An Interview with Author Elayne Klasson

Elayne Klasson, author of the acclaimed novel Love is a Rebellious Bird, is set to release her second novel, The Earthquake Child, in June. Elayne and I met through our publisher, She Writes Press. I was given an early copy of her new book and couldn’t wait to talk with her and share our interview here. 

How would you describe the story you tell in The Earthquake Child?

The Earthquake Child is the story of an adoption told through the voices of an adoptee, his desperate young birth mother, and his grieving adoptive mother who never gives up hope. How can Joshua’s behavior be explained? Relinquished at birth and adopted only days later, Joshua was a beautiful, lovable child. But as he grew, his high-risk, self-destructive behaviors drove his adoptive mother to despair. 

Was it genetic inheritance of substance abuse and generational poverty that caused Joshua to act out, run away and eventually become involved with drugs? Was it the losses he experienced in his adoptive family? Or was it the very fact of adoption: the trauma of being amputated from his gestational mother to be raised by a family unrelated to him by blood, culture, or biology?

What makes our children who they are? These voices and questions will resonate with all parents, particularly with those who are or have been part of the adoption triangle: adoptees, mothers who have relinquished a child, and parents who’ve added a child to their family through adoption.

When will The Earthquake Child come out, and why did you choose this publishing path?

The Earthquake Child will release on June 20, 2023, by She Writes Press. I chose the hybrid publishing path after many years of publishing short stories in literary magazines, practicing journalism in both the U.S. and Caribbean, and writing a lifestyle column for many years in Santa Barbara County. With all this experience, I was still unable to publish a novel with traditional publishers. 

In my desk drawers and on my hard drive, I have three unpublished novels. My husband asked me if I would be happy if those remained unpublished. Because I’m in my 70s, my goal is to have my fiction out there in the world: read and discussed. Brooke Warner and She Writes Press offered an attractive alternative to the traditional and self-publishing routes. I was so happy with what they did with my first novel—Love is a Rebellious Bird. The editing, beautiful cover design, and distribution they offered gave me all that I’d hoped for, so I decided to publish The Earthquake Child with them, too. 

What inspired you to write this book now?

Adoption is a subject near and dear to my heart—both personally and politically. I adopted a child after giving birth to three other children. I feel I was woefully naïve as to the nuances of adoption. I have resented the attitude that some prominent people and politicians offer—that adoption is an easy and win-win solution to unwanted pregnancy and infertility. 

I wanted to write a novel about the complications of adoption—with no good guys or bad guys. I hoped to present a picture of adoption and bring forward the complicated issues of nature and nurture within the context of all three members of the adoption triangle: birth mother, adoptive mother, and an adoptee who is dealing with issues of identity. 

Were there any characters or scenes that were difficult to write?

A friend who is also a mother of adoptive kids—some of whom had similar behavioral challenges as depicted in my novel—says reading this book almost gave her PTSD. It was achingly difficult for her, as well as me, to revisit experiences involving addiction, sending a child away to therapeutic boarding schools, problems with the law, and the pain of seeing one’s adoptive child exhibiting self-destructive behaviors. This book is a work of fiction but is based on experiences I witnessed in therapeutic or rehabilitation programs with parents of other adopted kids. 

What do you hope readers will take away from your story?

Adoption is complicated. As I quote in my epigraph: To be adopted is to be amputated and sewn back together. Whether or not you regain full function, there will always be scar tissue. I want people to appreciate the complexity of adoption. This is not to say, adopt or do not adopt. Just be aware of its complex and serious underpinnings. 

When did you begin writing this book?

I began The Earthquake Child ten years ago. When I couldn’t find a publisher, I wrote Love is a Rebellious Bird which was published in late 2019. I told the publisher, Brooke Warner, about having written Earthquake Child. She asked to read it and told me she very much wanted to publish it. I revised and reworked it. It will come out on June 20, 2023.

Where did you do the writing for this book?

I write on a computer. In the past 15 years, I’ve received several wonderful writing residencies and went off for several weeks at a time to residency programs in gorgeous places in the woods, on an island, and in the mountains. These helped me take myself seriously as a writer, even when I hadn’t yet published a novel. Recently, my family moved to a rural spot, the Santa Ynez Valley above Santa Barbara. I have such a pretty writing room here—overlooking a winery— there is no place I’d rather be writing. 

Which authors inspire you?

I adore Elena Ferrante and the four novels that make up the Neapolitan Quartet. Alice Munro does more in a 30-page short story than most people do in a 400-page novel. Gabriel Garcia is my idol—I’ve read everything he’s written. Wallace Stegner is the founder of the creative writing program at Stanford (where I studied writing), and he is a master. I love all his work—especially Angle of Repose. And, more recently, I’ve become enamored with Ann Patchett and Lily King. I adore Lily King’s recent book, Lovers and Writers.

What 3 tips do you have for those who aspire to write their first book?

To me, emotional honesty is crucial. Obviously, it doesn’t mean the story has to be true. But the emotions do. Second, I think you must take yourself seriously, keep your tush in the seat, and not procrastinate. I think one should dedicate regular hours for writing and stick with this discipline. Finally, I think you must keep at it and not get discouraged. It may be a long path, but I believe persistence is crucial.

More About Elayne

Elayne is a transplant to the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, above Santa Barbara, California, where she is a popular lifestyle columnist. She grew up in Chicago, attending university and graduate school in the Midwest where she earned a Master of Public Health and a PhD in Psychology. For several years she lived in Barbados, West Indies, working as a health care consultant with the Pan American Health Organization; then returning as a writer and columnist for the Barbados Daily Nation. Her professional career has largely been in academia at San Jose State University with her area of expertise being the severely mentally ill. 

Elayne has appeared on San Francisco public television as a restaurant critic. Her recent novel, Love is a Rebellious Bird, was a finalist for The National Jewish Book Award in Debut Fiction, and the May Sarton Women’s Book Award for Contemporary Fiction, as well as a best seller on Amazon and the Southern California Independent Bookseller’s top ten list. Recently, she completed a 14-city book tour awarded by the National Jewish Book Council. Elayne and her husband have 5 children between them—both adopted and biological. 

Follow Elayne Klasson:

www.elayneklasson.com

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