Authors Interviewing Their Characters: Jamie Beck

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jamie Beck interviews Amanda Turner Foster and Erin Turner, the oil-and-water sisters in IF YOU MUST KNOW, an emotional novel about how secrets and differences can break—or bind—a family.

Jamie: Thanks for agreeing to speak with me today. Let’s begin with telling me why you brought me to Sugar Momma’s? Neutral territory?

Amanda (nervous chuckle): A few months ago, perhaps. But honestly, I love the vibe here, and the cookies.

Erin (to Amanda while gesturing toward the mismatched tables, bold colors, and varied dishes): Your fondness for the joint is strange, considering it’s more my style than yours. 

Jamie: It’s quaint, like Potomac Point. You must’ve enjoyed growing up in this little town on Chesapeake Bay.

Erin: Heck, yeah. Aside from water sports and fishing, it’s a great place to bike. There were also plenty of kids around to play with when we were little. I used to love climbing trees…and onto roofs (she laughs). 

Amanda: My favorite childhood memories were when our parents would drive us up to Baltimore or D.C. to visit museums or see shows. (She elbows her sister after Erin rolls her eyes).

Jamie: Hm, I’m sensing a theme. Although sisters, you seem to have very little in common. Any idea how that happened even though you were raised under the same roof?

Erin (hooking a thumb toward her sister): She’s smarter, so, you know, she had different aspirations than I did. Higher expectations from our parents, too. I’ve never been a fan of rules or structure, and still like to wake up and not know exactly what the day might bring. I also don’t need a lot of nice stuff—although I do like making nice things, like my organic soaps and lotions. If I had a normal nine-to-five job, I would probably get depressed. But also, Amanda tried really hard to please our mom, whereas I was happy enough palling around with my dad regardless of my mom’s disapproval.

Amanda: Let’s be honest—you enjoyed pushing Mom’s buttons. And Dad favored you over both Kevin and me. But it’s true; structure gives me comfort. It’s also a huge benefit in the classroom with my students. I do better when I have a plan I can count on. Erin’s self-confidence and creativity allow her to move forward without knowing what comes next. I’m working on being more flexible, but it’s a challenge. 

Jamie: You two seem to get along pretty well despite being so different. Has it always been this way?

Both laugh: No! 

Erin: If I’m being totally honest, we both were a little jealous of different things about the other. And for a long time, she didn’t trust me to do anything right. She judged me, even when she was trying to help. But recently she realized I could be counted on, even for the big things. 

Amanda: I wasn’t judging…not really. It’s just that her lifestyle made me nervous. But yes, Erin came through for us all in a big way. I’m so grateful, and am learning to take a page from her book a little bit every day.

Jamie: In what way did Erin come through for you?

Amanda (wearing a sad expression): I’d rather not discuss that now, if you don’t mind. I’m still working on putting it behind me as much as possible, although in some ways my daughter will forever tie me to the mistakes of my past.

Jamie: Sorry for raising a sore subject, but congratulations on the baby. How do you like being a mom?

Amanda (visibly brightening): It’s the most amazing gift. My daughter, Willa—named for my late-father, William—is a delight. I’ve never loved anyone as much or as unconditionally.

Jamie: That’s wonderful. Speaking of your late-father, I know you’re both also mourning him and helping your mother move forward. How’s that going?

Erin: I’ll be honest, it’s still up and down even a year later. I can’t imagine there will ever be a day when I don’t miss him. He was one-of-a-kind—the best sense of humor, and the most patient, accepting person in my life. Well, until Eli (a slight blush rises on her cheeks).

Jamie: You and your father had a lot in common, right?

Erin (smiling): We did, especially our love of music. All those albums and songs still tie to so many specific memories. (She pauses) In truth, before my mom hired that medium, I never believed in that kind of thing. I mean, come on, a person who can summon the dead? But now I sometimes think my dad found a way to use our love of music to bring Eli into my life—not to replace him, but to remind me that there are still some good guys in the world even though he is gone.

Jamie: Hold up. A medium?

Amanda: Yes. Our mom hired one to communicate with our dad when everything was falling apart and she was on shaky financial ground. At first I’d thought it more evidence that she was losing it, but it turned out to be a rather life-changing experience for all of us. Or we’ve all lost our minds—hard to tell sometimes. (She chuckles)

Jamie: I’d love to know more about what happened to your family this year, about Eli, and about your mom, but it seems we’ve run out of time.

Erin: You can learn a whole lot more if you read or listen to our story. It’s sure to make you feel a little bit of everything, from anger to laughter. 

Amanda (quietly): And sorrow.

Erin (reaching for her sister’s hand): But only a little. And let’s face it, we’re all better off now than we were before everything went wrong. If anything, it’s a hopeful tale because it proves that sometimes the best things grow from the worst circumstances.

Amanda: For once, I completely agree.

—

To find out what happened between Erin and Amanda, preorder IF YOU MUST KNOW, available June 1st.

IF YOU MUST KNOW

Life turns upside down for two sisters in Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jamie Beck’s emotional novel about how secrets and differences can break—or bind—a family.

Sisters Amanda Foster and Erin Turner have little in common except the childhood bedroom they once shared and the certainty each feels that her way of life is best. Amanda follows the rules—at the school where she works; in her community; and as a picture-perfect daughter, wife, and mother-to-be. Erin follows her heart—in love and otherwise—living a bohemian lifestyle on a shoestring budget and honoring her late father’s memory with a passion for music and her fledgling bath-products business.

The sisters are content leading separate but happy lives in their hometown of Potomac Point until everything is upended by lies that force them to confront unsettling truths about their family, themselves, and each other. For sisters as different as these two, building trust doesn’t come easily—especially with one secret still between them—but it may be the only way to save their family.

 

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Interviews, On Writing