DIY MFA Radio

Hey there word nerds! Today I am excited to interview author and creative writing professor, Susan Perabo. Susan is the author of two short story collections and the novel, The Broken Places. Her fiction has been anthologized in Best American Short Stories, Pushcart Prize Stories, and New Stories from the South, and has appeared in numerous magazines, including One Story, Glimmer Train, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, and The Sun. She is a writer-in-residence and professor at Dickinson College, and her new book, The Fall of Lisa Bellow, is out now. In this episode Susan and I discuss: How we get to know characters through little glimpses of their lives (in writing workshop terms, we get a lot of "showing" rather than "telling"). We dive into one of those moments in Susan's process and unpack how writers can give readers a full perspective of the characters by showing them in a scene. Why it is important for writers to be able to write short form as well as book-length fiction. We also discuss some of the challenges and some of the advantages that short form brings to the craft of writing. The use of imagery (both in simile and metaphor) to convey complex ideas or emotions. When using simile or metaphor in this way, we talk about what writers need to think about. Plus, Susan's #1 tip for writers. About the Author Susan Perabo is the author of two short story collections, Why They Run the Way They Do and Who I Was Supposed to Be, and the novel, The Broken Places. Her fiction has been anthologized in Best American Short Stories, Pushcart Prize Stories, and New Stories from the South, and has appeared in numerous magazines, including One Story, Glimmer Train, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, and The Sun. She is Writer in Residence and Professor of English and Creative Writing at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. Her new book, The Fall of Lisa Bellow, is out now. The Fall of Lisa Bellow When a masked man with a gun enters a sandwich shop in broad daylight, Meredith Oliver suddenly finds herself ordered to the filthy floor, where she cowers face to face with her nemesis, Lisa Bellow, the most popular girl in her eighth grade class. The minutes tick inexorably by, and Meredith lurches between comforting the sobbing Lisa and imagining her own impending death. Then the man orders Lisa Bellow to stand and come with him, leaving Meredith the girl left behind. After Lisa's abduction, Meredith spends most days in her room, slipping from her world into Lisa's. As the community stages vigils and searches, Claire, Meredith's mother, is torn between relief that her daughter is alive and helplessness over her inability to protect or even comfort her child. Her daughter is here, but not. Like Everything I Never Told You and Room, The Fall of Lisa Bellow is edgy and original, a hair-raising exploration of the ripple effects of an unthinkable crime. It is a dark, beautifully rendered, and gripping novel about coping, about coming-of-age, and about forgiveness. It is also a beautiful illustration of how one family, broken by tragedy, finds healing. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/141

Hey there word nerds! Today I'm absolutely thrilled to introduce you to Jessica Strawser, the editorial director of Writer's Digest magazine, and author of the stunning debut novel Almost Missed You. As editor of Writer's Digest magazine, she has interviewed luminaries like David Sedaris and Alice Walker and her debut novel—released yesterday from St. Martin's Press—has already garnered early accolades from a humbling list of bestselling authors like, Garth Stein, Adriana Trigiani, and Jacquelyn Mitchard. Her second novel is slated for release in Spring 2018. In this episode Jessica and I discuss: Strategies for setting up your first chapter. Jessica and I unpack ways to craft your first chapter for maximum effect. Shifting POV between multiple main characters. Picking which elements of the characters' stories you want to show, and which you want to keep hidden. Tapping your personal perspective, emotions, and experiences to help illustrate character experiences in your novel. Balancing work, writing, and family in such a way that sets you up to be successful, and helps you channel the strongest emotions possible to your characters. Knowing and being clear about your priorities to meet your goals. Plus, her #1 tip for writers. About the Author Jessica Strawser is the editorial director of Writer's Digest magazine, North America's leading publication for aspiring and working writers since 1920, where she counts her cover interviews with such luminaries as David Sedaris and Alice Walker among her career highlights. Her debut novel, Almost Missed You, is forthcoming in March 2017 from St. Martin's Press and has garnered early accolades from a humbling list of bestsellers, including Chris Bohjalian, Garth Stein, Adriana Trigiani, Lisa Scottoline and Jacquelyn Mitchard, and a second novel is slated for a