Author Event: Harper Ross

Last week, I attended an author event with Harper Ross. She wrote this amazing book. Check out the fun cover:

Harper Ross was in conversation with Kristan Higgins

They talked about how this book came to be.

Harper wanted to write magical realism. The seed for the magical element (the typewriter) began because writing is the only thing Harper can control in her life. You can write everything on paper as you wish it to happen. Therefore, Emerson was a writer. I like that she became a ghost writer (and no she's not based on anyone nor is the romance author whose books she's writing). 

The typewriter:

The typewriter became the tool because it's something a writer would use.

When Emerson takes the typewriter from her father's study after his death, she doesn't understand the rules. This is where the title comes in. And actually, it's the title that Harper Ross came up with and it stuck. Not all titles stick. It's a very tricky process.

The typewriter works went you type out a wish. But it works in mysterious ways, ways you never imagined.

A wish:

What would you wish for?

Harper and Kristan talked about complicated relationships. This book has some difficult mother-daughter relationship, but also a hard relationship between Emerson and her father. Emerson and her father never made up before his death. To be honest, the mother-daughter relationships in this book reminded me of The Gilmore Girls.

Harper and Kristan talked about her next book, a book about truth and journalism. This book has a prickly character. Harper had a great quote here: Women writers are often told that their female characters have to be likeable, but she wonders if anyone ever says that to make authors. I would bet money that's true too. There were some unlikable characters mentioned. To be honest, I don't mind unlikable characters, but I do have to feel a connection to them in order to read the book. 

The conversation between Kristan and Harper was great - lots of laughs, lots of insightful moments, and the whole evening was great fun.

Two mother-daughter relationships, a magical typewriter, and a question about how far is too far to control the lives of the people around you and give yourself a moment of peace?

Doesn't the book sound great?

I was lucky enough to review it for Fresh Fiction: