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QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack answer readers' questions about the symbolism in their second novel, A VERSION OF THE TRUTH, and how they began collaborating.
 
Joanne from Escanaba, MI: What made you two start writing together?
 
Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack: The reason we started writing together was inadvertent. I was trying to get Jennifer back on track after she dropped out for two years and basically did nothing but read. We decided to create a character, like Jennifer and me, who used books as a coping mechanism. I was just going to sit with her for a few weeks to get her started. The few weeks turned into a few months, and with the encouragement of a book agent, we finished the book.
 
Darby from Lecompton, KS: Did you plan a parallel with Cassie becoming herself (confident, self-assured, beautiful, mastering college) and "her birds moving on" (ivory-billed woodpecker)?
 
Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack: Yes. Good insight. Cassie went into the woods when the world was overwhelming or discouraging. She felt the most comfortable in the wild and, like the nature writers of the late 19th century, felt the only truth was in nature. Each time she "drops out" she becomes a little more sophisticated and her transformation is advanced. The birds are symbolic of this transformation.

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