Ask the Author: T. Coraghessan Boyle
Answered Questions (186)
T. Coraghessan Boyle
For me, a story can originate from any source. With "Chicxulub" I'd long been contemplating our place in the universe and how tentative it is; the story of the accident with the daughter came from something I'd read in the newspaper, which makes the cosmic very, very personal. "A Death in Kitchawank" is one of my rare autobiographical pieces, underlined by the fact that I've inserted myself into the narrative. Others in this succession are "Up Against the Wall" and "Greasy Lake," but of course these experiences have been molded into art and so deviate from actual events.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
"No Way Home" is set in L.A. and Boulder City, NV, which allows it to explore elements of one of my principal concerns--the environment--but unlike "Blue Skies," it is not an environmental novel. Much more a love triangle, two men, one woman. Even more so than most of my books, this one will grab you and plunge you right in. Stay tuned here and on X and at tcboyle.com as the year progresses and I will have news of my appearances both in the U.S. and abroad. The novel is slated for September.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Well, Kathryn, I am honored to have a star system named for me (TCB), but I don't think my parents were aware of it. They were aware of Marlboros and Camels (unfiltered), though, but they worked too hard to have much time to study the skies and bother themselves over things cosmic. Of course, one never knows . . .
T. Coraghessan Boyle
We have them over biweekly for marmite sandwiches and warm sherry.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
I've mostly avoided autobiographical fiction, but some stories do cut a bit close, like "If the River Was Whiskey" and "Up Against the Wall." That said, the Riley stories are inventions but, as they are about a writer, some of my own experiences do creep in, largely as incident and background.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Like Nosferatu, I try to drink at least a pint of baby's blood daily.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Well, yes, I am a herpetophile, but I do not own any snakes. My yard is a kind of nature reserve, however, and any snakes that come here to feast on the superabundant rats are welcome to take up residence. Especially gopher snakes and racers.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Yeah, as you read between the lines, you see that she did cheat a bit vis-a-vis alcohol. And yes, Willie was doing what constrictors do . . .
T. Coraghessan Boyle
The world is a madhouse and I am busy trying to address that and sort things out, so yes, I write about whatever interests or piques me, though you can see some of the main themes carrying through the body of my work. I am not an autobiographical writer, though some have called "World's End" a fictional autobiography (what might have been) and certain of my stories have strong autobiographical elements, like "Greasy Lake," "If the River Was Whiskey" and "Up Against the Wall." The narrator of "Greasy Lake" is unnamed, but in Damian Harris' film he is called "T.C." (You can find it at tcboyle,com under "Media.)
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Most kind of you, Elyse. For many years I conducted writing workshops at USC, but no longer do so. I love teaching, but eventually the long commute from Santa Barbara to L.A. got to me.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Well, it's certainly right up my alley. The forthcoming novel ("Blue Skies," May) deals with climate change here and in Florida, but for my specific take on the rain (and lack of it) see my story, "You Don't Miss Your Water" in "The Relive Box" collection, which comes replete with a hired rainmaker.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
I have read several of his books, but the one I keep coming back to is "Babbitt" a funny, disturbing and beautifully structured novel that also gives real insight into the period in which it was written.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
No idea. A lot, though. And in the coming year I'll be reading even more, as I'm beginning research for the next novel, now that "Blue Skies" is finished and due to come out in May.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Thanks, Jimjam. In answer to your question, I am feeling super-toto-girsene lately. I hope you're feeling well too.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Thanks, LD: I love the stories too and am committed to them as much as to the novels. Some years ago there was an anthology series greenlighted at Fox, but it never even got to the pilot phase. Currently, a couple of individual stories have been acquired by film companies for feature films, including "Are We Not Men?" And yes, I agree with you: my stories could, would, should make a great anthology series. And there are enough to sustain years of programming.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Hello, Ray. Thank you for the question. In the past, I've also done my own versions of classic stories ("The Overcoat II," for instance), as a way of exploring what they mean for us today. In the case of the Calvino, I loved the idea of relentless nature, impervious to our needs or desires, a theme that looms large throughout my body of work. I had great good fun with this one, as you can see.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Thank you for the kind words, Tyler. I do feel that the language is primary and I look to make it as engaging and rhythmic as possible. Which is also why I love to perform the stories live (I've done a number of the audiobooks of my work, most recently, "The Relive Box"). As for your question: I do not outline but progress organically, day by day.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
It was the idea of the art director at Viking. I loved it right away. You see the eyeball on T.C. Boyle Stories, then the whole figure on T.C. Boyle Stories II. I'd like to have my eyeball on every book spine--even on the books I didn't write.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Sorry, Wmba. If you're having trouble concentrating on words on a page, go to tcboyle.com, click on the book jacket and watch the book trailer--which is powerful and immediately engaging--and discover the fate of the dog.
T. Coraghessan Boyle
I love to perform that story because of the persona of the narrator. I've done it many, many times. I'll bet you can find video of me doing a reading of it somewhere out there on the internet. And, of course, if it's just audio, you can find my reading of the story both on the New Yorker website and in the audiobook of "Wild Child," for which I was the actor.
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