Amr Al
asked
Chris Kuzneski:
Dear Chris, As you already know you're my favorite writer. :) Just out of curiosity, what are the religions of Payne and Jones? I would just like to know more about their cultural up bringing and this may sound silly but I'm just wondering if their connect (or disconnect) with religion helped evolve their behavior / sense of humor? or is it completely not related to their character? Thanks, Best wishes.
Chris Kuzneski
Great question. You're the first person to ever ask me this.
While attending the University of Pittsburgh, I took a class in religious history that fascinated me. Very early in the semester, a student asked our professor what his religion was, and the professor refused to say because he felt his response--no matter what it was--would change the way his lectures were perceived. And he was absolutely right. If we knew he was a Christian (or a Muslim, or whatever), we would assume that his views were slanted toward his faith, and ultimately that would change the way we learned. In that environment, it was crucial for the professor to remain neutral.
As a writer, I try to do the same thing. I never talk about my faith or politics because I want my narrative voice to be as neutral as possible. And the same thing goes with my characters. If I feel someone's views are vital to the story (for instance, Maria Pelati in SIGN OF THE CROSS or Shari Shasmeen in SWORD OF GOD), then I make that information known to the reader. But if don't mention it, I probably feel it isn't crucial to the story.
While attending the University of Pittsburgh, I took a class in religious history that fascinated me. Very early in the semester, a student asked our professor what his religion was, and the professor refused to say because he felt his response--no matter what it was--would change the way his lectures were perceived. And he was absolutely right. If we knew he was a Christian (or a Muslim, or whatever), we would assume that his views were slanted toward his faith, and ultimately that would change the way we learned. In that environment, it was crucial for the professor to remain neutral.
As a writer, I try to do the same thing. I never talk about my faith or politics because I want my narrative voice to be as neutral as possible. And the same thing goes with my characters. If I feel someone's views are vital to the story (for instance, Maria Pelati in SIGN OF THE CROSS or Shari Shasmeen in SWORD OF GOD), then I make that information known to the reader. But if don't mention it, I probably feel it isn't crucial to the story.
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