Chris Cander
Author Interview - Chris Cander
Author of A GRACIOUS NEIGHBOR
Martha Hale is an affable wife and mother who lives in an affluent neighborhood of well-tended lawns and high expectations. If only her clumsiness at penetrating the social circles of her neighbors weren’t making Martha so lonely. That’s why she’s thrilled when the glamorous Minnie Foster, a former high school classmate, moves in next door. Despite Martha’s determination, picking up where they left off is trickier than anticipated―especially when their memories of the past don’t always align. But Martha is undeterred. In fact, her preoccupation with Minnie’s life, her success, and her marriage is becoming an obsession. When she sees a darkness and shame hiding inside Minnie’s perfectly deceptive home, Martha realizes that not even Minnie’s secrets are what they seem. Visceral, sharp-witted, and deeply empathetic, A Gracious Neighbor explores the judgments women pass on one another and the ills of a society curated to keep them on the outside looking in.
Author Interview - Chris Cander
Author I draw inspiration from: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. She was a pioneering feminist poet and nun who, in the New Spain of the 1600s, wrote subversive defenses of women’s rights to study, teach, and write. I don’t write like she does, but I deeply admire her fearlessness and try to channel that into my own work.
Author Interview - Chris Cander | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: I’ve been trying to create the ideal reading space for decades, and I can’t seem to find it. I inherited a wonderful mid-century modern chair and ottoman that sits in front of my office window. It would be perfect, except for the fact that my cat has claimed it and gets very upset if I ask her to move. I love reading outside if the weather is nice, but in Houston, that’s only for a couple of months each year. I end up reading in the bath at night—the cat won’t come near—and in bed.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Clara Lundy, the protagonist from THE WEIGHT OF A PIANO by yours truly. I spent years with her in my imagination, and I love how the novel ended for her. But I’d love to know what and how she’s doing now, and whether she and Peter stayed together.
Author Interview - Chris Cander | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: The short answer is that I can’t remember not wanting to be an author. The long one is that I had a very compelling lucid dream in 2006, in which some sort of Dickensian spirit guide ushered me to a reading at a beautiful mansion. He beckoned me to a table atop which were stacks of books—all authored by me. From within the dream, I asked him to lend me a pen and paper so I could at least write down the titles and maybe the descriptions of each so that I could create them when I awoke. He looked at me very kindly and said, “You don’t need to do that. Everything you need is already inside you.” After many years of freelancing for magazines, I started writing my first novel the very next day.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: I love the heft of a hardback book, but am willing to read ebooks in an emergency.
The last book I read: BABY TEETH by Zoje Stage
Author Interview - Chris Cander | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: I love the haptic experience of typing on a keyboard. My mom taught me how to type when I was ten, and although I've experimented with writing longhand, I prefer the speed and neatness that the computer allows.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Susanna Ames, the protagonist in CONSIDER THIS, SEÑORA by the incredible Harriet Doerr. Susanna, an American expatriate who relocates to rural Mexico in 1962, is a thoughtful, insightful woman who grapples with otherness and acceptance, and holds on tenderly as she navigates the magical slipstream of culture, memory, and time.
Author Interview - Chris Cander | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Full-time martial artist. I study Taekwondo and Jiu-Jitsu, and teach self-defense to women and girls. My training lineage comes directly from General Choi Hong Hi, the acknowledged founder of modern Taekwondo. If I didn’t devote my work life to creative writing, I’d like to spend more time at my instructor’s dojang, helping to pass down his incredible teaching to the next generation. [https://chriscander.com/about/martial-arts/]
Favorite decade in fashion history: The 1970s. I wish I still had those amazing terrycloth henley shirts and bellbottomed pants I wore as a kid.
Place I’d most like to travel: Japan. Both my kids are desperate to go, so we’re planning a trip. I’ve always loved Japanese food and culture, and would love to time our visit so we can enjoy the vibrant pink flowers during cherry blossom season.
My signature drink: Topo Chico with lime
Favorite artist: Darren Waterston, a New York-based artist whose ethereal works are like peeks into other worlds. I purchased one of his paintings in 2000 and it brings me joy and inspiration every day.
Number one on my bucket list: Try roller derby
Anything else you'd like to add: I’m always profoundly grateful when readers choose to read something by or about me. There are so many incredible options available, so thank you—and those of you reading—for spending a bit of your valuable time with me and my characters.
Find more from the author:
https://www.facebook.com/chris.cander/
https://www.instagram.com/chriscander/
https://twitter.com/chriscander
Author Bio: Chris Cander is the bestselling author of THE WEIGHT OF A PIANO, which was named an Indie Next Great Read in both hardcover and paperback and which the New York Times called, "immense, intense and imaginative,” WHISPER HOLLOW, also named an Indie Next Great Read, and 11 STORIES, named by Kirkus as one of the best books of 2013 and winner of the Independent Publisher Book Awards for fiction. She also wrote the children’s picture book THE WORD BURGLAR, and the Audible Originals “Eddies” and “Grieving Conversations.” Her new novel, A GRACIOUS NEIGHBOR, arrives fall 2022. Cander’s fiction has been published in twelve languages. A former fitness competitor and model, she currently holds a 4th dan in taekwondo and is a certified women’s defensive tactics instructor. She lives in Houston with her husband and two children. Learn more at www.chriscander.com.
