Body Language

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I sort of felt it all along except that, you know, in my family I was encouraged to do something more practical. So I don't think I ever thought about it realistically when I graduated from Tufts.

Is that why you decided to teach English after college?

I taught for five years, first in Reading and then in Hingham. I actually liked teaching a lot, but I vividly remember thinking that I had to devote myself full time to my writing and I had a sense of urgency about it, so I quit midyear to write short stories.

In your new novel about a love triangle, the heroine is a bodysurfer. Do you dabble?

I do. I did it forever as a kid at Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro and places in Provincetown. I actually pride myself on being pretty good at it, in terms of being able to catch the wave. I also love the thrill of being, for a few seconds, not in control. For the book, I liked the idea of having the heroine bodysurf, since she's drifting in life.

The story is set in a New Hampshire house that's appeared in a number of your books.

Yes. Going back chronologically, this house was in Fortune's Rocks, Sea Glass, and The Pilot's Wife. The family in Body Surfing is the one to own it directly after the family from Pilot's Wife.

Why the recycled real estate?

I find it a challenge, and also pretty intriguing, to write about a house and all the different lives, all the people who have lived there and what's happened to them.

The New England setting is a constant in your books. Is that because you live here and grew up here, in Dedham?

To an extent. My books do reflect their geography and a New England character, if there is one. I think my characters are all very drawn to the sea. Very drawn to nature. Observant. Somewhat dignified. Prone to disaster - emotional disaster.

The Pilot's Wife was selected for Oprah's Book Club. How did you get the news?

I was out, and when I got back to my office I saw I had all these missed calls. It was Oprah's assistant, and he was pretending to be part of a small literary group in Chicago. When I called back, he said, "My boss wants to speak to you." The next thing I knew, Oprah was on the other end of the line; her voice is unmistakable. She just said "Anita." I responded, "Hello." Then she said, "I loved your book." I said, "Thank you."

You probably get a lot of fan mail. Have you ever gotten anything particularly unusual?

Oh, yeah. One woman wrote me and asked for her money back. It was in regard to my book Where or When. She was from Georgia and said, "You know, I paid $21.95 for this book, and I really expected a better ending than this."

How did you respond?

I sent her a check.