Hello again, all you lovely readers. It’s been a while. In the meantime, I took part in various activities, the most important being our daughter’s amazing and unique wedding.
Recently, I’ve been posting short excerpts from the wonderful reviews for Cultivating a Fuji on social media – Twitter and Instagram. This has caused me to reflect on each sentence. Here’s the one I posted today:
“This is Martin’s story but there are multiple POVs to show not everyone thinks badly or only wants to ridicule him. People want to help… they just don’t know how.”
When I thought about it, I realised this is the whole point. Most people are kind. Most people want to help. But they need guidance, especially when faced with someone like Martin. He will never provide that guidance himself. He’s much too locked up inside himself.
That’s why I became passionate about raising awareness of social anxiety. It’s why I wrote my non-fiction book, Social Anxiety Revealed. It’s why I’ll continue to bang on about social anxiety.
Because the world is full of people like Martin who need help. It’s also full of people who want to help. But help will never be forthcoming unless those kind people find out how to provide it.
Social Anxiety Revealed is one source of useful tips. You can find this book at Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and elsewhere.
Thank you for reading this post. One day, the world will understand better.
My social media feeds are full of this question, and it makes me feel…embarrassed, or at least uncomfortable.
That’s not because I’m not reading. I’m actually in the middle of two books, which are taking me forever to read, although both are excellent, well-written stories.
One is on my phone: The Sacred Dog by Joan Livingston. You can read more about this novel in Joan’s recent interview on this blog. Having edited her Isabel Long series of mysteries, I knew I liked her style of writing, and this one doesn’t disappoint.
The other book I’m reading is physical and in Hebrew: Destino (Destiny) by Raya Admoni. I love this story, so far, but I haven’t read a lot in Hebrew. I read it even slower than I do English, and after each chapter, I feel I need a break.
But my main problem with reading is finding enough time for it. With all the competing activities in my life – writing, editing, promoting, housework, family, hiking, dancing and more, reading often gets postponed or completely squeezed out of the daily schedule.
Yes, I can answer the question about what I’m reading. But if I answer it too often, people might notice my answer doesn’t change very often. And that’s what’s embarrassing. Unlike many of the respondents, I’ve never read a full-length book in a day.
What are you reading? Do you spend enough time reading? How do you find the time for reading? Do let me know in the comments or elsewhere.
I’ve never met Joan Livingston, but I feel I know her well. We’ve been in contact a lot, because I edited all her Isabel Long mystery novels. I love working with her and feel honoured to have had that opportunity. The novels are great and I’m interested to read about a part of the world I would have known nothing about. Joan lives in Western Massachusetts, in an area currently under thick snow, while here in Jerusalem spring has almost become summer.
Despite knowing Joan, I managed to come up with questions for the interview. She answered some in a way I wasn’t expecting.
Hello Joan. First of all, please tell us about your published books.
Thanks, Miriam, for this opportunity to share the books I have written. So far, I have published 12 for adult and young readers.
The Isabel Long Mystery Series, published by darkstroke books, makes up half of that list. Isabel Long, is what the French would call une femme d’un certain âge. She’s sassy and savvy, and the series is told from her perspective. In the first book, Isabel is coming off a bad year. Her husband died and she lost her job as editor-in-chief after the newspaper went corporate. When Isabel decides to investigate cold cases in the rural New England town where she lives, she uses the skills she learned as journalist. Plus, she has her mystery-loving mother to help out. Isabel has been successful with six cases thus far and in my WIP, she is onto the seventh.
The Sacred Dog, released Dec. 27, is not part of the series but the setting is familiar. Frank Hooker is the owner of The Sacred Dog, a bar where the locals come to drink and gab. The only one not welcome is Al Kitchen, who Frank blames for the death of his brother. Frank’s life is about to change now that his ex-wife and daughter are moving back to town. But Verona might have to face a dark secret that involves both men. All is about to come to a reckoning.
