Book Stop Corner

Good Day my fellow bookworms,

Hope y'all are having a great day! I'm back again with a brand new author Q&A session and in today's session, I present you the award-wining author, Bonnie Jo Campbell. Let's welcome her with a big hug! **hugs**

Let's discuss with her about her new book of short stories, Mothers, Tell Your Daughters and other things which may or may not be bookish. So stay tuned and keep reading!


Read the review of Mothers, Tell Your Daughters


Me: Hello and welcome to my blog, Bonnie. Congratulations on your new book, Mothers, Tell Your Daughters. How will you express your feelings about this  book that has already won the hearts of so many readers?

Bonnie: I have been thrilled with the positive reception of my book. My readers enjoy challenging material, and they are interested in complex relationships.


Me: How did you research for your book that is based on the sufferings of women in today's society?

Bonnie: My research for this book mostly consists of opening my eyes and looking at what goes on around me and then closing my eyes and worrying.  There were several stories inspired by newspaper stories about molestations.


Me: Tell us one trait about any of your favorite character from the book , that intrigues you the most.
Bonnie: I love all my characters!  I guess the character who sticks with me the most is the old woman in the title story, “Mothers, Tell Your Daughters,” who is struggling to speak to her daughter before she dies, despite having had a stroke. I’m also interested in the woman in the short-short story, “My Sister is in Pain,” who must work and struggle to get by, though she suffers excruciating pain.


Me: How will you describe your journey so far as an author?

Bonnie: My journey has been up and down, through insecurity and confidence, through certainty that I have stories to tell, but with bouts of insecurity and feeling unsure I can tell the stories well enough that people will want to hear them. 


Me: Was it always your one true dream to be an author?

Bonnie: I’ve always wanted to write, but before I took up writing as a career I had a dream of being a mathematician. I studied mathematics, as well as philosophy, before studying writing.


Me: What other passions do you have apart from writing?

Bonnie: I have two pet donkeys who are cranky and handsome, and I love to spend time with them.  I also enjoy bicycling very much and birdwatching.


Me: What's next up on your writing sleeves? Please tell us briefly about it.

Bonnie: I’m writing a novel about a young woman who dreams of becoming a mathematician. Her family does not understand her desire for rationality and certainty, and she must struggle to go forward and get her education. 


Me: Thanks Bonnie for joining me today on this interview session. I wish you luck for all your future endeavors.

Bonnie: Thank you, Aditi, for spending time interviewing me, and also thank you for reviewing my book. You are most generous. They say that reading books makes a person more thoughtful and empathetic, and it seems to be true in your case.  Have a great summer of reading.
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Bonnie's Bio:



Bonnie Jo Campbell is the author of the National Book Award finalist American Salvage, Women & Other Animals, and the novels Q Road and Once Upon a River. She is the winner of a Pushcart Prize, the AWP Award for Short Fiction, and Southern Review’s 2008 Eudora Welty Prize for “The Inventor, 1972,” which is included in American Salvage. Her work has appeared in Southern Review, Kenyon Review, and Ontario Review. She lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she studies kobudo, the art of Okinawan weapons, and hangs out with her two donkeys, Jack and Don Quixote.



Connect with Bonnie on: Website| Facebook| Twitter