A Life of Bright Ideas (46 page)
Read A Life of Bright Ideas Online
Authors: Sandra Kring
Jewelee’s left arm still looks bleached where her cast was until last week, and I remind her to keep her feet on the ground today.
“I didn’t climb on anything high the last day we played,” she said. “Did I, Cupcake?”
Evalee shakes her head, her blue eyes bright with innocence. “She didn’t, Aunt Button. I saw her not do it.”
I glance at the clock and tell Winnalee that we’d better get moving. Winnalee digs in her tote bag and pulls out our Book of Bright Ideas. I grab a pen, and we start for the door.
“Sit. We’ll be right back,” Winnalee tells Freeda, who is trying to down her coffee quickly.
It’s late fall, and leaves crackle under our shoes as we step off the back porch. Above us, the clouds are dropping a soft, cold rain.
We are twenty-six years old, but we giggle like little girls as we unlatch the fence that encloses the side yard. Winnalee kicks a lopsided beach ball out of the way, and we sidestep a doll stroller. We slip off our shoes and put them in Boohoo’s old wagon. We leave our socks on, though, because it’s chilly. Winnalee climbs up first. The pen jabs my hip as I swing myself up.
We shuffle our feet to wedge them in the platform between the three sturdy trunks, and the bare wood is cool and slippery against our socks. I look up once we’re situated. The leaves are mostly gone now, sitting in a scattered heap across the yard, but for a few that still cling, their color a blaze of orange.
Winnalee strokes the leather-bound cover of our book with fingers that are already pinkening at the tips. I reach over and pull her hood up over her head, and her long loops waver in the breeze. “I can’t believe it’s been seventeen years since I started this book,” she says. I tell her that I can’t believe we’re just now going to write our one hundredth idea, and she reminds me that we needed that long to find it.
Winnalee looks off in the distance, and I know she’s thinking of all the things that happened in those years, just as I am: the urn, the book, the lies, the love, the losses, and suddenly
we’re not in our special tree anymore. We’re in that place called “bittersweet.” That place, I reasoned when I was a girl, that if you could find it on a map, would be the mountain that sits between happy and sad. The place where you can almost feel God’s hand on your head and just know, deep down inside, that there was a good reason for every single thing that happened.
We’re quiet for a time, then Winnalee’s mouth slowly drops open. “Oh my God, Button. You and me are older than Mom was when we pulled into town the first time. Unreal.”
I smile, not at the revelation, but because I never tire of hearing Winnalee call Freeda
Mom
(which she switched to after Evalee said
Mama
for the first time). I don’t think Freeda ever tires of it, either.
We become thoughtful and silent again. Winnalee gently pats the cover of our book, and the diamond in her engagement ring glitters like fairy wings. We look at each other with smiles made soft from our thoughts, then Winnalee holds out the book.
“You go first,” she says.
As I write, a raindrop lands on the page to dot an
i
, and Winnalee puffs warm breath into her cupped hands. She reads my entry when I’m finished, and tilts her head and smiles.
I hand her the pen, and slip my stiff hands into my pocket while I wait.
Winnalee finishes, and hands me the book so I can read it. I laugh. We share a hug made awkward by our fear of falling, then Winnalee asks, “Where to?”
I grin. “The Magic Tree!”
Winnalee makes the same engine noises she used to make, and we jump down. We slip our shoes back on and race back to the house, as the rain changes to snow.
If you don’t want to keep making the same mistakes that you, or your parents already made, find a book with nothing inside it and write down the things you think might be clues to the secrets of life. It won’t keep you from making every mistake, and you won’t have all the answers by the time you reach 100, but it will keep you mindful and help you not make as many. And when you read it years later, you’ll see just how much you’ve grown. Past that, just love yourself, and others. And on bad days, when you feel like you’re stuck on a rock in the middle of nowhere, with no earth beneath you to sink your roots in, and no breeze to push your life forward, reach out to all those who ever gave you love, and believe with the faith of a child.
