Ask the Author: Dan Lopez
Answered Questions (10)
Dan Lopez
First, you have to really want it. Next, you go into the deep woods of Mississippi and strike a deal with the devil. Third, you hope he forgets.
Dan Lopez
I have a feeling you're hoping I say Orlando here, and while I applaud the pun set-up (puns are my life), alas, the only Virginia Woolf novel that I've read is The Voyage Out, so I guess I'll go with that one.
Dan Lopez
Well, now that we're going to be friends maybe you can introduce me to Michiko Kautani so she can review my books ;)
Dan Lopez
Of course, Peter! Request away and I'll be sure to accept.
Hold Tight Gently was such an engaging, informative read. I loved it and I'm happy it continues to find an audience.
Hold Tight Gently was such an engaging, informative read. I loved it and I'm happy it continues to find an audience.
Dan Lopez
Not at the moment, but you never know!
Dan Lopez
Hi Margo! Thanks for asking. I have a debut novel coming out in December from Unnamed Press. I'm really excited to share this book with the world. It's something I've been working on for a long time. But for right now, I'll let the anticipation build. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months!
Dan Lopez
Hi Steve, thanks for reading! It's a great question. The decision to set the stories in and around boats started naturally enough. At the time that I was writing this book, I was also working on a traditional sailing vessel in New York harbor—what those of us in the industry call a "tall ship." I was around boats all the time and absolutely fell in love with the terminology, history, lore, and personalities that harbor life tends to attract. As the collection developed further, I found myself returning to boats as a setting. At first, I was confused. Why was I retreading the same ground? Shouldn't I be stretching my creative muscles? Eventually, I came to realize that boats were an ideal setting in which to explore the tension between sticking it out in a relationship or cutting and running, which is what the book is about at its heart. Once I committed to the conceit, writing became a fun challenge as I set about trying to find ways to tie in the nautical elements in a way germane to the particular story. I struggled with some more than others and there were definitely moments when I wanted to abandon the idea altogether, but in the end, I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the result is a tight collection made stronger by a shared vernacular.
Thanks again for the question! I'd love to hear your thoughts once you're done with the book. Happy reading!
Thanks again for the question! I'd love to hear your thoughts once you're done with the book. Happy reading!
Dan Lopez
Thanks, Carrie. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Rebecca Solnit has so many wonderful books, but I think my favorite (of the ones I've read) has got to be The Faraway Nearby. It elegantly gets to the heart of the human condition. I really can't praise it highly enough. Check it out and let me know if you love it as much as I do!
Dan Lopez
So many to choose from! Did you know a smokestack is called a Charlie Noble on a ship? And that the word "tack" has at least three different meanings on a boat? My favorite, though, has got to be "baggywrinkle," which is basically a bunch of old rope that's been shredded and turned into a kind of garland that gets wrapped around cables to prevent chaffing on a sail. Next time you see an old-timey sailing ship look for the dirty brown things halfway up the sail. That's a "baggywrinkle." Make sure to point it out to your friends. They'll think you're cool because knowing esoteric sailing terms is cool, right?
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