Recently, I filled out the following questionnaire for
Author 1-On-1 Reading Group Choices, and I wanted to share my answers with you:
1. Is it possible to be a good writer without being a good reader?
I believe to be a good writer one must have a deep love of reading. The two are so connected; it would be akin to someone attempting to design a building without having studied architecture. I’m always reading something. The only exception is when I’m on the last leg of a deadline. Then, I have to turn my complete focus on the work in progress. During this phase of the process, I don’t watch TV or do much socializing then either. I call it ‘retreating deep into my writing cave.’
2. According to a report of the Independent Book Publishing Association, over five million American adults belong to reading groups. What, do you believe, is the basis for this country’s love for literature and books?
Most people simply love a good story and love to share the experience. Books transport us, teach us and allow us to have new experiences – even if they are virtual – and book clubs afford the reader the opportunity to share these experiences as a community.
3. Have you ever belonged to a reading group?
Yes I have, and I’ve spoken to many. They’re great fun. It’s interesting to hear different takes on different books. Some resonate, some don’t. It’s intriguing to learn why or why not.
4. What advice do you have for reading group members when it comes to selecting books for discussion?
Take turns letting each members choose. It may not always be something you’d pick up, but you might surprise yourself and in the process discover a new author and/or genre you wouldn’t have tried before.
5. What book(s) are you reading now or planning to read?
I’m reading a lot on the French Impressionists – research!! And I’m just finishing “Missing Mom,” by Joyce Carol Oates. After that, I will revisit “To Kill A Mockingbird.”
6. If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring one book with you to read, what would it be and why?
Just one?? I suppose it would have to be a huge leather-bound collection of seven Jane Austen novels.
7. If you could have dinner with 3 writers (dead or alive) who would they be and why?
Ø Anaïs Nin – because she was a sensualist and a seeker
Ø Jack Kerouac – because he was a free spirit and really lived
Ø Emile Zola – because he was a close friend of the French Impressionists and I’d love to pick his brain.
8. Have you ever read anything you're too embarrassed to admit (except in this interview)?
No, I can’t say I’ve ever been embarrassed by anything I’ve read. I’m a firm believer that if a person is reading – no matter the book – it’s cause for celebration.
9. Favorite book when you were a child?
Maurice Sendak’s “Where The Wild Things Are.” It was such a masterpiece of imagination. To this day, I love how he strings words together.
10. If you have children, is this the same book you read to them? If not, what is your favorite book for your children?
I did read it to my daughter, but after she was born, I also discovered Sendak’s “In The Night Kitchen.” Another one I loved to read to her was the classic, “Good night Moon.” I loved the way the words and phrases flowed.
11. Favorite heroine in literature and why?
Jo March, because I relate to her as a writer, but also, I like her brave, passionate, outspoken ways.
12. Favorite first line from a book?
“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board.” (Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston)
13. Favorite last line from a book?
"I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath, and hare-bells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth." (Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte)
14. Words to live by?
“One’s life shrinks or expands according to one’s courage.” – Anaïs Nin