And revisit your favorite childhood places (if only in your mind) and remember catching fireflies, and eating bunny pancakes, and playing dress-up. Then call your best friends together and have a pajama party, share stories, eat good food, paint your faces, and dance naked in the rain. And never, ever be afraid to believe in things that others say don’t exist.
For the readers who would not let me rest until I went back to Dauber to find out what happened next
My heartfelt gratitude to the following people, each of whom played a vital role in helping to bring the Peterses and Malones back to life:
To my new publisher, Jane von Mehren: Thank you for your enthusiasm. To my former editor, Kerri Buckley, who lovingly took this book near to its completion, then handed it with confidence into the apt hands of my current editor, Jennifer Smith, whose depth and skill nurtured it to fulfillment. To my agent, Catherine Fowler, who guides me with wisdom and love. My thanks to each of you for being champions of my work.
To pilots Joe Sanfilippo and Cade Lowell Woodward, whose knowledge of the Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser allowed Tommy to take to the skies, and to seamstress Sandy Swenson, whose skilled hands and love for what she does became Evy’s. To Dr. Sytinderpal Judge, who patiently imparted his expertise on bee stings and allergic reactions, and who takes such good care of my allergy-prone daughter. To Patricia Martini, who gave me the inspiring photograph that ended up on Button’s nightstand, and to Kerry Kring who answered my endless questions on the nature of trees. To Dan Jendrzejewski, who clued me in to the fact that Spider-Man does
not
wear a
cape (Boohoo didn’t listen, but I did). To my daughter Shannon Kring Buset, who offered valuable feedback on grown-up Button’s voice, and to my daughter Natalie Kring who edits my punctuation when I need it (and I need it often!). To my son, Neil, who drags me away from the computer for an occasional movie or basketball game when I need a break but don’t know it, and to my writing bud and friend, Christopher Pimental. Our endless conversations over the most minuscule aspects of writing provide an outlet for my love of the craft, and keep me—and those who come into contact with me—sane.
To the wonderful people at “my office,” who not only hand-sell my books with zeal, but welcome my almost daily visits and my chatter, and who share their stories with me. I appreciate each one of you and am happy to call you my friends.
And last, but not least, to the many booksellers, librarians, book clubs, and individuals who read my books and recommend them to others. None of this is possible without you.
A LIFE OF BRIGHT IDEAS
A NOVEL
SANDRA KRING
A Reader’s Guide
RANDOM HOUSE READER’S CIRCLE:
What made you decide to write a follow-up to
The Book of Bright Ideas
?
SANDRA KRING:
At least 98 percent of the readers who wrote to tell me how much they loved
The Book of Bright Ideas
pleaded with me to write a sequel. They wanted to know if Button and Winnalee were ever reunited, if the changes in the Peters family lasted, where the Malones went, and if Freeda and Winnalee made their peace. Each time I replied, I had to explain that I only knew the story to the point where the book ended. In time, though, I started asking myself these same questions, and realized that I could not turn my back on these characters, nor on the readers who came to love them like family.
RHRC:
Do you think the unforgettable duo of Evy (Button) and Winnalee will ever appear in any of your future novels?
SK:
Yes, I’d say it’s very likely I’ll revisit these characters again. Not in my next book, but perhaps the one after that.
RHRC:
How long did it take you to write this book?
SK:
Believe it or not, I have no clue! Time both stands still
and
whooshes along when I’m writing. Couple that with the fact
that I have practically
no
sense of time to begin with, and I’m completely stumped. All I can say for certain is that I loved every moment I was writing it.
RHRC:
What is your writing process like?
SK:
I go straight to my computer first thing in the morning. When I’m at the awkward beginning stages of a novel, I’m not as quick to rise, and I have to push myself to stick with writing for even five or six hours. But in no time, the characters start breathing on their own, and the story begins sailing along. Once I’ve reached this point, I eagerly wake before sunrise, and I could easily write for ten to twelve hours a day, if I didn’t discipline myself otherwise. While I love long writing days, my wrists and back do not.
