How did you get the idea to have Holly’s mother leave her family?
My husband had told me the story of his great-great grandmother who had gone off to medical school in Philadelphia leaving her seven children behind in Pittsburgh, and her story intrigued me. For a long time I had been wondering how to incorporate the images that Grenada left me with, and when I heard of my husband’s great-grandmother, it seemed like the perfect way to do so.
How much of the book is true?
The events, characters, and plot are all fiction, but some of the emotions, as well as details of life on Grenada and in England, are true. I didn’t want to write a memoir. Living in a world of imaginary characters was a great way to keep myself sane through some tough times.
When do you write?
I have always found that I write best when I have to carve out the time. I wrote THE DIAGNOSIS OF LOVE mainly at night, when I would come home from the hospital during medical school rotations and then during residency, when I wasn’t on call. After the stimulation of interacting with people all day, I loved the escape of writing. Once I got out in private practice, I kept on writing at night. Since our son was born, I practice medicine three days a week and spend my days off with him—unless, of course, it’s crunch time (like the deadline of my second book). Then Grandma helps out, and I’ll write then, too.
Who do you like to read?
Some of my favorite books and writers are:
- FRANNY AND ZOOEY, J.D. Salinger
- THE THINGS THEY CARRIED, Tim O’Brian
- LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- CATCH 22, Joseph Heller
- TO THE LIGHTHOUSE, Virginia Woolf
- ABOUT A BOY, Nick Hornby
- THE BELL JAR, Sylvia Plath
- THEN SHE FOUND ME, Elinor Lipman
- POSSESSION, A.S. Byatt
- THE HOURS, Michael Cunningham
- LOVE.ENTER, Paul Kafka
- THE WONDER SPOT, Melissa Bank
- GOOD GRIEF, Lolly Winston
- GILEAD, Marilynne Robinson
Do you have any advice for writers?
Keep writing! And if you can, join a writers group. For me, getting feedback from other writers has been invaluable.
