Alyson Reuben and A Beautiful Cage

Alyson Reuben is here today talking about life and her new release. A BEAUTIFUL CAGE is available now and let me tell you, it is an absolute must read for anyone and everyone. Alyson’s unique style blends the beautiful with the tragic, vividly giving the reader an emotional read with characters who linger long after you’ve closed the book.

Without further ado, please welcome Alyson Reuben (and me)!

EJR: I always like to know about a writer's space. Can you describe where you work? What's on your desk? Scents? Colors? That sort of thing...

AR: There is a fusion of antiques and contemporary pieces in my home office. I work from a sleek, very modern ‘L’ shaped glass desk. Handy baskets separate scrap paper, pencils, pens, watercolors, charcoal, and other art supplies. In one corner of the desk is a small stack of books — a Webster’s dictionary and thesaurus, Writer’s Market, a Gregg’s Reference manual, and a baby name book (for characters and the meaning of their names). On the wall to my right, hangs an acrylic still-life of fruit. An antique (mid 19^th century) tapestry hangs on the wall above my computer. On the other side of the room, a brocade fainting couch reminds me I have to take a break sometimes, although, in reality, my husband uses it more than I do! Above it hangs an aged lithograph of Civil War-era southern belles gathered around a piano.  It’s an eclectic, very beloved décor.

For fragrance, I light candles. My absolute favorite scent is spiced pear. Other scents depend on the particular story I’m writing.

Last of all, there is always - I repeat, always - a steaming cup of coffee perched on a miniature oriental rug coaster.

EJR: Sounds absolutely perfect. I look forward to lounging on the couch and discussing characters with you! Do you need silence while you work or can pure chaos happen around you?

AR: I can read a book in the middle of a deafening tornado. But when writing, I prefer silence, or near silence. The main reason is because I can think more clearly, and the second is because, when I write historical/vintage stories, modern day noises like the TV, loud car engines, and other contemporary sounds are out of place and distracting. As for writing where there are other people having conversations, forget it! I’m too prone to listen and even join in! My stories would never get finished!

EJR: Does music inspire you? What type?

AR: Yes! I love music! All kinds of music. I listen to a little of everything, from country to rock, and R&B to classical music. I always pick a few songs that seem to fit the story I’m working on and listen to them for inspiration.

EJR: Let’s take a moment to talk about your new release. How long did you work on A BEAUTIFUL CAGE before you were ready to send your characters out into the world?

AR: I started working on A BEAUTIFUL CAGE a few years ago, backed away from it for a long while, and came back to it a couple years ago, taking it through several rewrites.

EJR: A BEAUTIFUL CAGE is a very emotional read. I can attest to that as you had me boo-hooing several times! How do you shut those emotions off so you can function normally as a mother, wife and friend?

AR: While a majority of the emotions used in the story are due to my active imagination, a lot of them are garnered from situations I’ve experienced and continue to experience in real life. By putting myself in the ‘shoes’ of my characters, I allow myself to feel what I’m sure I really would feel if I was in their particular situations. Gut intuition is very important to me.

Thankfully, my family understands my writing process. To give you an idea of their attitude, a couple of days ago, when I came out of my office/cave after working on my current story set in the twenties, my daughter turned to my husband and said, “Well, it looks like Mom’s back from 1927.” 

I pretty much walk away from a story in a cloudy daze. Sometimes it takes me a few minutes to catch my bearings. But eventually, I can lay it all aside and become a typical busy mother, wife, and friend. Trust me, it’s a fine balance.

EJR: Being a historical author, you must need to do a lot of research. Do you enjoy the process?

AR: I love doing research! Seriously. I'm such a nerd! I’ve been guilty of spending too much time researching small details I don’t end up using.

EJR: Being a history buff, you must set yourself back in time often. If you could pick any era to live in, which one would it be and why?

AR: Do I have to pick just one?  How about settling for the decades between 1910 and 1960? I love the variation of clothes, cars, music, and furnishings of each decade. In many ways, our generation lacks the class our grandparents and great-grandparents enjoyed. And those five decades are chocked full of powerful historical events, such as WWI, the roaring twenties, the depression, WWII, and the emergence of rock & roll. At the same time, many of our modern conveniences were being discovered, making these decades more convenient than pre-1900.

EJR: What's something from our time you couldn't live without?

AR: Oh, that’s easy. The computer. But I could probably handle using a typewriter… if I had to. Still, the internet is awesome. I could easily do without a TV. And yes, believe it or not, I could even do without a cell phone!

EJR: I’ve come to realize you’re not much of a cell phone person. You know, I think you’re on to something there! But speaking of phone calls, tell us how you felt when you got "the call". What did you do when you found out A Beautiful Cage would be read by many?

AR: How did I feel? Excited. Anxious. Queasy, yet ready to sing my anthem to the world. What did I do? Paced up and down the stairs and through the hallway. Back and forth. Back and forth. Couldn’t sit down. Couldn’t sleep. I was caught between exhilaration that others would finally read what I wrote, and terror that it would be rejected.

EJR: Was it hard to write the end, knowing you had to pull away from the characters that were so close to your heart?

AR: Yes, it was hard to pull myself away from the characters, and, yet, because their story is captured in the written word, I know people will read about them and love them. And, in that way, they’ll live forever. What more can any author ask for?

EJR: But the end of one always means the beginning of something new. What are you working on now?

AR: Two stories, actually. A BEAUTIFUL TEMPEST is the sequel to A BEAUTIFUL CAGE, involving Rebecca’s American family during WWII. The second story is set in 1927 and is called CASTLES WE BUILD.

EJR: I look forward to both and extend an invitation to Loud Whispers as soon as those stories are available! I love making up new words. Usually they are inappropriate for the masses but still fun. Make up a word for us and tell us what it means. Don't be surprised if it eventually makes it into the dictionary. Looks like they're letting just about anything in these days!

AR: Electrologue: a book’s prologue or epilogue that contains outrageous or scandalous material. “The diva’s biography contains a beginning electrologue that is absolutely mind-blowing, enticing readers to hang on to every word, leaving them begging for more.”

Edifungi: a locally grown, edible mushroom that could be mistaken as poisonous. “I love homemade pizza. No anchovies. Lots of extra edifungi.”

EJR: Such a pleasure to have you here at Loud Whispers today, Alyson. Please tell us where we can find you on the web and where we can purchase A Beautiful Cage.

AR: My website: www.alysonreuben.com

       Blog: www.abiteofreubensandwich.blogspot.com

       Facebook:   http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001136916696       Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/alysonreuben

A BEAUTIFUL CAGE is now out in paperback and will be available in e-book format this Friday, Sept. 2nd. It can be purchased directly from the publisher at www.thewildrosepress.com , and will soon be available at www.amazon.com , and Barnes & Noble bookstores.