Brooke Fossey, THE BIG FINISH
[0:08]Hi, I'm Zivey Owens, and you're listening to the award-winning podcast,
[0:11]Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books. Thanks so much for listening to my podcast.
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[0:59]number one books.com. And check out my Page One books summer bundle by it is a gift, a housewarming
[1:06]if you actually go somewhere or just give it to yourself. Everybody needs a treat. We've had a long
[1:11]spring. PageOneBooks.com. Welcome to the third day of my July book blast. This is
[1:17]Beach Reads Wednesday. And I'll be releasing lots of episodes this week and next to get
[1:24]all these great Beach Reads out and also books that have come out during the quarantine.
[1:28]Or books that I think you just need to read at this time. And I just don't want you to miss
[1:33]these authors for any longer. So anyway, here are some great Beach Reads. Each episode this week
[1:38]will have a book that I think you should curl up with and read if you ever find the time.
[1:43]Brooke Fassie was once an aerospace engineer with a secret clearance before she
[1:47]traded it all in for motherhood and writing. She's a past president and an honorary lifetime member
[1:52]of DFW writer's workshop. Her work can be found in numerous publications including
[1:58]ruminate magazine and smoke long quarterly. Her debut novel The Big Finish was published from
[2:03]Penguin Berkeley. And when she's not writing, you can find her in Dallas, Texas with her husband
[2:07]four kids and their dog Rufus. She still occasionally does math. Well, thanks so much for coming on
[2:12]mom's. Don't have time to read books. I'm so excited to be here. Can you please tell listeners
[2:18]what The Big Finish is about and congratulations on your debut novel. It's really exciting.
[2:23]Well, thank you. The Big Finish is about an 88-year-old man in Deppison Claire. And he's living his
[2:30]last days in peace at Centennial assisted living except it's all disrupted when his roommates
[2:36]troubled granddaughter climbs through their bedroom window. And he has to reassess his legacy and his
[2:43]past and make some decisions as chaos is used. And what I was so interested that you would choose
[2:52]to tell a story from the point of view of an 88-year-old man. Tell me about that. How did you come
[2:57]up with the idea for this book? I would say an 88-year-old man living inside of me somewhere.
[3:02]I'm like an old crimson. No, but truly I actually, I came up with the idea when I was visiting
[3:07]my grandpa at the assisted living and I would bring all of my kids and like you I have four children.
[3:13]And it was chaos. It was controlled chaos. I did a lot of just collecting them, trying to make
[3:18]sure they didn't run away. But I was inspired because everyone there, despite their age, had such
[3:25]rich histories and such fantastic personalities. And I decided they all deserved a book. But more than
[3:31]that, they deserved to be the heroes of the book. And so that was the seed. And I loosely based
[3:37]my main character off of my grandpa. And Josie, who's trouble, but also brings a lot of joy,
[3:43]is kind of my kids, basically, is how it happens. I feel like a lot of trouble and a lot of joy is
[3:48]a good description of basically any kid. I'm trying to put that. I know I saw the picture of you
[3:56]with your four kids seeing your book in a bookstore for the first time on Instagram. And that was so
[4:01]great. And I had one teenager that was underwhelmed by it all, but what are you going to do?
[4:08]I can see, I have two almost 13-year-olds. And I anyway, I relate to that
[4:14]excited to that montage. Did you give your grandfather the book? Like did he get a chance to read it?
[4:21]You know what? He passed before I had finished. You know what? In fact, I think I may have finished
[4:26]a draft, but he did not get to see it probably. But I'm trying to reduce my line down on me,
[4:32]and he's probably pretty proud, though. So what was the process like writing this novel? And why
[4:38]write a novel now? Where did that come from in your life? So it's really funny. I was an engineer,
[4:43]a profession. I got two degrees in it. And I worked at Lockheed on the Joint Strike Fighter,
[4:48]which is the F-35 plane. And then I started having a bunch of kids. And after four of them,
[4:54]I decided I was going to stay home. And I really am glad that I made that decision. But at the
[4:59]same time, I was slowly going insane because I had four kids in five years. And so it was a little
[5:07]bit of luck here. You know, during a nap time, I opened up my computer and I started writing,
[5:11]and I couldn't stop. And so I would look forward to these nap times because I would start
[5:15]going into a different world. And I finished a couple books and I started to practice the
[5:20]craft and really get serious. And so it took me about 10 years to get here. But it's been fun.
