About the Author: Christie Tate
What would you like readers to know about you?
I want them to know that I am a good person even though I do not have an adorable dog to prove it.
What music do you listen to (if any) when you write?
I once heard a presentation that listening to music while you do a task means you are less present to the task, and that day I stopped listening to music while I write. I need all my juice for my writing. Music is a reward when I'm done, and my favorites are: Willie Nelson, The Avett Brothers, Ani DiFranco, Beyonce, and all the Broadway show tunes.
What books or authors inspired you to become a writer?
The book that really grabbed me by the neck and said, "you deserve to try this too," was Lidia Yuknavitch's Chronology of Water. I still read it every year. It's absolutely one of a kind.
About the Book: B.F.F.
What is your book about for those who haven’t read it?
B.F.F. is the story of how I finally settled down romantically at age 34 and made a startling discovery: I'd spent the past two decades figuring out my romantic life, but my female friendship were a hot mess. I'd spent most of my life feeling like a friendship failure, because I always felt apart from the big, glorious friendships other people enjoyed. My bad habits included poor boundaries, ghosting, crippling envy, and pervasive insecurity. When an older friend named Meredith invited me to excavate my friendship memories, sins, and pitfalls in order to let go of the self-defeating narrative that I would never be "friendship material," I accepted her offer and my life was transformed.
Â
What has been your inspiration for writing it?
In my first memoir, Group, I wrote so much about dating, men, and romance that I wanted my next project to be centered in my relationships with women and the ways my life had been forever altered by friendships, some of which were as compelling as my romances.
What was your favorite scene or part of your book to write?
I really loved writing the scene when I sat on Meredith's hospital bed and asked her I could write about our friendship. It sounds morbid to favor a scene with a dying friend, but putting that scene into words also helps me hold onto the memory of that morning. And now that readers know that scene as well, I feel closer to Meredith, whose memory lives on in my pages and in reader's magination.
Where can your book be purchased?
You probably always hear authors talk about buying from your local independent bookstore. Why? Because local independent bookstores are often the heart of a community: They have the books you are dying to read, they host authors and reading hours, and they are independently owned, usually by community members. So, you can find my book at your local bookstore or online at your favorite retailer, like Bookshop. If you don't have a bookstore in your community, you can buy B.F.F. online at Exileinbookville.com or www.womenandchildrenfirst.com.
To the Future Writer:
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to write a book?
Find another writer or group of writers who will read your drafts, have your back, and cheer you on. Writing is lonely and full of rejection, so having peers and comrades to keep your company is essential.
What’s next for you? Any events, upcoming pubs, etc.
I'm doing an event in Winneka, Il on June 22, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. I also Zoom into bookclubs, so if you'd like me to pop into yours, slide into my Instagram DMs. I have an essay about a friendship dust-up that happened during my book tour that will be published in Shondaland in June 2023.
Where can we find you:
Instagram- @christieotate
What’s on your TBR list?
Oh it's huge, but here goes: Monster by Clare Dederer, Maame by Jessica George, The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, and Lesbian Love Story by Amelia Possanza.