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Written by Editor
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Friday, 01 February 2008 |
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A Virtual Book Review Network Exclusive.... Interviewing author Erik Quisling Lauren Smith: What inspired you to create a work of fiction?  Fables from the Mud Erik Quisling: I initially came up with the idea for Fables from the Mud shortly after I graduated college. In the course of my soul searching and trying to figure out my place in the world, I was struck with the idea of a clam who was trying to do the exact same thing. For some reason it struck me as extremely amusing. This is how The Angry Clam, the first fable in my book, was born. Lauren Smith: Do you see Fables From the Mud as a satire, cultural commentary or something more? Erik Quisling: Fables From The Mud is about three little creatures – a clam, an ant, and a worm – all of whom are struggling with very human problems. The stories are satirical but in many ways are simply a cultural commentary on the human obsession with finding meaning in the world. All in all, they are designed to be amusing and to get you to see somewhat the absurdity of taking life too seriously. Lauren Smith: How did you develop each of the fables? Erik Quisling: Each fable was born from its own separate bout of inspiration. In each case, it was a single line of text that came to me that was like lighting a fuse that set the story on its course. Once the fuse was lit, the stories pretty much wrote themselves – I simply had to go back and edit them a little bit. Lauren Smith: Are any of the characters based on anyone – or any type of person - you know? Erik Quisling: I can say that the more I read the stories, the more I learn about myself. But I truly think each character is a reflection of some deeply common human experience – not of any human in particular. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 14 April 2008 )
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Written by Webmaster
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Sunday, 04 November 2007 |
Lauren Smith: Michelle, tell us about your book?  Confessions of a Catholic Schoolgirl Michelle Kane: The book is about Valerie Bernowski; broken-home princess, obsessive-compulsive perfectionist and...Catholic school survivor. Her story unfolds through intertwining chapters of short stories growing up Catholic in Detroit in the late 1970s and 80s. Lauren Smith: So did you go to Catholic school? Michelle Kane: Yes, I myself, did attend Catholic school for nine years. I think it would surprise most people that private school kids are not saints. Also, surprisingly, the character of "Father Fingers" in CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOLGIRL is based on my real life pastor, who was recently on our local news for being "sexually inappropriate" with young girls. So...the rumors about him ended up being true. Lauren Smith: What do you think would surprise people most about Catholic schools? |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 05 November 2007 )
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