[5:26]It's basically a very late in life passion that I discovered.
[5:29]Well, that's amazing. I feel like such a waste of space when I talked to so many authors like you
[5:34]who use their kids nap times to write books. And I was like, I emailed. Like, why did I
[5:40]release all those naps? Like I tried to like catch up on thank you notes or whatever else I was
[5:44]doing, like bills and like everybody else's sitting around writing beautiful novels or practicing the
[5:48]craft. Well, I see my house during that. Like I could have been doing something else also
[5:54]productive. But that was my outlet. So it was fun for me. That's awesome. And how has it been?
[6:00]I know this is such a crazy time in the world A and to have a book come out B. What has this whole
[6:07]process like been at this stage having worked for so long to get this out into the world?
[6:12]You know, it's just been a lot of there's been an expectation gap, obviously. And I'm glad that
[6:19]my family and I are very adaptable. So we've just kind of rolled with it. I mean, what are you going
[6:24]to do? You just have to accept it and keep moving. So, you know, it was disappointing. We canceled
[6:31]the parties. We canceled all sorts of events. But then I learned how to use a lot of technology.
[6:38]And I did more online stuff than I ever imagined. So I'm well equipped now at the house.
[6:44]Although you couldn't tell it by looking at me at the moment.
[6:48]I know. I'm like, if we ever do go back to real life, but now I have all these skills.
[6:53]I'm so right. Throw me on a platform. And let me find my way out.
[6:58]Oh my gosh. After working on that book, are you working on another novel or do you just
[7:03]are you constantly thinking of new ideas or how does the writing process look for you?
[7:07]So I am working on another novel. And it's cooking. And I'm what they call it,
[7:12]cancer. So I don't like the plot. I just kind of like to explore and surprise myself as I
[7:18]write. And I hope that shows up in my writing. Because as you read, you might be surprised the time
[7:24]or two. But I can't think too much about it because I'm not a plotter. But I can say that
[7:30]there are some soap operas involved. I think it's an homage to soap operas in a way because
[7:36]I'm Greek American and my great-grandmother. She learned how to speak English by watching soap operas.
[7:41]And so I've just kind of taken that and ran with it. Very little has to do with my family
[7:48]besides that. But how did your family end up in Texas? From Greece. Well, I'm third generation.
[7:55]So my family has been here for a while. Yeah. Got it. Sorry. Random question.
[8:00]No, you're right. I was just thinking that if I was coming from Greece, how would you end up in Texas?
[8:04]I don't know. They're American melting pot is an amazing thing. Yes.
[8:10]So what kind of books do you like to read? Do you like to read fiction like this? Or who are some
[8:13]of your role model authors or books that you've read lately that you've really enjoyed?
[8:18]Oh, I love all books. Basically, every book I read because I never took a proper writing
[8:24]class. I underline a lot when I see something that's interesting. So basically, every author
[8:29]author that I'm reading at the moment is my favorite because they're teaching me. But I love
[8:33]teeth like a river by leaf anger. It's one of my favorite books. And I'm a Dave Eggert fans
[8:39]and Patrick. I love Dana French. So I like a lot of literary-ish novels that are accessible.
[8:46]That's how I would put it. That's a good way to put it. Yes. I might steal that.
[8:51]Does this guy have categories of books? Yeah. I want you to add-ish to something.
[8:56]Yeah. The umbrella gets bigger. And when you write, so you're a pantser,
[9:02]do you have, without any outlines or anything, where do you like to write? Do you like to write at
[9:06]home? Are you the type of person who can write anywhere? Or do you like very much like,
[9:10]I have to be in this corner of my house? Or what's it like? What's your process? What's your
[9:14]process? Well, I think it was, I'm like a dog that was trained. So as I was writing during that time,
[9:21]it was basically quiet. And I didn't matter where I was. I just had to have some time by myself.
[9:27]So that's what it's turned into for me. I will drive a kid to practice and I will sit in my car
[9:33]and do it then. Or I will get everyone into bed and I will sit and do it then. My only requirement
[9:38]is honestly that it's quiet and that nobody's bothering me because, as I write, I have a tendency
[9:43]to talk out loud like a crazy person. So I can't go to bookstores or coffee shops. Some of my friends
[9:50]will invite me for a little writing date and I'm like, I can't. I look like a crazy person.
