Interview with Claire Wallis, author of PUSH

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to interview Claire Wallis, the author of a new book “PUSH” which has had so many of us going crazy wanting to know more about the story and the characters, trying to theorize about what’s really happening and what’s going to happen, and sparking many long discussions and debates about the book among readers.

First, here’s some info on the book in case you haven’t read it yet….

And without further ado, here are Claire’s interview answers!!

Hi Claire! 😀

Your new book, PUSH, was absolutely fantastic!! It was a refreshingly original and wildly addictive roller coaster ride from start to finish that has taken the reading world by storm. Readers are desperate to know more so thank you so much for doing this interview today!

Thank you for hosting me! I’m so happy to know that readers are enjoying David and Emma’s story. And I really appreciate the opportunity to provide a little insight into the book.

First, I have to ask, where did you get the idea for this story? It’s such a unique concept and so many of us are just fascinated by it. Can you share your inspiration for it?

Though it only took me about eight months to write PUSH, the genesis of David came years before. I always sleep with a pad of paper and a pen on my nightstand because I tend to remember things at 2am and then promptly forget them if I don’t write them down immediately. Most mornings I wake up to a page or two of notes and ideas. I never really aspired to write fiction, but for some reason, inspiration struck one night and I scribbled down a single page of words from David. On that original page, he is quite different than he is in PUSH, but the core of who he is, is still the same. That page of notes sat in the bottom drawer of my nightstand for three or four years. Then one day, I decided to try to turn it into a novel at the prodding of a friend.

When you started writing this book, did you already know where the story was going to end up? 

When I started writing PUSH, all I knew was what would happen at the very beginning and at the very end. How I was going to get from Point A to Point B was a complete mystery.

Can you tell us a little about your writing process?

I’ve heard that many authors like to build an outline or create some kind of synopsis or overview before they sit down to write the actual book, but apparently, that’s not how I roll. I wrote PUSH in a very linear fashion, chapter-by-chapter without ever looking back. As I finished each chapter, I would send it to my friend for her review. Then she would call me to discuss what was happening in the story and cheer me on. I never really thought about what would transpire next; I just let the words come out.

David is such a complex, enigmatic character. Despite his darker side, many readers (including myself) have found him very compelling. He’s the kind of character you both love and hate. What was it like to write a character like him? And how do you feel about him? 

I love David. But I understand why so many readers might struggle with their feelings about him. Inside, you know that you shouldn’t love him, but you kinda can’t help yourself. What’s important to realize is that the part of David that you might find yourself falling for, is the very same part that Emma falls in love with. She doesn’t know about his darker side, and even though you do, you can’t help but fall right with her.

That being said, I know that David’s wicked parts are hard to reconcile. That’s the emotional struggle that makes this story so challenging, and yet so thrilling, for so many readers. I chose every word very, very carefully in the sections about David’s past because we don’t actually ever get to hear David’s voice – except in conversations and during the prologue and epilogue. Instead, we have to learn about him through the words and thoughts of others. It’s very difficult to connect with a character when you never hear their thoughts or perspective on things, so I had to work hard to find another way to “build” David that still enabled readers to connect with him, despite not knowing what’s going on in his head. I’ve heard from readers who felt a whole range of emotions about David throughout the story. Anger, compassion, lust, confusion, pity, sympathy, hatred, love. The truth is, I didn’t set out to make readers feel any specific thing – I just hoped they’d feel SOMETHING. Because no matter which feeling is evoked, it’s what makes you turn the page.

That being said, it was really awesome to create this extremely complex person that I knew would be both loathed and loved right from the very start. And I got to mold him completely through the narration of a handful of other people. I gotta say, the whole thing was pretty damn fun.

If David was real and he asked you to have coffee with him, would you say yes? And if so, what questions would you ask him?

Of course I would say yes! David fascinates me. I would love to hear his voice and see his mesmerizing personality, live and in person. I suppose I would ask him if he is content with who he is. If he’s comfortable in his own skin.

Do you have actor/model muse for David? If so, who is he? 

Nope. But when I first pictured him standing outside of Emma’s door on the day they met, I saw a physical mixture of this guy that hangs out at the coffee shop where I often write and a heavily-tattooed acquaintance of mine who works as a farm hand.

Is there a solid psychological explanation for why David is the way he is? Or, is he as much of a mystery to you as he is to us?

I’m not a psychiatrist, so I haven’t a clue if there’s an official psychological explanation behind who David is. But I do know that he’s no mystery to me. I know his struggles and his motivations, his demons and his dreams.

PUSH has really gotten a lot of attention since it’s release! What’s it like to read through all the fan reactions?

It makes me feel all gushy inside. It’s very validating to know that your story has the ability to make people think and feel and question themselves. One of my biggest worries about this book was that readers wouldn’t “get” it. That they wouldn’t be able to see beyond what David does. I worried that people would read the prologue and slap a label on him and never even bother to delve deeper into who he really is. I worried that readers wouldn’t even try to form some kind of connection with him because of his past. Or, worse still, that they wouldn’t even want to try to understand him. I know that there is nothing typical about David or this story, as far as NA romance reads go. PUSH doesn’t fit neatly into any box. And that is challenging – but everything I’ve been hearing from readers indicates that they’ve relished the opportunity to step out of the box and really enjoyed the ride. They want to understand David. They want to connect with him. And they want someone to tell them that it’s okay to be feeling all the things they are feeling.

Both my agent and my editor at MIRA Books took a huge risk on this book. We all went into this knowing that there’s a possibility for controversy to start swirling around the book at any given moment. And that’s okay with all of us; especially me. Because, again, it indicates that the story made someone FEEL something that surprised them. Something that they didn’t expect to feel. And that’s why we read, isn’t it? To feel something different.

Your story features characters who are deeply affected by troubled pasts, would you say that David and Emma are who they are because of what they went through or in spite of it? 

That’s a difficult question to answer. I don’t think either David or Emma fits neatly into one of those categories. I think they are a product of both. Emma is an angry person because of what she had to endure throughout her childhood, but she’s strong in spite of it. And David is David. He is who he is both because of and in spite of his troubled past.

PUSH is the kind of book that makes you desperate to talk with friends about it when you’re done. In our discussion group, we’ve been going back and forth trying to figure out how subtle elements of the story are connected. Was it your intent for people to be searching for all these hidden clues, coincidences, and double meanings?

It wasn’t necessarily my intent for people to look for them, but I love that you are! They are there on purpose because they are part of the web of the story. They are intended as another step toward building the complexity of the characters and of the story itself. Disconnects and empty blanks in stories bother me as a reader, so I tried my damnedest to connect everything in some way. When I read reviews of PUSH that say that something was left open-ended, I just want those readers to realize that maybe I wasn’t ready to answer everything yet. 

How would you describe PUSH to someone who hasn’t read it yet?

It’s a f*cked up love story between two complicated, and very smashed-up, souls.

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat about PUSH!! This book is definitely one of the ones that has stood out for me and many other readers this year and I absolutely can’t wait to see what’s in store for David and Emma in the sequel!! 

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Note from Aestas to the readers: Regarding the sequel, at this point there is still no official information available. But as soon as any news is announced, I’ll be sure to make a post about it so be sure you’re following on Facebook and by Email so that you don’t miss it!! 

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