Before I hooked up with darkstroke books, I self-published two adult books, The Sweet Spot, which I would call literary fiction, also set in rural New England, and Peace, Love, and You Know What, inspired by my college life. I also published The Cousins and the Magic Fish/Los Primos y el Pez Mágico, (Spanish and English), and The Twin Jinn at Happy Jack’s Carnival of Mysteries, first in a series featuring a family of genies, both for middle-grader readers. (The second and third Twin Jinn books will be out later this year.)
That’s an impressive list! What’s the allure of writing mysteries?
I love a good mystery, reading or watching one. Now I enjoy writing them. When I start, I have a basic idea of Isabel Long’s next case, but frankly, I solve it along with her. That’s true of the one I am writing now.
Why do you think readers like reading mysteries?
Probably, the same reason I like writing them. For the best ones, you forget you are reading and feel you are there alongside the characters in the book. I hope I create that experience for my readers.
I’m sure you do. As an American, how have you found working with an international publisher?
First, I am grateful to Laurence and Steph Patterson, of darkstroke books, based in France, for publishing my books. I began trying to get published around 2000 without success despite having two agents and submitting countless queries. I signed with darkstroke in November 2017 after we had moved from New Mexico to Massachusetts. Working with an international publisher makes me think more globally. We maintain easy communication via email and Zoom sessions, which I believe works well. It has made me be aware that there are potential readers in other parts of the world. I would have never imagined that the editor of my mystery series, which, of course, is you, Miriam, would be living in Israel. Likewise, my fellow authors at darkstroke are global. It has been an interesting and rewarding experience.
What have you learned from working with an international publisher?
The publishing industry has undergone so many changes since I started writing fiction. Digital wasn’t even an option then or audiobooks downloaded online. The amount of big publishers has shrunk, and indie publishers has grown tremendously. Anyone can self-publish, so the competition for readers’ attention is fierce. My publisher shares tools to help us succeed. Paid promotion rests on our shoulders, but I have figured out what works and what doesn’t. I also use social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, but am careful not to keep hitting people over the head with “buy my book, buy my book.” I try to get people interested in me as well although I am careful about what I share and who I share it with.
Yes, we authors tread a fine line. How do people you meet react when you tell them you have an international publisher?
They are glad I have a publisher period.
What are your plans for the future?
I will continue to write. It’s my form of creative expression. I am past the half-way point for Missing the Deadline, no. 7 in my Isabel Long Mystery Series. Next, I will tackle a sequel to The Sacred Dog. I will self-publish The Twin Jinn and the Alchemy Machine — right now the cover design and proofreading are under way — and The Twin Jinn in the Land of Enchantment. I also have two completed adult novels that are important to me that I will try to find a publisher to take on. I am in the querying phase with those books. Wish me luck.
Good luck, Joan, with everything you do. And thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions. Here’s a bit about Joan:
Joan Livingston is the author of novels for adult and young readers. Chasing the Case, Redneck’s Revenge, Checking the Traps, Killing the Story, Working the Beat, and Following the Lead, published by Darkstroke Books, are the first six books in her Isabel Long Mystery Series, featuring a longtime journalist who becomes an amateur P.I. solving cold cases in rural New England. The Sacred Dog, a thriller that is not a part of the series, was released Dec. 27.
She draws upon her own experience as a longtime journalist in Massachusetts and New Mexico to create Isabel Long, a sassy, savvy widow who uses the skills she acquired in the business to solve what appears to be impossible cases. She also relies on her deep knowledge of rural Western Massachusetts, where she lives, to create realistic characters and settings — from country bars (where Isabel works part-time) to a general store’s backroom where gossipy old men meet.
Joan relied on those insights while writing The Sacred Dog, a story about bad blood between two men. Frank Hooker owns The Sacred Dog, the only bar in a small, rural town. The only one not welcome is Al Kitchen, who he blames for his brother’s death.
Now that Cultivating a Fuji (new edition with Ocelot Press) is well and truly out in the world and I have time to breathe, I’m posting the review excerpts from my last post in a better way, so that they can be seen on any device.
There are other reviews, which I will post soon. I’m so proud of the reactions to Cultivating a Fuji so far, and hope the novel will be read by many more readers.
You can find Cultivating a Fujihere. The paperback is on its way.