[9:56]So what are you saying out loud? Are you writing it and then reading?
[10:00]You know how to see how it sounds or yes, yeah.
[10:02]I give a lot of audible stuff
[10:04]and the writing workshops that I belong to.
[10:06]We do a lot of read aloud
[10:07]and I think that's also training me
[10:09]just to listen to what it sounds like,
[10:12]what it's gonna sound like to the reader basically.
[10:14]And to be fair, I also do a little acting, I think.
[10:18]A little acting?
[10:20]Sure, why not?
[10:20]I mean, so you can get their gestures
[10:22]and their tone and how they're gonna say something.
[10:25]So.
[10:26]Did you end up narrating the audio book for your own book?
[10:28]No, a really excellent voice actor did it,
[10:32]named Mark Bramhol and he did a fantastic job.
[10:35]Oh, probably better to be a man.
[10:37]Yeah.
[10:38]Anyway.
[10:38]I was just thinking you could use that skill.
[10:41]I actually just interviewed a voiceover actor, I guess.
[10:43]And I was like, well, never could to me.
[10:46]I should have like tried out for that job.
[10:47]Like, I mean, there's so many jobs out there
[10:50]that are like, you don't even know.
[10:51]I mean, I don't know.
[10:52]I didn't know.
[10:53]It's fascinating.
[10:54]No, I agree.
[10:55]I think I explore that a lot in my writing
[10:58]because my career choice has kind of taken a left turn.
[11:01]And I do.
[11:02]I see so many jobs out there where I'm like,
[11:04]that would be interesting.
[11:05]Now that would be interesting.
[11:07]So I feel that.
[11:08]So how do you think your engineering mind works well
[11:12]with fiction?
[11:12]Do you feel like any of the strengths of that apply
[11:16]when you're crafting narratives?
[11:18]Or do you think this is just another skill set?
[11:20]And you just have different parts of your brain
[11:21]that kind of jump in at different times?
[11:24]You know, I think it's too bold.
[11:25]I think it helps me because I think a book
[11:28]is just a really long equation that you're trying,
[11:31]or a big puzzle that you're trying to put together.
[11:34]And so in that way, I feel like I'm solving a problem.
[11:37]But on the flip side, I feel like my engineering
[11:39]does make the service because in math,
[11:41]there's always a right answer.
[11:43]And I can get to the end of the scene
[11:45]or the end of the book even and think, is this right?
[11:49]And there's no way to know, really,
[11:51]because it's arc.
[11:53]So it depends on which side of my brain is
[11:55]dominant at the moment.
[11:57]Wow.
[11:58]Well, how great to be able to have them both.
[11:59]You know, so many people are like,
[12:00]I'm only this type of thinker.
[12:02]So I don't know.
[12:04]How involved are your kids and you're writing?
[12:06]Have they read your book?
[12:07]Like, are they really excited?
[12:08]Do they not really care?
[12:10]They haven't read it.
[12:13]And I told them I would prefer them to wait only
[12:16]because I want them to appreciate it.
[12:18]And I don't know that they will right now.
[12:20]It's not that it's inappropriate or anything like that.
[12:23]But there's some themes that have to do with life and death.
[12:26]And when you're a kid, you are invincible.
[12:28]So I think that you need a little perspective
[12:31]to appreciate it.
[12:32]But generally speaking, I don't think they care.
[12:36]Oh, yeah.
[12:39]So I felt like there was a way to get the kids to really
[12:42]like, I'm like, hey, guess what, guys?
[12:43]I'm like, yeah.
[12:44]Do we have anywhere milk?
[12:45]OK, all right, whatever.
[12:46]You're talking to the, yeah,
[12:48]you're talking to a famous person who cares.
[12:51]That's awesome.
[12:52]Well, what advice would you have to aspiring authors?
[12:56]I think my only advice is to give yourself permission
[12:59]to write because, and this is from my own personal experience,
[13:04]all by itself, it feels like a very silly endeavor
[13:07]to sit and write made-up stuff.
[13:10]It does.
[13:11]And I think that our adult brains can stop us from just
[13:16]going there.
