Where do you write?

I have a studio in a small apartment attached to our second floor condominium. I’ve been writing for 20 plus years and during most of that time I wrote at a desk in the corner of a den in that condo. But three years ago, the small apartment came up for sale at the same moment that some advance money came in. I snatched the place up thinking, the Universe has spoken. So I get out of bed in one place and pad over to the other, which I call “my cave.” It contains all of my favorite things: lots of books, paintings, photos, big desk, my friend the computer, art objects I’ve collected over the years and a big Indiana Hoosier hutch that I’ve made into a personal altar. Here I keep photos of my loved ones, both living and dead, candles, statues of La Virgen and other precious objects. I’ve crowned the whole thing with tiny votives. The sight of it is encouraging and comforting.

How often do you write?

When I’m “into” a book, I write five hours a day five or six days a week. When I’m really heavy into it, I’ll write every day until I’m exhausted which is usually after about ten straight hours.

What are your favorite forms of procrastination?

Doing crossword puzzles. I’m a crossword nut. I usually start my day by saying my prayers and then doing a crossword. I need these as much as I need that cup of coffee. Sometimes I’ll decide I just have to do the wash. And then maybe a little ironing. Or that the studio is cluttered and needs straightening. And, I hate to admit this, I’ll watch a favorite afternoon TV program like Oprah, telling myself that I’m really gathering stories. Ha!

How do you know when you’ve written something good?

The same way I know when I’ve written something that’s not good. I just feel it in my gut.

Do you believe you’re still growing as a writer?

Definitely. I believe that the more you write, the better you get. You learn from book to book. The first novel I ever wrote never got published. It got trashed as a prestigious writers’ conference I attended when I was just beginning my career. I realized later that much of the criticism was deserved. But writing that “bad” first novel taught me an awful lot about writing. When I wrote Night of the Radishes, I had two false starts. I wrote a significant number of pages for both of them. But when, in my gut, I just didn’t feel good about them, I abandoned them and started over. The third time, I got it right.

You say you learn from book to book. What have you learned?

Every novel is different. Each new one, being its own creation, has to take its own shape. The hard part sometimes is figuring out what kind of structure the book will have. What tense will I use? What kind of tone should it have. What point of view? Just as I used third person, limited point of view in A Place and an omniscient narrator in Bitter Grounds doesn’t mean either one will be best for the next book I write.

Your books have sold well, but haven’t been best-sellers. How do you feel about that?

I’m okay with the amount of success that my books have had. I’m pleased that both A Place Where the Sea Remembers and Bitter Grounds won awards. However, I’m disappointed with what happened with The Weight of All Things. I think it is a terrific story, and it contains some of my best writing. But it just didn’t capture the attention it deserved. I feel bad about that.

How do you feel about reviews of your books?

I read reviews with trepidation. I always hope the reviewers will love the book, but whether they do or not, I read a review just once and don’t dote on it. I realize that once a book is out of my heart and onto the published page, I no longer have control over it. I’ve done my best, and now the book is on its own. When I get a really bad review (and thank the Lord that this rarely happens), I allow myself only one day (or less!) of misery.


What books would you wish for if you were stranded on a desert island?

All of Hemingway’s work. All of Steinbeck’s. Louise Erdrich’s trilogy. All of Pablo Neruda’s work, both poetry and essays. And poetry by MMary Oliver, Jane Canyon, Dorianne Laux and Naomi Shihab Nye. These would help my survive. As Barry Lopez says in one of his books, “Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive.”

You make a fair amount of public appearances at colleges and high schools. What kind of books do you think they should be reading?

Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, Steinbeck’s The Pearl. And humbly, my own A Place Where the Sea Remembers. Also work by Tim O’Brien, Flannery O’Connor and...I could go on and on. The important thing is that students read. It doesn’t really matter what they read, but that they engage their hearts and minds in the magic of a story. Reading makes for better writing.

What magazines do you read?

I don’t really read a lot of magazines.

What kind of music do you enjoy?

Soft, soothing classical and New Age pieces. I never play music while I write. I need silence.

How about movies?

I watch a lot of movies. On tapes and discs and at the theater. I like movies that tell good stories, that aren’t heavy on chaotic action. Films like Rebecca, Il Postino, Forrest Gump, Cinema Paradiso, the Grapes of Wrath. I loved the TV epic Lonesome Dove. It focused on engaging and touching stories. I could name dozens of movies that fill this bill. But you get the idea.