The Lit Hub Author Questionnaire is a monthly interview consisting of seven questions for five authors with new books. This month we talk about:
Julie Buntin (famous men)
Nathaniel Rich (cloud thief)
Lucy Schiller (Aging Out: An Exploration of Caregiving, Community, and How Americans Grow Old)
Parini Shroff (some people)
Elizabeth Winthrop (strong belief)
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Without summarizing it in any way, what would you say your book is about?
Julie Buntin: The way secrets distort families. The wind in northern Michigan. The magic of finding a book that speaks to your secret self, or better yet, reminds you that you have a book. The feeling of seeing when you are alone. Bad workshops. The question is not just who gets to tell their story, but also who gets to decide. How They tell this. Money, and father literary and literal. ambition. A friend described it as a horror novel about coming of age—I loved that.
nathaniel rich: How to prevent data center theft. But also: the euphoric joys of Manhattan mini-storage; climate nihilism; weaponized genetic engineering; the sensual power of the wig; The irregular plains of Oklahoma; Paternity.
lucy schiller: Fear of the future, money, wandering, loneliness, old age, grandparents, social services, privatization, friendship, Instagram.
Parini Shroff: full of intergenerational intrigue, emotional baggage, and satire.
elizabeth winthrop: In faith-religion, in people and in love.
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Without giving reasons and without naming other authors or books, can you discuss the various influences on your book?
nathaniel richSome common and deceptive phrases: “Data is the new oil”; “Do good by doing good”; “Information wants to be free”; And “everything is connected.”
lucy schiller:Pittsburgh’s crazy greenery, rodents, lonely oysters at Christmas, dogs, wild neighbors, COVID, virtual friends, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club, gerontology, longtime workers, Swedish food.
Parini Shroff:This book takes place when an only child whose friends are mostly characters from books and sitcoms grows up to be a curmudgeon.
elizabeth winthrop: geopolitics, puzzles, children of ISIS, weather/landscapes/seasons, the long shadow of history.
Julie Buntin:Breast pumps and medical bills. Death of ego. At that time a writer told me that women write like cats and men write like dogs, and I should become like a dog.
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Without using complete sentences, can you describe what was going on in your life while you were writing this book?
lucy schiller: Seismic change has made me less of a recluse, traveling as much as ever, European crime dramas, losing my ability to read.
Parini Shroff: There are more voices echoing in my head than usual.
elizabeth winthrop: A pandemic, my forties, teaching, writing in the car, books on tape, running, my kid becoming a teenager, learning to say “yes.”
Julie Buntin: A move from New York to Michigan. Drive-through PCR testing and swabs entering watering eyes. Teaching on Zoom, and teaching IRL. Insomnia during pregnancy, staying in the NICU, breastfeeding three times, postpartum brain chemistry changes that left me numb and slow, and the mental explosion of my first child laughing on the ice. Two-year daycare waiting list. Dozens and dozens of amazing manuscripts in progress. Annual Reviews. Another pregnancy. The products of pregnancy and fever persisted, which could have progressed to sepsis but did not. Two daycare bills are more than the mortgage. My daughter’s impossibly blue eyes.
nathaniel rich: Desperately trying to figure out how to market monosodium glutamate as a tabletop spice. Catchphrase: “Actually it’s not bad for you!”
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What are some words you hate that have been used by readers and/or reviewers to describe your writing?
Parini Shroff: “Disdain” is strong, but I don’t like “frothy”. I understand that I want to highlight that a work is humorous, but frothy means there is no substance to promote humor.
elizabeth winthrop: boring. Heavy. gloomy. even.
Julie Buntin: Cool, which I guess is just a way to bring up a plot point.
nathaniel rich:The only words I really hate are “enormity” (incorrectly used for enormity), “issue” (for “problem”), and “That’s So Raven“
lucy schiller: I hate to be called a “cynic”, but I don’t think it’s ever been applied to my writing, thank God. Mmm…”funny?”
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If you could choose any career other than writing (regardless of schooling requirements and/or talent) what would it be?
elizabeth winthrop: I will become a nurse. I don’t think it’s too late.
Julie Buntin:If I’m honest – a folk singer.
nathaniel rich: The owner of a shop selling books and hot sauce.
lucy schiller: Musician.
Parini Shroff: Librarian.
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What craft elements do you think you are strong at and what would you like to get better at?
Julie Buntin: In this book, I’m generally satisfied with some of the ways things have played out over time, but if you told me right now I might take another crack at it, there are a lot of things I would change, and in fact that list changes as I change. This is supposed to be a sign that a project isn’t complete, but that’s how I feel about everything I’ve written so far, so that feeling can’t be my metric for completion. For my next move, in addition to doing everything I’ve done so far better, I’d like to write a vigorous book so I can learn some new words to describe my writing.
lucy schiller: Good at digression and consistency and image, bad at making the essentially clear point.
nathaniel rich: I think I manage the story and dialogue well, but I would like to be better at those and everything else.
Parini Shroff: I think communication is my strength; This allows the humor of my characters to be highlighted. I’m very bad at describing nature and architecture, especially those of a particular time and place. A first draft might read, “There sat (find any native bird)” or “He looked out at (whatever the window above the door is called).” This is shameful.
elizabeth winthrop: I think I’m good at describing. I am very bad at conversation. The plot is my nemesis.
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How do you deal with the arrogance of thinking that anyone is or should be interested in what you have to say about anything?
nathaniel rich:Nobody needs to be interested in how to steal the world’s most valuable thing without getting caught and becoming wildly, insanely rich. But if that kind of thing has you interested, you might want to check it out cloud thief.
Parini Shroff: We live in a time where it’s considered important to consider everything from historical minutiae to what you ate for lunch. This helps me feel better about presenting a novel to which I have devoted serious time and energy. People read for entertainment, but if I can also delve deeper into the education and commentary, that’s great. Which I guess makes me the literary equivalent of broccoli dipped in cheese.
elizabeth winthrop: I think some of that ego can be helpful – in my writing and in my teaching. Anyway, I suffer from imposter syndrome.
lucy schiller: By trying to pass through many other parts of life invisibly.
Julie Buntin: Nine years later, and my answer to this hasn’t changed. What am I interested in to distract myself? About Every person has something to say about everything. I love reading comment threads, listening to mundane conversations, hearing what kids of all ages think – if everyone is interesting, isn’t it possible that I too, at least to someone, am interesting?
