Devoted to publishing, publishers and to those who craft the written word

"Words for aspiring authors? Don’t forget to look to the small publishers or independent presses. Believe me, I would have loved nothing more than a large advance from a big publisher because I really want an Infiniti FX 35 and a trip to Paris along with granite countertops and distressed wood flooring ... That was not in the cards for me."

That's novelist Cindy Bokma (author of A Thousand Dollars for A Kiss) discussing humility and comedy with our featured novelist, Gayle Brandeis in a special novelist-interviewing-novelist blog interview.

In her new novel Self Storage, Brandeis writes about the imagined and real differences between an Afghani immigrant and an American woman. She handled that difficult contrast with a similar sense of self-depreciation and plucky social conscience--a mix that earned her the Bellwether Prize for an earlier novel.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a serialized set of weekly interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web publishing... 

Jason Boog: 
How do you research and create such a rich, mysterious, but realistic character? Any advice for the fledgling writer looking to write about people from other cultures without being disrespectful or dishonest?

 
Gayle Brandeis:
I think writing with compassion is the key. Continue reading...
 

Keeping an open heart and an open mind.

Backing up that empathy with as much research as possible (and hopefully research that involves really talking to people, engaging with the other culture, honoring both our differences and our shared humanity.)

I find that fiction is so powerful because it helps us see that the Other is not so Other after all. I hope to be able to use my work as a continuing call for tolerance and respect.

Editors Note: The original post wrongly attributed that first quote. We apologize for the glaring error!