The Cypress Club was the SECOND PLACE fiction winner of the 2022 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Jeff Wiemiller.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
THE CYPRESS CLUB was published in September 2021.
What’s the book’s first line?
The last thing Ben’s grandmother said to him was how much he’d regret it if he didn’t attempt to improve things with hi mom.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Driven by a deathbed request from his beloved grandmother, a gay Midwesterner attempts to reconcile with his mom, at the risk of losing her forever to the empty splendors of a ritzy retirement community.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
After viewing a docuseries on ageing in America, I became fascinated by the madcap, yet ever-growing subculture shaped by wealthy retirement communities. I’ve toyed with the idea of writing a novel for years. With the concept of showcasing how one family might be affected by the values epitomized within that subculture, I had secured the impetus to begin the journey.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Ben is an intelligent and capable individual, but he allows himself to border on self-destruction due to the tumultuous relationship with his mother that he’s put off reconciling.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
I believe The Cypress Club will appeal to readers who’ve ever been burdened with the possibility of severing ties with a family member, to those who find humor in the absurd, and to those who enjoy being a voyeur into unconventional worlds.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
Meryl Streep for Betsy, and Ryan Gosling, Matt Bomer or Ben Wishaw for Ben.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I’d toyed with writing a work of fiction for several year, and after viewing the aforementioned docuseries, I had a realistic topic. At the time I though it might only be a short story. It turned into a full-length novel.
Is this the first you’ve written?
My first novel. I’ve written a blog for over ten years.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’m a physical therapist.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
I write whenever I can in the mornings. I find I don’t do well after noon. Depending on how ambitious I am or how much I get down, I write for anywhere from thirty minutes to three hours at a sitting.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
Best part is you get to make all the decisions. The worst part is you have to make all the decisions (and pay for it)!
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I think so. I’d love to have someone shepherd a work of mine through the publishing process, and to cover the costs.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I’m motivated by the excitement of turning a million little ideas in my head into a tangible story. Fame or fortune would be great, but certainly unexpected.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
Toni Morrison.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
The Good House by Ann Leary or The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin.