Kendra
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
(Part 2: I understand completely if these can't be answered.) -Did you know from the beginning of the book if Josie was going to be Patrick or Jesse? -Do you have a favorite poem or poet (like Keats), or are you much like I am with books, you can't narrow it down to just that one. -Favorite novel when you were Josie's age? Thank you so much for your time and consideration!
Ruta Sepetys
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[Hi Kendra!
Thank you so much for reading "Out of the Easy."
Answers to your questions:
- I graduated from Hillsdale College. My older sister went to Smith and I first visited her there when I was fourteen. The women were all very interesting and from extremely diverse backgrounds - some very disadvantaged. That surprised and inspired me. It taught me that we can be the author of our own destiny. I used that experience to create Josie Moraine.
- When I first started writing the book Jesse didn't exist. But then suddenly there he was, super handsome, selling flowers, and the whole storyline came rushing at me. I knew from the beginning that Patrick had secrets of his own so Jesse became the one to pull Josie's secrets out of her.
- One of my favorite poets is Rainer Maria Rilke. I return to his words often:
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”
- My favorite novel when I was Josie's age was "Ethan Frome." You'll notice I snuck that into Chapter 8 ! :)
Ruta (hide spoiler)]
Thank you so much for reading "Out of the Easy."
Answers to your questions:
- I graduated from Hillsdale College. My older sister went to Smith and I first visited her there when I was fourteen. The women were all very interesting and from extremely diverse backgrounds - some very disadvantaged. That surprised and inspired me. It taught me that we can be the author of our own destiny. I used that experience to create Josie Moraine.
- When I first started writing the book Jesse didn't exist. But then suddenly there he was, super handsome, selling flowers, and the whole storyline came rushing at me. I knew from the beginning that Patrick had secrets of his own so Jesse became the one to pull Josie's secrets out of her.
- One of my favorite poets is Rainer Maria Rilke. I return to his words often:
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”
- My favorite novel when I was Josie's age was "Ethan Frome." You'll notice I snuck that into Chapter 8 ! :)
Ruta (hide spoiler)]
More Answered Questions
sauvageloup
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi Ruta, I really enjoyed 'Out of the Easy' and am looking forward to reading 'Salt to the Sea'. I was just wondering what your favourite/ least favourite part of being an author is? And did you always want to be a writer or was it something that developed later in life? Best wishes, Ella
Ruta Sepetys
17,894 followers
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