Sam Lien asked Francisco X. Stork:

Why did you choose the main character of The Memory of Light to be a female, instead of a male like yourself?

Francisco X. Stork Thank you for reading The Memory of Light, Sam. And thank you for the good question. In writing this book, I drew upon my own experience with depression and I think it was helpful to have a little distance between me and the main character. Vicky allowed me to have that healthy distance. I think if I had written about a young man, I would have imagined myself too much as the character whose thoughts and words I was expressing. Creating a young woman allowed me to focus and creating a new person, separate from me, while still sharing a lot of my own experiences. I also think that we all have qualities that the world calls "feminine" and qualities that the world calls "masculine." I like tapping into the "feminine" qualities in myself. They are good.

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