1 - How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?
My first novel changed my life because, even though I’d been publishing in literary journals and anthologies in other genres for a number of years, when The Unfinished Child came out, I finally felt like I could finally call myself a writer.
My
most recent and third novel, Dog Days of Planet Earth, tackles large
sociopolitical issues in the same way that my previous novels did. However, it
feels different on a technical level because this one was written from a single
character’s point of view.
2 - How did you come to fiction first,
as opposed to, say, poetry or non-fiction?
I
actually started out publishing poetry. My first acceptance was in the McGill
literary magazine, the Scrivener, when I was an undergrad there. I went
on to publish poetry in a number of Canadian literary magazines before turning
my hand to novels. I made the switch because as a reader, I’m most drawn to
novels, so at some point I wanted to craft larger narratives and play more with
dialogue and characterization.
3 - How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does your
writing initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear
looking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copious
notes?
It's hard to answer that question. I have three children, and I started writing my first novel when my second child was six months old. She was thirteen when The Unfinished Child was published. I didn’t work on the novel solidly for thirteen years and put it away many times because the demands of parenting and working contract jobs took most of my attention. I started my second novel, The Shade Tree, in 2013, and it came out in 2021. It’s no surprise that as my children got older, my writing time improved.
Now that my children are all independent and out of the house, I’d say a novel takes me roughly five years. It’s daunting, really.
4 - Where does a work of prose usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning?
A work
of prose usually begins when I find myself playing with an idea that won’t
leave me alone. Or researching something that I find difficult to believe. Or crafting
a character who interests me. Or expanding an image that haunts me. When I
start asking myself what would happen if I did this or that, or when I find
myself imagining compelling scenarios in which I can place my characters, then
things get rolling.
Because writing a novel is such a time commitment for me, lately I’ve been
experimenting with not defining the genre right away. I used to push ideas away
if I thought I couldn’t get a novel out of them, but now I’m experimenting with
seeing where an idea might take me. Maybe it’ll be a short story, or maybe a
novella, or maybe a novel told in spare prose.
In
truth, I try not to think about the process because much about it feels
unexplainable. I have a folder on my computer that’s filled with good ideas and
images that I might pick up at a later date. I’ve taken to writing them down
because I’ve learned that even the best ideas or images or sentences can be
forgotten.
5 - Are public readings part of or
counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing
readings?
When I’m in the writing stage, I often draft my acknowledgements early and imagine the fun I’ll have at my book launch, or when I give readings or make acceptance speeches for the awards I might win. It’s a game I play to keep myself engaged and working. However, as the time for publication and public events nears, I realize I’m less drawn to the public aspect of writing (readings and festivals) than I was when my first book came out. Pandemic restrictions were in place when my second novel came out, so I didn’t do any public events at all.
I do
love a podium though, and since I haven’t had a proper book launch since 2013,
I’m looking forward to the many events I’ve got lined up in Alberta, BC, and
Quebec.
6 - Do you have any theoretical concerns
behind your writing? What kinds of questions are you trying to answer with your
work? What do you even think the current questions are?
I have always been drawn to literature with a strong social justice component, social
realism/political fiction. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle or John
Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, for example are my kind of beach read. I
love stories that draw attention to power structures that create suffering,
stories about the underdog, the whistle blower, and the person who does the
right thing against all the odds. Why? Because fiction of that kind not only
addresses festering socio-political conditions but also features memorable
characters and conveys heartrending stories told in a non-preachy way.
Literature is about human beings and how we make our way in the world, the successes and the barriers to our well-being. It shines a spotlight on the systems we participate in, or as is more often the case, the systems that are foisted upon us. But what if those systems cause harm?
My
books tend to investigate some fairly hefty topics. They’re books I’d like to
read.
7 – What do you see the current role of
the writer being in larger culture? Do they even have one? What do you think
the role of the writer should be?
