I’m a Story Scavenger…Are You? by Barbara Josselsohn

Three summers ago, while vacationing in Sonoma, California, my family and I went to Jack London State Historic Park. We were looking to do some good hiking, and we’d been told they had some great trails. We first entered the visitor center to get a map and our bearings.

I almost didn’t make it back outside.

The visitor center had a museum devoted largely to London, with artifacts dating back to the early 1900s. London was an adventurer, a novelist, a journalist, a sailor, and more, who tragically died of kidney disease at only 40 years old.

And then there was his wife, Charmian, who was perhaps even more interesting to me. She was a woman ahead of her time, a writer and an independent woman, bucking cultural conventions after her husband died.

I had so many questions about Charmian: What was her upbringing like? Why was she attracted to Jack? What was their marriage like? How did she become such a trailblazer? By the time my family dragged me outside, I was already dreaming up a fictional character based on her.

In this way, I consider myself a story scavenger, as all writers tend to be. Like Templeton, the gluttonous rat in E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, we gather juicy morsels and tasty tidbits from the anecdotes and histories we encounter. And we let our imaginations run wild with them.

The truth is, the best stories don’t always originate from within. Often they start… well, somewhere out there.

And being a story scavenger is exactly how I discovered the idea for my new book, The Paper House, which came out earlier a few weeks ago.

It started two summers ago (I guess I do my best scavenging in the warmer months!). I was spending August out on the North Fork of Long Island, and wandering around the center of one of the small towns out there, I spotted a paper store. There was something about that tiny shop that at drew me in. It was called Arni Paperie, and I was intrigued by how romantic that sounded. Inside, the airy, light-filled space was stocked with the most charming assortment of stationery, notepads, journals, greeting cards, scented candles, and assorted knick-knacks you can imagine. The floors were a gleaming hardwood and the products were arranged artfully on small tables and desks and shelving units. I looked around and finally settled on a few sets of notepaper to keep for myself and to give as gifts. (You can take a look at this delightful place at www.arnipaperie.com.)

I love paper shops. I love the sight of all those fresh, clean pages waiting to be filled the most personal of thoughts, some practical and some fanciful: lists of goals and wishes, notes to keep loved ones up-to-date, items to remember to buy or share, doodles made when you’re on the phone but want to keep your fingers occupied! I have lists and notes that need to be made at the same time every year—holiday gifts; topics I want to cover in the writing classes I teach; items to pack for vacations; descriptions of characters I’m developing for my books; and weekly reminders of what I want or need to accomplish.

How wonderful, I thought, they would look in one of notebooks or on one of the pads on display here! How much more fun to use one of these items than a plain old pad of yellow, lined paper!

My mind started wandering, thinking of ways this shop could be even more special. Useful. Magical, even. Before I knew it, I was seeing this little shop as a place people go not just to buy paper but to write. To write letters, maybe, to people they are worried about, people they’ve lost. What if the letters could protect their loved ones? What if the mere act of writing could provide protection for those they long for?

That little moment of story scavenging led me to start writing my book. 

This past summer, when the novel was well into production, I stopped in at Arni Paperie to pick up a few notepads and pens. That’s when I finally worked up the nerve to introduce myself to the owner. I can’t really put my finger on why I was so nervous. Who wouldn’t love to hear that the retail shop they so lovingly assembled and so faithfully attended to, day in and day out, was the inspiration for a novel? But I stalled, too shy to speak up. For a year, I’d been browsing her shelves and even singing the store’s praises online—and she never knew!

As she totaled up my purchases and I handed over my credit card, I timidly told her about my book and its upcoming launch date. Well, it comes as no surprise to you, I’m sure, that she was absolutely thrilled to meet me and hear this news! We spoke for a while that afternoon and met for coffee two days later. And check out all we have in common:

• We actually went to the same high school although we are graduated in different years (okay, maybe not that shocking since I grew up on Long Island and she lives here, but still—Long Island is a big place!)
• The second floor of her building is completely shut off—no access whatsoever—and legend has it that a ghost lives there. (And yes, there’s a ghost, who lives in the stairwell, in my book!) 
• She comes from a family of literary agents, so is steeped in the book world!

I’m so glad I’m a story scavenger! To me, it’s one of the best ways to find new ideas, explore new worlds, pursue you passions, and—if you’re lucky—make a wonderful new friend! 

—

Barbara Josselsohn is a best-selling author of ten contemporary and historical novels, including her latest, The Paper House, an ode to letter writing and a multi-generational story of the power of a well-crafted message to change someone’s future. Her novels explore complex themes of love, loss, family, resilience, and the enduring power of secrets. Barbara’s articles and essays appear in a range of publications including The New York Times, New York Magazine, Writer’s Digest, and Westchester Magazine. She teaches novel and essay writing at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, Westport Writers Workshop, and other venues.

When not writing, Barbara enjoys yoga, ballet (as both a spectator and a participant), biking, and spending time with her family, which includes her rescue pup, a mini-schnauzer named Albie, who shows up occasionally in her books. She is currently at work on a new contemporary novel. For more information, visit her at www.BarbaraJosselsohn.com

THE PAPER HOUSE

‘Blew me away… I only stopped long enough to mop up the tears!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Open the door to rewrite your story…

The Paper House, a little stationery store in Long Island brimming with colorful paper and pots of ink, is the only connection Kayla has left to her Great Aunt Tilly.

Inheriting it reminds Kayla of her childhood sitting on the long wooden desks inside, sealing letters and tying parcels with beautiful ribbons. But it also brings back everything she has lost, including the boy she once thought she would spend the rest of her life with. She cannot bear to set foot there again…

Until she receives a call that something strange is going on in the store. The locals believe that Tilly could send letters to their loved ones, even if they were dead. They believe the magic is about to be lost forever and beg her to return.

Kayla cannot hide from the truth anymore. She will have to face the past to save Tilly’s legacy.

But in this enchanted place full of hope and wonder, she might also find herself again…

A compelling and captivating novel full of heart, imagination and magic, The Paper House is perfect for fans of The Lost Bookshop, The Glass House and The Keeper of Lost Things.

BUY HERE

 

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