Spring 2018 release. Her diverse career in the publishing industry spans more than 15 years and includes stints in book editing, marketing and public relations, and freelance writing and editing (with work published in The New York Times and other fine publications). She blogs at WritersDigest.com and elsewhere, tweets @jessicastrawser and enjoys connecting at Facebook.com/jessicastrawserauthor. Learn more at jessicastrawser.com. Almost Missed You Violet and Finn were "meant to be," said everyone, always. They ended up together by the hands of fate aligning things just so. Three years into their marriage, they have a wonderful little boy, and as the three of them embark on their first vacation as a family, Violet can't help thinking that she can't believe her luck. Life is good. So no one is more surprised than she when Finn leaves her at the beach—just packs up the hotel room and disappears. And takes their son with him. Violet is suddenly in her own worst nightmare, and faced with the knowledge that the man she's shared her life with, she never really knew at all. Caitlin and Finn have been best friends since way back when, but when Finn shows up on Caitlin's doorstep with the son he's wanted for kidnapping, demands that she hide them from the authorities, and threatens to reveal a secret that could destroy her own family if she doesn't, Caitlin faces an impossible choice. Told through alternating viewpoints of Violet, Finn and Caitlin, ALMOST MISSED YOU is a powerful story of a mother's love, a husband's betrayal, connections that maybe should have been missed, secrets that perhaps shouldn't have been kept, and spaces between what's meant to be and what might have been. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/140

Hey there word nerds! Today I am excited to interview Dan Blank, founder of WeGrowMedia and author of the new book Be The Gateway that just came out a few weeks ago. Dan helps writers and creative professionals share their stories and grow their audience. He has worked with hundreds of individuals and some amazing organizations who support creative people, such as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Sesame Workshop, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, And more. His work has been featured by Poets & Writers magazine, The National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, Compose Journal, and 99u. To read the post titled "Be the Gateway" where Dan first talked about the gateway idea, click here. Embed Episode Here In this episode Dan and I discuss: Sometimes setting limits helps you make something big out of something small. We talk about the ups and downs of writing this book and how Dan landed on this particular project The idea of being the gateway (instead of focusing on specific metrics) is a radical shift from how many people think about platform. We discuss why creative people get so hung up on the numbers and how can they get past that and focus on what really matters. Be the Gateway touches on these three themes: Story, Creator, and Topics. We talk about these three components and how they contribute to creating that gateway for an audience Why the "visualization" myth so dangerous and why people buy into it. We also talk about what people can do instead. Plus, Dan's #1 tip for writers. About the Author Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and creative professionals share their stories and grow their audience. He has worked with hundreds of individuals and amazing organizations who support creative people, such as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Sesame Workshop, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, and many others. Dan's work has been featured by Poets & Writers magazine, the National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, Compose Journal, and 99u. Be the Gateway Many people feel the drive to do creative work, but get overwhelmed by the process of connecting with an audience. They follow "best practices" in marketing that never seem to pan out, don't produce results, and make them feel lost and oftentimes, frustrated. Be the Gateway offers a powerful way to have an impact. If you want to share your voice and inspire people with your writing, art, craft, or creative idea, you have to be the gateway for them. Instead of throwing "products" out into the marketplace, you open them up to a new way of looking at the world, of knowing themselves, and connecting with others. You unlock new experiences for them — not just through what you create, but through the unique way in which you share it with the world. Too often we think about the creative process as being separate from the marketing process. Instead, view them as the same. Replace the inclination to "promote" with the desire to share and engage. How and why you create is a story — and is the best asset you can use to truly engage people. Be the Gateway shows you how to use that gift with joy and confidence. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/139.

