Mercy Gene
We’ve been told that everything is explainable or will be one day, so let me just say, I can’t explain what I’m trying to explain. I think we’re more mystical and magical, and my calling to write has never been about trying to get to a concrete understanding of things. It’s been more about trying…
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Becky Blake
I have a compulsion to find patterns in things, so my stories usually include echoing images and ideas. These moments of connection in the text are sort of like Easter eggs for readers to find as they progress—little treats that I hope will sustain them en route to the final page.
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Patterson House
While it might have been easier to have only male characters be misogynist, it would be too simplistic. That’s not how misogyny works. Patriarchy teaches women that we are inferior, and that our secondary status is natural and deserved. To believe that there is something inherently wrong with oneself, to internalize this misogyny, is a…
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Jonathan Odell on Letting a Character Live One More Chapter
Each time I conveniently killed off a character was an act of authorial cowardice. I decided to allow them to exist for a few pages more pages.
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Places Like These
Often, in this book, the feelings I’m drawing on are those of feeling trapped, helpless, unsure how to proceed, or else overwhelmed by strange environments. This is perhaps another reason that these stories take place in many different places: because those are the times in my own life when I’ve felt unsure of where I’m…
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