Some clips from my recent interviews with authors Bethany Ball, Ethel Rohan, Mary Miller, and David Leo Rice…
Bethany Ball, author of The Pessimists: “I wanted to write a book that sort of said, ‘We are all messing up. None of us know what we are doing. Even the people who act like they know—they don’t know.'”
Ethel Rohan, author of In the Event of Contact: “Identity Theory was one of my first publishing credits and I remain deeply grateful … Earning an MFA in fiction in 2004 marked my ‘getting serious’ about writing. An MFA isn’t necessary for the writer and writing, but for me it was a pivotal turning point away from the grind of corporate America and toward honoring my passion for all things Lit. The early days of seeking publication involved a lot of rejection, particularly from print literary magazines, which further fueled the self-doubt and angst that typically torment emerging writers (and beyond). The dam/damn cleared somewhat with acceptances from online literary magazines. Those first publishing credits led to more, placing my stories in front of a growing readership and introducing me to various wonderful online lit communities of the time.”
Mary Miller, author of Biloxi: “I don’t buy books as gifts unless I know someone well and even then I’m hesitant. It’s disheartening to give someone a beloved book and hear that they didn’t like it—it’s like proof you don’t see the world in the same way, that you’re fundamentally mismatched.”
David Leo Rice, author of Drifter: “I think if more adults were in touch with their internal worlds, and proud of this fact, there’d be much less conflict in the external world.”
Keep up with my author interviews and other recent book-related posts through my author page on Identity Theory.