Hey there word nerds! Today I'm delighted to interview journalist and statistician, Ben Blatt, about his new book Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve. Ben is a former staff writer for Slate and The Harvard Lampoon who has taken his fun approach to data journalism to topics such as Seinfeld, mapmaking, The Beatles, and Jeopardy! His previous book, co-written with Eric Brewster, is I Don't Care if We Never Get Back, which follows the duo's quest to go on the mathematically optimal baseball road trip, traveling 20,000 miles to a game in all thirty ballparks in thirty days without planes. Blatt's work has also been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and Deadspin. In his latest book, Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve, he offers a playful and informative look at what numbers have to say about our favorite authors and a wide range of books, from bestsellers and classics to guilty pleasures. He sets up a slew of original analytical experiments and uses big data to answer some of our most persistent questions about literature. In this episode Ben Blatt and I discuss: The Adverb Question: Do great writers use more adverbs (or fewer) than their non-great counterparts? Should writers avoid adverbs altogether? Do men and women write differently? What does this say about our literary culture? His biggest finding is a sweeping disparity in male and female characters across all genres of writing: women write equally about men and women, but men write overwhelmingly more about men. Are books getting "dumber"? Blatt's findings show that the grade level of #1 bestsellers has fallen by two levels—from 8th grade to 6th—in the past 50 years. Although this might be worrying, it might not necessarily damning—simple can be good at getting a wider audience reading, and the trend doesn't mean that every book is being written at a lower level. What are our favorite writers' favorite words? Using text analysis and setting up his own original experiment, Blatt develops a lengthy list of our favorite author's favorite words. Among them: Nabokov's favorite word is mauve, Jane Austen's favorite is civility (of course it is), EL James's is murmurs. What makes a great opening sentence? When in doubt, keep it short. Of twenty of the "best opening sentences" in literature, 60% of them are short and 40% are long (when compared to the author's average sentence). Plus, Ben's #1 tip for writers. About the Author Ben Blatt is a former staff writer for Slate and The Harvard Lampoon who has taken his fun approach to data journalism to topics such as Seinfeld, mapmaking, The Beatles, and Jeopardy! His previous book, co-written with Eric Brewster, is I Don't Care if We Never Get Back, which follows the duo's quest to go on the mathematically optimal baseball road trip, traveling 20,000 miles to a game in all thirty ballparks in thirty days without planes. Blatt's work has also been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and Deadspin. He lives in Los Angeles. Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve There's a famous piece of writing advice—offered by Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, and myriad writers in between—not to use -ly adverbs like "quickly" or "fitfully." It sounds like solid advice, but can we actually test it? If we were to count all the -ly adverbs these authors used in their careers, do they follow their own advice compared to other celebrated authors? What's more, do great books in general—the classics and the bestsellers—share this trait? In Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve, statistician and journalist Ben Blatt brings big data to the literary canon, exploring the wealth of fun findings that remain hidden in the works of the world's greatest writers. He assembles a database of thousands of books and hundreds of millions of words, and starts asking the questions that have intrigued curious word nerds and book lovers for generations: What are our favorite authors' favorite words? Do men and women write differently? Are bestsellers getting dumber over time? Which bestselling writer uses the most clichés? What makes a great opening sentence? How can we judge a book by its cover? And which writerly advice is worth following or ignoring? Blatt draws upon existing analysis techniques and invents some of his own. All of his investigations and experiments are original, conducted himself, and no math knowledge is needed to understand the results. Blatt breaks his findings down into lucid, humorous language and clear and compelling visuals. This eye-opening book will provide you with a new appreciation for your favorite authors and a fresh perspective on your own writing, illuminating both the patterns that hold great prose together and the brilliant flourishes that make it unforgettable. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/138

