Author Interview: Marie Bostwick

Thank you for being with us, Marie!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and an overview of your new book The Book Club for Troublesome Women? 

I live in Washington state with my husband and a moderately spoiled cavalier king Charles spaniel, and am the bestselling author of more than twenty novels. My latest, The Book Club for Troublesome Women, is about four dissatisfied, 60’s era housewives, who wonder why “having it all” — kids, husband, house in the burbs — leaves them feeling so empty inside.

When Charlotte Gustafson, an intriguing, artsy, irreverent new neighbor moves in, my main character, Margaret Ryan, decides to form a book club, hoping to get to know her better. At Charlotte’s insistence, the first book they will read is Betty Friedan’s 1963 blockbuster, The Feminine Mystique. It’s a choice that changes everything.

Nicknaming themselves the Bettys, in homage to Betty Friedan, the women have no idea that their impromptu book club and the books they read together will become the glue that helps them hold fast through tears, triumphs, angst, and arguments — and what will prove to be the most freeing year of their lives.

What inspired you to set The Book Club for Troublesome Women in the 1960s, and how did you approach capturing the essence of that era?

The idea came to me during a conversation with my mom, who was 89 years old at the time. My mom is something of a force of nature. She’s sharp as a tack, a quick draw with a cocktail shaker, and an avid reader. We were talking about books one day when The Feminine Mystique came up. “I don’t know if I ever told you,” she said, “but that book changed my life.”

As soon as she started talking about Friedan’s book and what it had meant to her and her friends, I knew what I needed to write next.

As far as capturing the essence of the era…Well, it helps that I was actually alive in 1963. I was only a baby, but I can remember what life was like in the 60s, the fact that everybody had ashtrays in their houses because everybody smoked, that a glass of Tang and a bowl of Captain Crunch was considered a healthy breakfast for a child, that there were three news networks but everybody watched Walter Cronkite, and that Danish modern furniture was the height of cool — lots of the kinds of atmospheric elements that add life, color, and authenticity to a book.

But I also did a ton of research.

I’ve got a shelf full of books that I read along the way, and a stack of vintage women’s magazines that I ordered from eBay. Magazines were hugely influential back then, especially for women. And, of course, I did hours and hours of online research. But I also spent more time talking to my mom, getting her take on the frustrations, limitations, and constrictions faced by her generation, and what it felt like to finally break free of that. 

The characters in the book form a deep bond through their book club. How did you develop individual stories and what message do you hope your readers will take away?

Ensemble casts of characters have been my specialty for years. Figuring out how to take four separate, quite different personalities and create meaningful connections in their stories isn’t easy, but I really do love doing it.

I spend a lot of time developing the background for each major character, beginning with very basic information — age, place of birth, physical appearance, marital status, education, etc. Then I dig deeper, asking and answering questions about the things that formed their personalities. What was their first memory? Greatest fear? Greatest source of pride? A secret they’ve never shared with anyone else? 

I consider all that through the prism of two questions. First, what is it they want more than anything else? Second, what is stopping them from getting it? It always unearths tidbits that end up influencing the plot in really interesting ways, and showing me how the stories of these very different characters interconnect.

When it comes to The Book Club for Troublesome Women, the fact that the four characters are so different helps highlight what I hope will be the takeaway for readers. My favorite passage from this book, lines that were written by Margaret, underscores the heart of the story…

“There are countless good and right ways to be a woman and only two wrong. The first is to insist that your way is ‘the’ way, the only way. The second is to buy into that nonsense and to spend your life limping along an aimless path in shoes that will never fit.”

Though my four troublesome women want very different things and face different obstacles to it, at some level, they also want the same thing — the right to pursue their own unique formula for happiness and fulfillment. And the same obstacle stands in the way of their getting it; cultural and societal norms that insist feminine fulfillment can only be pursued through one very particular, very narrow path.

The story is set in the 60’s but I believe it’s a theme that continues to resonate today.

