Ask the Author: Susan Henderson
Answered Questions (7)
Susan Henderson
I've been reading a lot of research books for my new novel, including patient records from a local asylum. But, for pleasure, these are some of the books I've read this summer...
Emily Fridlund, The History of Wolves
Ken Follett, The Pillars of the Earth
Tommy Orange, There, There
A.K. Small, Bright Burning Stars
Charles D'Ambrosio, Loitering
Laila Lalami, The Moor's Account
Oliver Sacks, Gratitude
Anne Rice, The Witching Hour
Alice McDermott, Charming Billy
David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas
Richard Powers, The Overstory
Lisa Wingate, Before We Were Yours
Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
Yuko Tsushima, Territory of Light
Anne Tyler, Breathing Lessons
Valeria Luiselli, Tell Me How It Ends
Marcia Butler, Pickle's Progress
Daniel Mason, The Piano Tuner
David Oshinsky, Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem
Tara Westover, Educated: A Memoir
Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits
Ryünosuke Akutagawa, "Rashömon"
Jim Ray Daniels, The Perp Walk
Ann Hood, The Red Thread
Yuyi Morales, Dreamers
And a few re-reads:
Tana French, In the Woods
Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon
Kate DiCamillo, Because of Winn-Dixie
Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere
Emily Fridlund, The History of Wolves
Ken Follett, The Pillars of the Earth
Tommy Orange, There, There
A.K. Small, Bright Burning Stars
Charles D'Ambrosio, Loitering
Laila Lalami, The Moor's Account
Oliver Sacks, Gratitude
Anne Rice, The Witching Hour
Alice McDermott, Charming Billy
David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas
Richard Powers, The Overstory
Lisa Wingate, Before We Were Yours
Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
Yuko Tsushima, Territory of Light
Anne Tyler, Breathing Lessons
Valeria Luiselli, Tell Me How It Ends
Marcia Butler, Pickle's Progress
Daniel Mason, The Piano Tuner
David Oshinsky, Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem
Tara Westover, Educated: A Memoir
Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits
Ryünosuke Akutagawa, "Rashömon"
Jim Ray Daniels, The Perp Walk
Ann Hood, The Red Thread
Yuyi Morales, Dreamers
And a few re-reads:
Tana French, In the Woods
Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon
Kate DiCamillo, Because of Winn-Dixie
Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere
Susan Henderson
Hi Karl, Thank you for this. And grateful that you read and enjoyed the book! There are a few mentions of TV and the internet as showing the new generations what opportunities and conveniences are out there for them, and also showing a world that, for some, doesn't reflect who they are are who they want to become. But I kept it fairly absent in the book, one, to keep the story world more contained and, two, because when I spent a month in the town that inspired Petroleum, I couldn't get a cell phone connection or more than a spinning wheel on the internet the entire time I was there.
Susan Henderson
I like to circle a topic for a while before I figure out how to enter it. For example, THE FLICKER OF OLD DREAMS began with my alarm and obsession about the rage I saw everyday (on bumper stickers and on the news) between one American and another.
So first, I just started to notice and turn toward every example I stumbled upon during my ordinary day. Then I went to a small town and just listened. And that led me to following around the unemployed and to the empty buildings (including the abandoned grain elevator and buried train tracks) where they once worked.
Suddenly I wanted to know everything I could about grain elevators and the frustration of being unemployed and underemployed, and there was a lot more to write about (and learn about) than rage.
So, if you don't feel inspired to write, get out in the world and listen, and follow one interest and see what it's connected to, keep your ears and your mind open to whatever you might find!
So first, I just started to notice and turn toward every example I stumbled upon during my ordinary day. Then I went to a small town and just listened. And that led me to following around the unemployed and to the empty buildings (including the abandoned grain elevator and buried train tracks) where they once worked.
Suddenly I wanted to know everything I could about grain elevators and the frustration of being unemployed and underemployed, and there was a lot more to write about (and learn about) than rage.
So, if you don't feel inspired to write, get out in the world and listen, and follow one interest and see what it's connected to, keep your ears and your mind open to whatever you might find!
Susan Henderson
My advice is to read broadly--classics, bestsellers, novels, poetry, memoir, essays. This is to fine tune your ear to good writing, in all its diversity. Then interact on blogs or FaceBook pages of authors you admire. Don't ask them for favors, but just become a part of the writer world, watch how they balance work and play, see how they cope with doubt. And take baby steps toward publication credits. Find flash fiction sites and see how to tell a story in a few strokes. Maybe try an online workshop with Sackett Street. You will get there! If you feel doubt, if you're writing terrible drafts, if you're receiving rejection letters, then you're experiencing what all of your favorite writers have experienced. Just keep going! xo
Susan Henderson
Thank you, thank you. Best Christmas present!
Susan Henderson
Thank you, Shannon! I hope you enjoy it. I've been meaning to read From Here to Eternity... thanks for the reminder! xo
Susan Henderson
I get to go anywhere in my imagination. I get to learn new skills well enough to write about them (such as mortuary skills for my latest book). And I get to wrestle with issues that are unresolved within me until I feel some sense of peace. That's actually the main reason I write.
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