Ask the Author: Beatrice Gormley
Answered Questions (9)
Beatrice Gormley
Actually, the decision wasn't so sudden. For years, a cluster of things I wanted to write about had been accumulating in my mind: observations and insights about animals and people, friends and family, life and death. It was like having a fridge full of tasty, nutritious odds and ends that could be cooked up into a satisfying meal--only not for young readers' tastes. Most of all, I longed to bring back certain special individuals--canine, feline, and human--by putting them in a story.
Beatrice Gormley
"Summer reading list," hmm. I don't actually have a summer reading list. My reading list just flows from winter to spring to summer to fall and so on, mostly without any attention to the seasons.
The only exception is a book that allows me to escape from oppressive weather. For instance, I was so grateful to be able to read Never Cry Wolf, set in the frozen North, during a heat wave in Ossining, NY. Likewise, Crime and Punishment, which takes place during the worst heat wave of the 19th century in St. Petersburg, was my relief during 4 days without power (no heat, no light, no water) during the Blizzard of 2013 in MA.
However-- The next books up on my (seasonless) reading list: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari, and Elizabeth Strout's latest novel.
The only exception is a book that allows me to escape from oppressive weather. For instance, I was so grateful to be able to read Never Cry Wolf, set in the frozen North, during a heat wave in Ossining, NY. Likewise, Crime and Punishment, which takes place during the worst heat wave of the 19th century in St. Petersburg, was my relief during 4 days without power (no heat, no light, no water) during the Blizzard of 2013 in MA.
However-- The next books up on my (seasonless) reading list: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari, and Elizabeth Strout's latest novel.
Beatrice Gormley
One night when I was about 10, shortly before bedtime, we heard strange noises, like an animal moaning, outside the front door. A man was crawling up the front steps, bleeding and puking. In the quiet Los Angeles suburb where I lived with my mom, dad, brother, and sister, Pokey the beagle and Marigold the cat, this happened about as often as visits from space aliens. The police, arriving quickly, said that the man had been beaten up and dumped on our cul-de-sac by mobsters. Nothing to do with our family.
But what if --
What if this incident was actually a warning to my father, who had refused to launder money through his business? What if my older sister had refused the attentions of a mobster's protegee?
I'll never write this mystery, so anyone else is welcome to the plot starter.
But what if --
What if this incident was actually a warning to my father, who had refused to launder money through his business? What if my older sister had refused the attentions of a mobster's protegee?
I'll never write this mystery, so anyone else is welcome to the plot starter.
Beatrice Gormley
My most recent book, a YA biography of Pope Francis, will be published this fall by Simon & Schuster. They gave me the idea; they'd decided they wanted a biography of Francis for their series Real-Life Stories, and my editor asked me if I was interested in writing it. What an opportunity! I loved working on that project.
Beatrice Gormley
Currently, I'm working on a novel for adults, set in a small New England coastal town. The two main characters are a teacher, a 40-something man whose life has gone to hell in a hand basket; and a black and white cat, whose life has ditto. The story is about how their separate quests for happiness intertwine and both frustrate and help each other. One of the important supporting characters is a large, bouncy brown dog with a black nose.
Beatrice Gormley
Read a lot and write a lot. I mean, enormous amounts of both, for years and years. Classes in writing can be helpful, and writers' critique groups can be helpful, depending on the makeup of the class or group. My own main problem, as an aspiring writer, was that I didn't understand how hard I was going to have to work in order to write something publishable.
Beatrice Gormley
My favorite part of being a writer comes toward the end of a project, when the biography or novel or whatever has really taken shape, and every little improvement I make--a word choice, a detail, a fitting bit of dialogue--makes a big difference.
Beatrice Gormley
With humor, for one thing. Years ago, a friend gave me a wooden cube, about 3" x 3" x 3", labeled "Writer's Block." That gave me a laugh, when I felt sorry for myself. I sometimes read books on writing--I recommend Francine Prose's Reading Like a Writer and Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, just for two--to get myself revved up. Sometimes I write myself a question re plot, character, etc. in a notebook, and when I come back later, I may be able to answer the question. Sometimes I do some research on a topic related to my story; research doesn't require creativity, but it can spark creative ideas.
Beatrice Gormley
Hard to answer! I guess my favorite fictional couples are found in children's or YA books: Pooh and Piglet, Frog and Toad (Arnold Lobel), Frodo and Sam. Obviously these are close friendships rather than romantic relationships, but I think a good romantic relationship is also a friendship.
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