Silicon Valley Reads Event: Michelle Richmond Comes to Cupertino

“I didn't expect anyone to really see it,” bestselling author said on Saturday. “To have an intimate conversation with the community in the Bay Area, and especially Cupertino, is really a treat.”

The afternoon speaking event, book-signing and award ceremony took place at Cupertino's Community Hall as part of the Silicon Valley Reads program. Richmond's novel, The Year of Fog, was read by the library's adult book group and was also the basis for the recent in Cupertino.

Eno Schmidt, president of the Library Foundation, introduced Richmond after Ron Miller of the Library Commission gave a quick explanation of Cupertino's current search for a poet laureate. “I'm sure we have the latent talent,” said Miller. “We are eagerly awaiting the applications.” It was predicted that the next laureate would be a teacher at either or a local high school.

Richmond then read the first chapter of her book aloud at the podium and gave a quick introduction of her experiences writing the novel and, while pregnant, waiting out the arduous search for representation by an agent.

Many publishers rejected the Year of Fog manuscript for being “too depressing,” she says. Yet, when the book was released to success, many of them contacted her, inquiring whether she would like to work with them; she reminded them that they had already seen her work and turned it away—a response, she admits, that felt good to write.

She also admitted she never doubted what her career choice would be, citing her lack of enthusiasm for mathematics, at which the audience chuckled. She also spoke of her creative drive spanning back through childhood. “I used to write country songs in the bathtub,” she said.

Richmond also noted that she has received numerous e-mails from stepparents and people who have related to the anxiety of her protagonist, Abigail, over being responsible for a child that is not biologically their own. The author was also contacted by the mother of Michaela Joy Garecht (a Hayward child who went missing in 1988), who said she continues to read books about child abduction and has yet to give up her search.

Most of the audience's questions were about the novel's characters—the cloudy past of Emma's biological mother, the main motivation behind Abigail's obsession and the mystery of Nick Elliot's shady government job, in particular.

About Elliot, Richmond replied that she incorporated into her work many characters gleaned through the life of her husband, who worked with the FBI for 15 years. The "good guy" character of Nick Elliot, she said, was a way to apologize to her husband for creating such poor government-figure personalities in her other books.

At the end of the event, winners of the contests were announced by Ravi Pathak, a member of the Cupertino Library Foundation. The contestants—many of whom could not make the event and thus were represented by a parent—were given the opportunity to read their work at the podium. Richmond gave a quick note of personal feedback on each, and expressed how impressed she was with their analyses.

Photo entries and winners were displayed on two screens on either side of the stage. Most of the were of beaches, sunsets, sand or other themes related to the Year of Fog. Some were digital, as the contest was eventually open to digital cameras as well as Holgas. Holgas are considered toy cameras and enjoy a cult following for the slightly foggy images they produce.

Richmond noted the importance of technology in a mystery or thriller. “[It] changes the way we tell stories,” she said. The reason a Holga camera was used in the novel is that her younger sister, Misty, sent her one while working in a camera shop. “I wanted the novel to be very impressionistic about San Francisco.”

See the full list of winners .