This is a very moving story. There are many other characters and the author does an amazing job of developing them all. It is an intriguing and thought-provoking story, a very different read with a dramatic twist at the end that had me rethinking assumptions I’d made when reading the earlier part of the book.
[I] found it to be a moving description of social anxiety and just how traumatic a simple meeting can be for sufferers….yes there’s humour, but I found this to be a sad, poignant and thought provoking tale.
This is a book that is guaranteed to stay with you long after you read it, it is a book that really makes you think with a few surprises along the way.
Cultivating a Fuji is a very touching story about how hard it can be to fit in the crowd. Martin’s character is well-developed and even the minor personalities have their own past and problems in this wonderful story.
What a beautiful book! This is a novel I will reflect on time and time again. This isn’t a ‘preachy’ read; rather it is one of understanding and compassion, and it has brought another excellent author into my world. Extremely enjoyable, providing much food for thought and, in my humble opinion, no less than five stars will do it justice!
These scenes were deeply uncomfortable for me, as someone who experienced bullying, so I’d be mindful of how you feel, but it’s written sensitively and in a beautifully validating way. The thing I appreciated most about this novel was the way the author constructed a novel elevating social anxiety as a real, difficult thing. She either experiences the illness herself or has done her work. Where the Curious Incident with The Dog in the Night-time is a beautiful novel explaining autism, this, for me, is the work to explain social anxiety.
Even when I wasn’t reading the book I found I was thinking about it and counting down to when I could pick it up again. This is an extremely important book for helping people gain an understanding of social anxiety, and just how deeply it can affect the entire lives of sufferers.
Author Miriam Drori has written a compelling, heart-warming and thought-provoking UpLit exploration of loneliness and social anxiety. It was impossible not to be gripped by Martin’s journey, which begins with a business trip to Japan. And, then there’s a whammy of an ending that’ll leave you gasping…
This is Martin’s story but there are multiple POVs to show not everyone thinks badly or only want to ridicule him. People want to help… they just don’t know how. Cultivating a Fuji is a good read lovers of contemporary and literary fiction will enjoy, and the twisty conclusion will linger long after the story’s end.
Not everyone is without sympathy for Martin either but sometimes, as the book shows, people willing to help him (such as his boss, John) don’t know the best way to go about it or may inadvertently choose the wrong way. There were some great scenes full of humour… I really enjoyed the second part of the book in which we learn of Martin’s life following his return from Japan. Cultivating a Fuji does a great job of highlighting the experiences of those with social anxiety disorder and the challenges they face using the medium of fiction.
I think the resilience Martin inadvertently learned from his school years, sets him on the path he takes, and propels the story forward into a new chapter in his life. There are plenty of moments of contrition in this book, and the feel is generally cathartic. I did find certain aspects troubling, as I think we are meant to.
Miriam Drori has sensitively exposed the reality of living with social anxiety and the impact it has on all involved while creating a character I love in an uplifting, memorable novel.
Miriam Drori, the author, is a marvellous storyteller, especially in her ability to create real and relatable characters. You will be charmed by the story of Martin and all the people he meets. In this book, even the minor walk-on characters are fully developed with fascinating back stories.
It’s such a beautiful and thought provoking story. The first half of this book completely and utterly broke my heart then tenderly pieced it back together, filling it with so much joy. This is really an uplifting novel.
I thought the choice to tell the story from both Martin’s perspective and the perspective of those around him added depth to the emotional landscape. The author seems to understand the challenges faced by those of us with social anxiety as well as the troubles that exist for others who try to interact with us.
This is a very cleverly constructed novel and beautifully written. There’s no preaching or wallowing. The author presents the issue of social anxiety and gives us a view from both sides: from those who experience it and those who feel that it’s OK to put others down and induce such misery. There’s hope and despair, love and disappointment, achievement and failure, happiness and missed opportunities in this richly textured book that’s rewarding and poignantly enjoyable to read.
In June 2019, I posted excerpts from some of the reviews for the first edition of Cultivating a Fuji. They are copied below. If you haven’t read the novel yet, I hope you enjoy the experience as much as these reviewers did. (Apologies, the table doesn’t work well on a mobile phone.)
