Ignoring Alva: Wherein Two Sisters in Their Eighties Take A Road Trip. What Could Go Wrong? By Emilie Khair
Through it all, Alva and Millie prove that courage, resilience, and the drive to rewrite your story aren’t confined by age—they’re only sharpened by experience.
Witty, heartfelt, and brimming with surprises, Ignoring Alva is an unforgettable tale of sisterhood and reinvention. It proves that life’s greatest adventures can happen when you least expect them.
Dianne (D): Ignoring Alva follows two sisters in their eighties on an unexpected adventure. What inspired you to write this story?
Emilie (E): My grandmother Margaret was the inspiration behind Ignoring Alva. When I was little, I thought she was the greatest! She knew how to hug, big. When I got older, I thought her so terribly ordinary. Once I had finished college, traveled, married, I thought it was sad that she had lived most of her life in a tiny home in the suburbs—never traveled, never expressed a desire to do anything more. When I got older, I started to ponder those different interpretations. She was rich in love, but poor in experience. So many women of her generation, didn’t know that they could or should look for adventure. Then I started thinking about people who fade into the background of daily life, and how we don’t know that they are not the ones with the richest inner worlds. We assume that because someone hasn’t traveled far, they haven’t gone anywhere. But what if they carry entire worlds inside them, places they’ve dreamed of, a whole milky way of visited stars? What if, given different circumstances, they could step into those worlds.
Writing Ignoring Alva is my way of exploring that question. It’s about the unseen, the overlooked, the quietly brilliant. It is about the untapped potential in people we think we know.
D: Alva and Millie are such distinct, memorable characters. They remind me of my gandmother and her sister, and are just as fun to be with. Were they inspired by real people, or did they emerge purely from your imagination?
E: As I said above, Alva was inspired by my own grandmother, Margaret. We all have people in our lives who shape us, often in ways we don’t fully understand until later. Actually both of my grandmothers were integral to my story…. My mother’s mom, Myrtle married a banker, had four children, was widowed in her fifties, and spent her remaining fifty plus years, pretty much doing what she wanted. She lived, by herself, right up to 103. Myrle was a learner, and a doer. She wrote and published poetry, wrote short biographies of every presidents’ wife, loved the Minnesota Twins, and travel. She and her sister Evy explored Europe and spent time with family members in the old country. She enjoyed baking, and gardening, and journaling. When she passed, I inherited boxes and boxes of journals, old letters, original hymn lyrics, and postcards. Myrtle was prolific. She had the time, and the money to pursue her interests. A stoic Scandinavian to the end, she was kind, but not demonstrative; I didn’t see her often, but her confidence and creativity is something I admired.
Margaret married a printer, and had two sons. She worked on an assembly line at Honeywell in her early years, was a homemaker, then a widow. My grandpa Elmer was a doll in his later life, sharp as a tack. But their early years of marriage were fraught with money problems, compounded by his love of a good drink. Margaret was a mediator, a loving wife and mother with too much patience and forgiveness. No one thought of her as anything else. She could sit down and play any song on the piano, but she never had a lesson. She could do the Sunday crossword upside down. She was never stumped on Wheel of Fortune. And no one really noticed just how smart or how creative she was, especially Margaret.
I started thinking, what if Margaret went out in the world and had a few adventures of her own? Maybe take along her sister, like Myrtle traveled with hers? Two older woman, embracing “more.” Margaret had many sisters, but was closest to Mabel, who was just a little older and just a little more self-confident. Mabel became Millie. And Alva is Margaret, who wants to take chances, to be seen, like Myrtle.
D: The novel balances humor, suspense, and heartfelt moments beautifully. Was that mix intentional from the start, or did it evolve as you wrote?
E: Truthfully, at the start I was going for ‘humor’ and ‘heartfelt.’ It was told from a granddaughter’s point of view, her memories of her gram and what kind of life she wished for her. The story line became more a burden, than a delight, and I put it down for a while. Picking it up later, and with a little push from my soon-to-be publisher, I put the story in the present. (I love alliteration!) Then, the story evolved into a bit of a mystery. I imagined an adventure that was plausible, stemming from a road trip suitable for my characters. As I wrote, I started seeing Alva as a hero. That led me to model her visions, as steps in her path of becoming a hero, reminiscent of the Labors of Hercules (Hercule Poirot #27), by Agatha Christie. To me, the best parts of writing is when it leads you down new roads, takes on a life of its own, encourages more research—more learning.
D: Road trips are often about more than just the journey—what do you think Alva and Millie truly discover about themselves along the way?
E: Millie says it best. Self-worth. The initial idea of a road trip is Alva’s idea. She is looking to expand her world after a stroke. The first couple of stops do just that. But, by solving a crime and helping others, they prove they are sharp, relevant, and needed.
D: Aging is often portrayed in fiction as a time of slowing down, but Alva and Millie defy that idea. What message do you hope readers take away about reinvention later in life?
E: We know that society tends to place a woman’s value on youth, beauty. Yes, we are chipping away at those stereotypes, i.e. “fifty is the new forty.” All of that is excellent. But, when I started looking around at the progress, I felt like we still had an expiration date. Maybe it is because it’s my Medicare year, and I am questioning my own expectations? But, you see, I know so many women into their 80’s and 90’s that still say they are brimming with creativity, who ski, and go to the gym, who start new book clubs, and love to travel. My grandmother Myrtle churned out a book of terrific haikus at age 100. My own mother, published her second book of poetry at 91. My great aunt got married at 84.The best female tennis player at the club is 77. We need to hear those stories. What are women in their 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and beyond, capable of?
