After reading the interview with Rebecca join the hump day hopping at http://www.mommyonlyhas2hands.org

Sometimes you meet someone, (even if it is just virtually) and you just know  they are genuine.  It was like that for me when I met Rebecca Rasmussen.  We first met on “She Writes” (If you want to be or are a writer you need to be there, link is on the right.)  I was anticipating the release of, “BRISTOL bOYZ STOMP” and Rebecca was anticipating the release of,  “The Bird Sisters”.  When my life was turned upside down and the release of my book had to be delayed, Rebecca was always there with the most thoughtful comments.

When I saw the cover for, “The Bird Sisters”, I knew I would love the novel. 

“Whenever a bird flies into a window in Spring Green, Wisconsin, sisters Milly and Twiss get a visit. Twiss listens to the birds’ heartbeats, assessing what she can fix and what she can’t, while Milly listens to the heartaches of the people who’ve brought them. These spinster sisters have spent their lives nursing people and birds back to life.”

I read the novel (3) times to a group of Alzheimers patients and they remembered the book every time they saw me after.  I was amazed.

When I found out one of Rebecca’s first stops, when the “Bird Sisters” was released in April, was Penn State I knew I had to make the trip.  I used the trip as a way to reconnect with my oldest granddaughter Allyson.  She was enthralled with the whole experience and I appreciate the memories that Rebecca helped create.  It was a 4 hour trip from Philadelphia and well worth every second.

Rebecca read beautifully that night, in the Paterno library at Penn State.  In person she is the same genuine, sweet woman she is online.

I was thrilled when Rebecca agreed to be interviewed.  I have not done an interview in years (I used to write for a newspaper in another life.) So I hope you enjoy.  If you have not had the chance to read “The Bird Sisters”, go for it, you will fall in love!

1)    If you don’t mind, Rebecca would you give us a brief background on how “The Bird Sisters” came to be?

About a decade ago, my wonderful grandmother Kathryn passed away and left me journals she’d kept for over forty years. When I finally gained enough courage to read the journals, I got to know my grandmother on a much more personal level than just her granddaughter. I got to know her as a friend. When I read about some of her deepest family secrets and how keeping them had hurt her, I knew I wanted to write a story that gave those secrets some light and air. The Bird Sisters is based on my grandmother Kathryn’s and her sister Virginia’s childhood and how we do and do not survive broken hearts.

2)    What a whirlwind of a few months you have had!  You had your first novel released , gone on a whirlwind tour and then moved to California.  What is next?  Are you writing?

 I am working on my next novel and also a few short stories – On the trip out to California, I found some major inspiration in Colorado and Utah and I am letting that material steer me right now. Also, if I can get over my fear of sharks, I would love to learn how to surf!

3)    How nervous were you the first time you signed a book for someone, a stranger…in person?

I wasn’t nervous at all because it was after my first reading (which was truly nerve-racking because it was in an auditorium!). By the time I got to sign books, I was relaxed and maybe a little bit sweaty. It was lovely to sign that first round of books at Penn State – I remember feeling so grateful. [Allyson and I were grateful to be among the first]

4)    I was so impressed with the characters you created.  What did you draw on to create the elderly characters in your novel?

 I had lived with my grandmother on and off throughout my life, so I drew on my experience with her to write the elderly sisters in the novel. What was always so interesting to me about my grandmother is that her mind was still so young even as her body was failing her, which was perhaps what frustrated her the most about aging. I feel at home with older people, so to me this was a very natural part of the novel to write.

 5)    I would love to see your characters brought to life on the big screen, so would my book club. Has there been any talk of a “Bird Sisters” movie?

My friends talk about a Bird Sisters movie, and I would LOVE that. Sign me up! But I haven’t heard any talk yet…

6)    You created such a social media presence for yourself and “The Bird Sisters” prior to your release.  Did you have a plan? What virtual space really worked and what space really did not work?

If you don’t have a huge book deal, one thing that most writers know is that their book will not have a publicity budget and therefore most people will never know about it. It’s a strange system, but I knew this before I even got the book deal for The Bird Sisters. I did everything I could to make it soar – and I think what I gained from the experience, more than any book sales, were true and wonderful friends. I met a lot of bookish people I know through Twitter, which has been the best tool for me I think — and the most fun!

7)    If you were releasing your first novel all over again, say 4 months from now, what would you do differently to prepare?  What would you definitely do again?

I think I would stop to enjoy the fact that I wrote a book and it was being published and try to realize that unless I am selling books out of the trunk of my car, I really can’t control sales…for a long time I thought I could influence my sales figures more than I actually could. And let me clarify, the reason a lot of authors care about sales at all is that an author’s “numbers” determine whether or not he/she gets a second book deal. What I would definitely do next time is rip myself away from the internet more often and go for a walk with my family. (Or go to the beach!)

8)  Has your furniture arrived?

Yes yes and yes! Finally we are no longer sitting and sleeping and eating on the floor anymore. It makes me a little bit afraid of how attached to furniture I am, but so be it…the backsides in this family are now comfortable again.

9)   You were living in the Midwest.  Have you been to the beach?  If so what did Ava think of the ocean?

 We LOVE the ocean so much! We’ve been to the beach a handful of times in the last few weeks and it is stunning – truly a paradise. It is so expensive in California, but I completely understand why people want to live here. Right now, for instance, I smell jasmine and magnolias outside my window and if that isn’t inspiring, I don’t know what is.

Thank you so much Rebecca for sharing your time with us.  We know you have a bright future!

To read more about “the Bird Sisters”   ~ http://www.thebirdsidters.com