About the Book
"Don’t Let Me Keep You is a lyrical meditation on motherhood seven times over, gestating, unfurling with rhythmic, poignant prose. Over decades we see each of the Halversons through the eyes of the others, bringing into sharp focus how differently each member can experience the same family. The way children protect their mothers, the way mothers remain children themselves, and what a mess we can still make of things despite our best intentions. That we can choose to love each other regardless of who we turn out to be, no matter what."
–Maggie Ginsberg, author of Still True
Motherhood is a symphony, from the first movement, through crescendo after crescendo, to the finale.
Hildy Halverson, a genius in math and science, is pushed by her parents to step into a male-dominated field and change the world for women. But Hildy, enamored of the scientific force of the human body, and her own body’s ability to create and sustain life, decides to go against contemporary expectations. She marries young and raises a houseful of kids.
Hildy wants her children to choose their own life paths. As each child is born, she tells them, “You can be whatever you want to be, and whatever you want to be will be great.” Despite her efforts to not influence her children, Hildy does so, often in unexpected ways. Each child is introduced in that first private moment between Hildy and her new baby. This is followed by a chapter revealing that child’s life, years later. Woven throughout is an underlying grief over the death of the sixth baby soon after birth. That grief is more pervasive than any of them expect.
In this ambitious novel, the struggles and joys, fatigue and exhilaration of motherhood, are captured in the full panorama of family life. Hildy lovingly raises her children, then lets them go, finding herself along the way.
Publisher: Black Rose Publishing (October 3, 2024)
ISBN-10: 1685134882
ISBN-13: 978-1685134884
AISN: B0D2JK38W9
Print Length: 230 pages
You can purchase a copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org and Black Rose Writing. Be sure to add Don't Let Me Keep You to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author, Kathie Giorgio
Kathie Giorgio is the author of a total of fifteen books: eight novels, two story collections, an essay collection, and four poetry collections. She’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in fiction and poetry and awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association, the Silver Pen Award for Literary Excellence, the Pencraft Award for Literary Excellence, and the Eric Hoffer Award In Fiction. Her poem “Light” won runner-up in the 2021 Rosebud Magazine Poetry Prize, and her work has also been incorporated into many visual art and musical events. Kathie is the director and founder of AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop LLC, an international creative writing studio.
She lives with her husband, mystery writer Michael Giorgio, and their daughter Olivia, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Three of her adult children, Christopher, Andy, and Olivia, live close by, along with her solo granddaughter, Maya Mae. One adult child has wandered off to Louisiana and lives among the mathematicians and alligators.
You can find her online at:
Website: http://www.kathiegiorgio.org
Twitter/X: @KathieGiorgio
Instagram: @kathiegio1
---Interview by Jodi Webb
WOW: So glad to have some time with you today and so many questions! Let’s start with the title of your novel: Don’t Let Me Keep You. Is there a story behind the reason you chose this title?
Kathie: A common phrase, at least in the Midwest, is, “Don’t let me keep you,” when ending a conversation or a phone call. “Don’t let me keep you, I’m sure you have lots to do!” But this book is also about letting children go as they become adults. So the “Don’t let me keep you,” ends up with a double-meaning. The end of a conversation, but also, “Don’t let me keep you – as much as I want to, you need to have your own life, away from me.” I think one of the hardest moments in parenting is when kids are adults, and you realize that, while they are still the center of your life, you are no longer the center of theirs.
WOW: It is tough realizing they have this whole life that you know nothing about. After years of knowing everything about them. I noticed that much of your work has a thread of parenting connecting them. What inspires you to write about the journey of parenting?
Kathie: There is no relationship more profound, more convoluted, more confusing, more passionate, than the relationship with a child. Every phase of parenting has left me astonished. And now that I have adult children – they are 40, 38, 37, and 23 – I feel just as clueless as I was when I was raising them. For heaven’s sake, I just drove my 40-year old son to his first colonoscopy! How did that happen? And it’s certainly not one for the baby book.
WOW: Novels, poems, short stories, essays…you’ve done it all. Do you have a favorite type of
writing?
Kathie: Definitely. The short story. I love the novel too, but five of my eight novels include short story chapters. The short story is such a postcard of life. The writer can say so much with just a moment.
WOW: At what moment did you first start writing?
Kathie: I was writing before I knew I was writing. I used to trace the illustrations of my picture books and then rewrite the story the way I thought it should be written. My fifth grade teacher, after hearing me read one of my stories, told me I was a writer – and it just fit. I published for the first time at fifteen years old and kept on going. I became well-known as a short story writer, but the novel was elusive for me until I was fifty years old…and wrote a novel that included short stories.
WOW: What a long career you've had. But you aren't just a writer. You also teach. Can you tell us about a memorable time as a writing teacher?
