Ask the Author: Bruce Holsinger

“I'd be delighted to answer any and all of your questions about my books. I'll check back in once a week or so to answer them, so please be patient if you've posted a question. ” Bruce Holsinger

Answered Questions (14)

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I chose Culpability for our book club and can't wait to host what will be a thought provoking discussion on AI, raising kids, family/marriage dynamics, so many great issues! What inspired you to write this? Did you witness or experience AI interacting with families in ways that affected you? Thank you for writing the best book I've read in a long time!!
Bruce Holsinger Thanks for the question, Brenda. I was inspired by a number of things--a family escape to the Chesapeake Bay, my obsession with questions of autonomy, my interest in AI as a teacher...I talk in a lot of detail about this in the interviews with Oprah, and you can find these on YouTube and elsewhere. Thank you so much for the very kind response to the book!
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Not a question? Wow, Congratulations on having your newest book: The Displacements getting a full review in the NY Times Book Review. I'm reading it now. It certainly deserves it. Some day, I look forward to reading another historical novel by you.
Bruce Holsinger Thank you Susan! I hope you like my historicals, which are very different sorts of books--but let me know your reaction if you get a chance to read them.
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Bruce, I immensely enjoyed The Displacements as a native of Miami now living in the upper Midwest. I'm a researcher of writing and literacy practices and particularly geeked out to the novel's multimodality in terms of the different types of texts (in addition to various narratives) included. Why did you decide to include these?
Bruce Holsinger Thanks so much for the kind words, Heather, and for the great question. With that project (called "The Great Displacement" in the novel), I wanted to address the larger national story around the aftermath of Luna. The main narrative follows one family, mostly, as you know, but obviously they're part of a much bigger and more far-reaching phenomenon. But I wanted to avoid "information dumping" and a lot of exposition--and I wanted to tell a lot more individual stories from people who would have been affected. So I used this imagined project as a way to do that. Hope this answers your question!
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Will there be any more John Gower novels? The last one, Invention of Fire was in 2015. I love them.
Bruce Holsinger I'm not sure--not in the near future, but I do miss writing about that period. Thank you for the kind words!
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Do you have any more titles forthcoming along the lines of A Burnable Book? I love high-quality historical fiction, and yours is some of the best.
Bruce Holsinger Thanks for the question. No, I've moved away from that world for a while...but I hope to get back there someday. I miss it!
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Dear Mr Bruce ; I am waiting to read the book" gifted school" . As a senior lecturer of Edu psychology and Edu counselling , I believe the book would be valuable for me , my student, lecturers and parents . Mother toungue in sri lanka is not english. So I would like to translate in to my mother tongue ( sinhala) . How can I get the permission?Anyway wish you to write more books.
Bruce Holsinger Thanks for the inquiry Preethi. You can contact my agent, Helen Heller, about translation rights (her info is available on my website.)
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I'm so curious, what led you to include a Quechua-speaking Peruvian family in The Gifted School? [I'm a linguist who's spent a lot of time in Peru, so I had a heavy dose of skepticism about the appearance of these characters in the novel. I was delighted by the way you honored the complex linguistic/cultural traditions of this highly marginalized indigenous community.]
Bruce Holsinger Thanks so much for the question and the kind words, Maria. I suppose I was aiming for a certain level of realism about the demographics and politics of the part of Colorado that serves as my setting. I wanted a deeper dimension to this part of the story, and this family helped me get there. I hired someone from this community to read the book for me and offer any corrections and suggestions. Glad you liked the result!
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Do you tend to read other historical fictional books about Chaucer? If you do I would highly recommend the book 'Bitching Bits of Bone' by Dr. N. Mounter. A very dark novel following Chaucer and a group of pilgrims travelling to Canterbury from London.
Bruce Holsinger Sorry John I haven't been on this page for a while. I don't know that book--sounds intriguing. When I'm writing historical fiction I tend to shy away from reading it, as I want the setting, details, etc. to be my own. Thanks very much for the question and your interest in the books.
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Do you plan to continue the Gower series? I picked up A Burnable Book as a 'blind date' at my local library was not disappointed. The Invention of Fire was even better and I have since recommended both books to others. I quit reading another historical fiction novel because it touched too closely to things that were happening at the end of The Invention of Fire and I didn't want that author to ruin the story for me.
Bruce Holsinger He Jellicle. I'm not sure I'll continue the series, such as it is--and in fact I didn't set out to write those book as a series. I certainly intend to return to the Middle Ages at some point as a setting but I'm not sure when, or in what form... my next book, The Gifted School, is a contemporary family drama, with an entirely different setting, feel, etc. Thanks so much for the question!
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Hi, this isn't really a question, more of an accolade.. My favourite author is C J Sansom.. (sorry) however, having read all he has to offer I turned to others.. oh yes I've tried a few, including S J Parris.... and been disappointed. ?However I have started 'The Invention of Fire' (I know, wrong order) and and am hugely impressed, you write with such infinite and interesting detail about medieval London.
Bruce Holsinger Thank you so much for this, and sorry it's taken me so long to reply, Fiona--I'm not on Goodreads very often! But I very much appreciate the kind words, especially as I'm a big fan of Sansom and Parris. Hope you're enjoying your summer!
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Hi, Bruce. I was wondering if you ever plan to do any book signings, and if so, where we could find out about them? I'm actually just down the road from Charlottesville, VA and would love to be able to meet you and have my copy of A Burnable Book signed sometime (and of course, The Invention of Fire when it comes out).
Bruce Holsinger Thanks very much for the question, John. I'll have a signing when "The Invention of Fire" launches in April, probably at a bookstore here in Charlottesville. But feel free to stop by my office any time on the UVA campus--I'll have hours on MWF starting in a couple of weeks! My e-mail address is on the English dept website so you can get in touch that way on the day you're coming into Cville. Look forward to meeting you.
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Hi Bruce! I've just completed A Burnable Book (Awesome read by the way) and there is two questions that I would like to ask pertaining to one of the characters. What do you think will happen to Simon Gower? Does the Universe repay him an ugly ending?
Bruce Holsinger Thanks for the kind words, Manoushka. Ah, Simon Gower! I've had lots of questions about him. He makes an important appearance in "The Invention of Fire" (no spoilers)...and that's all I'll say at the moment. I'll tell you that the relationship between Gower and his son is one I've thought about a lot--it represents Gower's only familiar connection, as his friendship with Chaucer is a much more consistent part of his emotional life, I suppose. Glad you were provoked to answer the question, though!
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What are you currently working on?
Bruce Holsinger My third novel will be a contemporary family drama set in the fictional town of Crystal, Colorado. Title: THE GIFTED SCHOOL, out in July 2019 from Riverhead/Penguin Random House.
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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?
Bruce Holsinger Despite its thrilling historical subject--the first use of hand-held gunpowder weapons in the Western world--"The Invention of Fire" (April 2015) was inspired by the most boring thing imaginable. I was reading around in an old book on the administrative history of medieval England, and found a reference to a collection of "handgonnes" in the Tower of London in 1386. This is the first time the word "handgun" was used in the English language, and I realized there must be a story there--and that's the story told in "The Invention of Fire."
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