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Bestselling Local Author Jane Green Discusses New Book & Inspiration

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Jane Green photo credit Ian Warburg copy
It’s not every day that we snag an interview with a New York Times bestselling author – that’s why I’m over-the-moon excited to bring you today’s post! I had the opportunity to speak to one of my favorite authors, Jane Green, about her upcoming book, Saving Grace (release date December 30). Green, who resides in Westport, is a compelling storyteller whose novels explore subjects that affect women in ways that are both thought-provoking and entertaining.  In Saving Grace, she delves into the often taboo subject of mental illness and its wide-ranging and often devastating effect on families.  In a surprising twist, Green also includes a few of her favorite recipes in the novel (she’s a French Culinary Institute trained chef!) and announces her latest venture – a cookbook, Happy Food, to be published next year!
SAVING GRACE

FAIRFIELDISTA: “Saving Grace” is your sixteenth novel – quite a significant achievement! How have you evolved both as a writer and a woman since your first book?

GREEN:  I work much harder at the actual craft, doing at least three major edits now which I never used to do. I have the patience of a fruit fly so my tendency is always to want to move to the next project as soon as I have written the last word, but I now force myself to go in and hone and craft, making sure the book is the best book it can possibly be. As a woman, I was in my twenties and single, with limited life experience when I started. Now, in my late forties, having gone through marriages, divorce, motherhood, grieving, major illness and everything in between, there is little I couldn’t write about.

FAIRFIELDISTA: How have your personal experiences and those of friends and family informed your writing?

GREEN: Every book has drawn from my life in some way without ever being about my life. I try and write emotionally honest stories with characters that are instantly relatable.

FAIRFIELDISTA: “Saving Grace” is the story of a marriage, but also, delves into mental illness – why did you choose to tackle this subject in your book?

GREEN: I had been misdiagnosed with a mental illness, and the resulting medication I was told to take really messed my life up for almost a year and a half. When I found my way back to normalcy, I was horrified at the ease at which both diagnoses are made, and medications are prescribed. Twenty years ago BiPolar Disorder was one in twenty thousand. Today it’s one in twenty, with some reports claiming one in ten, and many believe that’s just not possible, that we are slapping people with illnesses they don’t have and medicating them accordingly.

FAIRFIELDISTA: It’s a wonderful (and delicious) surprise to find recipes in a novel – what inspired you to include them and how do the recipes impact the storyline?

GREEN: I am a huge cook – happiness for me is gathering the people I love in my kitchen and feeding them. Any chance I can get to share, I will take. The recipes in Saving Grace inspired a cookbook, Happy Food, which is free if you pre-order Saving Grace, and will be for sale separately next year.

FAIRFIELDISTA: What are your favorite things to cook?

GREEN: Anything easy, and comforting. I like food that makes you feel looked after and loved.

 FAIRFIELDISTA: What do you love about living in Fairfield County and how does the area inform your writing?

GREEN: I live in Westport and although I have days when I don’t love it, I am always grateful that I am able to raise my children in such beautiful surroundings. Of course I moved here thinking Westport was a small New England town, much like Nantucket, and am still adjusting to the fact that it’s not, but it provides excellent material for the novels!

Learn more about Jane Green by visiting her website, JaneGreen.com! She will also be doing a reading and book signing at the Westport Public  Library on January 21!  

Photo Credit: Ian Warburg


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