Kathie: Oh, gosh, I learn from my students all the time. There have been many, many memorable moments – I’ve been teaching for almost 30 years. For me, the best moments are when a student calls or texts or yells at my front door, “I’ve had a _____ accepted!” That burst of confidence and that moment of validity, before the constant self-doubt that all writers feel seeps back in, is just amazing to witness. Seeing self-confidence and self-worth emerge in a student, even if it’s just for a moment, means that I’ve done my job.
Something a student taught me recently – I’m a Wisconsin girl, at least since I was twelve years old. This is the dairy state – there are cows and milk and cheese everywhere. My sister-in-law was raised on a dairy farm. And yet somehow, I never knew that cows have to be pregnant or have just given birth to give milk. I thought there was some magic of nature there, that somehow, cows just gave milk whether or not there was a baby cow in the world. Yet while working with a student who wrote about being an animal rescuer, she wrote a chapter about saving a baby bull, who, like many, was left in the field to die, because it would never give milk. She wrote about how the cows are impregnated, over and over again. I was horrified. I never, ever knew. And I ended up writing a poem called “The Truth About Cows.”
WOW: I think that wins the award for most unusual inspiration. How do you manage to complete so much writing? Your schedule is about one book per year!
Kathie: I guess I am prolific, though I don’t feel prolific. But if you look at my work, you’ll see that the books are peppered with collections – short story collections, a collection of essays, collections of poetry. When I have a year where I’m working on a novel, then I put together collections of things that are already written – short stories that appeared in magazines, essays from my blog, poetry that was already published. So I’m not “writing” the collection. I put it together from already written work, while I’m working on new stuff. But I am dedicated to writing. I am committed to it. I work hard at it. I’m already thinking of the next book before I finish the current one.
WOW: Speaking of thinking about the next book, what will you be working on next?
Kathie: I’m working on a sequel to my novel, If You Tame Me, though I hesitate to call it that, as you don’t need to read If You Tame Me first. This novel will have the same characters, the same relationships, but it will be a standalone. I wanted to take on the subject of the overrule of Roe Vs. Wade, and what it means to women. So that will be in this book, along with several other topics, many of which are surprising me as I write it.
WOW: Isn't it wonderful when your writing takes you down unexpected paths? We can't wait to read this sequel-not sequel.
---Blog Tour Calendar
October 21st @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Kathie Giorgio's novel Don't Let Me Keep You. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of her book.
October 22nd @ Tracey Lampley
Kathie Giorgio reveals how she had 15 books published with traditional publishers in 14 years, including her latest Don't Let Me Keep You.
October 24th @ What Is This Book About
Get a peek inside Don't Let Me Keep You with today's excerpt.
October 25th @ The Frugalista Mom
Rochie will be reviewing Kathie Giorgio's latest novel Don't Let Me Keep You.
October 26th @ A Wonderful World of Books
Author Kathie Giorgio writes about controversial books and the hurdles they face in today's post: "You've Been Banned. Now What?"
October 29th @ Michelle Cornish
Learn what Michelle thinks about Kathie Giorgio's latest novel: Don't Let Me Keep You.
October 30th @ Create Write Now!
Is Writer's Block real? Learn what author Kathie Giorgio has to say today on CreateWriteNow!
October 31st @ The Frugalista Mom
In a complicated world, author Kathie Giorgio shares how she takes on controversial topics in her writing.
November 1st @ Michelle Cornish
Author Kathie Giorgio shares the challenges of writing through illness and crisis.
November 4th @ A Story Book World
What's on your TBR list for November? Learn more about Kathie Giorgio's latest novel Don't Let Me Keep You.
November 5th @ Chapter Break
Kathie Giorgio writes about the precarious balancing act of writing and raising children.
November 6th @ Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews
Don't miss today's interview with novelist Kathie Giorgio.
November 7th @ Knotty Needle
Still deciding on your November read? Check out today's review of Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio.
November 8th @ Word Magic
Author Kathie Giorgio shares her thoughts on Writing as a Business.
November 12th @ The Faerie Review
The spotlight is on Kathie Giorgio's latest novel, Don't Let Me Keep You.
November 13th @ Words by Webb
Jodi is reviewing Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio.
November 14th @ Some Thoughts - Everything Creativity
In today's guest post, learn if author Kathie Giorgio is Plotter, Pantser or Both?
November 15th @ Choices
Author Kathie Giorgio writes about Depression: Putting One Foot in Front of the Other.
November 19th @ StoreyBook Reviews
Looking for a good book for the Thanksgiving holiday? Leslie is reviewing Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio.
*****BOOK GIVEAWAY*****
Enter to win a print copy of Don't Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win. The giveaway ends November 3rd at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day via Rafflecopter and follow up via email. Good luck!
6 comments:
I love your insights on grown children. I too am trying to figure this out!
Do you write in a daily journal?
What a lovely interview. I'm adding this to my list of books to read.
People are surprising. I find it disheartening when I find out that someone (friend, relative, celebrity) that I held in high esteem is actually not the person they seemed to be in a bad way.
Congratulations on your book!
I love the title. I became an empty-nester 2 months ago. I totally understand your meaning when you said "while they are still the center of your life, you are no longer the center of theirs."
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