Below, she tells us what readers need to know.
It was based on some of my own experiences in treatment.
As I was writing it, it felt too insular.
Credit: Bonnie J. Heath; Penguin Random House
The story just wasn’t coming together.
I took a step back.
In her backstory, there were sisters.
They had their own voices and parts of the story to tell.
That’s when things really started to come together.
It was less of a moment of inspiration than an evolutionary process."
That’s manifested in a literal eating disorder.
“I look at storytelling in a very basic way: We all have our own stories to tell.
Your neighbor has his or her own personal story to tell.
Within that one individual story, there’s probably something I can relate to.
There’s something you’re free to relate to.
It can often be much bigger than we are.
I start out from that basic human place.
One of the things with honesty is we all have our issues.
I was really interested in trying to bring that nuanced person to the page in each of these characters….
In the beginning, I did [find it difficult].
I tend not to be the most open, the most vocal person.
I made the decision to write it in more detail than maybe someone else would.
Yes, it’s kind of gross.
That’s how it is.”
Gray’s inspirations range from romance novels to Toni Morrison
“I pay attention to pacing.
That’s what great fiction does.
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girlsisavailable for purchasenow.
