It has been my immense pleasure to review both of Barbara Linn Probst’s novels and one of the reasons I am drawn to her books is that I see a glimpse of myself, whether it is the past/present/future me in her characters. I love that both Queen of the Owls (April 2020) and now The Sound Between the Notes tackle women’s search for meaning separate from family life and the obstacles that come with doing that in our nuclear family settings. Let’s hear from Barbara herself today about her books and her journey.
Hi, Barbara! Welcome to The Nerd Daily. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’ve lived quite an eclectic life, with so many different careers! Here are some random facts that people might not know about me:
- I’ve been a therapist, researcher, college professor, advocate for out-of-the-box kids, director of a nonprofit organization, elementary school teacher, and fulltime mom.
- I’ve lived in a former jail cell, a former sauna, a former firehouse, and a cabin in the redwoods without heat. I now live on a dirt road off another historic dirt road in the lower Hudson Valley.
- I published a book to help parents nurture, rather than try to “fix,” their quirky kids (When the Labels Don’t Fit) and ran groups under the title “This isn’t the child I dreamed of raising …” For many years, that was my passion.
- I have a PhD in Clinical Social Work and have always loved to teach. I now volunteer as a mentor for newer writers.
- In the course of my travels I’ve been inside a glacier, a lava tube, a monastery, and a mosque. I’ve seen the Whirling Dervishes, the Mona Lisa, the rain forest, the Outer Hebrides, the Venetian canals, and the Egyptian Sphinx.
- I make a wickedly decadent chocolate cake and the best chestnut soup you’ll ever taste.
Through both Queen of the Owls and The Sound Between the Notes you focus on women who have families and are striving for a fulfilling career. Sometimes this means getting the right education, while other times it can be taking the leap to be seen. Personally, these are close to my heart because having kids changes our lives immensely and your books help me imagine that with more clarity. What are some things you have done to achieve a work-life balance?
I’m sure I would have answered that question differently at different points in my life—before I had kids, when I had small children, then teenagers, then an empty nest. I did have the privilege of being able to be a fulltime mom when my kids were small, and I totally loved it—just as I’d loved throwing myself 150% into my prior career (running a nonprofit). When my youngest child started kindergarten, I went back to school to get an advanced degree in social work, but I did it part-time and really tried to be wholly wherever I was, no matter what role I was in. There’s a famous Zen saying: “When I eat, I eat. When I sleep, I sleep.” If you can do that, it’s a huge help.
Both of your books have used Arts as the career of choice for the protagonists. In Queen of the Owls, Elizabeth was studying a particular female painter and feminist art, while in The Sound Between the Notes, Susannah is a pianist. I found both to be well researched in the aspects of the professions. Apart from writing, what are some of your creative outlets?
It’s probably no surprise that I’m what they call a “serious amateur” pianist, which means that I study “seriously,” with an amazing teacher, but purely for my own interest. As a writer, I find it really helpful to have at least one other creative outlet that’s not based on words. I’m also a fairly serious cook, which I do think is an art form that uses flavor and texture instead of words or notes or paint 🙂
When I started reading The Sound Between the Notes, I expected it to be a little bit like Queen of the Owls, but I really appreciated how different the two books are. While both are about the main characters being comfortable with who they are, Susannah’s striving for answers related to her childhood, and feeling “enough” and happy with what she has added a dimension to her character. Why did you choose to put her in this situation?
An important theme for Susannah has to do with being “chosen,” as a way to validate her worth. This is a theme for many adoptees—although, for sure, many people who were not adopted have a similar need, for various reasons that generally stem from childhood (there’s my therapist-self speaking). I do have a passion for helping people understand the psychological impact of adoption, since I’m a mother by adoption—twice, in fact—but The Sound Between the Notes will absolutely resonate with people regardless of their connection to adoption. I think we all struggle with the question of: “Am I good enough?” and “Should I strive for more, for whatever is still missing, or should I strive for acceptance and contentment?” These are profound questions that everyone faces. Embedding them in a really good story—one that’s been called a “tour de force” filled with “twists and turns”—is a great way to evoke that search within oneself.
