A Slice of Cake With... Drēma Drudge

This week I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Drēma Drudge.

From reading cereal boxes on the breakfast table when Drēma was a wee thing to reading her first chapter book in a mimosa tree which birthed her love for novels and twinned it with her affection for trees, the written word and Drēma have been fast friends forever. She's also been writing in one capacity or another since she was about nine, starting with terrible poems and graduating to melodramatic stories in junior high. (No one explained to her then that my beloved books came from the destruction of her (almost) equally beloved trees!)

Mercifully, Drēma eventually discovered that there are books, classes, and programs on writing and she learned how to write! Now she have an MFA in Creative Writing.

Drēma is married to the incomparable Barry Drudge, musician (and writer) extraordinaire. They have two grown children, and live in a charming small town filled with plenteous, splendid, trees and wide Victorian homes.

Barry and Drēma have been privileged to travel to some really cool places. Her first novel ended up being written in six countries! As a result of their travels, Drēma ended up writing in some fascinating, gorgeous places, such as sitting in a pew in the Pantheon in Rome and writing in Recoleta Cemetery in Argentina. Drēma has visited the homes, birthplaces, and graves of many of her writing and art heroes and have often had the opportunity to write in or about those very places, something her younger self never imagined possible.

What kind of books do you write?

I write novels that delve into the hearts and minds of my characters as they face obstacles that are both very different from most people’s day-to-day life and very much the same. That lends, I hope, interest while also being relatable.

Can you describe your writing why?

I write to explore ideas and what it means to be human. I write to forgive both myself and others, because what we can understand, we can have compassion for. 

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

This is from my new novel, Southern-Fried Woolf.

After the server leaves us with a promise to return to refill our water, I reclaim my hand and assure Joy that Michael will be back up to speed in no time after his fall, noting how she pretends to hide her triumphant smile with a too-late head duck: Haven’t I heard? She is sorry to be the “bearer of bad news,” but Ben let “slip,” (her hand now crossing her chest) -- Michael is having an affair with Velvet (Or, as we all call her, V. Appropriate nickname, wouldn’t you say?). 

You’re afraid your “Oh, that rumor again” doesn’t sound convincing, so you stay for another half hour, finger the stray strand of hair hanging out from the front of her so-last-decade ponytail-through-ballcap style, ask if she’s ever thought of getting highlights. Order another glass of wine. You’re so convincing she asks for your stylist’s number, which you promise to text her. You won’t.

Heartbreak, when you allow it full tilt, will be good for your songwriting. You assume. Because country songwriting benefits from a constant chaffing of the sorrow bone.

Tell us about your latest project

In my second novel, Southern-Fried Woolf, Briscoe Chambers is not only the manager of her country music star husband, but a graduate student trying to complete her Virginia Woolf thesis by fall – the same time her cheating husband, Michael, has an album due to avoid being in breach of contract. No problem, right?

 

Except his co-writer will be Velvet Wickens, his idol who has been opening shows for him. And who happens to be the one he’s cheating with. Now Briscoe has been asked by their record label to ensure the album gets finished on time. To accomplish this, they must all live together for the duration of the writing of the album.

 

And by the way, Briscoe knows.

 

To cope, she pounds out short sections of her thesis in which she explores Woolf’s thoughts on marriage while dealing with her own, experiencing the sudden return of her eating disorder, and enduring her claustrophobic cloistering with Michael’s band – including Velvet. In the end, Briscoe must determine the viability of a marriage she’s invested everything in and the fate of something that has become increasingly important to her, her “thesis.”

 

Fans of the writing of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Virginia Woolf will enjoy this novel that has plenty of sweet tea, country music, Virginia Woolf, and heartbreak.

What is your favourite cake?

I once had something delectable called Hummingbird cake. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I think it may be time to hunt up a recipe and try making it myself. 

You can connect with Drēma here:

Website: www.dremadrudge.com (You’ll get a free story when you sign up to her newsletter there!)

Instagram: @dremadrudge

Twitter: @dremadrudge

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Ew Barnes. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me virtual tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round! 

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.