AUTHORS INTERVIEWING CHARACTERS: Jamie Beck

About TAKE IT FROM ME

Wendy Moore hides her collection of pilfered bric-a-brac from everyone, including her husband. He thinks she licked her kleptomania in therapy more than a decade ago. Therapy did help, as did focusing her attention on motherhood. But now Wendy’s gardening and furniture-refinishing hobbies fill up only so much of the day, leaving the recent empty nester lonely and anxious—a combination likely to trigger her little problem. She needs a project, fast. Luckily, Harper Ross—a single, childless younger woman in desperate need of highlights—just moved in next door.

The only thing Harper wants to change is the writer’s block toppling her confidence and career. Then a muse comes knocking. Sensing fodder for a new antagonist, Harper plays along with Wendy’s “helpful” advice while keeping her career a secret so Wendy keeps talking. Sure, she’s torn about profiting off her neighbor’s goodwill—especially when Wendy’s matchmaking actually pans out—but Harper’s novel is practically writing itself.

Just as a real friendship begins to cement, their deceptions come to light, threatening Wendy’s and Harper’s futures and forcing them to reconcile who they are with who they want to be. Easier said than done.

“[Jamie Beck delivers] an observant and compassionate story about the power of women’s friendship to challenge and change us.” —Virginia Kantra, author of Meg & Jo

“Clever, insightful, and brimming with empathy, Take It from Me is Jamie Beck at her best. The story of two very different neighbors closely guarding secrets who have more in common than either woman can imagine, Beck’s latest novel is a potent reminder that we are able to know the interior lives of those we care about—if only we can find the courage to ask.” —Camille Pagán, bestselling author of This Won’t End Well

—

Interviewing Wendy and Harper from TAKE IT FROM ME

Good morning, ladies. Wendy, I’m curious about your first impression of Harper when she moved next door.

Well, I caught her off-guard the day she moved in, so she was…a little unkempt. Right away I could tell she wasn’t typical of other women around here, and not just because she was a single thirty-something with no kids. She looked like someone who needed a little guidance and a lot of fashion advice. I was intrigued. Despite our fifteen-year age difference, I went home thinking, “We’re going to be friends.” I swear, that’s the truth.

And were you right?

Yes and no. She is interesting. Smart. Challenging. And she’s got her own style—it works for her. The friendship didn’t go exactly where I first hoped it would, but Harper’s influence did ultimately improve my life, so for that, I’m grateful. I’d like to think she learned some important things about people from me, too. And even she can’t deny that I did a good job playing matchmaker.

Harper, same questions.

(She grimaces). Honestly, at first I thought she was a busybody. A nice one, but still, I could sense she had an agenda that involved me. After years in the city—where it’s easy to remain strangers with your neighbors—her barging onto my doorstep with welcome gifts on day one seemed a little cringy. Yet there are hidden depths to Wendy that took me some time to understand. She’s kind and trusting. And brave. I admire her earnestness, and the way she tries so hard with everything she does—gardening, parenting, even in friendships. No one is more surprised than I am that she got me to rethink my relationship with my family. My mom will love her forever for that.

So what took you to Connecticut in the first place?

My work. I’m a writer—a novelist. Except at the time, my career was in the toilet and on the verge of being flushed. My editor suggested I write about suburban housewives instead of millennials for a change, so I went to the burbs to do some research. I didn’t tell anyone the truth because I didn’t want people to act differently around me—I needed to see that world in its normal state. Plus, my prior novel’s flameout embarrassed me, so it was easiest to pretend to be in PR. Looking back, I was mired in stew of self-pity, justification, and determination that blinded me. In hindsight, while my methods helped me write my recent best seller, I do have regrets about the way I treated Wendy. 

Now, Wendy, you’ve lived in the same town for a long time, yet you latched on to Harper as if you had no other friends. Can you tell us why?

Can I just say proximity and leave it at that?

That sounds too simplistic.

Fine. For most of my adult life, I’ve struggled with a mental illness—kleptomania. Once I had a family, I became increasingly concerned about how the consequences of that behavior would potentially hurt my husband and son. Becoming a homebody was the easiest way to avoid high-risk situations like shopping trips or even spending too much time in other people’s homes. But being a homebody doesn’t exactly draw friends. For a long time, I kept busy by taking care of my son and my ill mother, but then Billy went to college and I had way too much time on my hands.

Sounds lonely.

It sure was. Even my husband, Joe, didn’t know the full scope of my problem, which created issues in our marriage. Things are better now. I’ve grown closer to a few women who learned about my problem and have been accepting. Helpful, even. There’s still stigma out there, but I’m working with my therapist to manage myself and maintain a better overall quality of life. As painful as certain recent events were, had I not met Harper, I would still be living that lonely life, so I can hardly regret what all went down. We both grew a lot through it all, and now she’s dedicated her book to me. Makes it seem like our story isn’t quite over.

Harper, it sounds like there were some major ups and downs between you two. Care to share the details?

If you want those, you’ll have to read the book. (She winks.)

BUY HERE

—

Jamie Beck is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author whose realistic and heartwarming stories have sold multimillions of copies. She is a two-time Booksellers’ Best Award finalist and a National Readers’ Choice Award winner. Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist have respectively called her work “smart,” “uplifting,” and “entertaining.” In addition to writing novels, she enjoys hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah and dancing around the kitchen while cooking. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family. Fans can get exclusive excerpts and inside scoops and be eligible for birthday-gift drawings by subscribing to her newsletter at https://bit.ly/JBeckNewsletter. To learn more about the author, visit her at www.jamiebeck.com.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Interviews, On Writing