one to a wedding. Beautifully written, it’s an emotional journey, full of hope and healing!”
—Adriana Mather, author of Mom Com
How is Eve similar to or different from you?
Eve and I have a lot in common—we’re both elder millennial women struggling with this weird, hard, messy middle-section of life. We’re both mourning the loss of a father who was our go-to sounding board, cheerleader, and anchor. We’re both fiercely loyal to our friends and family. We’re funny but often awkward. We both lived in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood, both worked in advertising, and we’re both nice Jewish girls who love the whole Christmas scene.
But we’re really different, too. Eve is a city girl who loves going out with her friends, hitting up bars, dancing; I’m a small-town introvert who always prefers pajama nights in. She’s lonely, and wants a romantic partner, but kids aren’t really on her mind; I have two small children and am literally never alone. When I’m fully stressed out, I vent to my husband, take a bath, and write weird stories. When Eve gets fully stressed out, she gets drunk and makes a monster. Subtle differences.
What was your experience like transitioning from writing children's books to writing an adult novel?
It was honestly so freeing. I love children’s literature, and may write more children’s books in the future. But over the past few years, life has thrown a lot of really hard stuff my way, and it was extremely cathartic to take my writing into some darker and more complicated places. I loved feeling like I was in conversation with other adults as I wrote this story, poking at big old problems in strange new ways. The transition was really well-timed. The next projects I’m working on are for adult readers; I feel like I unlocked the door to a new place I want to spend some significant time exploring.
The weirdest part has been when families who loved my kid lit have been like “Ooh should I pick this one up for my kids?” and I practically tackle them, screaming “NO NOT FOR THE KIDS!” as the spiciest scene zings through my mind.
If I Made It Out of Clay was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I originally pictured Mila Kunis as Eve, but the more time I spent fleshing her out, the more I think she’s a Rachel Bloom or Lizzy Caplan or Sarah Silverman role. Clearly, as I coyly indicated by naming the golem Paul Mudd, Paul Rudd has first dibs on that role if he wants it (but it would also be really fun to see someone like Andrew Garfield go from dream to scream in the role). Eve’s best friends Sasha and Bryan would be played be Zoe Kravitz and Jonathan Groff, Hot Josh is Brett Goldstein, Mandy Patinkin plays Eve’s dad in flashbacks and his wife Kathryn Grody would be great as Eve’s mom… sorry, was the question just about the leading roles? I’ve clearly spent a lot of time casting this thing in my head.
Share a favorite Hanukkah memory with us.
When I was about to turn 30, I was living in Jackson, Mississippi, and acting in a local production of Every Christmas Story Ever Told. It’s a three-person cast, and I was the only woman; I was also the only Jewish person in the cast or crew. So the director thought it would be funny if all references to Hanukkah in the show were and pre-show were basically mansplained to me by the other two actors—which was, indeed, hilarious. And on the night of my 30th birthday, which was a few days before Hanukkah and coincided with the closing night of the show, after we took our bows, the whole audience stood up and sang a “Hanukkah Christmas Birthday Carol for Beth” that the cast/crew had written for me. They’d included the lyrics as an insert in the show programs that night. Having an entire audience of Christmas celebrants singing about Hanukkah to the one Jewish person in the room was surreal—and magical, and deeply moving. (Yes, I cried.)
If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it?
Ooh, do you think we can get Dan Levy to do it?
If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
Y’all should definitely come visit! I’ll take you to The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square, which is a bookstore that also has a little coffee shop and wine bar in it—absolute heaven. (A scene in IMIOOC takes place there!) At this time of year, I’d also take you to Zoo Lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo, close to downtown—gorgeous views and such magical holiday lights. If it were a little warmer, I’d take you on the architecture boat tour, but since it’s cold and I’m a homebody, after the bookstore and the light show I’d probably just invite you over so we could order in Thai food and watch Hot Frosty after the kids go to bed.
Thanks to Beth for chatting with us and to HarperCollins 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.
Giveaway ends December 16th at midnight EST.
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