During the course of my virtual book tour for Fagin’s Boy, I was interviewed by a number of bloggers who had some great questions that allowed me to talk about my book in a natural and dynamic way. I was somewhat shy, at first, to talk so boldly about this project that still felt so personal, but they made it easy and, indeed, fun.
(Victorian Bootblack)
Let Them Read Books
Here was the question from Let Them Read Books:
“When did you first meet Oliver Twist, and what inspired you to write about him?”
Here is part of my response:
“Then of course, there’s Jack. Oh my, Jack. He’s such a clever lad, the second he claps eyes on Oliver, he knows that Oliver is easily led astray; hunger will do that to you. The first thing he does is to feed Oliver, and promise him shelter. He’s kind, in his way, and in so many scenes in the book, Jack is quite attentive, petting Oliver’s hair, or eyeing him and making comments about him. Frankly, if Oliver is in the same room as Jack, then Jack is riveted by him.”
You can read the entire interview here.
(Leading Home)
Layered Pages
Here was the question from Layered Pages:
“Stephanie: Is there something you would like to say to your readers?”
Here is part of my response:
“The other thing I would like to say to my readers is this: live your life. Live your dream. Don’t let anyone ever, anywhere, ever, tell you what your life is for. There is enough pressure in the world to go to the right school, get the right job, live in the right neighborhood – there’s enough pressure from the outside world telling you who to be, that I think they’ve had their say and then some. Don’t listen to them anymore. Don’t watch commercials – don’t let anyone try to convince you that your life will be better because you have this watch or drive that car. Buy the car you want and then, when you’ve done that, express your inner dream.”
You can read the entire interview here.
(Military Men)
Mina’s Bookshelf
Here was the question from Mina’s Bookshelf:
“Let’s talk about character development. Did you originally intend to remain consistent with your source of inspiration when you outlined the psychological arc of each character?”
Here is part of my response:
“To me, my characters are real. I can’t have favorites because I know that if I said my favorite was Jack that Oliver would find out and it would break his heart. In contrast, if I said Oliver and Jack found out, Jack would just laugh. He’s got enough self-confidence to be completely unaffected by what I think of him. Anyway, since I do care about both Oliver and Jack, but in different ways (I decided this, just now) I’ve determined that I want Oliver to come into himself. To step forward, not just as the romantic, dashing figure he’d like to see himself as, but as someone who is true to himself without tying himself in knots about it. Thing is, Jack already knows this about Oliver, and he’s patient enough to see Oliver through until he gets there.”
You can read the entire interview here.
(Street Food)
To Read or Not to Read
Here was the question from To Read Or Not To Read:
2. Which character was more fun to write: Oliver or Jack?
Here is part of my response:
“So then I promised myself that I would write a two person point-of-view story to follow Fagin’s Boy. I don’t know what it’s going to be called yet, but I’m already rubbing my hands with glee at the thought of what Jack’s point-of-view will be when he comes upon Oliver in a cranky mood, or when Oliver gets drunk. (And really, Oliver is either cranky or drunk, it seems, in Fagin’s Boy!) Plus, I’ll get to write about Oliver from an outsider’s perspective. Oliver is very beautiful, in my mind, so to have someone else who also thinks that? Terrific. Oliver can hardly think, “Oh, I’m so handsome!” But Jack can think it for him and will do so, frequently.”
You can read the entire interview here.
(Street Vendor)
Photographs borrowed from the Daily Mail.
(Hansom Cab)