Straight Chatting from the Library: Alana Cash

Alana Cash stops by The Library to chat with us as part of her virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. Alana will be awarding the winner's choice of a Screenprinted Camisole - "What Happens in the Bedroom Stays in the Bedroom" or a Brass Nuts T-Shirt - screenprinted "Brass" with 2 brass hex-nuts sewn to collar, to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. (US ONLY) You can see the other stops on the tour here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/11/virtual-nbtm-book-tour-toms-wife-by.html.

READ THE INTERVIEW

Thanks for stopping by The Library, Alana. What is the favorite book you remember as a child?

There were two books that I read over and over as a child: THE LITTLE RED HEN and THE UGLY DUCKLING. These books sort of formed my psyche a bit. I still tend to dispense the same kind of justice that the Little Red Hen dispensed toward the duck, the cat and the pig. (Apparently, there are several versions of the story with various types of animals, but the in the one that I had the characters were the duck, the pig, and the cat along with the hen and her chicks). And as for THE UGLY DUCKLING, it always surprises me when people find something extraordinary about me.

What is your favorite book today?

I have several favorite books, but the one most recently on my mind is PELICAN ROAD by Howard Bahr. He writes about a train that travels the “Pelican Road” from New Orleans to Mississippi in 1940. He describes a man’s world and feelings without trying to do so, but what captured me was his physical descriptions of Louisiana, the train, the train yards. I was very moved emotionally by those descriptions and would like to travel the Pelican Road.

Tell us about your current book in 10 words.

A young farmer’s wife falls in love with a peddler.

What are you reading right now?

The God Who Begat a Jackal by Nega Mezlekia. It’s a satire about life, war, and religion in a mythical kingdom in Ethiopia.

E-Reader or print? and why?

PRINT. Print. Print. I like to hold a book in my hand. I like to turn pages. I can rummage back through the pages to find characters. I find less eye strain and I can pass on a great book easily. I love the cover designs and dust jackets. It’s all a work of art that I can hold in my hand.

Favorite book you've read this year?

PELICAN ROAD by Howard Bahr.

When do you do most of your reading?

Afternoons with a cup of tea sitting outside on the porch with my feet propped on an old wooden 7-UP case. There’s a lavender plant near my chair and I smell that while I’m reading. It’s quite a full-sensory experience. There’s a hummingbird feeder out there and I have to wait to turn the page if there is a bird at the feeder or else it will fly away. I have a Mexican peasant dress and if I’m wearing it, the hummingbirds will fly close thinking the flowers on the dress are real. It’s quite a nice experience out there in the afternoons.

Favorite genre?

Literary fiction. I like a well-crafted book that is character driven as opposed to plot driven.

What would make you not finish a book?

I have a very hard time putting a book to sleep. A book has to be really bad or written in a way that makes the material uninteresting for me to simply stop reading it – maybe it’s too dense or too many names, dates, places or it could be too loose – just a ramble. It could be repetitive or have mistakes in it. I have finished reading many books that I didn’t enjoy, but very few times have I not finished a book.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Alana Cash is an award-winning author and filmmaker who used to spend summers on her grandparents farm at the foot of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. When she was ten, a red-headed stranger rode up on horseback asking her grandfather if there were horses needing to be broken. The cowboy wore spurs and a cowboy hat and was pretty exciting. Decades later, Alana wondered if any of the women living in that farming community got a crush on that wandering cowboy, and intending to write a short story about that romantic day, Alana ended up writing the novel TOM’S WIFE.

Website ~ Blog

READ THE BLURB

It’s the Great Depression and 19-year-old Annie Huckaby is almost resigned to marriage with Tom. He works at a coal mine during the week, leaving Annie to take care of the house and their infant son. Tom’s Native American friend Jim takes care of the farm. Her best friend, Twila, visits every day and helps Annie make a little money selling eggs to the café on the highway. And there’s church on Sunday. Annie’s not always alone, but most times she feels like it…until one afternoon a peddler named Jake Stern steps onto the porch, tips his hat, and starts a world of trouble.

Buy the book at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.