You all know I keep kidding myself that one day I’ll complete the novel I began three years ago. Well today I’m feeling encouraged as I get to stay in with Elizabeth W. Garber as she tells me about her latest book.

Staying in with Elizabeth W. Garber

Hi Elizabeth and welcome to Linda’s Book Bag. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. Which of your books have you brought along to share with me and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought my new book Implosion: Memoir of an Architect’s Daughter because I’m so excited about getting ready for my book tour to promote the book this Summer and Fall. It took so much courage and perseverance to write this book. Then it took years to get it published. It’s coming out ten years after I started writing down memories from my childhood.

(That sounds a very familiar story. May authors tell me that their work has taken years from beginning to publication Elizabeth. And I understand Implosion is out today so Happy Publication Day too.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Implosion?

If you love cool mid-century modern architecture and furniture, if you ever wanted to live in a glass Modern house, you’ll get to imagine that world from the inside. You’ll also find a family you care about who will live through some really tough times and will emerge stronger on the other side. My 88 year old mom read this book in one day, and said it was so compelling she couldn’t put it down.

(I bet your Mum was so proud of you. I love the sound of Implosion as I am incredibly nosy so both the narrative and the setting appeal to me.)

What else have you brought along and why?

I brought a little Corgi metal car in a little cardboard box, that my brother gave me, because the car is a Jaguar XKE. Why? In a crazy moment when I was 18, my dad gave me his Jaguar sports car, and I took off on a road trip from Ohio to the East Coast. Let me tell you the story. Pretty crazy, but the 1970s was a crazy time.

(Wow –  what a gift and what an adventure.)

Thanks so much for staying in with me to tell me all about Implosion Elizabeth. It’s been a fascinating evening and you’ve encouraged me to get back to my own writing too.

Implosion: Memoir of an Architect’s Daughter

What could be cooler, thinks teen Elizabeth Garber in 1965, than to live in a glass house designed by her architect dad? Ever since childhood, she’s adored everything he loves—his XKE Jaguar, modern art, and his Eames black leather chair—and she’s been inspired by his passionate intensity as he teaches her about modern architecture. When Woodie receives a commission to design a high-rise dormitory—a tower of glass—for the University of Cincinnati, Elizabeth, her mother and brothers celebrate with him. But less than twenty years later, Sander Hall, the mirror-glass dormitory, will be dynamited into rubble.

Implosion: Memoir of an Architect’s Daughter delves into the life of visionary architect Woodie Garber and the collision of forces in the turbulent 1970s that caused his family to collapse. Soon after the family’s move into Woodie’s glass house, his need to control begins to strain normal bonds; and Elizabeth’s first love, a young black man, triggers his until-then hidden racism. This haunting memoir describes his descent into madness and follows Elizabeth’s inspiring journey to emerge from her abuse, gain understanding and freedom from her father’s control, and go on to become a loving mother and a healer who helps others. Published today, 12th June 2018, by She Writes Press, Implosion: Memoir of an Architect’s Daughter is available for purchase here.

About Elizabeth W. Garber

Elizabeth W. Garber is the author of Implosion: Memoir of an Architect’s Daughter (She Writes Press, June 2018) and three books of poetry, True Affections: Poems from a Small Town (2012), Listening Inside the Dance (2005) and Pierced by the Seasons (2004). Three of her poems have been read on NPR’s The Writer’s Almanac, and her poem Feasting was included in his Good Poems for Hard Times. She was awarded writing fellowships at Virginia Center for Creative Arts and Jentel Artist Residency Program in Wyoming.

Elizabeth Garber studied Greek Epic in the Mythology and Folklore Department at Harvard, received a BA from Johns Hopkins, a MFA in creative non-fiction from University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast Masters Program, and a Masters in Acupuncture from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute. She has maintained a private practice as an acupuncturist for over thirty years in mid-coast Maine, where she raised her family. You can visit her website. You’ll also find Elizabeth on Facebook.