WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION FOR WRITING “GOING DOWN MAINE?”
As I watched my sons and their friends try to navigate life and understand their place in it, I was struck by the fact that every generation has new challenges, but still faces the same moral dilemmas. I wanted to weave a story that explored the disappointments, confusion and decisions that become a person’s character.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BILLY AND DAVID WAS THE CATALYST FOR THIS EXPLORATION?
Absolutely, we learn everything from our relationships and our reactions to them. Boyhood friends always feel that they will be together all through life and find comfort in that. But the reality is that we are all very different people and sometimes our paths don’t coincide. It is from those very deep disappointments that we learn about ourselves.
HOW IS THE SETTING OF YOUR NOVEL IN MAINE SIGNIFICANT?
Upper Maine, with its wild coastline and rugged terrain, clearly reflects the nature of isolated, rural environments all around the world. The insular quality of such remote places creates an illusion of a time set apart from the structure and hustle of urban life — that’s why they make such desirable vacation spots. However, it is this very isolation and self-contained reality that breeds undercurrents and dark secrets that are shared by the inhabitants.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR READERS COME AWAY WITH WHEN THEY VENTURE INTO THE WORLD OF “GOING DOWN MAINE?”
I would hope that the novel’s appeal is two-fold. First, as a cautionary tale for those of us who leap ahead with no concept of consequence. Secondly, in every life there are regrets, buried secrets, and missteps. It is not our mistakes that define us, but what we learn from them that defines who we become.
As I watched my sons and their friends try to navigate life and understand their place in it, I was struck by the fact that every generation has new challenges, but still faces the same moral dilemmas. I wanted to weave a story that explored the disappointments, confusion and decisions that become a person’s character.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BILLY AND DAVID WAS THE CATALYST FOR THIS EXPLORATION?
Absolutely, we learn everything from our relationships and our reactions to them. Boyhood friends always feel that they will be together all through life and find comfort in that. But the reality is that we are all very different people and sometimes our paths don’t coincide. It is from those very deep disappointments that we learn about ourselves.
HOW IS THE SETTING OF YOUR NOVEL IN MAINE SIGNIFICANT?
Upper Maine, with its wild coastline and rugged terrain, clearly reflects the nature of isolated, rural environments all around the world. The insular quality of such remote places creates an illusion of a time set apart from the structure and hustle of urban life — that’s why they make such desirable vacation spots. However, it is this very isolation and self-contained reality that breeds undercurrents and dark secrets that are shared by the inhabitants.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR READERS COME AWAY WITH WHEN THEY VENTURE INTO THE WORLD OF “GOING DOWN MAINE?”
I would hope that the novel’s appeal is two-fold. First, as a cautionary tale for those of us who leap ahead with no concept of consequence. Secondly, in every life there are regrets, buried secrets, and missteps. It is not our mistakes that define us, but what we learn from them that defines who we become.
No comments:
Post a Comment