I want to thank Jennie for taking the time to answer these questions and for providing me with an ARC for early reading and reviewing! You can check out my review on my bookstagram!
KAYLA READS AND REVIEWS: Are there any tips about writing a book you wish someone told you before you wrote WHERE IT ALL LANDS?
JENNIE WEXLER: I wouldn’t change anything about the writing process for WHERE IT ALL LANDS. When I started writing the book in 2015, it was merely disconnected scenes. I didn’t have publication as an end goal. Instead, I was writing only for myself without a deadline or expectations. Part of the fun was free writing without an agenda and polishing my craft with each revision. Once I got serious about publication, I gobbled up anything and everything I could learn. Of course, it would have been easier if I had all the tools initially, but it would have been way less fun.
KRAR: Why was it important to you to have your main character be Jewish?
JW: Growing up, I rarely saw myself in the books I read unless it was a story about the Holocaust. I was eager to create a secular Jewish main character leading a story that wasn’t about Judaism or the Holocaust.
KRAR: Do you have a favorite thing about being Jewish?
JW: I am extremely connected to my culture and history. I love being a part of the Jewish community.
KRAR: Do you have a favorite Jewish holiday?
JW: Hands down, Passover. I love my family’s traditional seder. We sing songs and take turns reading from the Haggadah. We tell stories and linger around the seder table. Matzo ball soup, gefilte fish with horseradish (the hotter, the better), haroset - I love it all.
KRAR: Do you have any tips for Jewish writers who want to write about Jewish characters?
JW: I think it’s always best to write from personal religious and cultural experience. The more authentic, the better.
KRAR: Growing up, was there ever a book that made you feel “seen” for your Jewish identity?
JW: Night by Elie Wiesel had such a strong impact on me. My grandparents are Holocaust survivors and reading Night was a very emotional experience. Fun fact - my grandfather was once mistaken for Elie Wiesel!
KRAR: Can you tell me a secret about WHERE IT ALL LANDS that no one else knows?
JW: The name of Drew’s band, Dark Carnival, was also the name of my father’s college band, taken from a Ray Bradbury short story collection. I always thought Dark Carnival sounded like a cool and very quintessential high school/college band name. I couldn’t resist using it in WHERE IT ALL LANDS.
KRAR: If your characters had instagram accounts, what would they be posting? Inspirational quotes? Cute baby animal photos? Mood boards? Photos of their friends? Or something else?
JW: Stevie, Drew, and Shane would all be posting about the bands they follow, concerts they’ve seen, and their favorite song lyrics.
KRAR: Is there anything you want people to know about your book before they start reading?
JW: A simple coin toss changes the lives of three musically gifted teens – Stevie, Drew, and Shane – in unexpected, profound, and heartbreaking ways. While WHERE IT ALL LANDS is very much a love story, it’s also an exploration of life’s twists and turns. The story is told in parts – heads and tails. I hope readers who have wished for a do-over or struggled with decisions in their own lives find solace in these pages.
Check out WHERE IT ALL LANDS out now!!
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