Illuminating Fiction

Introduction

Introduction As a child, my weekly pilgrimages to the local library were among my favorite parts of the week. I loved reading books of fiction and when I was only four years old I tried to get my first library card. As I grew older I continued to be an avid reader. The next step in my fiction pursuit began when I was in my mid-forties. I wanted to write a fictional account of a family that I worked with in my role as a social worker. Never having studied writing before, I began to take summer workshops led by well-known writers. At that time I never imagined I would conduct interviews with several of the authors who led these workshops. My fascination with the study of fiction writing expanded. The idea to conduct author interviews was spawned one day when I decided to take an author interview workshop. I had already spent the last twenty-five years conducting interviews in my role as social worker, with substance abusers and families in need. I thought that perhaps my already existing skills as an interviewer would transfer, in part, to the role of author interviewer. While there are key differences between the two types of interviews, the ability to ask pertinent questions and give focused attention to detail is similar. At first I requested interviews with authors with whom I had studied: Jill McCorkle, Ron Carlson, and Paul Lisicky. As I developed confidence in my interviewing abilities my circle widened. I had the wonderful fortune to secure interviews with other such highly renowned authors as Edward P. Jones, Julia Glass, Arthur Golden, Amy Bloom, Yiyun Li, Chris Abani, Steve Almond, and Lan Samantha Chang, as well as several other writers. It has been a unique and marvelous experience to peek into the minds of these writers. As you read these interviews I hope you will enjoy learning about their work habits, how they conceived of their novels and stories, how they refined and enhanced them, how they developed their styles, what they consider to be their strengths and weaknesses, and who their mentors are. As a student of fiction I learned that every writer is different and that there is no one path to becoming an author. What is essential is to have drive and xi xii Illuminating Fiction tenacity, a commitment to developing your authentic voice, a good story, and self-empowerment. All of the authors I interviewed were generous with their responses and their time. I thank them all for gracing the pages of Illuminating Fiction. A Note About the Order The interviews in Illuminating Fiction are organized with the goal of emulating the vigor and flow of a gripping novel or short story. Interviews with well-known authors are interspersed with interviews with writers who are newer to the literary scene, to form a complete whole. Rather than handpick authors from an alphabetical listing, it is hoped that the reader will be interested in all of the interviews in Illuminating Fiction and read the book from beginning to end. ...