Q&A With Alison Espach 

I am so excited that I’m doing this Q&A with Alison Espach. Alison is the author of The Adults, Notes on your Sudden Disappearance, & her recent release The Wedding People which became an instant New York Times Bestseller. Alison has also written articles for McSweeney’s, Outside Magazine, Joyland & Vogue. Alison teaches creative writing at Providence College in Rhode Island. 

Q: Alison, would you give a brief description of each of your novels starting with The Wedding People? 

A: The Wedding People is about a woman who shows up to a fancy Newport hotel in Rhode Island ready to end her life, but instead gets entangled in an elaborate wedding that’s taking place. It’s a story about how to start over and find new connections, even after all hope is gone. Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance is about a young girl who takes notes on her life after her older sister dies—again a story about how to move on in the wake of grief. The Adults is a coming-of-age novel about a young girl who struggles to come of age in the wake of her parent’s divorce and a relationship with an older man. All very different, and yet, all books attempt to be funny and offer hope despite the darker content.

Q: Where do your ideas for your stories and characters come from?

A: I think I tend to take a lot of notes in my head throughout the day, and when I sit down to write, a few of them surface and make themselves known as the start of stories. I often think about what would make for an interesting story, and usually it has something to do with a person being at odds with their environment. When I find the right combination of person and environment, that’s usually the moment I know I have a good idea.

Q: How long does it take you to write a book?

A: It’s been different each time. The first book was a few years, the second book was ten years, and the third book was about four years. Every book requires something of its own, and often my writing happens as life is changing, so writing a book is never a set process for me. I adapt my writing life to my regular life as it changes.

Q: I want to tell you congratulations on The Wedding People becoming an instant New York Times Bestseller! How does it feel? It sounds like a dream come true! 

A: It is a dream come true. Though if I’m being totally honest, I never expected anything like that to even happen – ashamed to say I didn’t even dream that big! I think writers are so thrilled to get even a little attention on their work, it’s hard to dream on a bigger scale. So, I feel very fortunate to have sold so many books and reached so many readers.

Q: Can you reveal the plot for your next novel?  

A: I can’t! Too early to even describe it properly. But thanks for asking.

Q: What’s it like having your writing featured in McSweeney’s, Outside Magazine, Joyland & Vogue?

A: Vogue was a little surreal, since I grew up reading Vogue. The other places each came with their own thrills—was a long-time admired of the humor of McSweeney’s. And I’ve wanted to write for Outside magazine ever since I started reading it when I began hiking—very fun to finally get my own words in there.

Q: What emotions & lessons do you want readers to feel and learn after reading your books?

A: I hope my readers feel inspired to live their life as they want to live it. I hope the book inspires readers to ask themselves whether they are living out their own desires or someone else’s. It’s not an easy question to find answers to, but it’s a question that has enriched my own life since I started asking it. 

Q: If The Wedding People (or any of your other books) were to be adapted into a movie or limited series, who’d be your dream cast to play the characters you created?

A: There are so many actors I can see in The Wedding People, but nobody knows how to ride that fine line between humor and darkness. I think Kathryn Hahn and Issa Rae do a great job at that—so does Lizzy Caplan. But honestly, so do many others and there are too many dreams picks to even list here! 

Q: How do you juggle being a creative writing professor at Providence College & writing your own stories? 

A: It’s a nice balance between solitary writing time and community. Admittedly it is difficult to get everything done, simply because it’s 2 jobs in 1, but because teaching and writing are so aligned with my own interests, it makes most days spent working feel quite meaningful to me. I find I’m constantly inspired by my own students, and that energy really does flow into my own work.

Q: I would love to see Rhode Island one of these days among many other places to travel to. Where are your favorite spots in Rhode Island? Please describe them as though they were scenes in your books. 

A: I love Beavertail in Jamestown. A gorgeous place to go and chat with someone you care about. I really love Second Beach in Newport, too. It’s been one of my favorite places to go during the summer and even after work in September. 

Q: What was it like for you meeting Jenna Bush Hager & Hoda Kotbe on The Today Show? Some of the authors I’ve interviewed said they had a fun experience, and that Hoda & Jenna are very sweet. 

A: They were the best. They couldn’t have made me any more comfortable and excited to be there. I had been so nervous in the days leading up to the show, but they were easy to talk to, and it was such a joy to just be able to have fun while I was out there.