Apr 4

Apr 4 Episode #8: How we grieved and publisher quotas

Grace and Alvina follow up on episode 7 and discuss the ways they grieved and coped after their husbands deaths.

Grace recalls how she was writing “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” when Robert was sick. He passed away before she finished the book. She had assumed she would not finish it. Then a good friend of hers pointed out that yes, she can still finish the book but the beauty is…you can finish it any way that you would like. Grace was reminded that this doesn’t have to be the ending of her story. That was one of the best pieces of advice she ever received.

Alvina coped by going to therapy and dealing with the trauma of Greg’s death. She also relied on the great support from gathering with friends and setting up regular weekly social outings.

The hardest part for her was battling loneliness. She had never lived alone in her adult life so that was completely new for her. She was extremely grateful for her cat at the time.

Grace and Alvina also answer a podcast listener’s question about wether or not publishers have quotas. Do these quotas limit the acquisitions of books by people of color and other unrepresented groups? Grace was once fearful that there was only room for one Asian author at Little Brown Books.

As usual, the book friends forever will mention what they are grateful for. Alvina is thankful for the children in her life especially her niece and nephew that she just got to spend time with.

Grace is thankful for her time at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center where she was able to really work hard, concentrate, and truly get away while she was doing some writing.