We chat with debut author Gina L. Carroll about The Grandest Garden, which is a poignant coming-of-age story about the ties that bind us to our people and how to survive when they break.
Hi, Gina! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I began writing, blogging and speaking after leaving a large corporate law practice to raise my five children. My first book, 24 Things You Can Do with Social Mediato Help Get into College, helped students show their best selves and tell their own stories online. Dedicated to the belief that everyone has a story worth the writing and the telling, I wrote A Story That Matters: A Gratifying Way to Write About Your Life, to help aspiring writers get their life stories written, polished and shared. I founded Story House, LLC (formerly InspiredWordsmith), a writing, editing, and authorship services company based on the belief that the storytelling universe needs more authentic and diverse voices. I am most proud of the debut Story House publishing effort, Stories Are Medicine: Writing to Heal, An Anthology, a beautiful offering from a committed and brave group of Black women writers from Houston and beyond.
I am a graduate of Stanford University and UCLA Law School, currently living in Houston, Texas. The Grandest Garden is my debut novel.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I have been an avid reader ever since Charlotte’s Web captured and broke my young heart as a child! I began writing in high school, but not seriously until my research and writing professor in law school told me I was good at it. I have always loved the storytelling aspect of everything I have ever been involved in. I started freelancing when I stopped practicing law to raise my family.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, by Dr. Suess. (I memorized it!)
- The one that made you want to become an author: Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin
Your debut fiction novel, The Grandest Garden, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Garden splendor and familial heartbreak
What can readers expect?
Surprising twists!
Where did the inspiration for The Grandest Garden come from? A
combination of what was happening in my creative life when I started it the book—working as a writing coach with a psychologist on a book about mental health, and thereafter, with an editor on a book about the gay liberations movement; Alzheimer’s among my family elders; but also, my own grandmothers who were very intentional about the time, lessons and care they sowed into me. I was the only granddaughter for both of my grandmothers. I had a very special relationship with both.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I enjoy the tension between the two grandmothers and how their relationship evolved. I also found the Eddi character meaningful to research and develop as a young mother grappling with depression. She is a character who has stuck with me and demanding further investigation.
What do you hope readers take away from The Grandest Garden?
An appreciative encounter with beauty; a desire to connect or reconnect with the natural world; and a feeling of satisfaction at the end.
This is your debut published fiction novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Long and arduous, but deeply satisfying and full of adventure. This is my third book, my second with the indie-publisher, SparkPress. This woman-centric, hands-on publisher really makes the experience seamless and deeply rewarding.
What’s next for you?
I am working on a second book involving the characters in the Grandest Garden, this one focusing on Eddi, them main character, Bella’s, mother.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
My stack of next-to-reads is high and growing—Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton’s Black Chameleon, because I love a good memoir and this one is beautiful; Walter Mosley’s Elements of Fiction because I can’t get enough of great writing books from the pros; and Brontez Purnell’s Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt because I will read anything this brilliant author writes (100 Boyfriends was a revelation!).
