Intrigued, Dodge asks Julia out to dinner only to be refused. The townsfolk warn him that Julia is an unsolvable mystery, but Dodge likes mysteries, and he’s really good at fixing things…
Reviews for The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square
"This is one of those warm stories that's driven by the characters. It's easy to forget it comes out of the mind of one author onto the pages. It seems more like a salute to a special way of life that keeps the world turning. Ms. Lippi has done a first class job building this story into one that should be a classic."
--Dee Dailey, The Romance Studio
"Sharp, quirky, and deeply tender, you’ll laugh out loud at The Pajama Girls."
—Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Midnight Twins
"A rich pleasure of a book from start to finish."
—Joshilyn Jackson, author of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming
"Rosina Lippi drew me deep into the world of her characters in their lovely fictitious Southern town and held me enthralled there so that I did not want the book to end."
—Mary Balogh, author of Simply Perfect
Visit Rosina Lippi's web site
About Rosina Lippi
Rosina Lippi, a former linguistics professor, is the author of the critically acclaimed, award-winning literary novel Homestead, which won the 1999 PEN/Hemingway Award and was shortlisted for the 2001 Orange Prize. The New York Times Book Review called it "[A] novel of great depth, compassion, and tenderness." Under the name of Sara Donati, she has written the highly praised and commercially successful historical fiction series Into the Wilderness.
Also by Rosina Lippi:
Homestead
Tied to the Tracks
An Interview with Rosina Lippi
By Holly Hewson for The Romance StudioHH: Thanks for talking with us at The Romance Studio. It's a pleasure to get to interview you. Please tell us about your latest release, The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square. RL: PGLQ is a contemporary novel set in fictional, rural South Carolina. It's about a woman -- Julia -- who's agoraphobic and a guy -- Dodge -- who's claustrophobic. He doesn't own a single pair of pajamas; she won't wear anything else. What happens between them happens in an unusual setting -- an old printing foundry that has been converted into shops, so they are surrounded by a wide variety of characters, all of whom are sincerely dedicated to protecting Julia.
HH: Where did the idea for this story come from? RL: When Fiddler on the Roof came out lo those many years ago, I was especially struck by something Tevye says when he finds out his daughter is in love with someone from a very different background. He says, 'a bird and a fish may love each other, but where will they make
a home together?' For thirty some years that sentence followed me around, and then one day I realized that the idea extended to things beyond race and religion. Such as complementary phobias.
HH: What was is like finding a space for a wonderful work such as this in a market where things are supposed to fit in neat genre containers? RL: I'm so glad you enjoyed it. The short answer: It would have been impossible to find a publisher on my own, but I have an excellent agent and she got Leona Nevler to look at it. Leona was a legendary editor. She had been in publishing for forty some years; in fact, the first novel she had a hand in acquiring was Peyton Place. Leona fell in love with Tied to the Tracks (also set in the south) because of the sense of place, and offered me a two-book deal. The second book turned out to be Pajama Girls. Unfortunately she died, quite suddenly, while Pajama Girls was in production.
You are absolutely right that authors who won't or can't fit into a
genre cubbyhole have a tougher battle than most. Some literary types
call me a romance writer, but most romance critics are quick to point
out that I don't exactly fit into the genre. I would be very happy to
be called a romance writer by everybody, but it's also true that I
don't stick to all of the conventions. I've been called (in a half
joking way) an emotional mystery romance writer. Somehow I don't think
it will catch on.
HH: If a reader were to ask you, what makes this work stand out and why should I want to read it, how would you answer her? RL: This is a funny story about a serious situation, in which a woman who
has been brought low finds her way back to the land of the living.
She's got help along the way, including a Marlboro-Man look alike with
a penchant for solving problems, a half dozen opinionated employees, a
best friend who runs the town with ruthless efficiency while in four
inch heels, and four foster dogs. There are Swedes, too. I think
you'll find Lambert Square a good place to visit.
HH: You've also written a series under the pen name Sara Donati. What can you tell us about Sara and her series? RL: Sara lives only to write the Wilderness series, which starts with Into
the Wilderness. The sixth and final book in the series will be out in
very late 2009 or early 2010. These novels aren't easily classified
either, beyond the fact that they are historical (the first one set on
the New-York frontier in 1792), and have nothing to do with time
travel or fantasy. Adventure with a strong dose of romance, I suppose
you'd have to call them. The series has done very well, in part
because Sara's readers are very loyal and enthusiastic and keep
dragging new readers into the fold, bless them everyone.
HH: What are you working on at the moment? RL: I have a proposal for a novel set in Rhode Island in the early 1700s,
about an unusual cottage industry -- counterfeiting. I'm hoping my
very excellent agent will find a publisher for it. Beyond that,
I'm gathering materials for a proposal for a historical novel, set in
1883 in Manhattan. I also have a fleshed out idea for a third
contemporary set in the south.
HH: As an author, to what extent, if any, do you draw on personal experience for your writing?
RL: I think it's impossible NOT to draw on personal experience. Most
usually it's below the level of consciousness, but once in a while I
do it on purpose. There are a few people who would recognize
themselves if they read one or the other novel, but my sense is, none
of them would be brave enough to admit it.
HH: You left academia to write full-time. Was this a difficult choice for you to make? Any regrets? RL: At the time, no, it wasn't a difficult choice. Academic politics are
not for the faint of heart, and I was feeling rather battered and in
need of a change after twelve years on the front lines. I miss working
with students and I miss the security of that kind of employment (the
vagaries of publishing are stressful), but no real regrets.
HH: I've visited your web log and it's really wonderful and updated very often. Do you find this an effective way to interact with your readers? RL: Thank you. I like the weblog because it's given me the opportunity to
talk to dozens of people about fiction and storytelling. Writing is a
solitary life for the most part, and a weblog is an excellent water-
cooler substitute. I try to make it actually worth a visitor's time,
too.
HH: What goals have you set for yourself at this point in your career? RL: I am at a delicate juncture. I've just finished a six volume series
I've been working on for ten years, and at this moment in time I have
no contracts. I am free, in some ways, to do whatever I like. However,
there is still the matter of the mortgage, so that freedom is an
illusion. I hope to be able to write (and sell) a novel every eighteen
months or so, but things are tough in publishing these days, even for
established people. I may well find myself back on the job market.
HH: Thank you!
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