How does this book differ from your previous works?

To start with, The Book Club for Troublesome Women is historical fiction. Though my first three novels were WWII historical fiction, I’ve been writing contemporary fiction for the last fifteen years. So this is a new direction for me, though it’s also something of a homecoming.

Many (though not all) of my previous books included characters who find community, connection, and creative expression through quilting. I’ve been a quilter myself for decades, so this was one of those “write what you know” things. It’s been a great way to get a disparate cast of characters into a room in a way that felt believable, and a great metaphor for how we all try to piece together meaningful lives from the scraps fate hands us.

I enjoyed writing those books, but it was time for something else.

Bringing my characters together via a book club is another “write what you know” element for me. I’ve belonged to so many over the years, and I think it’s an experience a lot of people can relate to.

Book clubs give us a chance to meet new people whose backgrounds, experiences, and opinions differ from ours. They also give us the opportunity to be exposed to new ideas, look at things from different angles, and to learn to express and stand up for our own opinions.

It may be too difficult to choose, but do you have a favorite novel you have written? Or perhaps a novel that you are most proud of? And what are the reasons for your selection? 

See Marie’s books here.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women truly is my favorite. As I was writing, a voice in my head kept saying, “This is it, Marie. This is the book of your life.” I’m enormously proud of it.

But I’m also very fond of The Promise Girls, a standalone I wrote in 2017. It’s about three sisters who were groomed by their overbearing mother to become artistic child prodigies who are trying to overcome the trauma of the experience and move on with their lives.

It’s not a perfect book — there’s a section I’d go back and rewrite if I could (no, I won’t say what section) — but the sisters are fascinating, as is their story, and their relationship rings true. It’s a fine book all in all, and some of my best work.

Besides getting lost in your writing, what else do you love to do?

I have too many hobbies and interests for my own good, probably way more than makes sense for a writer.

Reading, obviously. You can’t write good books if you don’t read good books. I love quilting, knitting, and embroidery too — basically any kind of fiber art. I’m a sometime gardener — it’s one of those things I wish I had more time for — and a poor but joyful pianist. Playing the piano helps lift my spirits when I’m feeling down or frustrated, but I’m not very good at it. 

Though I’m not a natural athlete, I do enjoy physical challenges. I’ve done a couple of sprint triathlons in the past, and wouldn’t mind doing another. Living in the Pacific Northwest, some of the most beautiful forests and mountains are almost literally outside my door, and I love getting out into nature — hiking and backpacking. Recently, I’ve gone back to the gym, hoping to get into condition to hike the 90-mile Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainer. Finding the time is an issue though; I may have to do it in sections over a couple of years.

Any advice you’d like to give to aspiring writers today?

Take joy in the process, because the process is the only thing you have any control over.

No matter who you are or how well you write, there will always be someone who finds fault with your work, or simply can’t see or relate to what you were trying to achieve. That can be frustrating and discouraging, but it’s just part of the deal. You have zero control over how people respond to your work. However, you have complete control over the amount of pleasure you get to experience during the writing itself. So you might as well squeeze all the joy from it that you possibly can.

Do you think there’ll ever be a day when you’ll want to stop writing stories and why?

I think I will always want to write. It’s honestly hard to imagine a time when I would not write; I’ve been doing it since I could hold a pencil.

But I can envision a day when I wouldn’t write under a deadline. That’s always been the most difficult part of this job for me. I’ve never been a fast writer, and when I’m forced to work too quickly, I think the story suffers.

Earlier in my career, I wrote a minimum of a book a year. It was exhausting and took a toll on my personal life. Lately, it’s been more like a book every two years. That’s how long I spent writing The Book Club for Troublesome Women, and I think it shows.

But no, I don’t ever want to stop writing. However, I’d happily kick deadlines to the curb.

You can learn more about Marie here:

www.facebook.com/mariebostwick

www.instagram.com/mariebostwick

Website: Marie Bostwick – New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author and Blogger