Melodies of the Mind: An Interview with Jocelyn Bolster, author of Spindrift Love

Jocelyn lives in Colorado where she sleeps under a couple cats,

wanders alone in the forest,

plays the singing saw with her band, 2 Star Hotel,

explores the world with her drummer,

and loves, above all, reading with her two children every night.

You can buy Spindrift Love here.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I think I knew the title of my story before I had written two sentences. The title, which is based on a line from Hart Crane’s poem, Voyages II, came before the story.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

The cover was exactly what I had envisioned years before. It felt like a dreamed image had turned solid in my hands.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I don’t think anything made me want to write. It’s more like an unseen force that lurks in the creases of pages and the space between lyrics of songs, and randomly creeps into my brain, compelling me to run to pencil and paper.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I have had over thirty-five jobs. Here’s a smattering: haunted hotel tour guide, elevator operator, dinner theatre actor, dishwasher, speech writer, children’s theatre choreographer, waitress, deck hand, popcorn maker.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

It felt incredibly good to hand a solid object that I had created to my parents.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

I have thought long and hard about this because my book does, in fact, have a soundtrack. Part of the protagonist’s journey is her discovery of rock music after her parents forbid her from listening to it her entire life. I purposely did not name songs in the story, however, because music is so subjective, and the songs that speak to me certainly won’t be loved by everyone. I only chose American songs because this story is my love letter to America, written when I lived abroad and struggled to find my identity.

Here are my picks: Gloria by Patti Smith, What’d I Say by Ray Charles, Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana, Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley, Wave of Mutilation by the Pixies, Rock & Roll by the Velvet Underground, Me and the Devil by Cowboy Junkies, Darling Be Home Soon by The Lovin’ Spoonful, Fade Into You by Mazzy Star, Lola by The Kinks, Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix, and Because the Night by Patti Smith. If readers like this soundtrack, I hope they listen to these songs while they read the book. Or pick their own soundtrack to read by.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

Hoping readers will take away something I want them to is futile, so I don’t do it. It’s like hoping for rain or sunshine. My perfect reader is anyone who picks up the book and reads it.

You can buy Spindrift Love here.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.