The new edition is out today with Ocelot Press. You can find it here. The paperback is on its way.
This is a very moving story. There are many other characters and the author does an amazing job of developing them all. It is an intriguing and thought-provoking story, a very different read with a dramatic twist at the end that had me rethinking assumptions I’d made when reading the earlier part of the book.
————————– [I] found it to be a moving description of social anxiety and just how traumatic a simple meeting can be for sufferers….yes there’s humour, but I found this to be a sad, poignant and thought provoking tale.
————————– This is a book that is guaranteed to stay with you long after you read it, it is a book that really makes you think with a few surprises along the way.
————————– Drori tells a story that can only come from a place of empathy and recognition. It says: “I know you. I see you. I hear you. I understand you.”
————————– Cultivating a Fuji is a very touching story about how hard it can be to fit in the crowd. Martin’s character is well-developed and even the minor personalities have their own past and problems in this wonderful story.
————————– What a beautiful book! This is a novel I will reflect on time and time again. This isn’t a ‘preachy’ read; rather it is one of understanding and compassion, and it has brought another excellent author into my world. Extremely enjoyable, providing much food for thought and, in my humble opinion, no less than five stars will do it justice!
————————– These scenes were deeply uncomfortable for me, as someone who experienced bullying, so I’d be mindful of how you feel, but it’s written sensitively and in a beautifully validating way. The thing I appreciated most about this novel was the way the author constructed a novel elevating social anxiety as a real, difficult thing. She either experiences the illness herself or has done her work. Where the Curious Incident with The Dog in the Night-time is a beautiful novel explaining autism, this, for me, is the work to explain social anxiety.
————————– Even when I wasn’t reading the book I found I was thinking about it and counting down to when I could pick it up again. This is an extremely important book for helping people gain an understanding of social anxiety, and just how deeply it can affect the entire lives of sufferers.
————————– Author Miriam Drori has written a compelling, heart-warming and thought-provoking UpLit exploration of loneliness and social anxiety. It was impossible not to be gripped by Martin’s journey, which begins with a business trip to Japan. And, then there’s a whammy of an ending that’ll leave you gasping…
————————– This is Martin’s story but there are multiple POVs to show not everyone thinks badly or only want to ridicule him. People want to help… they just don’t know how. Cultivating a Fuji is a good read lovers of contemporary and literary fiction will enjoy, and the twisty conclusion will linger long after the story’s end.
————————– Not everyone is without sympathy for Martin either but sometimes, as the book shows, people willing to help him (such as his boss, John) don’t know the best way to go about it or may inadvertently choose the wrong way. There were some great scenes full of humour… I really enjoyed the second part of the book in which we learn of Martin’s life following his return from Japan. Cultivating a Fuji does a great job of highlighting the experiences of those with social anxiety disorder and the challenges they face using the medium of fiction.
————————– I think the resilience Martin inadvertently learned from his school years, sets him on the path he takes, and propels the story forward into a new chapter in his life. There are plenty of moments of contrition in this book, and the feel is generally cathartic. I did find certain aspects troubling, as I think we are meant to.
————————– Miriam Drori has sensitively exposed the reality of living with social anxiety and the impact it has on all involved while creating a character I love in an uplifting, memorable novel.
————————– Miriam Drori, the author, is a marvellous storyteller, especially in her ability to create real and relatable characters. You will be charmed by the story of Martin and all the people he meets. In this book, even the minor walk-on characters are fully developed with fascinating back stories.
————————– It’s such a beautiful and thought provoking story. The first half of this book completely and utterly broke my heart then tenderly pieced it back together, filling it with so much joy. This is really an uplifting novel.
————————– I thought the choice to tell the story from both Martin’s perspective and the perspective of those around him added depth to the emotional landscape. The author seems to understand the challenges faced by those of us with social anxiety as well as the troubles that exist for others who try to interact with us.
————————– This is a very cleverly constructed novel and beautifully written. There’s no preaching or wallowing. The author presents the issue of social anxiety and gives us a view from both sides: from those who experience it and those who feel that it’s OK to put others down and induce such misery. There’s hope and despair, love and disappointment, achievement and failure, happiness and missed opportunities in this richly textured book that’s rewarding and poignantly enjoyable to read.
