Brilliant Books You've Never Heard Of discussion

Hello all,

The author of Oh Honey, Emily R. Austin, has graciously agreed to participate in a Q&A with us!

Feel free to use this thread to ask your questions. She'll pop in when she can to answer us.

I'm looking forward to some exciting discussion. Of course, please be courteous. Having an author take time to chat with us is a great opportunity, and we want to make sure Emily feels welcome!

Happy Reading!

I'm about 1/3 of the way through Oh Honey, and am really enjoying it so far. Did you pull inspiration from something/someone in your personal life for this book, or is it completely fictional?

Dlyn wrote: "Wow, that is so neat! Thanks, Ms. Austin for agreeing to do this. I have a question: What's your cure for writer's block? :)"

Hi Dlyn,

Thank you for having me! I haven't discovered the cure for writers block yet, but I have a couple home remedies that might help a little.

1. Don't write your story in order. Think of a future event you plan to write later, and write that now.
2. Change locations. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery.
3. Listen to music that reflects the tone and mood of what you're writing.
4. Add a new character. This depends on your genre and the kind of story you want to write, but I try to imagine a new character that would really clash with existing characters. Who would not get along with your characters? What type of person or behaviour would really bother your characters--or confuse them, or clash in some way with them? If you were to add that clash to the mix, how would that impact your story? In my experience that can spice things up.

Karly wrote: "I'm about 1/3 of the way through Oh Honey, and am really enjoying it so far. Did you pull inspiration from something/someone in your personal life for this book, or is it completely fictional?"

Hi Karly,

Thanks so much for reading Oh Honey.

It's a fictional story. Some of the characters are inspired by people I know (Frank and Keats, for example), but in terms of Jane's life—that's fictional.

I did work for a short time at a call centre, and there are some parts of the story that loosely reflect experiences I've found myself in, but on the whole it's made up.

Thanks again for reading it.

*spoiler* This was a super fun read. I have a question regarding your process: did you know from the very beginning how the final scene would go? Was the confrontation with the man Jane's been calling the required closure in your mind? Or did that develop later?

Hi Emily,

Thanks again for agreeing to chat with us!

I just finished the book and I really adored it. I've never read a book with a call center before, and working in one myself, that was really interesting. You certainly nailed a lot of the unique aspects of working in that kind of environment.

I was also really interested in your portrayal of Jane's mental state. I have two younger sisters who are adopted. They both have depression. The older of the two also has Bipolar Disorder. They have both been suicidal and have self-harmed. The older of the two has also been hospitalized. I felt like being inside Jane's head really helped me understand them better. I was wondering if you had experience with mental illness. You gave Jane so much depth that her struggles felt very real. (Feel free to be as vague as you'd like. I know this can be a sensitive subject and I want you to feel comfortable answering.)

My second question is about your writing. There are brilliantly funny, surprisingly touching and hauntingly lonely lines throughout the book. I think I've highlighted more in this book than in anything I have read in a while, because I just adored how you worded things. I was wondering how much time you spent crafting the sentences. Did you just kind of let things flow, or was it more of a deliberate process with attention to each word?

Finally, I loved the little nods to other topics in the names that Jane chose. I think my favorite was when she was Sabrina, Zelda and Hilda. (I will admit to loving Sabrina the Teenage Witch) When she used Molly, Mary Jane, Lucy and Charlie was also interesting. What was your favorite use of names? Was there any that you think nobody will get? (I know I missed most of them, but could pick out enough to know it was deliberate.)

I look forward to your answers! I am very glad to have read your book.

Hello Emily!
I found " Oh Honey" entrancing. I always have questions I wish the author could answer, so I'm thankful that you're taking the time to do this.
I wonder about Jane's description. the name Jane, as it's supposed to be a general name, did you intend for Jane's story to be a cautionary tale of some sort, like on the dangers of poor parenting and undiagnosed mental illnesses?
The few descriptions we have of Jane tend to focus on her looks. Could the story not be told of Jane were over weight, or scarred by acne, or altered by her drug use?
Anyhoo, thanks for participating with us!

Oh Honey was kind of great in a dark and emotionally wreaked way!

Jamie wrote: "*spoiler* This was a super fun read. I have a question regarding your process: did you know from the very beginning how the final scene would go? Was the confrontation with the man Jane's been call..."

Jamie, thank you so much for reading Oh Honey.

During my own dark past as a telemarketer, I was yelled at a lot. When the people I called yelled at me, I often thought, "What if I was a different person, and this really affected me?" Jane is sort of the realization of that fantasy. You know that saying, "everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about"?

The way Jane's relationship with the man she called ended was a vehicle to communicate her past without blatantly outlining it, but I think I also meant it as a way to communicate that we don't know how we treat others affects them--so we should be kinder to people.

So to sum up: yes, that was the ending I imagined from the beginning. I've seen some reviews of Oh Honey that did not like the ending, and while I really do respect that perspective, I'm confident that at least for me it was the right ending.

Thanks again for reading it Jamie, and for the question!

Kristin B. wrote: "Hi Emily,

Thanks again for agreeing to chat with us!

I just finished the book and I really adored it. I've never read a book with a call center before, and working in one myself, that was really ..."

Hi Kristin,

Thank you for having me! Thanks also for reading Oh Honey and for this really thoughtful reflection.

First, I'm really sorry to hear about the mental illness in your family. You sound like a compassionate person and I'm glad your sisters have a sibling who wants to empathize with them. I think having people who care enough to want to understand is helpful in and of itself.

The short answer to your first question is: Yes, I am definitely riddled with my own issues. I'm different from Jane, but I do have my own experiences with apathy and depression--and on a small scale I was writing some of that from experience.

Thank you so much for the kind words about my writing. I am really touched by that. This is the first book I've had published, and I learned through the process that you actually have to review word by word while you edit a book with an editor/publisher (or at least I did). That means it turned out to be quite deliberate because I had to review each line word by word. I didn't write it that way though.

I did lift every name I used. I used the women's names from The Bell Jar, The Catcher in the Rye, Archie comics… I either took the names from something I liked (like Sabrina!), or I picked them because they fit thematically into that part of the story (Mary Jane, Charlie, etc. was in a part of the book related to her drug abuse, for example.)

Thanks again for reading it Kristin. I really appreciate it.

Amaka wrote: "Hello Emily!
I found " Oh Honey" entrancing. I always have questions I wish the author could answer, so I'm thankful that you're taking the time to do this.
I wonder about Jane's description. the..."

Thank you for reading Oh Honey Amaka!

I picked the name "Jane" because it was the name Jane picked for herself. I thought it reflected how she sees herself. I like how you described it though, and would be glad for it be interpreted that way.

I actually don't have a very clear picture of what Jane looks like in my mind. I know some of her interactions with others implied she might be pretty because men called her pretty, but I think every woman can attest to being called pretty by people trying to take advantage of them. She could be scarred by acne or altered by drug use in my mind.

Thanks for your questions Amaka and thanks again for reading Oh Honey!

Lori wrote: "Oh Honey was kind of great in a dark and emotionally wreaked way!"

Thank you Lori I'm glad you liked it.

Thanks for your answers, Emily!

After reading your answer to Jamie, I'm even more excited you could join us. I actually have "Be Kind. For everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about." as my status on my work messaging system and as a tattoo on my arm! I've had a lot of people tell me how much that message means to them when they see it.

Kristin B. wrote: "Thanks for your answers, Emily!

After reading your answer to Jamie, I'm even more excited you could join us. I actually have "Be Kind. For everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing a..."

What a neat coincidence.