Ask the Author: Joy Fowler
Answered Questions (11)
Joy Fowler
The lantern's light spread a golden circle across the back porch, illuminating the tri-color hound dozing in front of the fan. I reached out to wake him, but he was cold and still and gone beyond my touch forever.
Joy Fowler
Definitely Narnia! I would do anything Aslan required of me and hopefully make friends with a talking horse;)
Joy Fowler
I plan to do more writing than reading this summer since I've already done most of my research for the next book but I will be reading Pythagora's Trousers which I gave to my son. He's finished it so now it's my turn and then we can compare notes.
Joy Fowler
My grandmother once told me about a distant relative that the family never mentioned due to some terrible thing he (or she) had done. She was telling me this as a cautionary tale regarding my own behavior but the effect was to make me curious as to what actually happened and why the family would choose to disown one of its own rather than help. Of course, maybe someone did choose to help out but since it was such a secret, this was not widely known.
Joy Fowler
Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy spring to mind because they overcame their initial dislike of one another and took the time to really see each other more deeply. I will continue to think this over and come up with some more eclectic couples.
Joy Fowler
I rarely get blocked because I store up a treasure chest of resources, ideas, research, etc., before I begin, so all I have to do is choose one for direction. This includes making a story map, beginning to end, with high points and sharp turns marked along the way. Also once the story gets going, my characters take on lives of their own so all I need to do is shut my eyes, get in the scene with them and record what they say and do. Then when I come back to revise, I'll see if it makes sense or not, is true to the characters as I have drawn them and moves the plot forward. Failing all that, I say get up and away. Go outside. Take a nap. Eat something. Play with the dog. Take a bath. Probably not watch TV or read anything else (Rereading what you've written can be good.) because then you'll have another story in your head but even that can be useful if you watch or read with an author's mind.
Joy Fowler
You can do it from wherever you are, have it be just as you want it without being a liar and easily share it with whomever you so desire or no one at all.
Joy Fowler
Write about what matters to you, what makes a difference, what has meaning, what you want to know, what you need others to know, what happens when we act without thinking or caring and when we do. Lots. From different points of view. In different voices. Read everything you can get your hands on. Research. Dream. Revise. Edit. Observe deeply, for nuance. Train your senses and memory. Laugh. Love. Ponder. Be kind. Find compassionate readers and audiences. Ask for feedback. Polish and publish. Be proud and patient. Take risks. Take the other side of the argument, i.e. be the devil's advocate. Share. Teach. Repeat.
Joy Fowler
I am in the midst of researching for my next book which will be #3 in the Strong Sister Series. This one returns to the Civil War, 1863, Gettysburg, and brings Cully back as the narrator. It is the story of her adventures with the Cleveland Bay stallion Scrivington, and many other historical figures, as they take on a dangerous secret mission to alert her uncle Gen. J.E.B. Stuart to the change of battle plans that changed history forever.
Joy Fowler
When I realize there's something I want to know or tell others about, which usually involved some perceived injustice on my part, I get excited figuring out the best way to get the job done. Maybe I'm a journalist posing as a fiction writer because I feel a huge responsibility for setting things right, for telling it like it is, for widening the view.
Joy Fowler
Mami of the Mountain came from my love of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and my experiences of growing up there on my granddaddy's tobacco farm. One of the families was of Melungeon heritage and got me interested in finding out about their history. Also, my son and I used to play a rhyming game. One of the names he came up with for me was Mami Salami! And of course, there always has to be an equine involved. Honey is drawn from my Haflinger Sam and some of the adventures we have had.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more