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QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Adriana Bourgoin answers readers' questions about favorite book club reads, NINE MONTHS IN AUGUST's autobiographical influences and the possible genetic makeup that makes men act the way they do.

Amy from Salesville, OH: Did you draw inspiration from your own life for any of the parts/people in this book? When writing, do you map out where the entire story is going to go, or do you start with a rough idea and then see where it takes you (such as the Gretchen and Louisa storyline)? I checked out your website and see you are in a book club. Did you give this book to your fellow readers to check out? Also, did they give you any inspiration or ideas when writing? And of course, "the" question: What has been your favorite book club read so far? I also saw you are working on your second book. What will that be about?

Adriana Bourgoin: Yes, I did draw some of the story from my own experiences, and then I tried to apply some structure to the disparate stories. For example, the tension between Gretchen and Louisa was based, in part, on my own reaction to my friends' pregnancies, when I suffered a miscarriage several years ago and I was very shaken. At the time, another friend was suffering from infertility. All of our friendships were tested (luckily, all has been forgiven), and it seemed worth writing about.

As for my book club, I didn't have them read any drafts…we struggle enough to get through our selections (OK, I do!).

As for favorites, I'm not sure. We recently read THE WOMAN AT THE WASHINGTON ZOO , a collection of essays by Marjorie Williams, a Washington, DC-based writer, which I very much enjoyed, and I was haunted for several months by THE GLASS CASTLE.

I am not sure yet what the second book will be about --- I've gone down two separate paths. We'll see!


C. from Valparaiso, IN: The families of the two parents-to-be were interesting, but I would have liked more about his brother [and girlfriend], PLUS more on her sister Payton. At the end of the book "Alexander" was living with Gretchen and Fredrik. Did I miss something? Who is Alexander? Was he mentioned earlier in the book? Or just a friend of Fredrik? Did I miss something?

Adriana Bourgoin: Thank you --- I'm glad you liked the cast of characters! My hope was to provide some background on Fredrik and Gretchen...even as adults, our families can cast a long shadow. As for Alexander, no, you didn't miss anything! Alexander was Peyton's boyfriend, and he was mentioned only briefly much earlier in the book --- the mention of him in the Epilogue was sort of confusing. Good catch.


Linda from Martinez, CA: How much do you have in common with Gretchen? Are you working on a second book? If so, can you give us a sneak peek?

Adriana Bourgoin: While I do share many autobiographical details with Gretchen --- I am a graduate of Smith, I worked in a hotel and I have two sons --- Gretchen is very much her own person. When I first starting writing, I really wanted Gretchen to be perfect, all of the time. Sort of a way of improving myself, I guess, without having to do the work! In the end, she came together as her own person, with her own strengths and weaknesses, distinct from mine.

Nothing to see on the second book yet...but thanks for your interest!


Tia from Collinsville, AL: Is there someone you know who you based Gretchen's husband on? Or is it true that all males share that one gene that makeS them...well, men?

Adriana Bourgoin: Great question! One of the things I've noticed when I get together with my girlfriends is how similar our analysis of our husbands is...we're not complaining (OK, sometimes we are!), just trying to understand them. So, I think a bit is universal --- though I'm unclear if this is biological or not (I consider my house a test-case of sorts, given it's me, my husband and two boys running about). That said, I'm hardly an expert! Prior to meeting my husband, I'd spent most of my life with women --- I'm one of three daughters, I attended a single-sex high school and college, so I've had to learn on the job, as my husband will gladly tell you. Same with Gretchen --- a lot about Fredrik is just confusing to her, because she just doesn't know anything about men.

Thank you for all your questions!

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