Hey there word nerds! Today I am thrilled (pun intended) to have award-winning and bestselling author, Clare Mackintosh on the show. Clare spent twelve years in the Thames Valley Police Department, during which time she worked on criminal investigations. After leaving the police force in 2011, she worked as a freelance journalist and social media consultant before writing her bestselling debut novel I Let You Go. She is the winner of two major international Crime Awards and for one of them, she even beat out J.K. Rowling's pseudonym Robert Galbraith to win. She is the Director of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival and lives in the Cotswolds with her husband, a police officer, and their three children. In this episode Clare and I discuss: Balancing work and life and knowing how to give your best where it's needed most. How work and life can influence your writing, both in terms of the topics you write about and the detail you give to certain aspects of the story. And some not-so-obvious ways that your experience can filter into your storytelling. Suggestions for how writers can use more "detective thinking" in their own work, and build up those investigative skills that they can then apply to their writing projects What you do when you feel your story has two strong protagonists. We discuss my theory on protagonists and then about how two strong characters can serve as counterpoints for each other. Sharing bits about the antagonist, the villain, to enhance the reader's experience of the overall story. It's a tricky thing to pull off a slow build-up in a thriller without losing your readers. Plus, Clare's #1 tip for writers. About the Author Clare Mackintosh spent twelve years in the Thames Valley Police Department, during which time she worked on criminal investigations. She left the police force in 2011 to work as a freelance journalist and social media consultant. She is the winner of two coveted international Crime Awards: Prix Polar International, France's foremost crime fiction award, and The UK's Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award, beating J.K. Rowling's pseudonym Robert Galbraith to win. She is the Director of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival and lives in the Cotswolds with her husband, a police officer, and their three children. Visit Clare Mackintosh online at claremackintosh.com, Facebook.com/ClareMackWrites and at twitter.com/claremackint0sh. I See You You do the same thing every day. You know exactly where you're going. You're not alone. That's the nerve-tingling premise behind Clare Mackintosh's second novel I SEE YOU, already a #1 London Times bestseller in the author's native UK. Like Mackintosh's stunning debut I Let You Go, the book with the plot twist heard 'round the world that was picked as one of New York Times's "10 Best Crime Novels of 2016," her new thriller kicks into high-gear from the first chapter and never lets up. When Zoe Walker discovers her own picture in the local newspaper's classified ads, she's shocked. A photo from her Facebook page accompanies a listing for a website called FindTheOne.com. All Zoe's efforts to discover what the ad means lead to dead ends. And then a second woman whose picture appeared in a similar ad is assaulted. When a third woman is murdered, Zoe's unease turns to fear and paranoia. The only thing the three have in common is their daily commute on the London subway system. Someone is methodically tracking down these women...and Zoe is next on the list. The follow-up to the international phenomenon I Let You Go—a debut that sold more than half a million copies in the UK—I See You confirms Clare Mackintosh's growing reputation as one of the most accomplished crime writers at work today. Before turning to writing, Mackintosh spent twelve years as a detective and her police work informs her remarkably realistic, pulse-pounding thrillers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/137

Hey there word nerds! Today I'm interviewing Dale Wiley, author and Missouri attorney, who has some fascinating credits to his name. For starters, he has had a character named after him on CSI, owned a record label, been interviewed by Bob Edwards on NPR's Morning Edition and made alternative fuel motorcycles for Merle Haggard and John Paul DeJoria. He is also one of the few people to who have met Ronald Reagan and Flavor Flav. Dale has three awesome kids and spends his days working as a lawyer fighting the big banks. He has als0 written three novels and is currently developing two original scripted projects for TV: the gritty drama, The East Side with Andréa Vasilo; and the sitcom, Confessions of a Bunny Smuggler, with Fayr Barkley. In this episode we discuss: The subgenre of metafiction, how it works to tell a story, and how it might not work, as well. Writers writing about writing for writers. Finding ideas and inspiration from the fact that the elements of story are, in fact, universal. Plus, their #1 tip for writers. About the Author Dale Wiley is a Missouri attorney, who has had a character named after him on CSI, owned a record label, been interviewed by Bob Edwards on NPR's Morning Edition and made motorcycles for Merle Haggard and John Paul DeJoria. He is also one of the few people to who have met Ronald Reagan and Flavor Flav. Dale has three awesome kids and spends his days working as a lawyer fighting the big banks. He has als0 written three novels and is currently developing two original scripted projects for TV: the gritty drama, The East Side with