Lynda Simmons: Getting Rid of Rosie
Book Club Discussion

October 27, 2009. Lynda Simmons, author of Getting Rid of Rosie, talks ghosts in an interview with Queenie D.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Lynda Simmons

Can you give us some background as to how you became interested in the paranormal? How did it turn into the basis for a novel? You must put stock in it to some extent to write such a believable book.

I grew up in a house where the paranormal was normal. My grandmother attended spiritualist meetings, my mother was a psychic and my father was a Rosicrucian who studied astral projection. One of my favorite family stories tells of a great aunt who died at a young age, sat up during the wake and said, "God doesn't want me now he'll take me by and by." She then climbed out of the coffin and helped revive those who had fainted.

With a background like this, I cannot help but be fascinated by all things paranormal and it doesn't hurt that I have seen a ghost myself. It happened shortly after my father died. I was nineteen at the time and still living at home. My mother hadn't spent a night alone since marrying my father at the age of sixteen and asked if I would sleep in her bed for a few weeks so she could get some rest.

The third week after his death, my mother and I went to bed as usual. The lights were out and my mother was rolled over with her back to me, facing the wall. I was lying on my back, fully awake, facing the bedroom door. From out of nowhere came the sound of Roger Miller's King of the Road, one of my father's favorite songs. Then I heard footsteps and my father stepped into the doorway. He wasn't wearing the suit we'd buried him in, but rather the work clothes he had worn on a daily basis for most of his life. He smiled and said, "I still love you." Then he turned and walked away.

As the music faded, my mother rolled over and said, "Your father was just here, wasn't he," and she started to cry. "He's leaving now," she continued. "He came to say goodbye."

Had my mother not rolled over, I might have thought I'd dreamed the whole thing. But she heard the music and knew exactly what had happened, so there was no denying the experience.

Interestingly enough, there was no white light waiting to take him to heaven and no horrible creatures waiting to drag him to hell. My father was never a religious man, but always spiritual with a firm belief that death was simply the beginning of a journey, an opportunity to go anywhere in the universe, if a soul had the courage to leave. Obviously, he had that courage and was anxious to get started.

I haven't seen a ghost since but that doesn't mean I don't believe, which brings me to Getting Rid of Rosie. The inspiration for this book was a friend who married a widower six months after the wife's death and moved into his house. A short time after the wedding we got together and I asked her how things were going. "Married life is great," she said, "but I swear that woman is still in the house. She's even kicked me out of bed."

I knew there was a story in there somewhere!

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Lynda Simmons

Forgiveness is definitely the theme of this story. I found the two characters struggling the most with this to be Sam and Eva. Sam had to forgive both Michael and Rosie, while Eva had to forgive both Leo and her mother. Does this make them perfect, albeit odd, friends?

I have been married to a wonderful man for over thirty years (yes, I was a child bride) and while I don't know what I'd do without him, I also don't know what I'd do without my girlfriends. They understand me in a way that my husband never can, although he tries, bless his poor testosterone drenched heart.

I believe that female connections are vital to a woman's happiness and you're right, Eva is the perfect friend for Sam – although it takes Sam a while to realize she needs one.

After Rosie's betrayal, Sam developed a deep mistrust of women. She's forgotten what it's like to have a best friend – someone who appreciates the luxury of a pedicure and the joy of Girls Night Out.

Although very different on the surface, Sam and Eva's shared love of food and the restaurant business is a natural connection. Eva is also blunt and honest, something Sam not only appreciates but needs in order to trust again.

I see a long and happy relationship in their future.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Lynda Simmons

Tell us about Michael and Rosie's relationship. I found this aspect of the novel most intriguing because it seems that they were really happy and in love, even if the start of their relationship was less than ideal. How did they "fit" together?

Michael is the kind of man who needs a strong woman, one who can help him, even push him, through life. Given the choice, Michael would be with his partner twenty-four hours a day, moving contentedly from home to work to play with no one but the woman he loves. There's nothing malicious in his need for togetherness. He's just not complete on his own.

Rosie viewed Sam's choice of schools as a betrayal of both herself and Michael, and it was only natural that they drew closer in Sam's absence, if only to share their anger and frustration with someone who understood.

While Rosie may not have set out to steal him from Sam, Michael's brand of attention was exactly what she needed, what she craved. Michael wanted to get married, wanted to settle down, and unlike Sam, Rosie had been longing to be part of a real family again since she was ten years old.

Michael was already in love with Rosie when they slept together, even if he wasn't ready to admit it to himself or Rosie. After the wedding, their relationship deepened and love grew. The two of them were happy building a business and a home together. It was just too bad that deep down, Rosie never believed she was worthy of that happiness.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Lynda Simmons

Why is Sam Italian? And are all Italian Nona's really like Loretta?!

Stretches of the Danforth were predominantly Italian for years and I liked the idea of an old woman still living there, still holding onto the house where she had raised her children and her grandchildren, refusing to leave even though the neighbourhood has changed drastically over the years. So I made Sam Italian, giving her the same attachment to the Danforth that Loretta has. While the Nona's I’ve known are also strong and opinionated, most of them don't run marathons!

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Lynda Simmons

The issue of crossing over was addressed but not fully explained. Did Rosie not see the white light because she wasn't ready to cross? If she accepts her fate, will there be a white light for her?

Having seen my father's ghost, I honestly don't believe there is a white light or anything to cross over to. Like him, I believe there's a journey to take, places to go and things to see, if the soul is ready to take that first step away from what is familiar and safe. Rosie wasn't ready to let go of her old life and move on to something new and unknown and probably a little frightening. It's not until she takes those first few steps down the road that Rosie is free at last, and the universe awaits.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Lynda Simmons

Why could Sam see Rosie when no one else could? Does this suggest that the unfinished business Rosie needed to attend to dealt not with her family but with her former best friend?

Rosie definitely had to deal with her betrayal of Sam as much as she had to let go of her old life and her family. But Sam also needed to face the truth about her relationship with Michael so that she could move forward as well. And the only way that was going to happen was if she heard it from Rosie herself.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Lynda Simmons

Can you tell us anything about your current writing projects? Will we see Sam's group again?

As much as I love Rosie as a character, I can't see a sequel in her future, although I've been asked many times if she went to see JJ, so you never know.

While there is humour in everything I write, the story I'm working on now is a departure for me, and I'm delighted that Berkley was willing to take a chance on something quite dark and definitely more serious than anything I've attempted previously.

The book is still under construction and doesn't have a title yet, but the one thing I know for sure is that it will be out in September 2010. I'd love to come back and talk to you about that one as well!

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Lynda Simmons

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