Debra
Spark captured the audience’s attention the moment she began reading from her
book, “Unknown Caller.” Spark’s author
talk at the Raymond Village Library on Wednesday, January 25th, was relaxed
and engaging, a lot like having a conversation with a friend.
 |
| Debra Spark converses with the audience |
“Unknown
Caller” begins with a call from Joel’s ex-wife, Liesel. Liesel often calls late
at night, disrupting Joel’s life with screaming and anger about Joel’s refusal to
send more than a minimal amount of child support because he has not been
allowed to meet his daughter. But this call is different. This time, Liesel
says she’s sending the girl to him for the summer. The twist, however, is that
she never shows up. Not only that, but Liesel stops calling, and the two seem
to simply disappear.
Although
for some writers, ideas are easy to come by, Spark said this is not the case
for her. This idea came from the life of some long-time friends, whose
situation mirrored the beginning of the book. Spark said she began to think
“What if the daughter never showed up?” And the idea for her novel was born.
The
audience was small, but enthusiastic. After reading a longer section that
described Joel waiting in vain at the airport, Spark took questions about the
book. Discussion followed, covering topics such as the travel required for
research, since the novel took place over several continents; where the title
came from; and character development.
For
audience members who had not yet read the book, there were some lingering
questions. Why, for instance, wouldn’t his daughter have had a cell phone, and
why wouldn’t he have been able to find his ex and his daughter online, where
almost anyone can be found? The digital age, Spark said, has certainly made
plotting more difficult, but explanations can be found in the story.
Spark’s
dynamic personality soon allowed the conversation to shift to other topics,
from politics to what other members of the audience were reading. This left the
event feeling more like a gathering of friends than a formal author talk.
Veronica
Haskell said she has attended other author talks at the library and was
surprised at the small group. Library Director Allison Griffin said the crowd
for author events can vary widely, from nobody at all showing up to a crowd
that barely fits inside the library.
Griffin
said they are trying to have at least one author and one non-author event each
month. “They don’t have a community center here, so we’re trying to fill that
need,” she said, adding that author events and wildlife/nature presentation are
the most popular and most requested.
Haskell
said one reason she attended the event was that it was a local author. “I like
to listen to some of the local writers,” she said.
Cheri
Dwinnell said she was at the library and had selected Spark’s book because it looked
interesting and was a Maine author. Her husband pointed out the upcoming talk,
so she decided to attend. Dwinnell read the book prior to attending the talk,
and loved it, she said.
Spark
said she enjoys doing events at libraries. “I feel like it’s my chance to meet
people in other communities and introduce my work to people who would otherwise
not find it,” she said. In larger venues, she added, many of the attendees are
her friends. “When I do it in a library, its people I don’t know. Often, it’s a
smaller audience, but it’s an audience that actually wants to be there,” she
said with a laugh.
Spark
is the author of eight books. Five are works of fiction, and four are novels. Spark
has also written many shorter pieces that have appeared in major newspapers and
magazines. She has received numerous awards, including a National Endowment for
the Arts fellowship. Spark is a professor at Colby College and teaches in the
MFA program for writers at Warren Wilson College. She, her husband and son live
in North Yarmouth.
