Andrea Ezerins
Author Interview - Andrea Ezerins
Author of When the Forest Dreams
What if the life you were meant to live was waiting just outside your door?
New York City, 2013. Emma Jablonski’s life is as dry as the day-old bread at her family’s bakery. Living with her parents and grandmother, she clings to the only escape she knows: a recurring dream that feels more real than her waking world. But when Emma’s eyes are open, she’s reminded of what’s out of reach—Jake, the enigmatic boy-next-door.
After a life-changing diagnosis forces her to face her fears, Emma decides it’s time to truly live—before it’s too late. With Jake and his vibrant friend Vee, she dives into a whirlwind of experiences: a fake engagement, dazzling parties, and an obsession with the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird that may not even exist.
But as her daring adventure is coming to an end, Emma begins to embrace a future she never thought possible. Dreams and reality aren’t supposed to mix…are they?
A modern retelling of L.M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle, this gentle story of love, resilience, and the beauty of the unknown reminds us to seek joy in the most unexpected places.
Author Interview - Andrea Ezerins
Author I draw inspiration from:
Well, it must be L.M. Montgomery because my book is a modern retelling of her novel, The Blue Castle. Montgomery is most famous for her Anne of Green Gables books.
Author Interview - Andrea Ezerins | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
I read anywhere: the car, the couch, my bed, sitting at my counter. No favorite nook but I love having hot tea with me when I read.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I love stories with magic, and I had a tough time deciding which one of my favorite witches to pick. I settled on Diana Bishop from the Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Diana is a historian, so I’d be able to ask her all sorts of questions if we were stuck for a while. She also is very practical and doesn’t tread in dangerous magic unless she must so she would be smart about when and how to use her magic to help us get out. I would feel safe with her.
Diana would dart into the elevator just as it was closing with an armful of books and manuscripts. Pushing the lobby button again even though I had already pushed it, we would nod to each other. Then the elevator would slowly start descending only to give an earth-shattering screech and shudder to a stop. The lights would flicker and then go off. Diana would let out a huff and I would venture a soft, “Hi, I’m Andrea.” Diana would politely reply, “Hi, I’m Diana Bishop.” As my eyes got accustomed to the dark, I would recognize some books from The Discovery of Witches and I’d ask, “Dr. Diana Bishop from Oxford.” Well, from there I would try to get her to use magic to get the elevator moving, which she would refuse and then we would both get comfortable by sitting down on the floor with our backs against the elevator walls and I start peppering her with every sort of question I could think of.
Author Interview - Andrea Ezerins | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
My story is an interesting one because I never dreamed of being an author. I was living my ordinary life as an insurance executive, mother, wife, etc. when inspiration struck and changed all that.
I was flying home from a business trip some twenty-five years ago and as I sank into my seat on the plane, I was tired and glad to be heading home. It was during the flight that a picture that would be the fully formed ending of my first book popped into my head. It was an image of an old man walking down the corridor of an assisted living facility and entering a woman’s room. He asked where she wanted to go today and then they traveled back to when she was much younger, and she was reunited with her soulmate.
I never had something like this happen before, so I took out a notebook and wrote a couple of pages describing the scene. I was worried this image would be like a dream that is so vivid when you first wake up but as the day goes on, fades to nothingness.
A few days later, I reread what I had written and was moved to tears. Not because the writing was great (because it wasn’t) but because the emotion of the scene and the culmination of their love story was heart-wrenching. I knew I had a wonderful ending to a story, and I began to try to write a beginning and middle.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I mostly read e-books these days simply because of space. As much as I love physical books, there’s only so much room on the shelves. That said, I do miss the feeling of holding a book in my hands, and I especially like how easy it is to flip back a few pages when I want to double-check something—something that’s never quite as simple on my Kindle.
I also listen to a lot of audiobooks during the hour-and-a-half drive to babysit my grandchildren. Audiobooks are wonderful for making the miles go by faster, but I find I don’t remember the stories as clearly as the ones I read. And if you want to go back and find a specific moment, it’s even trickier than with an e-book. That said, sometimes the narration adds something really special to a story. That definitely happened for me with Demon Copperhead and Remarkably Bright Creatures—both were fantastic listening experiences.
