9 Quick Questions for Anna Quindlen

Former New York Times columnist and best-selling author Anna Quindlen’s latest novel, After Annie, explores how a woman’s sudden death alters the lives of her husband, best friend and four young children. Quindlen, 71, shares the novel’s unexpected origin story, how she loves to spend time with her grandkids and why she feels aging is a privilege.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you get the story idea for After Annie?

Quindlen’s latest novel, “After Annie,” explores how a woman’s sudden death alters the lives of her family and friends.

Courtesy: Penguin Random House

Usually, the idea for a novel develops gradually over time. I think of characters, situations, themes. This book was completely different. I was walking along the Hudson [River in New York City] one morning, and suddenly I had this mental picture of a young mother in her kitchen putting dinner on the table, getting a terrible pain in her head and falling to the floor. And so the beginning of After Annie came to me almost fully realized in an instant, in a way that has never happened to me before. … I can’t explain why I suddenly had this mental picture, but it was very vivid, and I went with it. This is my 10th novel, so it was a little unexpected.

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I always got positive reinforcement from teachers for my writing. And then, in eighth grade, my teacher, Mother Mary Ephrem, looked at me over the rim of her reading glasses and said, “Miss Quindlen, you are a writer.” That was a really powerful moment. I never looked back.

What’s your favorite genre to read?

Oh, my gosh. Reading is my favorite thing in the world to do, except for hanging out with my kids and grandkids. I’m a prolific reader. I will read anything. When I’m revising — in between first draft and final draft — I read almost entirely mystery novels, because when I read literary fiction, I tend to pick up other people’s tics. Having said that, I don’t ever want that to sound as though mystery novels are a lesser genre, because I feel like this is a golden age of mysteries. … I just finished a book called The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks in which the main character is Edith Wharton, who’s one of my favorite novelists. And I’m looking forward to J. Courtney Sullivan’s new book, which is called The Cliffs.

How are you inspiring your grandkids to read?

I have a 7-year-old [Arthur], a 5-year-old [Ivy] and a 3-year-old [Jacob], and they’re all readers. I started giving them picture books when they were babies. Right now, my 7-year-old and I are reading the Betsy-Tacy books [by Maud Hart Lovelace], which were favorites of mine when I was a little girl. They start when Betsy and Tacy are only 5 years old, so they’re perfect for Arthur now.