Ask Aimee Bender discussion

Join bestselling author Aimee Bender as she discusses her novel The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.

Here is the link to view the chat and ask questions:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/video_...

Loved, loved, LOVED Aimee Benders work, and am looking forward to reading (and suggesting!) everything I can get my hands on. She has inspired the artist in me, and each of her short stories has been an emotional rollercoaster in all the best ways. When you decide to incorporate magical realism in to your stories, does the story initially focus around that as a plot line, or do you integrate that in as a device?

My question is very short. Will you have a new book coming out soon? I love lemon cake one,

In choosing a title, were you aware how much The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake echos The Unbearable Lightness of Bean Curd?

Seriously, I loved the book. You have said elsewhere you are a discovery writer. What did you know about the story when you began the first draft of Lemon Cake?

Aimee, I love your work. You are truly my favorite contemporary writer. I will try to restrain myself and keep my questions to a minimum.

Could you talk about your process in writing a novel versus short fiction? I think you do a fantastic job constructing your short stories, so is it hard to switch gears into a longer narrative structure or does it feel like a relief to be able to flesh out the stories and characters more?

By the end of Lemon Cake, Rose makes some compelling discoveries about her family. Are you considering a follow-up novel or sequel to Lemon Cake?

When I tried writing fiction, I found it very difficult to self-assess and also hard to seperate valid criticism from opinions by readers who "just don't get it." How do you know when something you've written is good? Or, maybe it's easier to ask, how do you know when something you've written needs to be scrapped even though you love it?

Thanks!

Thank you for writing one of my favourite books of all time! I LOVED Lemon Cake.

My question is actually about a small aspect of the book that I noticed from a Los Angeles perspective: did they inherit their house from Rose's grandmother (or perhaps another family member)? I only ask because it seemed unlikely that a carpenter and a law student could afford a Fairfax area house, unless Rose's dad had already become a lawyer by the time they bought it...? Just wondering! It stuck in my head.

Thanks for this beautiful book! :)

no question... just awe! =) your work really inspires me. i love the magical elements and the quirky characters, but mostly, i adore the beautiful language. thank you for introducing me to flash fiction!

I am a therapist/counselor and was interested in Rose's gift as many people are able to "sense" when things are off in families. I selected this for my choice with my Book Club last summer and it was a fabulous discussion. It seems we can all relate to emotional family dynamics in one way or another.

I do have one question about the plot: I am curious why Joseph's ability to disappear was manifested by a chair rather than into nothing or perhaps another object.

Thank you for sharing your writing and talents with us. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style as well with this book.

Hi Aimee!

Aimee, can you try saying something? I want to see if that echo is still there.

Hi everyone. If you have a question, type the word "question" at the beginning of your question. it will show up differently.

Question: Do you prefer writing short stories or novels?

what's your advice for writers

Aimee, I think I may have asked you this question when you last read in Iowa City, but I'll ask again :) : Can you talk about what the teaching process is like for you? What do you want your students to leave with? What have you learned about writing and the teaching of writing from your students?

No need to be concise, we've got an hour.

Hi Aimee! I'm writing from Boston. I haven't gotten a chance to see the movie adaptation of An Invisible Sign of My Own yet (but I loved the novel!) I was wondering what it was like to see your work adapted? Could you talk a bit about that experience?

First, per request, I'll state my location :) I'm sitting in a medical library in Omaha, NE attempting to study for my Neuro Shelf exam and serendipitously stumbled upon this chat. You are my #1 hands down favorite author. When I recommend your books, which I do regularly, I tell people it's like reading my own thoughts and I find comforting to know that someone out there in the universe thinks in similar absurdities as I do. Question: I have been trying to write a piece for ages and keep tripping over the push-pull of fiction and nonfiction. How much of yourself/own life is reflected in your work? And do you have any advice for a first time writer (ie: how/where to start and build momentum)?

QUESTION: I haven't read any of your other books as of yet, but was wondering if it is your typical style to not have quotations in conversations or if you just used this for this book and why?

Question: To you, what is the most satisfying part of writing?

Thanks so much for your responses to my earlier questions. If possible, could you talk about some of your challenges in the publishing industry? It seems like your fiction is so unusual and short stories are such a niche with a smaller readership to begin with, that you could be seen as a longshot author for a publisher. What are some of the challenges you've faced? Do you have any horror stories of editors trying to make your work more "broad" (like, "How about you try to add some Nicholas Sparks-type elements here?") (BTW I'm in New Orleans -- please come visit us here!)

Question: I am coming late to the party, but I was wondering if you covered why Joseph turned into a chair? I understand the inter-related aspect of the mother having a recent interest in woodworking, but why a chair? Why not a million invisible particles? Why is it that time stops for him?

Question: Hi, Amy! Are you ever insecure about your own writing? How do you feel reading your own work? Do you think you are your own harshest critic? Can you talk more about this. —Matt, Los Angeles

How about book promotion? What kind of support did you get from your publisher? What has worked well (aside from live events on GR :)? Any tools or tactics?

(just fyi: "Shelf" exam is a academic diagnostic test in med school to see how much you actually learned about an organ system)

find you very insightful... my fav. quote from this book "I knew if I ate anything of hers again, it would lkely tell me the same message: help me, I am not happy, help me---like a message in a bottle sent in each meal to the eater, and I got it. I got the message." and thanks for your earlier answer about the quotation marks. no quotes is much more visually appealing :D From Grand Rapids MI

on that note i must be off to cram. Thank you for feeding my fantasy world and for being such an accessible, personable author. As a faithful reader, I'm truly grateful. All the best and I can't wait for whatever comes next!

Hello from Sarajevo. Thank you for taking time to share with your readers. Is there a book you go back to or that stirs you to writing

Hello, Aimee. I am currently in Houston, Texas. I just wanted to say that I love your books! Your stories are so refreshing and have inspired me to write again. You are definitely one of my favorite authors. What are some of your favorite authors or books?

Q: how do you feel about allegorical analysis of your work? For instance, I've read a bunch of arguments about what "The End of the Line" is *about.* But do you think of your stories in those kind of terms?

Thank you, Aimee, for a terrific video chat!

And thanks to everyone who dropped by or asked a question.

Aimee will still be answering questions the rest of the week (until Friday) in her Featured Author Group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4...

Thanks sooo much. This was great.

Thank you Aimee!

Lea wrote: "no question... just awe! =) your work really inspires me. i love the magical elements and the quirky characters, but mostly, i adore the beautiful language. thank you for introducing me to flash..."

Agree, agree, agree... what lovely, sensual, effective words on every single page.