TSR:
What
does the word "story"
mean to you?
BJC:
A story is a thing that feels like a story, a thing that has a
beginning, middle and ending. Or at least an ending. The other two you
can fudge, but it has to have an ending.
TSR:
Do you have a reader in mind when you write stories?
BJC:
Yup, I think a lot about my reader. On my initial drafts, I'm just
getting something out of my head and onto the page, but as soon as I'm
through that, I'm thinking about how the audience will receive my
story, how they will understand my material.
TSR: Is
there
anything you'd like to ask someone who has read your collection, anything at all?
BJC: Do you feel the love? All these stories were written out of love for human beings.
TSR: How does
it feel knowing that people are buying your book?
BJC:
It's really thrilling to know the book is getting out in the world.
Writers of literary stories don't generally see much from royalties,
but I'm been overjoyed to visit universities and libraries and
conferences where I meet people who say they have had positive
experiences with my stories.
TSR:
What are you working on now?
BJC: I'm
working on a novel about a teenage sharpshooter girl who must make her
own way in the world. The first chapter is adapted from the story Family Reunion from American Salvage.
