Ask Wiley Cash - January 24, 2013 discussion
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Jan 07, 2013 11:46AM
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I love the cover of your hardback and thought it would be hard to beat but, I have to say, I think I like the paperback cover even more. What do you think of it?
want to know his inspiration for the story...is this something in his personal history or something that happened in the news.....also do you have the entire story from first line to last chapter in your mind before you starting writing.
Thrilled to hear about this Q&A event, Wiley. I enjoyed your debut novel very much. You chose to write A Land More Kind Than Home featuring three distinctive points of view. What were the challenges you faced, and at any point did you regret this decision?Deborah J. Ledford
This was one of favorite novels I read all year! My first question will be, if Wiley experienced any of the things that happened in the book.
I loved your book! I've recommended it to many and will use it in my book club. What's next? Thanks!
Mr. Cash, I would like to say I loved A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME and it truly was the best book I read all of last year. Now for the question!First, North Carolina has a long tradition of literary excellence. After the success of A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME do you feel any added pressure in writing your next novel knowing that you are now part of a legacy that includes Thomas Wolfe, Clyde Edgerton, and many others?
Second, in A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME you paint a beautifully charming character who reminds me of many women I've known in Adelaide Lyle. Is she the result of an amalgamation of older women you have known, directly related to somebody in particular, or just the product of your imagination? While on the subject of Adelaide Lyle I would also like to know if the story her great aunt tells her about the confederate soldiers is true or made up?
Finally for fun, who is your favorite southern author? If you had to pick between either Thomas Wolfe or William Faulkner on a desert island, who would you take?
Mr. Cash, I really enjoyed your novel. I've recommended it to several friends and I'm yet to hear a bad review. I was born and raised in North Carolina and still live here. I would like to know if you are working on your next book and when it will be out. I'm very anxious to see what you do next.
Hello, Wiley Cash~Your novel was one of my favorites read during 2012. The three distinct voices used to narrate the story could have created a disaster worse than novel suicide; was this merely a stylistic choice or did the story present in fragments from three different perspectives? As both writer and instructor, I am curious about the actual process.
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
Kathy (Bermudaonion) wrote: "I love the cover of your hardback and thought it would be hard to beat but, I have to say, I think I like the paperback cover even more. What do you think of it?"
Hey Kathy! I loved the hardcover cover, but I have to admit that I love the paperback just as much, if not more. It's really haunting - the image of the child - and blue is actually my favorite color.
Hey Kathy! I loved the hardcover cover, but I have to admit that I love the paperback just as much, if not more. It's really haunting - the image of the child - and blue is actually my favorite color.
Rena wrote: "Hello, Wiley Cash~
Your novel was one of my favorites read during 2012. The three distinct voices used to narrate the story could have created a disaster worse than novel suicide; was this merely..."
Hey Rena! I decided to use three narrators because I knew that one of them alone couldn't tell this story - they simply didn't have all the facts or the experience that rendered them capable of telling it. But I didn't want the distance that a third-person narrator brings to a story like this. I wanted it to be the community's story, and the only way I could figure to do that was to let the community tell it.
Your novel was one of my favorites read during 2012. The three distinct voices used to narrate the story could have created a disaster worse than novel suicide; was this merely..."
Hey Rena! I decided to use three narrators because I knew that one of them alone couldn't tell this story - they simply didn't have all the facts or the experience that rendered them capable of telling it. But I didn't want the distance that a third-person narrator brings to a story like this. I wanted it to be the community's story, and the only way I could figure to do that was to let the community tell it.
Jared wrote: "Mr. Cash, I really enjoyed your novel. I've recommended it to several friends and I'm yet to hear a bad review. I was born and raised in North Carolina and still live here.
I would like to kno..."
Hey Jared! Where do you live in NC? My next novel is scheduled to be out in Nov. 2013. It's set in my hometown of Gastonia NC, and it's about a washed-up minor league baseball player who kidnaps his two daughters from a foster home.
I would like to kno..."
Hey Jared! Where do you live in NC? My next novel is scheduled to be out in Nov. 2013. It's set in my hometown of Gastonia NC, and it's about a washed-up minor league baseball player who kidnaps his two daughters from a foster home.
Justin wrote: "Mr. Cash, I would like to say I loved A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME and it truly was the best book I read all of last year. Now for the question!
First, North Carolina has a long tradition of litera..."
Hey Justin... good to see you here. it's really hard to imagine myself even being mentioned with Wolfe and Frazier, but I do like to think of myself as a NC writer; that's really important to me - that sense of place and sense of BELONGING to a place.
Adelaide's character was modelled after my paternal grandmother, whose middle name was Adeline. The story of the Civil War soldiers was based on a true story that happened in HOt Springs, NC. Check out VICTIMS by a guy named Philip Paluduan or Ron Rash's THE WORLD MADE STRAIGHT. You can also search for the "Shelton Laurel Massacare."
WOlfe or Faulkner? That's like trying to decide between sandwiches or pizza: I love both of them so much for very different reasons. I feel you have to read Faulkner with a pen in hand, so I'd probably choose Wolfe for the desert island; I probably wouldn't have a pen.
First, North Carolina has a long tradition of litera..."
Hey Justin... good to see you here. it's really hard to imagine myself even being mentioned with Wolfe and Frazier, but I do like to think of myself as a NC writer; that's really important to me - that sense of place and sense of BELONGING to a place.
