General Literary Fiction /Self-Help Fiction
Date Published: March, 2018
Why is starting over so complicated? After an amicable divorce, Tamara is ready to move on. She has loving friends, a meaningful job and a comfortable life. And yet, while everything seems to be in its correct place, she has the distinct feeling that nothing is as it should be. Feeling like she is losing control, Tamara struggles to answer a really difficult question: what does she really want? The Place Where We Belong is a novel about self-acceptance, belonging, friendship and love.
Interview
with R. K. Mayer
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in ‘The Place Where
We Belong’?
Tamara is the protagonist.
She is tough, direct and determined, but at the same time she is extremely
fragile and sensitive. She is surrounded by a core circle of friends that she
has known from childhood: Dana, Mattie and Josh.
Dana – her best friend and
yoga instructor – is married to Aviva, a software executive. This
same-sex union is loving and close. The two women share three children.
Mattie – is always
protective and caring of Tamara. He knows her likes and dislikes, and has
infinite warmth and caring for her.
Josh – is married to Karina.
Karina is Tamara’s girlfriend and advisor about relationships and ‘girly’
things. Josh and Karina have two young children.
Iris – is a
latecomer to the circle. She is older than the others. She is more worldly,
brash and experienced. She is a divorcee and has a daughter. She takes Mattie
and Tamara under her wing, to help them both develop more of a social life – particularly
when it comes to the opposite sex.
Joseph – is a social
activist and colleague of Tamara. He runs a community center. He provides more
than professional support for Tamara, he is also a mentor of sorts. He is a
little person. He brings his experience in the face of his own personal
challenges with his stature, to everything that he does.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have
planned for the future?
My next book is currently being edited. I am very excited for it to be
complete. It tells the story of the neighbors in a fictitious neighborhood.
Each person has a complex and intriguing story. The novel describes the
neighbors, their daily pursuits, as well as their interactions from different
perspectives. It is a complex and compelling story, which begs the question: how
well do we really know anyone?
How long would
you say it takes you to write a book?
It
takes me about six to eight weeks to write a book, if I am dedicated to doing
only that, which – honestly –
is seldom the case.
What
is your favorite childhood book?
Definitely
Emily Brontë's ‘Wuthering Heights’, and Madeleine L'Engle’s ‘A Wrinkle in Time’.
Very different, I know, but I have read them both so many times,
If
you could spend the day with one of the characters from ‘The Place Where We
Belong’ who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular
character, where you would go and what you would do.
My
natural tendency would be to stick to Mattie and Dana, who are more like me in
temperament, so – just to get
out of my comfort zone – I would
definitely spend the day with Iris. She is all about having fun, chilling out
and laughing out loud. We could all use a friend like that. I would imagine
that we would spend the day on the beach and then meet some friends for lunch.
In the evening we would do something completely different, like go to standup
comic routine where she would challenge the comic and land up generating even
more laughs.
What
was the hardest scene from ‘The Place Where We Belong’ to write?
At Tamara’s very lowest point, wherein everything seems to be falling
apart: her job, her social life, her standing amongst people who generally understand
her and respect her: she completely shuts down and goes home. I knew that this
was an appropriate reaction for her at that point, but it was difficult for me
to write. I was already rooting for her to find strength and work her way
through the adversity.
What
made you want to become a writer?
I have always been in writing-related professions. But, while I have always
loved writing, it has never been an objective of mine to become a writer.
Almost two years ago, I was transitioning between corporate jobs when I was
invited by a friend to join the NaNoWriMo challenge. During this time, I sat down and wrote my first novel ‘The
Perfection of the Glass Lemons’. I felt tremendous about it – an amazing
sense of accomplishment. After that, I
didn’t want to stop writing anymore, and to this day, I still haven’t applied for
any other corporate position!
Just for fun
It
is so hard to choose! I am very eclectic and I would probably be able to give
you at least three favorites for each category.
(a
Favorite song: Leonard Cohen’s
‘Hallelujah’
(b
Favorite book: José Saramago’s
‘Blindness’
(c
Favorite movie: The Coen brothers’ ‘The
Big Lebowski’
(d
Favorite tv show: I loved the
Netflix-original drama ‘The Crown’
(e
Favorite Food: I love cheese. Any
kind. Night or day.
(f
Favorite drink: Freshly squeezed
apple juice. Yummy.
(g
Favorite website: YouTube is
definitely my most visited website.
Thanks so much for visiting with us today!
About the Author
R. K. Mayer was born in Cape Town, South Africa. She has been a teacher, a technical writer and a product manager. Her most short-lived job was in a clothes shop, where she lasted a grand total of two and a half hours. Her last "real job" was being a manager of some wonderful people across the globe, as well as being a lead and advocate for digital transformation in the software industry. Since leaving the corporate world, she is now a Change Management consultant, blogger, novelist and a serial volunteer in her community. In her novels, R. K. Mayer combines her understanding and perspective about how people are affected by change, and her love for storytelling.
R. K. Mayer lives in Israel with her husband and three children. Her latest novel is "The Place Where We Belong." Her first published novel was: "The Perfection of the Glass Lemons."
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