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You are here: Home / Amy Sue Nathan / Guest Post: The Inspiration And Irony Of “Annie Aster” by Scott Wilbanks

Guest Post: The Inspiration And Irony Of “Annie Aster” by Scott Wilbanks

August 4, 2015 13 Comments

Read this essay by THE LEMONCHOLY LIFE OF ANNIE ASTER (which releases today!) author, Scot Wilbanks. You won’t be sorry.

You will be engaged, heartbroken, and inspired. 

Amy xo

Inspiration And Irony

by Scott Wilbanks

High Res bookcoverI head down to Los Angeles next week for the second leg of my cross country journey, and while I have no intimate connection to that city, other than a smattering of friends, it will be, by far, the most poignant stop on my tour, because of a particular young woman.

You see, there’s a story I must share while I’m there, and I’m afraid it will make her sad. It’s about the inspiration behind my debut novel The Lemoncholy Life Of Annie Aster, and she really needs to hear it.

I still find it baffling that my book—and my career, for that matter—owes its life to such humble and awkward beginnings. But there you have it.

And yet it had all begun so charmingly.

I’d never seen him before that peculiar weekend when our paths crossed five times at my local haunts in San Francisco’s Castro district.

The first of our encounters was so vivid that it even found its way into Lemoncholy’s pages. The passage is a wee bit melodramatic, I’m afraid, but I was walking down the street with my head in a book, had glanced up from the pages just as he walked past, and, well, time kind of stood still.

The cars crawled. A hummingbird inched forward like a slow-motion sequence in a National Geographic special, its wings undulating in the exquisite fashion of a Japanese fan dancer. A dog floated upward in the park across the street, a look of pure joy frozen on its face, eye focused on a Frisbee hovering inches from eager jaws and spinning so slowly that you could read the word Wham-O on it. Then, whoosh… time repaired itself and Christian was walking all too quickly past the face with the secret smile.

It was all a bit of a mystery, those encounters, and as the narrative indicates, I quickly dubbed the object of my fascination “the face,” while finding myself building a story in my head as to who he might be in those odd moments when I wasn’t doing business-y things, or washing dishes, or nodding off in bed with a book in my hands. All I knew for certain was that he was stupidly handsome, a condition that was offset by some pretty ridiculous sartorial choices.

Note to self: NEVER wear an orange flannel button-down over fade brown corduroys.

That face, combined with those clothes, fascinated me. Who was this guy?

In my book, Annie Aster suggests that he could be a “third cousin, twice removed,” or “a killer for hire” who has marked her best friend Christian for liquidation, which only prompts Christian to respond that those options need not be mutually exclusive, considering that he comes from Texas. (Many apologies to any proud Texans reading this. It’s an inside joke, and I do the state proud in the end.)

The fifth of my encounters with “the face” was a perfect illustration that Kismet does, indeed, have a sense of humor. Clearly annoyed that I’d wasted four good opportunities, the universe took a much needed break from its attempted match-making and my life had gotten on with the business of the humdrum for a good week or so, leaving “the face” little more than a memory; that is, until I’d felt a light tapping sensation on my shoulder at the gym. I turned around to find him staring me down with his trademark smile, the one that went through me like catnip. To my surprise, he pointed at my tank top, unraveled a kink in one of its straps, and simply wandered off.

Okay, the universe was not to be denied this time.

I quickly re-tangled the very same strap, tracked him down (politely interrupting the conversation in which he was involved, in the process), and suggested that his efforts lacked conviction.

That got me a laugh and his phone number, and, truth be told, I’d thought everything was going swimmingly, but then my date made it clear that we had separate agendas by rocking back in his chair to declare, “I think we are destined to be great friends.”

Great… friends.

Definitely not the response I was looking for.

Thirty minutes and a cataclysmic decline into tragically boring conversation later, I found myself driving home with my tail tucked firmly between my legs when it occurred to me that things are only inevitable if you accept them as such. By the time I’d pulled into my drive, I’d concocted a pair of characters in my head—Annabelle Aster and Elsbeth Grundy—pen pals who write one another between contemporary San Francisco and Victorian Kansas, depositing letters in a brass letterbox that stands in some common magical ground between the two.

I ran upstairs, whipped up a letter from Annie to Elsbeth in which she asked for advice regarding her love-struck friend—me—and promptly emailed it to my date. I know, right?

Within a couple hours, I received a call. Apparently, my email had made the rounds at his office and was a bit of a hit. More were demanded.

“Sadly, I cannot,” I said.

“Why’s that?”

“Elsbeth hasn’t written back,” I responded, as if nothing could be more obvious.

The next morning, I found an email in my inbox with Elsbeth’s name in the subject line.

Our correspondence became a regular thing. I would write as Annie, talking about Scott’s feelings, my feelings. He would write as Elsbeth, talking about his. Somewhere around the sixth exchange, we’d become an “item.”

A year later, we’d moved in together.

Five years later, his prophecy came true. We found that we were much better suited as friends than lovers. And we became the best of them, very nearly inseparable.

