Ask the Author: Katie Pierson
Answered Questions (6)
Katie Pierson
I never planned to write a novel: I just planned to read them. But I had a conversation with a friend in 2006 about the pros and cons of potentially attending my 20th high school reunion. It made me think about the random people you run into at these things: old crushes, old “frenemies.” I got the idea for Seth and Quinn’s relationship during that conversation.
It wasn’t until I was half-way done that I realized that my love story was also a sort of partisan allegory. Seth was the Democratic Party in the late 80’s: reactive, angry, without a compass. Tom was the Republican Party: optimistic, smug, and underestimating the religious right. Mr. Levine, the teacher, was the moderator who allowed two strong points of view have it out in a respectful way.
It wasn’t until I was half-way done that I realized that my love story was also a sort of partisan allegory. Seth was the Democratic Party in the late 80’s: reactive, angry, without a compass. Tom was the Republican Party: optimistic, smug, and underestimating the religious right. Mr. Levine, the teacher, was the moderator who allowed two strong points of view have it out in a respectful way.
Katie Pierson
I try to surround myself with people who are smarter and wittier than I am, and read books by authors who are way out of my league (Jane Austen, Gwendolyn Brooks, Alice Munro, Sarah Waters, Cheryl Mendelson, Selden Edwards, Wallace Stegner). The Voice of Goad motivates me to keep trying.
Katie Pierson
I'm toying with a memoir of my family's sabbatical year in London during the final year of the Bush administration. The working title is, "Acting Canadian." I loved writing '89 Walls and read as much YA as I do adult fiction. I would love for another idea for a YA novel to drop in my lap.
Katie Pierson
Everyone feels like a fraud--it's not just you. Print yourself a business card and put "writer" on it. When you believe it, so does everyone else.
Katie Pierson
The schedule. I write for two hours. I put my youngest on the school bus. I work out at the YMCA every day at 9:00. I write for another two hours. I read a section of the Sunday New York Times while eating lunch. Then I write for another two hours before ramping up for after-school craziness and the dinner hour. I work in my yoga pants and t-shirts, usually with my hair sticking up. My dog stares at my back all day from her perch on my office couch. I feel extremely lucky to be able to do something I love. And I am very aware that being married to a great guy with a job and health insurance makes the difference between thriving as a writer and merely surviving.
Katie Pierson
I force myself to do one writing prompt a day. My favorites are from "642 Things to Write About" by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto and "A Writer's Book of Days" by Judy Reeves. Then I fill my gas tank by reading award-winning fiction, going to museums, and taking classes at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.
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