Andréa Vasilo; and the sitcom, Confessions of a Bunny Smuggler, with Fayr Barkley. Southern Gothic Misery meets Gone Girl, SOUTHERN GOTHIC is Dale Wiley's latest page-turner. Not since his incendiary thrillers, Sabotage and The Intern, has Wiley treated readers to his heady brew of hair-trigger suspense and dark secrets. In this twisted and delightfully disturbing novel, one woman learns the true price of making a deal with the devil. Lovely Meredith Harper is living a life of lonely indifference – shuttling between her beloved Savannah, Georgia bookstore and her empty house, pining after a dream of being an author that now seems out of reach. Publishers had resoundingly passed on her only novel, Red Ribbon. In spite of herself, she's haunted by her ex-husband's insult – that she'll never be a real writer, only a fan. Everything changes when Meredith finds a red ribbon tied to the inside of her doorknob. No one in her life would do such a thing. There is only one possibility: Michael Black, her favorite author, who was the only person besides friends and publishers to receive a copy of her manuscript. But he vanished years ago and was even rumored to be dead. Meredith races to uncover the truth behind the mysterious visitor, and her suspicions about his identity are confirmed. But how? Why now? Why her? And, most confusingly, why is Michael Black offering her a completely rewritten manuscript of Red Ribbon to publish under her own name? Exploring the dangerous divides between fame, fandom, romance, murder, and possession, SOUTHERN GOTHIC fascinates until the novel's final breath. It makes the offer you can't refuse—and shackles you to the demons of your fantasies. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/136

Hey there word nerds! Today's interview features Brian Meehl, author of four novels that have garnered several awards and starred book reviews: Out of Patience, Suck It Up, Suck It Up and Die, and You Don't Know About Me. His latest genre-bending novel, Blowback '07, transports readers back to 19077, a time when legendary coach Pop Warner, future Olympian Jim Thorpe, and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School's team the "Redmen" revolutionized America's most popular sport—football. In a former incarnation, Brian was a puppeteer on "Sesame Street" and in Jim Henson films, including The Dark Crystal and he also wrote for television shows like "The Magic School Bus" and "Between the Lions," for which he won three Emmys. He lives in Connecticut and is currently working on Blowback '63 and Blowback '94, the second and third installments of the Blowback trilogy. In this episode Brian and I discuss: Using history to inspire and inform your writing, and the wealth of ideas that come from true events that have come from the past. The importance of research in capturing details that help your story's world feels real. Using your research, your area of interest, and the specific idiosyncrasies of your particular topic to fuel your blog and platform building. Balancing close points of view with an omniscient narrator, the strengths and the challenges. Keeping your own growth and process in mind when you write. You're not going to publish everything that you write. Plus, his #1 tip for writers. About the Author Brian Meehl has published four novels with Random House: Out of Patience, Suck It Up, Suck It Up and Die, and You Don't Know About Me. His books have garnered a Junior Library Guild Selection, a Blue Ribbon from the Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books and starred reviews in Publishers Weekly. In a former incarnation, Brian was a puppeteer on "Sesame Street" and in Jim Henson films, including "The Dark Crystal." His transition from puppets to pen included writing for television shows such as "The Magic School Bus" and "Between the Lions," for which he won three Emmys. He lives in Connecticut and is writing Blowback '63 and Blowback '94. For more information about Brian Meehl and his books, please visit www.brianmeehl.com and www.blowbacktrilogy.com. Blowback '07 It has become infamous for stripping children of their language and culture, but most people forget that the Carlisle Indian Industrial School also gave birth to America's most popular sport as we now know it—football. In Brian Meehl's genre-bending novel Blowback '07; readers are transported back to 1907 where legendary coach Pop Warner, future Olympian Jim Thorpe, and the Carlisle "Redmen" change the game. Their plays and formations like the modern "spread" and "shotgun," have since become mainstays in high school, college, and professional football. Clashing twins have one thing in common: an ancient musical instrument left to them by their mother. When Iris plays the strangely curved woodwind, the trouble begins: the school's star quarterback, disappears. Transported to 1907 and the Carlisle Indian School, Matt, one of the protagonists, is forced to play football for Coach Pop Warner as the Carlisle "Redmen" revolutionize Ivy League football. His struggle to "play his way home" is complicated when he falls in love with an Indian girl. Meanwhile, there are a cache of secrets that might help bring back someone very dear trapped in the past. Blowback '07 launches a century-spanning trilogy to be continued in Blowback '63 and Blowback '94. Books two and three propel the characters to another illuminating past, and transform them in ways they never imagined. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/135