Excerpts from reviews of Cultivating a Fuji by Miriam Drori.
With the republication of my uplit novel, I’m reposting this article from 2019, which first appeared on donnasbookblog.
My childhood was marred by bullying. It was the urge to do something to stop the bullying that led me to catch social anxiety. I kept quiet as much as I could, because they couldn’t tease me for things I said if I didn’t say them, and this became a habit that I couldn’t discard when I wanted to.
Decades later, after discovering this thing that had “strangled” me for so long had a name, and that I was by no means alone with this problem, I joined an online forum for sufferers of social anxiety. Here, I learned a lot about the others, about what we shared as well as our differences. I realised that most of the others, like me, had mistakenly imagined themselves to be alone with it, and that people they came into contact with usually misunderstood their behaviour. It was because of these things I discovered as a member of the forum, that I became passionate about raising awareness of social anxiety.
Writing was the natural way for me to do this, and I put together a book full of quotes from sufferers, who all agreed for their words to be published, providing they remained anonymous. So this was the first book I wrote, back in 2004, although it was only published in 2017, called Social Anxiety Revealed.
Cultivating a Fuji, on the other hand, is fiction, and it’s first and foremost a good story. (Fortunately, I’m not the only person to think so.) Martin, the protagonist, struggles to push the boundaries imposed on him by social anxiety, and readers enjoy rooting for him.
Martin – and Fiona, who appears later on – have been with me for several years. They appeared in the first novel I tried to write, a novel that, I learned later, didn’t have a strong enough story line. Fortunately, I scrapped that novel, had two short stories and then two novels published, and am delighted that Martin and Fiona will now see the light in this new and compelling story, fighting the demons in their quest for happiness.
There aren’t many novels involving characters with social anxiety, and I’m so glad to be able to add to their number. One of the others, The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan, is very well-written with a strong plot, but I had two main reservations about it. One is that the reason for Mary’s social anxiety was given as one devastating incident that occurred when she was sixteen. I felt there must have been more that we weren’t told about. The other was the very extreme nature of her anxiety, which caused her to hide from society completely. While there are certainly cases like hers, it is much more common for sufferers to force themselves to function in society however much of a struggle that is. I think someone who reads of an extreme case like this could make light of the effort made by someone who appears to function fairly normally.
One more thing I need to say: Martin isn’t me. Although there are some similarities between us, there are also many differences in our natures, upbringing and other experiences.
About Cultivating a Fuji
Convinced that his imperfect, solitary existence is the best it will ever be, Martin unexpectedly finds himself being sent to represent his company in Japan. His colleagues think it’s a joke; his bosses are certain he will fail. What does Martin think? He simply does what he’s told. That’s how he’s survived up to now – by hiding his feelings.
Amazingly, in the land of strange rituals, sweet and juicy apples, and too much saké, Martin flourishes and achieves the impossible. But that’s only the beginning. Keeping up the momentum for change proves futile. So, too, is a return to what he had before. Is there a way forward, or should he put an end to the search now?
Gradually, as you’ll see when Martin looks back from near the end of his journey, life improves. There’s even a woman, Fiona, who brings her own baggage to the relationship, but brightens Martin’s days. And just when you think there can be no more surprises, another one pops up.
Throughout his life, people have laughed at ‘weirdo’ Martin; and you, as you read, will have plenty of opportunity to laugh, too. Go ahead, laugh away, but you’ll find that there’s also a serious side to all this…
On our many trips abroad over the years, we have always been outsiders. Not so much in the UK, where most people don’t usually realise we’re not one of them, but most definitely in places like India, Ethiopia, Egypt and Japan, even when we dressed like the indigenous population.
India – Odisha – Bison Horn Maria village.
Dancing in Egypt
Ethiopia 2017: Wakonos Village.
We are Japanese, if you please.
In my childhood, I was an unwilling outsider. Like all children, I wanted to fit in but I never did.
