Alison, congratulations on the recent publication of your latest book, The Wedding People, set in Newport, which became an instant New York Times bestseller (description is at the end of this interview).
How long did it take to write?
The book took about four or five years, from start to finish.
What was the inspiration?
There were a few sources of inspiration, but working at weddings was a big inspiration for the perspective of Phoebe. I spent a lot of time working many weddings, where I looked on as a total stranger. Sometimes people talked to me, and I got a very honest look into the wedding. I wanted that perspective to be the guiding perspective of this book – the stranger’s.
The Today Show’s Jenna Bush Hager chose The Wedding People as her August 2024 Read With Jenna pick – and you went to New York to appear with her on air. Tell us about that appearance please.
It was a truly wonderful experience. I was, of course, very nervous and excited to go on the Today Show. Jenna and Hoda made it so fun and easy to be on. It wasn’t an experience I expected to ever have, so the whole thing just felt like a gift.
The book received rave reviews from Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, The New York Times Book Review, People, Booklist and a host of other top-notch publications. Did you expect such acclaim?
I try never to expect anything when I publish a book. It’s always a miracle to me that people other than my friends and family read my fiction. Though this is my third book, the fact of other people responding to it never gets old. Especially to have people that I respect review it favorably – that is something I don’t expect but happily celebrate.
TriStar Pictures has acquired the rights to The Wedding People. Another exciting development! Can you share any details about the production?
There aren’t too many details to be shared at the moment, unfortunately. Nicole Holofcener is currently working on the script, and so we are waiting to see what she does with it before we move forward in any other way. I’m really looking forward to reading it.
Let’s learn about some of your other books, starting with Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, a novel. Brief summary please.
Notes is a novel about a young girl who chronicles her life and romantic history after her older sister dies. It’s a story of how we move on after loss and the surprising connections that can be forged in the wake of grief.
Same with The Adults, a novel.
The Adults is a story about a young girl who struggles to come of age, primarily due to a relationship that begins with an older man.
And In-Depth Market Research Interviews with Dead People: Bounty, an Audible original short story, one in a series.
This is a short story series about a market research team that contacts the dead in order to do customer research with deceased customers on certain products. It’s a funny and absurd series that I had a lot of fun writing.
As an author of horror short stories and books (and also non-fiction), I am a big fan of Stephen King. Asked where he gets his ideas, he once famously (and facetiously) said: Utica. Same question to you: Where do you get your ideas?
Usually some kind of scenario gets stuck in my head and I run with it. I’m honestly not sure where that comes from, other than a life spent observing others around me and making note of moments that interest me the most.
Let’s learn some of your background, including when you first began writing fiction and whether you had any mentors along the way.
I started writing from a very young age – generally tried writing a novel every year. They started very small (five pages!) and ended up much larger, of course. So many people supported me on the way – my parents, high school English teachers, creative writing professors in college and graduate school. And of course my editors at Scribner and Holt who taught me so much in the last ten years.
Tell us a bit about craft: when and where you write, on screen or on paper, do you outline, when do endings come to you, etc.
I write on a computer for the most part. I don’t really outline in the start, not in a typical sense, though at some point during the novel, I do have to sit down and write an outline to figure out what story I’m telling. I usually have a voice or an idea that gives me momentum and once that momentum runs out, I need to get organized.
In addition to being an author, you are a writing professor at Providence College. Your students are lucky to have you. What lessons do you impart on them?
I try to help them believe in themselves as writers and try to get them to see that their biggest strength is being themselves. So often we try to imitate others as we grow up, but eventually it’s important to realize that the reason people will want to read your work is because you’re you, and not someone else.
And what do you learn from them?
I remember to read and write for fun. That’s the only reason they’re in my class, and it’s always a good reminder for me.
Can you give us a hint of what you’re working on now?
I’m working on my fourth novel, but too early to say what it’s about. Stay tuned!
Editor’s note: This is The Wedding People description, from the publisher, Henry Holt and Co.
“It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamt of coming for years―she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe―which makes it that much more surprising when the women can’t stop confiding in each other.
“In turns uproariously, absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is a look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined―and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.”
