I’d been writing for about 15 years before I sold Tell the Wolves I’m Home. I started to really try to learn the craft when I had my first child. I was working part-time in human services and raising a baby and although I’m so glad I was able to stay at home as much as I did, I also felt very strongly that I wanted to keep engaged with something creative. At that point I wasn’t focused on publication, just on becoming a better writer. I never found the time or money or childcare to do an MFA, but I always found community-based workshops or critique groups. I think this is so important. Find other writers who are also good, honest and insightful readers. I started to send out my work and gradually had a few things taken by literary mags, which was a huge affirmation. During those years I had two more kids and we moved from western Massachusetts to British Columbia and back again. Then we moved to England. My husband is an astronomer and he was offered a permanent job. I think this move was really pivotal for me as a writer. I had no friends in our new town and didn’t try to make any at first. It was the first year all three kids were in school, so I decided to focus totally on the writing. I found a few other writers to swap work with and I was shortlisted for the New Writing Ventures award, which included a year-long mentorship program. With that in place I decided to take the leap from short pieces to a full-length work and I started Tell the Wolves. It took a year to get a solid first draft and two more to deepen it and add the layers that make it all work. After that I spent a lot of time (probably too much time!) online researching the agent querying process. I sent to agents in London and New York and after five months of querying and many rejections (though some very kind) I was lucky enough to pair up with the lovely Mollie Glick. Mollie is a very hands-on agent and she had some great suggestions for pushing the book to the next level. I spent about four months working on this final pre-submission edit and after that I was really happy with the state of the book. Mollie submitted the manuscript on a Friday in February and by Monday we had several editors interested. It was quite amazing and, for me, very unexpected.
I’m working on a lot of e-interviews and articles! When I’m not doing that I’m working on several short stories, an essay and the first draft of a novel. The new novel is very much in the playful, exploratory phase.
Write the story only you can write. The only commodity an artist or writer has to offer is their uniqueness of vision. It’s also the thing readers seem to respond to most strongly. And give yourself time. There’s no rush. Some of the best things in Tell the Wolves came to me three years into the process. The subconscious is mysterious. It’s always working, but will only give up its secrets if you give it enough time.
Success! Every day I’m astounded at the amount of love I’ve had for this novel. I remember saying early on, “I doubt it will sell. I think editors might like it but say that it’s not sellable.” To see people buying the book and connecting with the characters that I came to love so much is so unexpected and touching.
Book Summary:
In this striking literary debut, Carol Rifka Brunt unfolds a moving story of love, grief, and renewal as two lonely people become the unlikeliest of friends and find that sometimes you don’t know you’ve lost someone until you’ve found them.
1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life—someone who will help her to heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.
At Finn’s funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn’s apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she’s not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most.
An emotionally charged coming-of-age novel, Tell the Wolves I’m Home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again.
