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Fiction author discusses new novel, “Weather Woman”

As a child, author Cai Emmons always dreamed of controlling the weather. Years later, Emmons fulfilled that wish in the form of her latest novel, “Weather Woman.”

On Thursday night, about 50 creative writing students and literature enthusiasts gathered

in Long Beach State’s Anatol Center for a reading and Q&A with the fiction novelist.

“I also grew up in New England where the weather was always changing and I found myself wanting to control it. For example, it would rain on Halloween and I would have to wear a coat over my costume and I just wanted things to change,” Emmons said.” I got married in late May and it even rained on my wedding day.”

Creative writing professor Suzanne Greenberg took the initiative to bring Emmons to the university to speak to her students in the English department.

“I’ve known Cai for over 20 years,” Greenberg said. “We’re friends and we have gone to conferences together and I knew she had a new book coming out, so I thought she’d be an exciting author to bring out for our students.”

Greenberg says the English department tries to bring a few authors to campus every semester in order to inspire students.

“I think meeting the writers lets them know that [writing a book] is work and they revise a lot and there’s nothing magic about it,” Greenberg said. “But, it also shows them that there are possibilities for them in the future with their own work.”

Emmons read excerpts from “Weather Woman,” a fantasy novel that centers around a young woman, Bronwyn Artair, who holds the peculiar ability to manipulate the weather.

The excerpts showcased a point in the novel when the protagonist tries to reveal her secret powers to fellow meteorologists, but is only met with skepticism and humiliation. Emmons’ works include “The Stylist,” “Her Mother’s Son” and her most recent work “Weather Woman.”

After Emmons’ 25-minute reading of “Weather Woman,” she opened the floor for questions. The crowd of aspiring writers buzzed with excitement at the chance to pick Emmons’ brain as many students raised their hands.

Many attendees were curious about what kind of research Emmons had to do in order to write a book that involves meteorology.

“One of the challenges of writing this book is that I wanted the main character to seem like a credible meteorologist and science student,” Emmons said. “I actually did a lot of research, including reading a lecture series by a wonderful UCLA professor called ‘The Wonders of the Weather.’ I also read other meteorology, physics and neuroscience books.”

Students were also inquisitive about Emmons’ brainstorming process when she begins writing a novel.

“I usually start off with a ‘what if’ question,” Emmons said. “With this novel, it was ‘what if this woman had the power to change the weather?’ I like to have a general arch of where the plot is going to go and what is going to move it. But other than that, I don’t outline. I just write questions and ideas about my characters freely in blank notebooks.”

Prior to beginning her book signing, Emmons delved into her background that eventually brought her to fiction writing.

“In high school, I would write poetry and I always had a love for language arts, which is why I began writing,” Emmons said. “I also used to be a screenwriter in the film industry. Working in film really taught me the importance of structuring my novels.”

After the Q&A portion, Emmons held a book signing where students were able to purchase “Weather Woman,” before it’s official release date of Nov. 13.

Besides inspiring students to write, the reading also gave students a chance to experience a novel through the eyes of the author.

“I loved the reading because she put her own voice to her work,” said senior journalism major Carmen Aguila-Torrero. “It’s different to hear the author read their own work because usually that’s just a voice in your head, so it’s left up to your own interpretation. To hear the novel through the author’s actual perspective is a completely different experience.”

“Weather Woman” is currently available for pre-order via Amazon.

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