However, my outsiderness was never as severe as Martin’s. He suffered in silence, learning behaviours that made life bearable as a child, but didn’t prepare him for being adult.
That all changed for Martin when he was sent to Japan to represent his company, not necessarily in a good way, although ultimately…
No, I won’t tell you the ending of Cultivating a Fuji, the new edition of which is out in one week: 19th January. You can pre-order it now from Amazon.
Nowadays, I’m happy to be an outsider. As an author, it’s helpful to get an outsider’s perspective. And I like being unique, rather than fitting some pattern. What a shame that children can’t see those benefits, or accept differences.
With the republication of my uplit novel, I’m posting an updated version of this post from 2019.
The marriage of uplit and Cultivating a Fuji.
What is UPLIT and why might it interest me?
If you look up uplit in a dictionary, you’re likely to find that either it doesn’t exist or it’s the past of the verb uplight: to illuminate from below. But google it and you’ll find uplit or up lit is a genre people are starting to talk about. And to read.
Possibly, there is a connection between those two meanings of uplit. It’s about lighting the world from below, from the ordinary people, rather than having to endure spotlights from above.
An uplit novel is one of kindness, compassion and empathy. But it doesn’t sugar-coat the world; it’s “about facing devastation, cruelty, hardship and loneliness and then saying: ‘But there is still this,’” says author Rachel Joyce. Uplit novels are books that embrace difference, idiosyncrasy and those who are either marginalised or overlooked by society.
Uplit is about broken people who become fixed. Three examples are:
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Three Things about Elsie by Joanna Cannon
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Uplit gives us readers control. It makes us realise that we can change the world – not the politicians, the dictators or the superstars, but people like you and me. We can make the world a better place, each in our own small way, and the more of us who do it, the greater effect it will have.
Uplit helps us to develop empathy for marginalised groups: immigrants, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities or mental health problems. Sadly and weirdly, another group often labelled as marginalised is women. How can a group that consists of slightly more than half the population be marginalised? Yet, it is.
My novel, Cultivating a Fuji, to be republished through Ocelot Press on 19th January, focuses on a marginalised character who doesn’t have a voice, at least not a spoken one. He is not able to explain how or why or who he is. And most people naturally fail to understand and simply label him as weird. Fortunately, a few of those he meets attempt to delve deeper, to reach inside his fortified exterior, and they are the characters who give the novel its uplit flavour. He is the only person who can turn his life around, but he needs those kind, understanding characters.
An island in Switzerland.
“No man is an island entire of itself.” ~John Donne
If the novel helps to create more empathy in our fragmented world, I will be delighted. But most of all, Cultivating a Fuji is a good story. When I first wrote this post, I had to say that myself. Now I can quote from the reviews. Here are a few:
At the end of this post, there are bargains for you.
Most of what I know about Christmas comes from singing Christmas carols at school. The one I liked best (for the tune and the change of tune for the third verse) is called Three Kings from Persian Lands afar.
This carol was also useful when I studied music, because its first interval is a major sixth.
That was when I heard (and sang) about three kings who brought gifts to the “newborn king of the Jews”.
Now I hear that this took place on Twelfth Night, and that’s why Ocelot Press is holding a Twelfth Night Sale of ebooks.
Style and the Solitary is just one of those books, all of which can be found on Amazon – individually or by searching for Ocelot Press. Here are the others:
Saturday night folk dancing sessions in Jerusalem are run by Ofer Alfasi.
Ofer is very talented and diligent. He knows all the dances very well. He invests a lot of effort, demonstrating from the centre of the circle and watching to make sure we’ve learnt properly.
But he’s not good at blowing his own trumpet. He’s reticent about introducing the dances he choreographed. Fortunately, another Ofer, who also has a dance to his name, has been championing the first Ofer’s dances recently, and they’re really good.
I’m no better at blowing my own trumpet, but I need to say this, so please forgive me:
I recently reread my novel, Cultivating a Fuji, making very minor changes to it. And as I read it, I realised how good it is, and how much I’d love it to be read widely, firstly for enjoyment – the story mixes poignancy, humour, sadness and hope – and also to increase understanding in our crazy world.
Miriam Drori, Author 