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Sally Parry, the Executive Director of the Sinclair Lewis Society. She earned her PhD in American Literature (as well as 19th Century British Fiction and Medieval Literature) from Fordham University in NYC and wrote her dissertation on Sinclair Lewis (Sinclair Lewis: The Darkening Vision of His Later Novels). She is currently the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student Affairs at Illinois State University. In this interview, we're going to talk about Sinclair Lewis' novel It Can't Happen Here. Originally published in 1935 as a response to the rise of Hitler and Mussolini in Europe, It Can't Happen Here has renewed relevance in the wake of Donald Trump's campaign and election. In fact, sales numbers for this title have gone through the roof, with mass market sales up 2,611% over last year, and eBook sales have jumped 1,528%. Not only that, this book has gotten a lot of buzz in the media in the past year, and this momentum doesn't appear to be slowing down. I'm excited to speak with Dr. Sally Parry about this book and the role that literature plays in politics and activism. In this episode Sally and I discuss: Literature and activism, and how to Author intentions versus audience perceptions The social responsibilities of writers Plus, her #1 tip for writers. About Sinclair Lewis About the Sinclair Lewis Society:The Sinclair Lewis Society was formed to encourage study of, critical attention to, and interest in the work, career, and legacy of Sinclair Lewis. The Society works to facilitate a broader discussion of his writing among scholars, critics, teachers, students, book collectors, and readers everywhere.Members of the Sinclair Lewis Society receive the bi-annual Sinclair Lewis Society Newsletter. We encourage scholarship concerning Sinclair Lewis, and we have provided a bibliography of primary and secondary sources concerning Lewis on our scholarly works page, as well as transcripts from an exclusive interview with Richard Lingeman, author of Sinclair Lewis: Rebel from Main Street. We also meet every few years in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, Lewis' hometown, for conferences and usually in connection with the annual Sinclair Lewis Days.Sinclair Lewis Bio:Harry Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951) was born in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. His childhood and early youth were spent in the Midwest, and later he attended Yale University, where he was editor of the literary magazine. After graduating in 1907, he worked as a reporter and in editorial positions at various newspapers, magazines, and publishing houses from the East Coast to California. He was able to give this work up after a few of his stories had appeared in magazines and his first novel, Our Mr. Wrenn (1914), had been published. Main Street (1920) was his first really successful novel, and his reputation was secured by the publication of Babbitt (1922). Lewis was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Arrowsmith (1925) but refused to accept the honor, saying the prize was meant to go to a novel that celebrated the wholesomeness of American life, something his books did not do. He did accept, however, when in 1930 he became the first American writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. During the last part of his life, he spent a great deal of time in Europe and continued to write both novels and plays. In 1950, after completing his last novel, World So Wide (1951), he intended to take an extended tour but became ill and was forced to settle in Rome, where he spent some months working on his poems before dying. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/134

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of interview award-winning author Sebastian Barry, about his latest book Days Without End. Sebastian Barry is the author of seven novels, including A Long Long Way and The Secret Scripture (now a major motion picture starring Rooney Mara and Vanessa Redgrave). He has won the Costa Book of the Year Award, the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year Award, and the Walter Scott Prize. His work has twice been short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. He lives in Ireland. Days Without End is a historical novel set during the Indian Wars in the American west, and the Civil War, about two young men who are brothers in arms and also lovers. It's a story where the gay relationship is the only consistently joyful thing against the otherwise bleak background of war, genocide and the American empire. In this episode we discuss: Recognizing how your real life becomes infused in your best writing. Shaking off the self-consciousness of writing. Being aware of what's not in the books you're reading and striving to create what's not "out there." Plus, Sebastian's #1 tip for writers. About the Author Sebastian Barry is the