Marissa Bell Toffoli

Archive for the ‘fiction’ Category

Interview With Writer & Editor Tod Davies

In books, editors, fairy tales, fiction, writing, young adult (YA) on May 10, 2011 at 1:31 pm
Tod Davies

Tod Davies. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2011).

An introduction to Tod Davies, author of Snotty Saves the Day: The History of Arcadia (Exterminating Angel Press, 2011). Tod Davies is also the founder of Exterminating Angel Press (EAP), which she started “to find people who were really passionate about an alternative point of view.” What Davies looks for in an EAP writer is someone who has “a practical orientation to life, who says, wait a minute, it’s not working.” Davies will tell you that “stories are living things,” and her author bio in Snotty Saves the Day states that she “firmly believes in the truth of fairy tales, and that if you know who you are (and what made you that way), you can change your world.” Her artistic pursuits are rooted in the philosophy that people ought to think about the world and their place in it, and that everyone may be an advocate for truth and an agent of change. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Paul Maliszewski

In books, fiction, short stories, writing on April 23, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Paul Maliszewski

Paul Maliszewski. Photo by Hadley Ross.

An introduction to Paul Maliszewski, author of the fiction collection Prayer and Parable (Fence Books, 2011).  The cover description for Prayer and Parable says the stories feature people who “struggle to do right. They argue. They think. They think again. They have odd dreams. Often they fail at being good, and yet, on occasion, they realize moments of true kindness.” People much like any of  us. These stories are about life and the human condition. The artistry is in Maliszewski’s honest language, and as he mentions, the best way to experience art, is to experience it yourself. You’ll have to read the book to discover its beauties. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Andre Dubus III

In books, fiction, memoir, nonfiction, writing on March 21, 2011 at 10:11 am
Andre Dubus III

Andre Dubus III. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2011).

An introduction to Andre Dubus III, author of the memoir Townie (WW Norton & Company, 2011), and the recent novels The House of Sand and Fog and The Garden of Last Days. Over the years, while also writing, Dubus has worked as a bartender, office cleaner, halfway house counselor, assistant to a private investigator/bounty hunter, self-employed carpenter and college writing teacher. Townie chronicles his dangerous affair with physical violence. At the end of the interview Dubus stated proudly, “I have not punched anyone in 23 years, by the way. I’m on the peaceful path.” Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Jonathan Evison

In books, editors, fiction, literary journals, writing on March 5, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Jonathan Evison

Jonathan Evison. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2011).

An introduction to Jonathan Evison, author of West of Here (Algonquin, 2011). Writer, reader, editor, and blogger extraordinaire Jonathan Evison is a friendly, witty, encouraging, and thoughtful presence in the online literary world. In person, he is all that plus a whole lot of fun. If you attend an Evison book event, you will be rewarded by candid answers and personal anecdotes. He might even play a recording of a Sasquatch whoop howl from his mobile phone. Yes, he believes in Bigfoot. Of everything Evison said, I went to sleep the night after meeting him still thinking about this: “Bigfoot is one last wild possibility that may or may not be out there. I believe because I want to believe.” He is a man with heart, willing to believe in what others might consider the impossible.
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Interview With Writer Michael David Lukas

In books, fiction, writing on February 25, 2011 at 9:31 am
Michael David Lukas.

Michael David Lukas. Photo by Haley Pollack.

An introduction to Michael David Lukas, author of the novel The Oracle of Stamboul (Harper, 2011). Lukas lives in Oakland, California, where he was born and raised. When asked where he would most want to live and write, Lukas admitted, “I’m pretty happy in Oakland. I have a really great community, and great food, great weather. It’s nice not being in the center of literary production and publishing. I think I would be a little bit overwhelmed by that.”

Don’t be deceived into thinking that he is anything other than worldly. In fact, the seed for the idea that blossomed as The Oracle of Stamboul came to Lukas while he was living in Tunisia. In his debut novel, Lukas transports readers to the Ottoman Empire in the 1880s. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Deborah Harkness

In books, fiction, writing on February 14, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Deborah Harkness. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2011).

Deborah Harkness. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2011).

An introduction to Deborah Harkness, author of the novel A Discovery of Witches (Viking, 2011). A history professor at the University of Southern California, Harkness has previously published two nonfiction books. A Discovery of Witches is her first foray into fiction.

During a book reading and signing event at Rakestraw Books in Danville, California, Harkness mentioned that she had never taken a creative writing class, and never imagined she’d be a published novelist. Discussing the way her experiences and other interests influence her writing, Harkness described writing as “a kind of alchemy. Things you’re not even aware you’re tracking go into the writing.”

As to A Discovery of Witches, which Harkness wrote in one year after beginning in a small notebook while on vacation, she said simply, “It was a story that once I started telling it, I couldn’t stop.” In Harkness’s words, “It’s a book about books, a love of reading, and what books can do.” It’s also a testament to what a person can accomplish when an idea truly captures her attention. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Hannah Pittard

In books, fiction, short stories, writing on February 9, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Hannah Pittard

Hannah Pittard. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2011).

