What if you needed to find a perfect place to hide in plain sight.
Trapped
and isolated in small-town Wisconsin, Sarah wants nothing more than to blend in
and lead a normal life away from her abusive brother. Weighing five hundred
pounds and having no job or formal education, however, makes this almost
impossible.
When
Sarah commits an unthinkable act, she seizes the only opportunity available to
escape the consequences of her actions. She contacts the carnival man who
previously offered her a job as a sideshow act. Burying her guilt, Sarah leaves
home and begins performing under the stage name Lola Rolls.
Traveling
from town to town, Lola wonders if it's possible to hide in plain sight and
truly outrun her past. She builds lasting friendships along the way, and as the
quality of her performances improves, she starts on a path to self-reliance and
self-acceptance.
Set in the late 1970s, When You See
Her is an immersive page-turner that explores what it means to be
both visible and invisible, simultaneously desired and reviled, while carving
out space in a too-small world.
Reviews~
--Jennifer Ryan, international
bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies Choir
Barbara Boehm Miller’s “When You See Her” is vivid and visceral, the perfect read for when you want to inhabit another world … or another body. While at first you might think you’re sneaking a lurid peek at the sideshow fat lady, in Miller’s capable hands you’ll move quickly beyond the spectacle of the carnival world and into the fully realized life of a courageous, dynamic woman. We all long to be seen exactly as we are; this novel isn’t afraid to look.
-- Julia Rocchi, author of Amen?:
Questions for a God I Hope Exists
In When You See Her, author Barbara Boehm Miller creates a rich and colorful world that is inhabited by believable individuals who display remarkable resilience in the face of their difficult lives. Miller’s dialogue is masterful, and she writes with great authority. The first-person point of view and narrative in Sarah’s voice work together to give the reader a profound understanding of Sarah and her motivations.
Sarah’s
character is drawn with compelling dexterity and empathy. From the opening
scene where she is standing with a skillet in her hand to losing her virginity
to a man more than twice her age, to her transformation into a self-sufficient
woman, Miller hardly puts a foot wrong. The audience is hooked, drawn in and
held to the last page.
When
You See Her is a story that is
well-written, gripping and emotionally charged.
--Thomas
Anderson, Editor-In-Chief, Literary Titan, 5-star review
Author interview with Barbara ~
Making up stories was my favorite activity as a child. As I got older, I began to write some fiction and kept a series of journals for about 10 years. In college, I focused on studying foreign languages because I wanted a career that could take me to different parts of the world and because I believe, to paraphrase a quote from Charlamagne, that in learning a second language, a person gains a second soul.
Following graduation, I sought out language immersion opportunities in foreign countries, eventually earning the equivalent of a master’s degree from the Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica. After settling in the Washington, DC area, where I still reside, I began working as a diplomatic translator and pursued a degree in fiction writing. Some of the other students I met in that program are part of the writing critique group that read the many drafts of When You See Her.
What are some things you enjoy when not writing?
Writers are readers, so
reading, of course, and also spending time with my family, which includes a
wonderful husband, inspiring twin daughters, and a comical brown dog. I like to
cook too and host parties for friends and play piano (poorly).
Do you have a particular writing routine?
Because of my schedule, I have
to write in my spare moments. The upside of this approach is that I’ve learned
to block out pretty much all background noise and can make the most of even
small snippets of time. Whenever possible, I like to write in the morning
because it makes the rest of my day that much better.
Is there anything major that changed in this novel from when you first plotted it out?
So much has changed! I
rewrote When You See Her many times. Some earlier versions had a dual
timeline, and others were framed more as a fictitious memoir. The most
significant changes, though, were in the characters. With each rewrite, they
grew and became more complex and appealing. In short, they became better
people.
Finish this: “I can’t write without…”
A collection of my favorite pens and a
notebook for jotting down ideas and possible plot items. I love pens, so
they’re like toys as well to keep me entertained and engaged when my writing
stalls.
If I had to spend a week on a deserted island, I would need…
If it’s a recently deserted island that has a
nice, non-haunted hotel with a well-stocked kitchen and bar, I’d just need a
couple of good books and some of my favorite people.
What career did you think you’d have as an adult?
I thought I would be a
writer, so publication of my first novel is very much a dream come true.
What is something about you that would surprise people?
I
sound like a Costa Rican when I speak Spanish. I also make a killer falafel and
can tell fortunes using playing cards and know how to read palms.
Do
you have a ‘day job’ as well?
I
have an entire “day career” and have worked for many years translating
documents from Spanish and French into English.
What
was the original title of this book?
“Lola Rolls,” which is the stage name of the main character. In effort to help potential audiences understand more about the book upfront, I later switched the title to the more descriptive “Lola Rolls, Sideshow Fat Lady.”
