No, I don’t know what will happen when I start a book. I knew the crux of this story would be the relationship between Sweet Judy and her mother, Cassie, and that Cassie would be both wonderful and terribly flawed. But I didn’t know what their journey would be until I wrote it.
Why did you decide to have Cassie get involved with Jim Jones and Peoples Temple?
I used to be the managing editor of a magazine called Disci-plesWorld. On the thirtieth anniversary of the Jonestown tragedy, we did a special issue on Peoples Temple and I interviewed several Jonestown survivors. I was struck by how smart and sane and normal these people were, not at all my preconceived idea of the kind of people who would join a cult. They were idealistic folks who wanted to change the world, and even though it ended in tragedy, their faith and ideals were real.
So it made sense to me that Cassie would be drawn to a group like that, a group of idealists who wanted to create a just and loving society. Cassie needed so much to find a place where she fit in, and the Temple drew a lot of people like her.
Your first book, Prayers and Lies, was set partially in the Irvington community of Indianapolis, and The Sometimes Daughter is set completely there. Is Irvington a real place?
Yes, Irvington is a lovely old neighborhood on the east side of Indianapolis, and it’s where I grew up. It really was an idyllic place when I was a kid, the kind of place where neighbors knew one another and held block parties and ice-cream socials. It’s still a beautiful community, and you’ll find three and sometimes even four generations of families living in the neighborhood. It feels like home to me.
In both of your books, you write in the first person, from the view of a child. Why?
I guess because it comes more easily to me than other kinds of writing. With Prayers and Lies I tried writing from the third-person perspective, but it just didn’t work. And with The Sometimes Daughter, the first-person narration came naturally from that first line: “I was born at Woodstock.” I’m going to try writing in the third person for my next book, just to see if I can do it.
How was writing a second book different from writing the first?
In some ways it was easier, because I had a little more confidence. But in other ways it was a lot harder. I wrote Prayers and Lies over the course of several years. Sometimes I put it away for months at a time. I wrote it just for fun, to see if I could do it.
I wrote The Sometimes Daughter in just over a year, which forced me to be a lot more disciplined and focused. I had to learn to think of writing as my job. And then there’s what some people call “second-book syndrome”—the fear that the second book won’t be as good as the first one can be almost paralyzing, and I had to learn to just work through the panic and keep writing. Thank goodness I have a great editor who is very patient and encouraging!
What have you learned in the past year about being an author?
I have been overwhelmed by just how kind people are! From the bookstore managers who set up signings to the people who came to the signings to the folks who’ve written me e-mails, visited my Web site, blogged about the book, and “liked” my Facebook page, I’ve been amazed and humbled by the kindness. It reaffirms my faith in the basic goodness of people, and that’s been wonderful.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
THE SOMETIMES DAUGHTER
Sherri Wood Emmons
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included to enhance your group’s reading of Sherri Wood Emmons’s The Sometimes Daughter.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. When Kirk decides to go to law school, Cassie accuses him of selling out his ideals for money. Is that an accurate assessment?
2. What role does Derrick play in the story? Does he bear any responsibility for the breakup of Cassie and Kirk’s marriage?
3. What responsibility, if any, does Cassie’s mother bear for her daughter’s choices?
4. Is Kirk irresponsible for allowing Cassie to live with him when she returns from California?
5. After the Jonestown tragedy, Cassie continues to believe in Peoples Temple and Jim Jones. How can she hold on to those beliefs in the face of the mass suicides in Jonestown?
6. Why is Judy so angry with Cassie after their visit to Malibu? Is her behavior toward Cassie at Disneyland appropriate?
7. In Cassie’s absence, Judy is mothered by three women—her grandmother, Lee Ann’s mother, and Treva. Were there extra “mothers” in your life? What role did they play in making you who you are?
8. Is Matt’s reaction to Judy after their arrest reasonable? Why can’t he forgive Judy?
9. Why does Judy have sex with Patrick? Does this constitute rape?
10. Does Cassie’s final revelation to Judy about her own teen pregnancy explain her behavior toward Judy and Kamran? Does it excuse her behavior?
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2012 by Sherri Wood Emmons
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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ISBN: 978-0-7582-7810-4
The Sometimes Daughter Page 35