Today we talk about Crip and Eppie – A Counterfeit Testimonial of a Bonafide Friendship, a book by Therese Wolfe and Pamela Compton published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the authors, Therese Wolfe and Pamela Compton, to get to know them better, the moment they find the inspiration to write their book Crip and Eppie – A Counterfeit Testimonial of a Bonafide Friendship, as well as what they would like to hear from their readers.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Where did you find the inspiration to write your story?
In San Francisco; in a bar; by the ocean; in Golden Gate Park; in Bond’s kitchen; eating burgers and pizzas on the sidewalk and potato chips in bed: To heal wounds. The darker themes in the book–suicide, betrayal, illness–were weighing heavy. The creative process of writing daily was our catalyst. The names of the protagonists, Crip and Eppie, originated with a vignette, The Cripple and The Epileptic, written for fun because Therese was considering suicide. Our writing partnership began with the question Pamela asked Therese, “Hey Crip, are you in the mood to kill yourself today?” Laughter ensued, and this improvisational back-and-forth was our entrance into the fictional story. The dialogues continued to develop the characters of Crip and Eppie and, originally spoken, are scattered throughout the book. Does Therese have MS? Yes. Does Pamela have Epilepsy? Yes. Is the book autobiographical? No.
- What would like to hear from your readers?
Pamela: I want the reader to keep turning the next page. Therese: I want the reader to fall in love with literature, language and the power of story. I want to ignite the reader’s imagination and possibly even change the way they see the world, like a great painting does, like van Gogh’s Sunflowers. An early reader of Crip and Eppie shared what interested her most: The chance to look deeper into the lives of someone with MS and someone with epilepsy without being intrusive. To see their complete selves and to learn. For example, to me, people in wheelchairs out in public can be both invisible (below eye-level, going at a slower pace, etc.) and unknowable because, as strangers, I’m not privy to their individual stories (injury, illness, temporary, permanent, lifelong, cognition— a big diverse group). And at the same time it’s none of our business. So how to break through and get to connection without pity, condescension, being an ableist asshole (regardless of intent), etc. Another reader said: I was brought into these two characters’ lives like a high dive off a cliff. Very fun, funny and intriguing. I’ve never been in the world of an epileptic and a cripple that are best friends.
Therese: The Lover, Marguerite Duras. I initially encountered this courageous work of literature through the film, based on the novel. The attention to detail, the dialogue, and the sheer beauty of the film so captured my imagination that I was compelled to read the novel. The novel taught me that nothing is off limits and that what matters to me as a writer is the importance of transparency, non-complacency, to demand of myself the best writing. Revise, revise, revise. Write it better, no sloppiness, use the art of language. Reading Virginia Woolf has also taught me this. For me, her sensibility, untethered imagination and command of language are unparalleled.
- Is there a book you are particularly attached to and that has taught you something? What is it?
Pamela: Toni Morrison’s first three novels. I am fascinated by her command of language and potent storytelling; I am grateful for her (courageous) decision in her writing career to make sure that the white gaze was never the dominant one. I was transformed; I saw the world differently. I read The Bluest Eye for the first time as a yearning teenager and felt Pecola’s desire deeply. Next, I read Sula; I had never stood so close to so many different women. But if I have to pick one, I will say her third book, Song of Solomon. Freedom, escape, abandonment, dominion, power…I learned that the magical can be made more believable through realism, and realism more truthful by the mythical and magical. For now he knew what Shalimar knew: If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it. ~ Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon
- How was your publishing experience?
It pleases us that Europe Books saw the value of our work and offered us a contract for publication— a debut novel by two authors (a rarity in this industry). The publication process has been beneficial, fuelling our creative process. Besides, Pamela loves a good roller coaster ride. You can all read about our publishing experience in the sequel novel, Crip & Eppie: SPLASH! We are going to assume since EB chose to publish our book that they appreciate dark comedy. And, remember folks, it’s fiction.
- Are you working on a new writing project you can tell us about?
We are working on Book Two of our Crip and Eppie series. Crip and Eppie: SPLASH! is inspired by the delight and endless laughter we have writing together. We began the sequel during the grueling search for a publisher for the first novel, Crip and Eppie: A Counterfeit Testimonial of a Bonafide Friendship. We will continue our co-creation even as we want to kill each other (at times)… maybe because we want to kill each other. As friends, writing together is the difference between talking and creating—total freedom!
Europe Books thanks the authors, Therese Wolfe and Pamela Compton, once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside them on the editorial path that led to the publication of their book Crip and Eppie – A Counterfeit Testimonial of a Bonafide Friendship. We wish them the best of luck for their future works.
To you, my readers, may this book allow you to access and ignite your imagination, to look forward, and most of all to not stop in front of the “limits” that may arise or challenge your life.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!