I am
hesitant to attribute any role to writers as we’re not necessarily a unified
group. Often, I have more in common with non-writers than with writers. Having
said that, I think the role of “a” writer should be to have the courage and the
conviction to tell the story they want or the story they are afraid to tell,
whether that be an exploration of wonder and/or political injustice.
8 - Do you find the process of working
with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
I love working with a good editor and find it to be an essential part of the publication process. I don’t use outlines and write my way into knowing what I want to say. That means my process is messy. To have outside eyes on a manuscript is critical.
9 - What is the best piece of advice
you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
You’ll never
write a book that everyone will love.
Believe
it or not, I used to think I could. One look at Goodreads ratings proves my
theory. Books I didn’t enjoy often have great praise from readers, and the
opposite is true too, and that’s incredibly freeing.
10 - What kind of writing routine do you
tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin?
My day always starts with coffee, toast, and a good book. Sometimes that’s the best part of my day. I try not to check email until after I’ve had an hour or two of writing in. But that depends on the stage of my project.
Lately,
for instance, in the run up to publication for Dog Days of Planet Earth, I
have been preoccupied with pre-launch publicity and marketing and checking
email for news. I look forward to the book being out so I can stop
waiting for it and get back to work.
11 - When your writing gets stalled,
where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?
When
my writing gets stalled, I read more. Often, I go back to books I love and
dissect structure and plot development. At some point, I get the urge to write.
I trust this process more than I did when I was a younger writer.
12 - What was your last Hallowe'en
costume?
I have
no idea! I avoid costume parties at all costs.
13 - David W. McFadden once said that
books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work,
whether nature, music, science or visual art?
I find
inspiration in a variety of art forms. In addition to being a voracious reader,
I see a lot of live theatre and films, I volunteer at a jazz club, and I
frequent art galleries. I think it’s the artist’s job to find inspiration in
life. People are endlessly fascinating. There’s no shortage of stories to tell.
14 - What other writers or writings are
important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?
I’m a big fan of Alice McDermott’s writing because my heritage is Irish, American, and Catholic. Nuns and priests figured predominantly in my parent’s childhood, and I find my family in her characters. Also, her writing is impeccable. I always quote this line of hers to show what a great sentence can do: “All joy was thin ice to Sister Lucy.”
I also
love Elizabeth Strout, Claire Keegan, and Colm Toíbín, to name a few.
15 - What would you like to do that you
haven't yet done?
Become
100% fluent in French. I’m working on it.
16 - If you could pick any other
occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you
would have ended up doing had you not been a writer?
I’d be
a musician (in my forties, I had a music teacher tell me I’d missed my calling).
I envy the joy musicians experience when playing together, and I envy the immediacy
of an audience’s appreciation. Writing feels lonely by comparison; then
again, I think I’m well-suited to working alone.
17 - What made you write, as opposed to
doing something else?
I’m
not sure it was ever a choice. I’ve always imagined stories in my head, so the
need to write is an obsession of sorts. Or maybe it’s better to say it’s a gift:
Here. Do this. Lots of people have no idea what they like or might be
good at, and I’ve always known.
18 - What was the last great book you
read? What was the last great film?
I loved Elizabeth Strout’s latest, The Things We Never Say, and Ann Patchett’s Whistler, and Colm Toíbín’s Long Island. This summer I read Daniel Keyes’ 1959 novel Flowers for Algernon. How had I never read it? The narrative has really stayed with me.
I see
a lot of movies and am fortunate to live walking distance to a fabulous rep
theatre. The last great film I saw was Perfect Days. I have seen it
three times now, and it has one of the best endings. I remember the first time
I saw it, I thought, oh, end here please. And it did! The music. The
acting. The close-up camera angles on the main characters face – it’s perfect.
19 - What are you currently working on?
I have a mostly completed draft of a novel about Irish immigrants in Manhattan circa 1895-1900 that I hope to share with an editor soon, and I’m in the very, very early stages of a novel that draws on some zany adventures I had when I was young and living in Jasper.
