From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Paper Chains and for your characters Hannah and India?Visit Nicola Moriarty's website.
A: The idea for Paper Chains grew out of a difficult time I was having in my own life, involving depression and anxiety. I realised that if I wrote about these issues, it could actually be quite cathartic for me.
I had these desires to run away from life and from my family (which filled me with incredible guilt, of course), and I discovered that if I wrote about two women, Hannah and India, who were running away from their lives, then I could live out these fantasies on the page without actually following through in real life. In the meantime, I was getting treatment for my depression so that I could enjoy my own story again!
Q: How was the novel's title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: It was difficult to come up with the right title for this novel. Originally, I wanted to call it “Chasing India,” but it didn’t quite fit because it was about Hannah’s story too. In the end...[read on]
The Page 69 Test: The Fifth Letter.
The Page 69 Test: Those Other Women.
--Marshal Zeringue