Viola Shipman is a pen name for Wade Rouse, a popular, award-winning memoirist. Rouse chose his grandmother’s name to honor the woman whose charm bracelet and family stories inspired him to write his debut novel, The Charm Bracelet, which is a tribute to all of our elders. Rouse lives in Michigan and writes regularly for People and Coastal Living, among other places, and is a contributor to All Things Considered. His new novel is The Recipe Box.From Shipman's Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: You note that your grandmother's kitchen helped inspire this novel. How did you create your character Sam and her family?Visit Viola Shipman's website.
A: Yes, I grew up in her kitchen, asking questions as I tugged at the hem of her crisp white aprons embroidered with bright strawberries or pretty flowers.
My tiny grandma and her little kitchen seemed larger than life to me as a child: A vintage oven anchored one side, while sparkly countertops were engulfed by a bread box that held Little Debbies and Wonder Bread slices.
But the most prized possession in her kitchen was her recipe box. After my grandma died, my mom inherited my grandmother’s recipes. After my mom passed, I became the keeper of those recipes and memories.
Her original recipe box – which my grandfather, a woodworker, made for her – helped inspire the family in the novel because I learned about our family through the food my grandmother made. A brilliant baker, my grandma told stories as she cooked.
The character of Sam is based not only on myself but also on...[read on]
My Book, The Movie: The Charm Bracelet.
Writers Read: Wade Rouse (March 2016).
The Page 69 Test: The Charm Bracelet.
--Marshal Zeringue