What does your writing process look like? Do you have a set of events in mind before you start writing or do you let them come up as you write?
What seems to work best for me is a kind of zigzag between something very analytical and something very intuitive and subconscious. By “analytical,” I mean that I do have a working overview right from the start—although it might change and always expands, especially in the middle sections. I stop at various points to think it through in a very systematic way. For example, I map out the emerging story in terms of major events, minor events that lead up to each peak, and minor events that occur as a consequence. That helps me to see the gaps, thin spots, and “unearned” shifts that I need to attend to. By “intuitive,” I mean that my best insights always come on their own—while I’m out walking, in the shower! It’s that feeling of wow and of course. I think of it as the two parts of my brain connecting. I definitely need both!
What was the most challenging aspect of writing The Sound Between the Notes?
Every book has its challenges, but there were two things that were especially challenging for me in writing The Sound Between the Notes. One was the task of navigating dual timelines, because each transition to the past—the supporting timeline—had to be natural and necessary, with something in the front story to serve as a portal. I tried to structure it in different ways, and eventually settled on Then and Now.
The other challenge was letting go of whatever was fueling my original image of Susannah. I’d gotten stuck on the idea that she was angry at both sets of parents, biological and adoptive, and I have to admit that she was pretty brittle in the early versions of the book. It’s no small task to see one’s protagonist in a completely different way, but that was what I needed to do! Not only in her attitude toward music, but in her overall attitude. Determined, yes, but also softer and more compassionate. When I was able to let Susannah relax and open—and when I understood that no one that angry could play the piano as beautifully as she was playing it—the story became what it needed to be.
What does a typical writing day for you look like?
There’s no typical, for me—partly, because I’m someone who refers spontaneity to routine, and partly because the writing process is so irregular. I’ve never been one of those “daily writing quota” people. There are times when I’m totally immersed and will stay up very late working because whatever is happening just can’t be stopped. At other times, I agonize over a single page and then have to leave my desk and go for a long walk. In general, though, I work best in the early morning and late at night. In between, it’s really important to me to get out and exercise other parts of myself, interact with people, have impressions of nature.
What advice would you give to a writer who has just released their first book? Are there any lessons you took from Queen of the Owls that helped make the road to publication for The Sound Between the Notes smoother?
What a great question! One of the most important things I learned, the first time around, is that no one can (or should expect to) do every single thing that you might see other authors doing—podcasts, virtual book clubs, Instagram reels, etc.—so you need to focus on what you really like doing, because those are the things you’ll do well and will have fun with! Another important thing I learned is that this is a long game. Each book will have its own life, its own timetable, and that can’t be predicted. I like to say that a book isn’t like a bottle of milk that will spoil in a week or two if it’s not consumed, but more like a bottle of wine that often gets better with age!
Turning to reading now, what are some books you love going back to?
I do love rereading my favorite books! Among the ones that I’ve read more than once (and will probably reread again) are: Open House and Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg, The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve, The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy, The Law of Similars by Chris Bohjalian, Saying Grace by Beth Gutcheon, and so many of Alice Munro’s stories.
Do you read books that are similar in themes to the ones you write? What would you recommend readers to read if they loved your books?
I do read books in the same genre, which I would call “upmarket” book club fiction. People who loved my books would probably enjoy The Weight of a Piano by Chris Cander, A Drop in the Ocean by Jenni Ogden, Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok, When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal. and The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood, among others.
If readers could take one thing away from this book, what would you want it to be?
The most important takeaway, to me, is the search to balance the desire to do what I need to do, in order to fulfill myself, and the desire to do right by those I love. I use the word “search” rather than “struggle” or “conflict,” because I think it’s an ongoing question, something that’s always in movement—an essential part of being human.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I eagerly await your next book!
You can find more about Barbara on Amazon and at her website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.
