Join me this month as we read through MAP OF THE HEART together. For a full schedule download the discussion guide below:
Some backstory:
In MAP OF THE HEART, each of the characters is searching for an identity. Camille breaks open a long-held family secret. In the twilight of his life, her father finally reconciles his past with his hidden dreams. Camille’s daughter, Julie, learns to deal with bullying. And Finn, the incredibly appealing love interest, has been on a lifelong quest to know the father he lost before he was born. As the title implies, the journey is both literal and metaphorical.
As with all my novels, all is liberally sprinkled with romance, food, and wine!
Opening lines:
Of the five steps in developing film, four must take place in complete darkness. And in the darkroom, the timing was everything. The difference between overexposure and underexposure sometimes came down to a matter of milliseconds.
Three fun facts about the book:
1. When he read the book’s dedication, my husband Jerry got very misty-eyed.
2. My research trip for MAP OF THE HEART is documented here: https://www.susanwiggs.com/2015/10/
3. I “tuckerized” two names in this book. (Tuckerize–the writer’s term for stealing names.) Tavia is in marketing at HarperCollins, and Malcolm Finnemore (Finn) is named after our friend Riaz Finnemore, who is ridiculously handsome and charming in real life.
A bit about the characters:
Like all the characters I make up, the protagonist works in a field I find fascinating. She’s a forensic photo and film expert, renowned for her ability to rescue and restore film that is decades old and unravel the mysteries within. What surprised me about Camille is that, despite having survived a horrific tragedy as a young woman, she retains her sense of humor and optimism.
If the book is optioned for a movie (and it certainly should be, if you ask me!), I’d love to see this scene dramatized–the main characters meet in an explosive scene–she screws up his one-of-a-kind film and he tears her a new one over it. When cooler heads prevail, they get to know each other a little bit:
“Call me Finn.”
She took another sip of wine, eyeing him over the rim of her glass. “You look like a Finn.”
“But not a Malcolm?”
“That’s right. Malcolm is totally different.”
He grinned, flashing charm across the space between them. “How’s that?”