I began writing the first horrible draft of Lemoncholy the following year, a story that, at its heart, is about five misfits who are seeking understanding and enlightenment in an unforgiving world.

Of course, Annie and Elsbeth play the lead—one an eccentric in contemporary San Francisco who refuses to wear anything but Victorian clothes, the other a truculent., old schoolmarm living in turn-of-the-century Kansas.

But there’s also Christian. He’s Annie’s best friend; a young man burdened with a secret buried so deep within his subconscious that it leaves him with a stutter. And there’s Edmond, the charismatic, sweetheart who is weighed down by a demon—drug addiction.

It should come as no surprise, then, that I based Christian off my own life experience, and Edmond’s off my nearly failed date, turned partner, turned best friend.

And… this is the point where I suspect I’ll struggle a bit while sharing my story with the audience.

You see, four weeks after The Lemoncholy Life Of Annie Aster went into production, and just two weeks after I’d spent an hour on Skype, discussing my date’s first international trip to visit me and my husband in New Zealand where I’ve been living for the last six years, I received an email from the young lady who will be attending my reading.

She is my date’s sister—Edmond’s sister.

And she wrote to inform me that he’d passed away. His demon had gotten the better of him.

She’s never heard this story. But she loved her brother fiercely, and deserves to know.

As for me? There’s not a day goes by that I don’t miss him.

And for the curious. He’s in the dedication.

Scott's bio photoScott is the author of THE LEMONCHOLY LIFE OF ANNIE ASTER, a commercial fiction novel with a fantasy premise releasing August 4, 2015 that tells the story of two pen pals who are fighting against the clock to solve the mystery behind the hiccup in time connecting their homes before one of them is convicted of a murder that is yet to happen… and yet somehow already did.

Scott’s website: http://scottwilbanks.wix.com/scottwilbanks

More about the book: http://scottwilbanks.wix.com/scottwilbanks#!books/cosk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/scottbwilbanks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scott.wilbanks.7

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Filed Under: Amy Sue Nathan

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Zan Marie says

    August 4, 2015 at 7:28 am

    {{{hugs}}} Scott, that’s the most poignant reason for a story that I’ve seen lately. Beautiful, rooted in reality, and yet, telling a timeless truth. Thank you for sharing. I think his sister will be moved.

    Thank you, Amy, for another wonderful post.

    Reply
    • Scott Wilbanks says

      August 4, 2015 at 3:30 pm

      I hope so, Zan. Seeing her is going to be bittersweet. I still miss him.

      Reply
  2. Holly Robinson says

    August 4, 2015 at 7:34 am

    Scott, wow. Just wow. I had the chills when I got to the end of this. What a beautiful story–and I’m sure you’ve done these characters justice in your novel, if this is any indication of the heart and generous spirit you put into your writing. Thank you, Amy, for bringing Scott to us!

    Reply
    • Scott Wilbanks says

      August 4, 2015 at 3:34 pm

      It’s a book about misfits, Holly. Each is marginalized by society for a different reason. I understand what it’s like to be one.

      Reply
  3. Julie Christine says

    August 4, 2015 at 11:09 am

    Scott, you write like a 21st century Flaubert. This is sublime. And heartbreaking. Peace to this precious soul. Thank you for sharing his story, and yours.

    Reply
    • Scott Wilbanks says

      August 4, 2015 at 3:31 pm

      I’ve been looking at his photo all morning, Julie. He was looking forward to this day.

      Reply
      • Julie Christine says

        August 4, 2015 at 4:01 pm

        I believe these beloved souls find a way to reach and be with us, Scott. His spirit lives in your words.

        Reply
  4. densielwebb says

    August 4, 2015 at 11:45 am

    Scott, I look forward to seeing you at BookPeople in Austin! I’ll be purchasing your book then. Best of luck with your launch.

    Reply
    • Scott Wilbanks says

      August 4, 2015 at 3:34 pm

      See you there, Densie!! And, thanks!

      Reply
      • Jan Rider Newman says

        August 5, 2015 at 9:39 am

        Scott, when will you be at BookPeople? New book sounds wonderful. I live in Austin and would like to go.

        Reply
  5. bethhavey says

    August 4, 2015 at 12:36 pm

    Scott, the pathway to story, to creativity can be tangled (like a strap) until we see exactly where it is going. All story arises from life, from loving and understanding the human condition. Thank you for this “story” that propels one to read your book and to learn more not only about your characters but about the unique creative drive that produced your novel. Best of luck, Beth

    Reply
  6. Scott Wilbanks says

    August 4, 2015 at 3:35 pm

    You said it better than I ever could. Thanks, Beth.

    Reply
  7. Anita says

    August 10, 2015 at 2:34 pm

    Wow, I’m nearly speechless. This beautiful book is getting lots of talk, and I think I know why know. Scott, how tender and deep you share this story, I can only imagine how beautiful your book is. Going on my list right now. Thank you for sharing. I’m so sorry for your loss.

    Reply

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