RHRC:
You tend to write about tightly-knit families in small towns. Did you grow up in a small town? How have your experiences shaped your writing?
SK:
I spent the majority of my life living in a township of 399 people and often joke that I started writing fiction because I knew that if I didn’t create people, I’d never meet another new person in my life! I was in my early forties before I even visited a large city, and the first few visits gave me sensory overload. Eventually, though, I came to love the energy of large cities, and I now visit them every chance I get. I’d live in one, but I fear that with my love of meeting new people and experiencing new places, I’d never get any writing done. I write what I know, so I write what I know best: about complex families living in simple places.
RHRC:
How much interaction do you have with book clubs, and how have your experiences with them been? Are you part of one yourself?
SK:
If there is one aspect of being a writer that I
don’t
enjoy, it’s spending vast amounts of time in isolation. I am a people person and lose energy if I don’t have a certain amount of interaction with others. Visiting book clubs (in person, and via Skype) is a wonderful way for me to connect with the public, and to meet my readers. And, yes, I have been a member of a book club for years. You can read about our crazy crew on my website:
http://www.sandrakring.com
.
RHRC:
What are some of your own favorite books?
SK:
Unfortunately, I’m one of those writers who cannot read and write at the same time (it’s like listening to two radios at once, each tuned to different stations) and I always seem to be writing. So while once I read four to six books a week, I’m now lucky if I get to read that many in a year. Some of my all-time favorites include
Of Mice and Men, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, To Kill a Mockingbird
, and
The Education of Little Tree
. I did manage to sneak in
The Help
(and loved it!) in the week I took off after finishing
A Life of Bright Ideas
. The books on my ever-growing stack of to-be-read list are waiting patiently.
RHRC:
We’d love to know what you’re working on next. Can you share any details of your next book?
SK:
I hesitate to say too much about a plot that’s still unfolding, but I can tell you a little about the characters. There’s Sada Flitchart, who, at ninety-four, wants only to let go of this life and join her beloved husband in the next—though she has unfinished business to tend to first. And there’s Sada’s wig-wearing friend, Loretta Brewster, who is hiding more than her balding head. The story is told through a series of flashbacks that spans their lifelong friendship, and is supported by the presence of Carly Butters, the fanciful seven-year-old girl
who visits them at Peaceful Heart Rest Home. As their story unfolds, both women just may learn that there’s truth to what their young friend says: that if you get to the end of the story and the ending is sad or scary, it only means that the story isn’t over yet.
1. This novel has many strong themes: family, friendship, love, loss, and healing, among others. Which one resonated with you the most?
2. Evy and Winnalee are best friends, but have such different personalities. What are the dynamics of their relationship, and how does their friendship work so well? In your own experience, are you more drawn to people who are similar to or different from you?
3. What has changed about the two girls’ outlooks on life since they wrote their “book of bright ideas”? What has stayed the same?
4. How does the book deal with the theme of loss and how we can be healed? What roles do family and community play in healing?
5. How were both Evy and Winnalee affected during their adolescence and early adulthood by the heady times of the sixties? For you, what was most evocative of the sixties in the book, and how have things changed?
6. Winnalee tells Evy to “say it, don’t scratch it.” What facilitates Evy’s journey from self-harm and bottling up her emotions to expressing herself with others?
7. Like her mother, Freeda, Winnalee struggles with adult responsibilities. How does she ultimately come to terms with them?
8. What does this novel have to say about passing down problems from generation to generation? Is it possible to break the cycle?
9. Evy cherishes a picture of a tree that perches improbably on a rock, far from the nurturing soil of the bluffs. She realizes that there are many small roots that reach back to the bluff, anchoring the tree to the soil. What is the significance of this?
10. What is it that makes Dauber, Wisconsin, so special? Would you like to live in a town like this? Why or why not?