How Rachel M. Harper Unravels Her Characters
Rachel M. Harper’s most recent novel, The Other Mother, tells the story of musical prodigy Jenry Castillo as he tries to figure out how he fits into a complicated family. Raised by a single mother in Miami, discoveries about his late father and estranged paternal grandfather explode his world and confront him with questions about race, class, and sexuality.
Harper is also the author of the novels This Side of Providence and Brass Ankle Blues. We chatted over email about motherhood, music, and treating writing as work.
Julz Savard: Let’s begin with the novel’s origins., and how much the story was drawn from your own life? Do you feel at all that is your story, too?