I want readers to think about Alva’s revelation: When is there a better time to become a hero? When does life throw you the most challenges? At the end, surely, when you are closest to losing everything—your family and friends, your physicality, your control.
D: You’ve published books and made a film—how does writing a novel compare to filmmaking? Do you approach storytelling differently?
E: Filmmaking, writing a script, is challenging because every second of screen time counts. Dialogue has to be short and concise. Film shows character through expressions, body language, cinematography… But novels allow for deep exploration of characters, for lots of internal thoughts and subplots. And, novels, of course, allow the writer and readers to picture what they want to see. I personally enjoyed writing this novel, more than I did a script. I love to write dialogue, and love to allow my story to evolve. It is like doing improv, each character coming into their own, rather than a very clear picture of story from beginning to end.
D: What was the biggest challenge in writing Ignoring Alva? And what was the most rewarding part?
E: Biggest challenge? Finishing it. I had a general idea where the story would go, but it took a long time to get there! Too, I struggled with the timeline in regards to the whereabouts of each character at the time of the murder—so many moving parts. I confused myself!!
The most rewarding part? Once finished, I was really pleased with the ending. I felt that I was successful in wrapping everything up. I believe Alva’s last words embody what I felt to be the purpose of the novel.
D: Do you have a favorite scene or moment in the book? If so, why does it stand out to you?
E: Oddly enough, it is the scene between Alva and Bertha, after Millie has ‘gone missing.’ Bertha came out of nowhere. I did not have a fleshed-out character in mind, and she just “became.” The more I wrote the dialogue, the more delighted I was with her character. Using her as a foil to Alva just fit. It was a true joy watching her character unfold.
D: Are you someone who meticulously plans your novels, or do you let the story unfold as you go?
E: I think I just answered this one! I am not one for storyboards or carefully thought out plot and subplot development. This is not necessarily a good thing, but I love to write for the sheer joy of seeing where my brain takes me. I start out with an idea, and run with it.
D: What’s next for you—another book, a film, or something completely different?
E: I have written a couple of non-fiction memoirs, a children’s book, a short film, two full-length scripts, and now a novel. I believe I have another novel in me. It may involve Alva. Or, I’ve always wanted to try my hand at a romcom, or a crime thriller. The answer is, I don’t know. But it will be something! Writing to me reflects where I am in my life; it depends on what is going on around me, i.e. I met a woman who wanted me to write about her famous husband, I had small children, a friend of mine was involved in the film industry . . . I love exploring new things, therefore, I love exploring new genres. That, or I have a bit of an attention deficit!
D: You and I first connected through the Atlanta Writers' Conference. If you don't mind my asking, what drew you to working with me for this book?
E: I started Ignoring Alva several years ago, under a few different names. Daring myself, I signed up for the Atlanta’s Writers Conference and pitched my idea to a few agents. Though most were complementary, you really changed my focus, and redirected me to this final draft. You made an offhand comment, “Why do stories about old people have to be sad?” You said you liked the characters, but didn’t love the direction. I went home and thought about it, and realized it was exactly why I hadn’t finished it. I was trying to prove that elderly women still have relevance, but then they died.
Once I changed it to a road trip adventure, I contacted you, and I loved the fact that I wouldn’t be self-publishing, and that I had a team behind me. It is a competitive world out there, and Current Words Publishing is a good middle ground, between self-publishing and big house publishing. I appreciated your enthusiasm, your personalized approach, and that you were in fact, very approachable. The collaborative partnership combines the advantages of traditional publishing without sacrificing my creative control.
D: Editing is such a crucial part of the writing process. How did the collaboration shape the final version of Ignoring Alva?
E: You helped with catching errors and the like, but were most helpful when it came to strengthening the narrative. You helped me cut scenes that were unnecessary, and in a couple of incidences, showed me the importance of ‘voice’, changing scenes written by other characters into scenes told by my two main characters. When a passage was confusing, you said so. The result was a much cleaner, and clearer story.
D: Aw, Emilie, that's so nice of you to say. I appreciate that a lot.
To conclude our talk today, What advice would you give to writers working through the editing and publishing process?
E: Your manuscript isn’t perfect. You need new eyes to identify both plot holes and typos. Be open to changes; it will help with readability. And even after the novel has been professionally proofread, you may catch mistakes. Don't get frustrated—read and reread.
D: I agree with that!
I have to tell everyone that, at this point, I have probably read Ignoring Alva a half-dozen times, and I keep finding joy in it. As things seem to be getting heavy a bit in the world currently, I think it's the perfect book for taking some time off.
If you're curious, here is the book trailer to wet your appetite:
And you can get it in paperback, audio, or Kindle @ Amazon, and pretty much at any other bookstore as well, like Bookshop!
I'll be back at the Atlanta Writers' Conference March 22, 2025, at the Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center 800 Spring St NW Atlanta, GA 30308. And if anyone reading this would like a free edit, I'm taking books for 20 pages free during the spring. Contact me @ dianne@currentwords.com. But, most of all, read Ignoring Alva! You'll have a great time on that road trip. Emilie has a reading next weekend, Sunday, March 16th, at 6:30, at the Academy Theatre in Hapeville, Georgia, and Ignoring Alva goes on a blog tour in April. Stay updated on all things Alva at Emilie's place.
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