Adelaide's character was modelled after my paternal grandmother, whose middle name was Adeline. The story of the Civil War soldiers was based on a true story that happened in HOt Springs, NC. Check out VICTIMS by a guy named Philip Paluduan or Ron Rash's THE WORLD MADE STRAIGHT. You can also search for the "Shelton Laurel Massacare."
WOlfe or Faulkner? That's like trying to decide between sandwiches or pizza: I love both of them so much for very different reasons. I feel you have to read Faulkner with a pen in hand, so I'd probably choose Wolfe for the desert island; I probably wouldn't have a pen.
Patricia wrote: "want to know his inspiration for the story...is this something in his personal history or something that happened in the news.....
also do you have the entire story from first line to last chapter..."
I got the idea for this novel from a similar event that happened in Chicago. There have been a lot of instancs of people being hurt or killed as a result of these types of healings. I was really interested in a community that would believe something "to death," and once I set this story in western NC it just came alive to me.
also do you have the entire story from first line to last chapter..."
I got the idea for this novel from a similar event that happened in Chicago. There have been a lot of instancs of people being hurt or killed as a result of these types of healings. I was really interested in a community that would believe something "to death," and once I set this story in western NC it just came alive to me.
Deborah wrote: "Thrilled to hear about this Q&A event, Wiley. I enjoyed your debut novel very much. You chose to write A Land More Kind Than Home featuring three distinctive points of view. What were the challenge..."
Great question, Deborah. I never regretted the decision to use multiple narrators, but I did struggle in corraling all of their voices. Jimmy Hall and his son Ben also started out as narrators, but something about their voices and the knowledge they possessed of events wouldn't fit into the narrative structure, so I had to cut them. I also struggled with pacing the plot in a way that matched the characters'/narrators' knowledge. That was one of the hardest things about seeing the novel through its final drafts.
Great question, Deborah. I never regretted the decision to use multiple narrators, but I did struggle in corraling all of their voices. Jimmy Hall and his son Ben also started out as narrators, but something about their voices and the knowledge they possessed of events wouldn't fit into the narrative structure, so I had to cut them. I also struggled with pacing the plot in a way that matched the characters'/narrators' knowledge. That was one of the hardest things about seeing the novel through its final drafts.
Michael wrote: "This was one of favorite novels I read all year! My first question will be, if Wiley experienced any of the things that happened in the book."
I've never been to a snake-handling service or seen anyone drink poison or handle fire. I've heard my fair share of folks "speak in tongues," and I've been in charismatic churches where people dance and shout. It's a pretty intoxicating environment, and I can totally understand how it reaffirms someone's belief.
I've never been to a snake-handling service or seen anyone drink poison or handle fire. I've heard my fair share of folks "speak in tongues," and I've been in charismatic churches where people dance and shout. It's a pretty intoxicating environment, and I can totally understand how it reaffirms someone's belief.
Patricia wrote: "want to know his inspiration for the story...is this something in his personal history or something that happened in the news.....
also do you have the entire story from first line to last chapter..."
I didn't have the entire story in mind when I started. I knew what the central action would be (Stump's death), but I didn't know how all the characters would react to it. As you write you grow to know your characters better and better. For example, the relationship between Clem and Jimmy Hall really caught me by surprise. I didn't see that coming.
also do you have the entire story from first line to last chapter..."
I didn't have the entire story in mind when I started. I knew what the central action would be (Stump's death), but I didn't know how all the characters would react to it. As you write you grow to know your characters better and better. For example, the relationship between Clem and Jimmy Hall really caught me by surprise. I didn't see that coming.
Kelly wrote: "I loved your book! I've recommended it to many and will use it in my book club. What's next?
Thanks!"
Thanks so much for sharing it with your book club! My next novel should be out in Nov. 2013, and it's about a washed-up minor league baseball player who kidnaps his tow daughters from a foster home. It has three narrators as well, and it's also set in NC, this time in Gastonia.
Thanks!"
Thanks so much for sharing it with your book club! My next novel should be out in Nov. 2013, and it's about a washed-up minor league baseball player who kidnaps his tow daughters from a foster home. It has three narrators as well, and it's also set in NC, this time in Gastonia.
Thanks for answering my questions! I have another if you have the time.I've read several places that your new novel is set in North Carolina in the summer of '98 and is the story of a washed up ball player who kidnaps his children from a foster home and it's due out in November of this year. Do you feel now that this will be your second publication that it's easier to write the novel and that it is progressing faster than the last one or do you feel rushed by such a short deadline?
Thanks for answering my question, looking forward to your next novel:)
thanks for answering my questions...will be reading your next title..
Justin wrote: "Thanks for answering my questions! I have another if you have the time.
I've read several places that your new novel is set in North Carolina in the summer of '98 and is the story of a washed up ..."
It's definitely progressing faster than the first novel, and some of that may be due to the deadline. But I can also say that having already written a novel taught me a lot about how to write a second one. It sounds like it should be obvious, but it isn't.
I definitely feel more pressure to make this second book better or stronger or more readable than my first. But I suppose that's only natural. It's hard to write a second without an eye to the first.
I've read several places that your new novel is set in North Carolina in the summer of '98 and is the story of a washed up ..."
It's definitely progressing faster than the first novel, and some of that may be due to the deadline. But I can also say that having already written a novel taught me a lot about how to write a second one. It sounds like it should be obvious, but it isn't.
I definitely feel more pressure to make this second book better or stronger or more readable than my first. But I suppose that's only natural. It's hard to write a second without an eye to the first.