After being
accepted for publication, the book was renamed “When You See Her.” Even though
adjusting to this change was no easy task, the new title is a much better fit
in that it reflects the underlying themes of the book, rather than just its
content.
Where
do you get your ideas, or what inspired this book plot?
For
me, writing fiction is like a series of what-if questions. When You See Her starts
with a plus-sized protagonist. Then I asked myself: What if her weight were
extreme enough to keep her trapped and isolated? What if she lived in a time
period when there were few overweight and virtually no morbidly obese people?
What if she needed to go on the run? What if her only option was to join the
sideshow? What if she could find a way to live a bold and meaningful life? What
if she didn’t try to fit in?
Do
you have a manuscript(s) in your drawer? If so, will it ever see the light of
day?
Yes,
and no way! I cringe now to think about that manuscript, containing, as it did,
many instances of every mistake a fiction writer can make. For a while, I
thought it might be possible to revise that work. It could not be fixed or
improved enough to make it readable, however. Writing that first book did show
me that I had the stamina to complete a novel. To my mind, an unredeemable mess
of a rough draft far surpassed an unwritten or unfinished book.
If
I wasn’t an author, I might be…?
I
would be a person brimming with stories who never wrote anything down.
Do
you have a go-to first reader after you feel your manuscript is ready?
After
working through the manuscript with the members of my writing critique group
and before submitting it for publication, I give also it to one of the members
of my book club because they are perfect examples of my target audience. Both
groups are good, sensitive readers, and their feedback is spot on.
Is
there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or
decision to write?
I
read The Grapes of Wrath when I was young. That was the first time I
understood how powerful a book could be—how it could wring your soul with both
hands. The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving showed me what a wonderful
and outrageous thing plot can be. I try to capture both of those ideas in my
own work. I want my writing to tell a vivid story and have an emotional impact.
Can
you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published (or this
book?)
The
biggest challenge was learning what I needed to do and then developing and
acting on a plan. The path to publication also included a lot of rejections and
raised hopes that then crashed hard. No matter how I rationalized these
“thanks, but no thanks” responses, they still took an emotional toll. The
upside is that my skin has become alligator-thick.
If
you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or
getting it published that you’d change?
I’m
very excited that my novel is soon to be published, so I wouldn’t want to
change anything that led me to this place.
What
are you working on now?
I’m
revising a book I wrote about a troubled family, crushed together in the
isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic. The father is a survivalist. The mother is
having an affair, and the daughter is incandescent with her desire to move away
from the small town where they live.
Is
anything in your book based on real-life experiences?
I’ve
lived with weight issues for all of my life and I wanted my main character to
be a fat woman who lives a fulfilling and unapologetic life despite the
obstacles thrust in her way.
Do
you have a favorite chapter or scene?
There
is a wedding scene toward the end of the book that I loved writing. By that
point in the story, the reader knows the characters well, and the wedding is a
chance for all of them to interact and celebrate with each other.
Do
you have a favorite character?
Probably
Gigi. She is funny, endearing, and has an unconventional outlook on life. She
also loves the main character, Lola, as much as I do.
Finish
this sentence: “If I could write about anything, it would be…?”
I’m
fascinated by closed-off or secret societies. At some point, I would like to
write a book set inside a cult or a prison. I can only imagine the amount of
creative planning needed to research the latter.
What
was some unique research you had to do for a book?
When
You See Her
takes place in the late 1970s, and much of the book is set in the sideshow of a
rundown traveling carnival. I had to learn the business side of the carnival,
which is quite complex, and also studied the lives and careers of various
sideshow performers. One of the most interesting things I learned in the course
of my research is that carnival people have their own secret language that they
use to hide their conversations.
Do
you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Keep
at it and find your reward and satisfaction in the writing itself, not in how
others perceive it. In my case, and I think this is true for many people, I
wrote for a very long time before being published.
What
are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?
Writing
is a solitary act and can, therefore, be a lonely experience. As a bit of an
extrovert, I really struggle with that. The best part of being an author is the
privilege of making up stories and creating entire worlds in which you make all
the decisions about what happens and to whom.
Place
you’d like to travel?
I
love to travel and am fortunate that, in building my career as a translator, I’ve
had the opportunity to live in various countries. At present, my foreign
adventures are limited to vacations, though. When the pandemic hit, we had just
begun to plan a visit to Thailand to celebrate a milestone birthday. I hope to
take that trip within the next year or so. Also, I don’t know when it will happen,
but I would like to visit the Galapagos Islands.
Is
there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?
Thank you for reading my work! Being able to share my
stories is a true privilege, and I’m so grateful to the readers who make that possible.
To connect with Barbara (all links):
https://linktr.ee/
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