As I say in the acknowledgments, my grandmother passed away right before I was to start writing this story and it absolutely devastated me. My brother and I were raised by our mother with a lot of help from my grandmother, Linda. I dedicated my first book to her. She was so encouraging and believed in me with everything she had. I am a stronger and kinder person because of her influence on me. She lived her entire life in Acton, Massachusetts. I was lucky enough to spend what to me are my most formative years, from twelve to eighteen, living there. And I always took it somewhat for granted.
When my grandmother passed away in the fall of 2014, I went home to attend her memorial. I usually only go home during Christmas, or perhaps the summer. This was the first time I’d been home in the fall in probably a decade. When I got to town and saw how beautiful the changing leaves were, and how kind the people of Acton were in supporting my family during a very hard time, I realized I had not given enough credit to the wonderful town I am from.
Some of my very best friends—people that feel like my family—are people I met in Acton. And I have such fond memories of growing up there. So I decided to set the book in Acton as a way to honor both how much I appreciate the town and how much my grandmother loved it.
You based the bookstore Blair Books on Willow Books in Acton, MA. Do you have any memories of Willow Books you’d like to share?
My most fond—and very New England—story about Willow Books is from when I was about fourteen. My best friend, Erin, and I went to see The Vagina Monologues when it came to Boston. We were both completely riveted by it. We loved it. This was revolutionary stuff back then. So after we saw it, we decided we wanted to get the book, but it wasn’t easy to find. We went into Willow Books and they kindly agreed to order copies for us.
A week later, I got a message on my family’s home answering machine from this older woman who said, “I’m calling from Willow Books. The uh . . . the book that you . . . the monologues . . .” And then she just gave up and said, “The book you ordered is here.” The poor woman couldn’t bring herself to say the word “vagina.” But she got me the book. And I read it cover to cover. That was probably my first unequivocally feminist moment, that book. No other store had it for me. But Willow did.
What is your favorite aspect of the writing process? What aspect is the most challenging for you? What are some things you do to overcome that challenge?
Oh, boy. When I’m writing a first draft, I’ll tell you my favorite part is editing. When I’m editing, I’ll say my favorite part is when it’s done. When it’s done, and I’m promoting it, I’ll tell you that I want to get back to writing. I’m always convincing myself that the grass is greener on the other side of the street. I think, truthfully, the only part that is always as fun as I think it will be is coming up with ideas. The very beginning, when it’s all potential, is very intoxicating.
And I find, somehow, even when I’m cursing whatever stage I’m in, the cumulative effect of all the stages still manages to be joy. Sort of [like] how they say, “The days are long but the years are short.” Writing is frustrating, but being a writer is near bliss.
How were you able to imagine Jesse’s mindset and experience after the helicopter crash? Did you do any research on crash survivors or near-death experiences?
I did some research about real people who have survived being lost at sea. There is a wide range of stories to pull from and no two stories are alike, which, at first, was very frustrating because there was nothing I could really pin down. But then I realized it was freeing because it gave me permission to be entirely unique.
The biggest research came from deciding where he could land, what he could live on, what challenges he would face. When I decided he would be in the Pacific, I had to narrow down what areas made the most sense, what vegetation was there, what the currents were like. And then comes the human element: What happens to the human body without protein? Without social interaction? What happens when you’ve cut yourself or been stung? What happens to your teeth when you can’t brush them?
I wanted the reader to focus on Emma’s tragedy, so I used only as much information about Jesse’s as necessary to move the story forward. We’ve seen desert island stories. We’ve seen tales of men’s adventures trying to get home. I wanted this to be about the woman left behind.
What do you think is the most important step in creating three-dimensional characters?
People don’t make sense. They lie without even realizing they are lying. They are selfish while believing they are selfless, etc. I think the biggest thing I focus on is making sure that my characters are recognizable and knowable but not convenient or streamlined. Real people are messy. They are interesting because of the mess. I try to recreate that on the page.
In the book, Emma takes a circuitous route to becoming an avid reader and bookshop owner. What inspired you to have your protagonist have such a strong—and at times conflicted—relationship with a bookstore? Have you always wanted to be an author? What initially drew you to writing?
Yes, Emma definitely has an untraditional love story with books. And I did that because I think so often in the reading community, we focus on people who have loved reading their entire lives. But [in my case], I was not an avid reader until after college. And even then, I don’t think I realized just how much I loved reading books until I realized I liked writing them. I feel vaguely embarrassed about that sometimes. Because I was the kid who didn’t do her summer reading so that she could watch TV. I wanted to show a different story about how someone falls in love with reading.
It took me until I was about twenty-five to realize I wanted to be a writer and until [I was]about twenty-eight to admit it to people out loud. I floated around from job to job, attracted to various different elements of the work I was doing. And it wasn’t until it occurred to me to try to write fiction that I realized being an author was exactly the thing I had been searching for. When I added up all of the elements of the other jobs I’d been doing, it hit me that writing fiction was my dream job.
It came as such a relief, honestly. To finally have that direction. I knew it was a long shot but I also finally had a target to aim for.
You’ve also written for television and for film. How is this type of writing different from crafting a novel? How has your work as a novelist influenced your work as a screenwriter?
Writing for books, film, and TV are somehow all completely different and all essentially the same. In every medium, your goal is to connect with an audience, to bring them into a story, to thrill them, to make them feel. So the underlying skills are identical. How do I make this world seem real? How do I make this character someone people feel passionately about?
But of course there are different formulas for each one and different strengths to each. Part of what is the most fun about working in all three is coming up with an idea and then deciding how it will work best. Is this a book that could also be a TV show? Is it a book that would make a great film? Is it an idea that is really best only as a movie?
I’ve never painted or sculpted a day in my life but I’d imagine it’s similar to having a vision of a woman in your head and trying to decide if she should be made out of paint, marble, or clay. Again, we’re talking about the conception phase of a story—where you get to start making decisions about what it will be someday. And that is—and will forever be—the very thing that drives me.
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Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. She lives in Los Angeles. Follow her on Twitter @TJenkinsReid.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Cover design by Laywan Kwan
Photograph of woman by Stocksy
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First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition June 2016
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Reid, Taylor Jenkins.
Title: One true loves : a novel / by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Description: First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition. | New York: Washington Square Press, [2016]
Subjects: LCSH: Triangles (Interpersonal relations)—Fiction. | Man-woman relationships—Fiction. | Mate selection—Fiction. | GSAFD: Love stories.
Classification: LCC PS3618.E5478 O54 2016 | DDC 813/.6—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015035902
ISBN 978-1-4767-7690-3
ISBN 978-1-4767-7691-0 (ebook)
One True Loves Page 27