The last book I read:
I recently reread The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. It is a book that is referenced in When the Forest Dreams and because I read it years ago, I wanted to refresh myself with it and boy, it didn’t disappoint.
It’s a beautiful book—one that makes you cry often and laugh just enough to catch your breath. At its heart, it’s a heartbreaking story. The moment when Victoria realizes she can’t care for her infant daughter is written with such honesty and raw emotion that it’s hard to read without feeling it deeply.
That scene felt especially poignant to me because my daughter recently gave birth to a baby girl. Those first weeks of motherhood are so demanding—physically and emotionally—and every new mother needs an incredible amount of support while learning how to care for another tiny human being.
Author Interview - Andrea Ezerins | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
When I am figuring things out for a plot line or trying to decide if something works or doesn’t, I need pen and paper. Once I have it clear in my head and sketched out a bit on the page, only then do I turn on my computer.
I write in the morning, since that’s when my mind is freshest—I’ve always been a morning person. I’m also completely comfortable with the idea of a messy first draft. Over time I’ve learned that my process involves a lot of rewriting, so the most important thing is simply getting the words on the page. Once something exists, I can shape it, revise it, and gradually turn it into something better.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I think I’d be best friends with Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. Anne is such a wildly imaginative girl with endless spirit and pluck.
I actually had a best friend growing up who was very much like Anne. She named trees, and at one point we even had “pet” mushrooms. When I first read Anne of Green Gables, I felt an immediate connection to Anne because she reminded me so much of my friend—and of the magical way children can turn the ordinary world into something extraordinary.
Author Interview - Andrea Ezerins | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Since I didn’t become an author until later in life, my “real” career was as an insurance underwriter and executive for a specialty insurance company. It may not sound like a dream job to most people, but I’ve always believed that any job can be fulfilling if you enjoy the people you work with and are challenged by interesting problems each day. Variety and opportunity make a big difference, too—and my career in insurance gave me all of those things.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I love the 1970s—probably because I was a teenager then, which is exactly when you start to notice fashion and how it can help define who you are. I remember wearing peanut pants—low-slung jeans with only a button or two instead of a zipper—along with muslin shirts and Earth Shoes. That era clearly left its mark on me, because even now I find myself gravitating toward clothes with that same relaxed, slightly bohemian vibe when I shop.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Ireland. It seems magical in so many ways, faeries and sprites abound. But I also love the accents. PS I Love You is one of my favorite movies but any of the Netflix series set in Ireland are my jam.
My signature drink:
Tea is my signature drink. I have two cups of hot English Breakfast tea in the morning, and my most recent Iced Tea favorite is Ryl Tea with benefits.
Favorite artist:
David Bowie is my favorite artist of all time. His talent and vision were staggering. He has been with me since I was a teen, and it still makes me sad to think he is no longer of this world.
Number one on my bucket list:
I want to visit the Galapagos Islands. I love birds and something about the blue footed boobie calls to me.
Anything else you'd like to add:
I'd love people to discover The Blue Castle for themselves.
Find more from the author:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/andrea.ezerins
Authors page is https://www.facebook.com/andreaezerinsauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akezerins | @akezerins
Author website: www.andreaezerins.com
Substack: https://andreae.substack.com/
About Andrea Ezerins:
Andrea Ezerins
Andrea Ezerins grew up in the small town of Columbia, Connecticut, and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut. After spending three decades in the insurance industry, she traded risk assessments for plot twists, publishing her debut novel, Again and Again Back to You, in 2024. She followed it up with her second novel, When the Forest Dreams proving that an empty nest (and a spoiled German shepherd) is the perfect recipe for creativity. Andrea lives in Hebron, Connecticut, with her husband and is the proud mom of two daughters and identical twin sons. When she’s not writing, she’s raising bluebirds and monarch butterflies, running, or flowing through yoga—probably while plotting her next book.