author of seven novels, including A Long Long Way and The Secret Scripture (now a major motion picture starring Rooney Mara and Vanessa Redgrave). He has won the Costa Book of the Year Award, the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year Award, and the Walter Scott Prize. His work has twice been short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. He lives in Ireland. Days Without End The book is inspired by and dedicated to Barry's son, who came out as gay recently and on whose behalf Barry advocated for LGBT marriage rights during the Irish marriage referendum. The letter he wrote for the Irish Times on the subject went viral, and was read aloud in the Irish and Australian parliaments. The character of John Cole is a portrait of his son Toby's boyfriend, Jack. Writing gay love was new territory for Barry, and part of his historical research for the novel was looking into the (elusive) history of gay life during that time through primary sources. There is a seriously researched and utterly moving history of proto drag on the frontier. John and Thomas, the main characters, first find work crossdressing, working as dance partners in saloons for lonely miners in frontier towns. Barry takes on the psychology of drag from Thomas' point of view—what his costumes mean to his identity, which is split between his occupation as a soldier and the secret family he has built with John. Days Without End shifts the narrow expectations of what "masculine" literature can be and do. The book is in dialogue with and in some ways a rebuttal to Annie Proulx's Brokeback Mountain, in that the gay relationship is the only consistently joyful thing in otherwise bleak novel about genocide and American empire, rather than the source of anguish and frustration it is in Proulx's novel. With John and Thomas, Barry wanted to portray the joy that he observes in his son's relationship with his boyfriend, rather than shame and persecution. In Days Without End, Thomas McNulty, a "wren-sized" young man barely seventeen and an Irish refugee of the Great Famine, signs up for the U.S. Army in the 1850s with his brother in arms John Cole. The two friends are sent to fight in the Indian Wars against the Sioux and Yurok, and ultimately in the Civil War. Fans of Sebastian Barry's subtly interconnected novels will rediscover the McNulty family—based on members of Barry's own family—in the New World, as Thomas McNulty travels from the contested frontier plains of Wyoming, to the Union battlegrounds of Virginia and Maryland, to the starving remains of scorched earth towns in Tennessee. Days Without End is a powerful literary portrait of a time when Americans were pitted against Americans in bloody struggles fought to define the borders and identity of the nation. Barry writes of this period as it was experienced by common soldiers: men who did not determine or even necessarily understand the wars they fought, but who fought anyway, merely to survive them. Not just a war novel, Days Without End is also a poignant love story, about two men and the unlikely family they form with a young Sioux girl, Winona. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/133

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Shanthi Sekaran, author of the new novel Lucky Boy, a book that has been getting a lot of pre-publication buzz and is an Indie Next Great Read pick for January 2017. In this episode Shanthi and I discuss: The importance of fiction in humanizing different groups of people by bringing them and their experiences to life on the page. Using both research and imagination to create a vivid experience for your readers, and in particular how she crafted the dramatic immigration scenes in her book. Connection to the point of view of the characters and how to capture their experiences and emotions with authenticity. Crafting her book around the theme of motherhood, and how "mother" can mean very different things to different people. The universality of the "immigrant experience" in America, and how there are many common threads between immigrants from wildly different experiences. How there are also stark differences between immigrants with different levels of privilege, and how it's important for us to understand these varied experiences. Why it's important that writers live their lives and be present in the world. Plus, her #1 tip for writers. About the Author Shathi teaches creative writing at California College of the Arts, and is a member of the Portuguese Artists' Colony and the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. Her work has appeared in Best New American Voices and Canteen, and online at Zyzzyva and Mutha Magazine. A California native, she lives in Berkeley with her husband and two children. Lucky Boy Lucky Boy is a moving story about two unforgettable women in California: an undocumented Mexican woman and an Indian-American wife. Both love the same child but can't have him. The novel beautifully weaves together the themes of motherhood, immigration, infertility, adoption and minority life in America (and tackles immigrant detention centers) and is a must-read in our current political environment. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/132