An introduction to the author of the debut novel The Fates Will Find Their Way (Ecco, 2011). Hannah Pittard confesses a few obsessions, and shares advice she gives to her writing students at DePaul University. She’s articulate, she’s a serious thinker, she’s got a sense of humor, and she’s out to break your heart. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer E E King

In books, fiction, writing on October 12, 2010 at 8:46 am
EE King

E E King. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2010).

An introduction to the author of Dirk Quigby’s Guide to the Afterlife: All You Need to Know to Choose the Right Heaven Plus A Five-Star Rating System for Music, Food, Drink, & Accommodations (Exterminating Angel Press, 2010). E E King has published a number of short stories, but this is her first novel. As her author bio at the back of the book explains, “She was raised in a household that doesn’t force religion on kids. This book is the result.” Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Danbert Nobacon

In books, fairy tales, fiction, writing, young adult (YA) on October 4, 2010 at 1:12 pm

 

Danbert Nobacon

Danbert Nobacon. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2010).

An introduction to the author of 3 Dead Princes: An Anarchist Fairy Tale (Exterminating Angel Press, 2010). Danbert Nobacon is perhaps more widely known as a musician, but that won’t be true once this first novel of his gets around. A founding member of the anarchist punk band Chumbawamba, Nobacon has also released a few solo albums. His new album Woebegone will be available in a couple of weeks, closely following publication of 3 Dead Princes. The novel also features illustrations by Alex Cox, who is perhaps more widely known as a filmmaker.

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Interview With Writer Shahriar Mandanipour

In books, fiction, translation, writing on September 20, 2010 at 10:00 am
Shahriar Mandanipour

Shahriar Mandanipour. Photo courtesy of Mandanipour (2010).

An introduction to Shahriar Mandanipour, author of Censoring an Iranian Love Story (Vintage, 2010). Mandanipour is the author of eleven books; this most recent one is the first to be translated into English. He expressed “deep gratitude to [his] translator, Sara Khalili.” Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Peg Kingman

In books, fiction, writing on September 10, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Peg Kingman

Peg Kingman. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2010).

An introduction to the author of Original Sins (WW Norton, 2010). Peg Kingman’s first book, Not Yet Drown’d, was set in Scotland and India. Original Sins: A Novel of Slavery and Freedom, set in nineteenth-century America, tells of a young woman’s journey into the slave-holding South. These first two novels will become part of a trilogy, connected but independent, Kingman explained, so the books may be read on their own in any order. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Cerise Press Editors

In editors, fiction, literary journals, poetry, translation, writing on August 23, 2010 at 9:28 pm

Cerise Press Summer 2010

Cerise Press Summer 2010 Issue. Cover Art by Mikhail Gubin.

An introduction to Cerise Press and the literary ladies who founded it: Sally Molini, Karen Rigby, and Fiona Sze-Lorrain. Cerise Press is an international online journal that publishes three issues annually. They accept submissions year round.

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Interview With Writer & Pulitzer Prize Winner Paul Harding

In books, fiction, pulitzer prize, writing on August 16, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Paul Harding

Paul Harding. Photo by Gary Ottley.

An introduction to Paul Harding, whose debut novel Tinkers (Bellevue Literary Press) won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Harding is at work on a new novel, Enon, which is titled after the village in Massachusetts where the story is set. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Larry Doyle

In books, fiction, film, writing on July 20, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Larry Doyle

Larry Doyle. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2010).

An introduction to the author of Go Mutants! and I Love You, Beth Cooper. Go Mutants! (Ecco) is the latest novel from Larry Doyle, a former writer and producer for The Simpsons. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Brady Udall

In books, fiction, writing on May 27, 2010 at 7:43 pm
Brady Udall

Brady Udall. Photo by Hector Udall.

An introduction to the author of The Lonely Polygamist, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint, and Letting Loose the Hounds. Brady Udall talks about himself and the writing life. The Lonely Polygamist (WW Norton & Company) is Udall’s most recent novel.

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Interview With Writer Ann Hood

In books, fiction, writing on May 16, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Ann Hood

Ann Hood. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2010).

An introduction to the author of The Red Thread. Read the full interview with Ann Hood on Suite101.com. (First published on Suite101.com in May 2010.) Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Josh Weil

In books, fiction, novellas, short stories, writing on April 11, 2010 at 1:22 pm
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Josh Weil. Photo by Ben Weil.

An introduction to the author of The New Valley. Josh Weil shares a bit about himself, and his thoughts on writing. Weil’s book The New Valley, a trio of novellas, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and winner of the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from The American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has stories forthcoming in Glimmer Train and Appalachian Heritage, and an essay in The New York Times. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Editors Laureen Mahler & John Peck

In comics, editors, fiction, literary journals, poetry, short stories, writing on March 27, 2010 at 12:53 pm
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Laureen Mahler & John Peck. Photo by John Peck (2009).

An introduction to literary magazine editors of Beeswax Magazine, Laureen Mahler and John Peck, who also run an independent letterpress and book arts studio. The dynamic married couple publishes Beeswax Magazine from their print studio, Volta Press. Mahler and Peck have backgrounds in writing and literature, which lends them unique perspective as editors and printmakers.

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