[13:17]And if you want to write something
[13:18]and you have a story on your heart,
[13:20]all you have to do is give yourself permission
[13:22]to go ahead and start writing it.
[13:23]And don't worry about the critics
[13:25]or your inner critics saying, this is silly.
[13:28]I have a good friend that always tells me,
[13:30]when I'm like, oh, my story feels silly in my short story.
[13:33]And he's like, describe the Wizard of Oz to me.
[13:36]And then I'll say, oh, it's about a girl
[13:38]like it sucked up in a tornado and lands in a weird world.
[13:41]I mean, it sounds so silly, right?
[13:43]If you really think about it.
[13:44]So I think that's it.
[13:46]Just make your adult mind be quiet and go for it.
[13:51]And you did just off-handedly mention
[13:53]that you wrote many novels as you were on your way to this one.
[13:56]And you didn't even say it in a way like it was hard.
[13:59]I, these novels didn't sell or whatever.
[14:01]You just like, it sounded like you viewed them as practice.
[14:03]Like those were just the things you had to do
[14:06]to get to where you were.
[14:07]Is that the attitude you took all the way through it?
[14:09]I think the writing workshop that I belong to
[14:12]was very informative as far as that goes
[14:14]because they celebrate rejection
[14:16]because it means you're putting yourself out there.
[14:18]And I liken it to, if you pick up the violin
[14:21]and decide you wanna play in the orchestra,
[14:23]you don't get to be in the pit, right?
[14:24]You have to put in the time and earn your stripes
[14:28]before you play.
[14:29]And I think writing's a strange thing
[14:31]because everybody can write.
[14:33]Everybody can write a sentence.
[14:35]So in a way, people think, well, I could write a story,
[14:38]but there's a craft to it that you actually have
[14:39]to learn in practice before you can
[14:42]metaphorically play in the pit.
[14:43]And so yeah, I wrote a bunch of books,
[14:46]but some of them are really terrible.
[14:49]And they won't see the light of day and that's okay.
[14:51]And what makes a book not a terrible book in your mind?
[14:54]And how did you fix whatever it was you felt
[14:56]you were doing wrong?
[14:58]I think that as you move along,
[14:59]you start learning different parts of the class.
[15:02]And so, you know, whether one book,
[15:04]I got really good at dialogue.
[15:06]And then the next book I got really great at characterization.
[15:09]And then, you know, for me,
[15:11]my most difficult thing is plotting,
[15:14]obviously, my cancer tendencies don't help.
[15:18]So you just sort of build on your skill set
[15:21]every time you write.
[15:22]That's awesome.
[15:23]Well, thank you so much for sharing your experience
[15:26]and your process and your book and all the rest.
[15:29]Oh, likewise, to be on sale, please, to be here.
[15:31]And I just, you know, when I saw you had four kids,
[15:34]I thought, oh, we are kin.
[15:36]We're secret kin and that we don't even know each other.
[15:40]But yeah, we do.
[15:41]I don't.
[15:42]I felt the same way when I read that about you.
[15:43]I was like, oh, OK, well, yeah.
[15:47]There's a lot we understand without even having to say.
[15:51]I love it.
[15:53]All right, well, I have a great day.
[15:55]And thanks for coming to the show.
[15:56]OK, bye.
[15:57]Bye.
[15:58]Thanks for listening to a Beach Reads Wednesday episode
[16:01]from my big July book blast.
[16:04]I hope you've enjoyed it.
[16:05]And I hope you've enjoyed getting
[16:06]to know some of these amazing authors.
[16:10]Thanks again for listening to my podcast.
[16:11]Moms don't have time to read books.
[16:13]If you liked this episode, please follow me on Instagram
[16:17]at zivioins and at moms don't have time to read books.
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[16:26]Thanks a lot.
[16:27]Thanks so much to Page One Books for sponsoring today's episode.
[16:30]I hope you'll all check out my summer Beach Bundle
[16:32]at page1books.com.
[16:34]Thanks so much to Steve and Ryan at Textures Sound
[16:37]for the Sound Editing.
[16:38]And thank you to Morning Moon Productions
[16:40]for providing this fantastic intro and outroom music.
[16:42]Thanks for listening.
[16:43]You could always email me at zivioins.com.