Ask the Author: Elizabeth Rosner
Answered Questions (7)
Elizabeth Rosner
Hi David. Thanks for your note and apologies for my delayed reply. I'm delighted to hear of your personal connections to Steinmetz, and truly appreciate knowing that there are ongoing re-discoveries of his important work! As for the Longboats, I was initially inspired by meeting a member of the Mohawk tribe in San Miguel de Allende, MEXICO (where I own a small home and where I am at this very moment). He was an indigenous dancer, close to my age, and when he told me his family was from Schenectady I realized that the living presence of his people had been invisible to me all my life. I began to investigate further and had an intuitive sense that Steinmetz felt his own deep interest in Native Americans... thus the characters of Joseph and his grandson Martin arose into being. That's the short version!
Elizabeth Rosner
My most recent novel, ELECTRIC CITY, was inspired by my realization that I hadn't yet written about the place in which I grew up --- Schenectady, NY. Some of the main characters were inspired by historical figures --- especially Charles Proteus Steinmetz. And other characters came to me in chance encounters, both real and imaginary. I wanted to write about home, that place both literal and metaphorical, and the ways we become ourselves.
Elizabeth Rosner
I daydream a lot. And I spend as much time as possible in very very quiet spaces, so that I can hear the voices whispering inside me.
Elizabeth Rosner
I've got two (two!!!) new books coming out in October: my third novel, ELECTRIC CITY (Counterpoint), and my first full-length poetry collection, GRAVITY (Atelier26 Books). In the meantime, I'm gathering notes for my next project....
Elizabeth Rosner
Persevere. I know that is a short answer, but it's truly the one best piece of advice I can offer. The second best advice I can give is to follow your heart.
Elizabeth Rosner
I feel fortunate to be able to wake up most mornings and choose how I want to spend my day. It seems to me that this level of freedom and autonomy is nothing short of miraculous.
Elizabeth Rosner
I prefer to think of time spent away from my writing as time for my material to refresh itself, and perhaps to increase my tolerance for uncertainty. I admit to experiencing quite a bit of fear and doubt when too many days (weeks!) pass like this, but I have learned over the years that my own level of productivity isn't easily measured by the number of hours per day spent in active pursuit of words or sentences or pages. That being said, I often envy other writers who seem to have better strategies than my own for staying "on task."
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