author guest post: connie may fowler

As part of her tour for How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly, Connie May Fowler stopped by my blog!

I’m thrilled and honored that Nicole has asked me to write a guest post for her fabulous my-book-views blog. She wants to know about the significance of the name of the village Clarissa inhabits in my just released novel How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly, and the fact that we track Hope, Florida on the summer solstice of 2006.

I think that every element of a novel must support its main themes. At the beginning of the novel, Clarissa Burden—an author of two moderately successful books—has very little hope. She is trapped in a horrible marriage and is wracked with a nearly deadly case of writer’s block. Her husband, a multi-media artist, is obsessed with naked women just so long as the woman isn’t Clarissa.

So, Clarissa’s entire job within the 24-hour confines of the novel, is to find a path to joy. And with joy comes hope.

The solstice represents a time of rebirth. The longest day of the year, it is within the pages of the book, a time when spirits are afoot and some people will find themselves making startling, life-changing decisions. On Solstice Noon, there are no shadows. Clarissa is in her garden when the shadow-less moment strikes. It is then, when she is unburdened of even her shadow, that she begins her journey toward self-fulfillment, happiness, and hope.

Happy reading, everyone! I hope you’ll love How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly!

Cheers,

Connie May Fowler

www.conniemayfowler.com