October Guest Author Eileen Goudge: Sisters and Other Disasters
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
My new novel, Once in a Blue Moon, is set in the fictional town of Blue Moon Bay, near the real-life California seaside town where I lived before moving to New York some years back. It’s dedicated to my younger sister Patty, with whom I once roomed many moons ago when we were both in our early twenties. I love her dearly, but we discovered we make better sisters than roommates. (Think Oscar and Felix from “The Odd Couple”). My two heroines are thrust into a similar situation…
Lindsay and Kerrie Ann are separated at a young age when their drug-dealing mom is sent to prison. Shunted off to separate foster homes, they lose contact with each other. Years later Kerrie Ann is shocked to learn she has a sibling. Meanwhile, Lindsay has been searching for her long-lost sister. She’s stunned when the adult Kerrie Ann shows up on her doorstep unannounced, looking like ten kinds of bad news. Kerrie Ann needs help regaining custody of her child. Lindsay needs this like a hole in the head but nonetheless agrees to let Kerrie Ann move in. What ensues is a story of two very different women who spend more time clashing than bonding, often with disastrous effects. Slowly, they bumble their way toward a relationship, each helping the other get through a life crisis of her own. They also help each other deal with fallout from love affairs that take a wrong turn. I won’t tell you how it ends, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
As one of five sisters, I know the territory. We’re all so different from one another there was a point, growing up, that I was convinced I was adopted. (My mother put an end to that notion). Even if you don’t have a sister or sisters, you’ll relate to this novel. I’m sure at some point in your life you’ve had to put up with a relative with whom you didn’t see eye-to-eye. Learning to tolerate and even celebrate the differences in others is what makes us grow as people, I think. So next time your Aunt Edna tries to shove her political views down your throat, get her to give you the recipe for the memorable apple pie she makes or have her show you that knitting stitch she’s so good at. There’s usually a common thread if you look for it.
I hope you get as much enjoyment from Once in a Blue Moon as I did writing it. And if you want to visit the real-life Half Moon Bay, now is the time. Fall is when they have their annual pumpkin festival. It represents everything that’s good about a small town, without the mischief and mayhem depicted in the pages of my novel. On the other hand, if you like mischief…