Our guest on this week’s BOOKCHAT is the wonderful Lynne Zotalis. Lynne is a poet and writer of creative non-fiction. After almost three decades in Iowa, she moved to New Mexico, where she immerses herself in the culture and landscape. Lynne is the author of Saying Goodbye to Chuck (2012), and, most recently, Hippie at Heart (2020).
When were you happiest?
Right now, this year 2020 pre-pandemic.
What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
Rich desserts or pretty much anything sweet.
Binging on a great streaming series runs a close second.
What’s the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Control freak, but I deny it.
What’s the trait you most deplore in others?
Prejudice/judgementalism/rigidity
What’s the most important lesson life has taught you?
Live as though you only have today/prepare as if you have forever, and as Robert Frost said about life, “it goes on.”
What book(s) are you reading now?
Paris in the Present Tense by Mark Helprin
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
What books might people be surprised to find on your shelves?
Les Misérables (which I’ve read three times), My Life by Isadora Duncan
Which writers working today do you admire most? Why?
So many. Louise Erdrich and Kent Nerburn for their insights and in-depth writing about Native American culture, society and complex relationships.
Doris Kearns Goodwin for her brilliant mind and knowledge in applying elements of humanity into the historical perspective. She is able to impart her wisdom and expertise in such an engaging style making it understandable for the rank and file.
Elizabeth Strout. I find it so interesting how she develops her characters so that I love and hate them, even relating to the intensely dark aspects within the various personalities. She makes me examine myself.
Lauren Camp. The imagery and unique qualities she utilizes in her exquisite poetry take me to an alternate world of spirituality with such clarity and purpose, it’s extremely thought provoking.
Which genres do you read? Which do you avoid? Why?
Classic English literature, humor/satire, short story, memoir. I avoid science fiction and horror. It doesn’t interest me, and I can’t relate to it. Life is sometimes scary enough.
What book(s) “should” you have read but haven’t, or what “classic” couldn’t you finish?
I’m not a fan of Hemingway. A Moveable Feast was the only one I could complete. I almost feel ashamed, he’s so revered, but different strokes.
You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
George Sand, David Sedaris, Oscar Wilde
Tell us about your latest book in no more than 50 words.
“Flying back from Mexico with my husband’s body entombed in the cargo hold, I grip the armrests as if I’m hanging onto sanity.” This riveting first line of Hippie at Heart (What I Used To Be, I Still Am) gives the reader a clear picture of my memoir’s depth. I weave an engaging saga over five decades concealing the mysterious cause of his death until the final pages.
Where can we find this book?
It’s available on Amazon in paperback and kindle.
