Tomato Girl written by Jayne Pupek
Thank you Lisa for hosting 12 women (a record)! We all agreed this book is a must read for book clubs, especially if you are looking for a novel with a lot to discuss. We have never discussed a book for as long – SO much to discuss!
Here are the highlights of our discussion:
Jayne Pupek grew up in Virginia and mentioned she didn’t dream of becoming a writer as a child, it was like saying you wanted to be an astronaut when you grew up. Jayne has been writing poetry her entire life, grew up with family members working in/near the field of mental illness and decided to major in psychology in college. She was a social worker before becoming a full time mother and author.
Tomato Girl started as a narrative poem written 8 years ago (the poem has not been published). Jayne had no intentions to write a novel but after signing up for a novel writing workshop a few years ago page one was written and the rest is history. She shared with us that poetry contains images and metaphors and books have a beginning, middle and end.
When asked if she knew how the book would end, Jayne told us that she knew Ellie would be ok and that someone stable would be part of her life and take care of her. All other elements of the book were unknown when she started writing Tomato Girl.
We all thought the book read as a Gothic Novel, Jayne mentioned she wanted to write a timeless book, reader’s should work a little bit.
Jayne tries to write daily and treats writing as a job. You can always edit a bad page, you can’t edit a blank page. She is working on a second book focusing on a child with a disability and how it impacts the family.
A special thank you to Jayne, for meeting with us. Good luck finishing your next book, I can't wait to read it.
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