I remember how uncomfortable it felt to be walking down Market Street along with so many others looking at our phones, on our way to jobs that purported to be “doing good” in the world, and yet we hardly saw the many homeless, suffering individuals sitting on the sidewalks around us. 

Noa Silver – 24 May 2024

The Back Flap

Having grown up on stories of her mother’s wild youth in California, Elena Berg relocates from New England to the Bay Area in 2011 for a placement as an English teacher with Teach for America. Once there, she is eager to inspire a love of poetry and literature in her diverse but underprivileged students. Her own grandfather—a Holocaust survivor—was a storyteller and teacher who touched the lives of his students for years to come. Elena’s mother followed in his footsteps, leaving behind the hippie lifestyle of her twenties to become a university professor.

But Elena quickly finds herself feeling disconnected from teaching, unable to inspire her students, and before long, she grows disillusioned with her career. She transitions to a role in an education technology startup—though she questions her decision, her motivations, and her values.

Coming of age between the Occupy and #MeToo movements and against the backdrop of the 2016 election and California’s ever-worsening fire season, Elena reckons with California as she imagined it and California as it really is. As she does so, she must also ultimately reconcile the person she envisioned herself to be with the person she actually is.

About the book

What is the book about?

This millennial bildungsroman follows Elena’s journey in the SF Bay Area from an idealistic Teach for America teacher to a disillusioned project manager at a tech company.

Amid the Occupy and #MeToo movements, the 2016 election, and California’s ever-worsening fire season, Elena must ultimately reconcile the person she envisioned herself to be and the person she actually is.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing the book in 2018.

How long did it take you to write it?

It took me three years to finish a first draft.

Where did you get the idea from?

I was working in downtown San Francisco on a project, and I remember how uncomfortable it felt to be walking down Market Street along with so many others looking at our phones, on our way to jobs that purported to be “doing good” in the world, and yet we hardly saw the many homeless, suffering individuals sitting on the sidewalks around us. It felt like there were two worlds occurring simultaneously, and I wanted to explore that discrepancy, that space between the worlds, the crack in the veneer.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

For a while I struggled to figure out the right structure to the book and I experimented with a few different ways of organizing the narrative.

What came easily?

Elena’s voice was clear to me from the beginning and it flowed easily.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

None of my characters are fully based on real world people, but I also think that all fiction is based in truth! And I know that my characters have their roots in me.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I love Marilynne Robinson’s work, particularly for the way she brings readers so close to her characters. Her work is so intimate, and can be so inward-looking, but there is also a force that propels her stories forward.

Do you have a target reader?

I think my target reader is anyone who is curious about the stories we inherit, about the way the self changes and morphs over time, and who feels affinity with those who wonder about how to make meaning in their lives, and how to maintain hope in the face of disillusionment.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

There’s a writing practice from Anne Lamott that I love, called the “one-inch picture frame.” In her book Bird by Bird, she talks about the practice of sitting down to write only what you can see in a one-inch frame. Nothing more. This was the practice that guided me through most of California Dreaming. All through the pandemic I wrote 250 words a day, just what I could see through that one-inch frame.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

At different points during the writing process of this book, I did rely on outlines. At the beginning, I jotted down ideas of scenes without making note of how they fit together, and then much later, when the majority of the book was written, I experimented with various outlines to get a sense of the way the drama in the narrative could build.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I waited till the first draft was complete before really starting the editing process.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I don’t listen to music while I’m writing but I do find great inspiration in music, and particularly classical music. My parents are both classical musicians and, in many ways, it feels like home to me.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I worked with an agent in the past, but for this book I wanted to try something different and pitch directly to publishers.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I found my publisher, She Writes Press, through an MFA classmate, and I felt inspired by their mission to lift up women’s voices. I immediately submitted my manuscript to them, and the rest is history!

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

She Writes Press has a fantastic design team that put together my cover.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I’m working with a wonderful publicity team at BookSparks to help spread the word!

About You

Where did you grow up?

I spent my childhood in Glasgow, Scotland, and then moved to Bangor, Maine when I was thirteen and finished high school there.

Where do you live now?

I live in Berkeley, California.

What would you like readers to know about you?

As well as being a writer, I’m a mom to two young kiddos and a developmental editor who works with both fiction and non-fiction writers to develop their manuscripts.

What are you working on now?

I’m just beginning to make notes for a new project. I am drawn to the inner lives of women in the midst of transition, and this new project will explore early motherhood. I’m excited for it to unfold.

End of Interview:

For more from Noa Silver visit her website.

Get your copy of California Dreaming from Amazon US or Amazon UK.