Q: Why did you choose to write Cowboys Never Cry as opposed to any other as your third novel?
A: I didn’t choose to write COWBOYS NEVER CRY in a conscious way as opposed to other options for my third book; it more or less just occurred bit by bit, and the magnetism strengthened. For me a novel begins with two people and how their energies play off each other, along with some issues or questions that I carry. With COWBOYS NEVER CRY I wanted to explore fame and grief, and how I believed they held similar qualities, even though most of us believe they are complete opposites. Fame is considered a peak experience in our culture, grief is considered the worst experience. Yet I see both as being equally challenging to personal growth.
Q: How did you consider “place” as defining in this novel?
A: In COWBOYS NEVER CRY the setting of Jackson Hole is a full-blown character. In fact, the valley and the mountains surrounding it create my most beloved character in this novel. I love to write about the natural world, the sensual aspects of being outdoors. For one thing, it justifies the big amount of time I spend there. You know, I’m not really playing; I’m working.
Q: You are not afraid to tackle love and marriage. Can you talk a little bit about this exploration? I want to keep this open to you to talk/write what interests you about this subject.
A: Love between two people is so complicated. It holds within its experience every kind of emotion and activity. It interests me enormously to write about how that works or doesn’t work. Falling in love can be threatening. It is such an overwhelming experience that a person may fear losing himself or changing beyond recognition. So then a person’s resistance enters. And from there, in my mind, humor enters. It’s just a wonderful field to work within. I can’t imagine exhausting it.
Q: What part about writing gets easier the more you write?
A: The part of writing that becomes easier for me now that I’m working on my fourth novel is the belief that I can do it. I think some writers may put their confidence in the product they have created. I believe it belongs in the creator. Once I’ve completed a project, I’ve learned to release it. For example, I don’t think the book’s reviews are really my business. My business is the process of creating the novel.
Q: What was the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
A: The best piece of writing advice I’ve ever received came from the poet William Stafford. I once traveled with him on part of a Wyoming tour, in which he gave talks and readings. He explained how he got up every morning and wrote a poem. He said, “I just keep lowering my standards until the flow begins.” So that’s what I do.
Q: As a writer do you have expectations about what you hope your readers come away with after experiencing your book? And if so, what might they be?
A: I have no expectations about what readers may come away with after reading my work. But I have hopes. I hope I can put words to something a reader may have experienced but hadn’t quite consciously labeled. When a feeling or realization is pinned down with words, a kind of clarity occurs. I have received that gift many times from writers; I love to give that gift to others.
Q: Who is Lydia within the GroVont Trilogy and why did she deserve her own book?
A: Lydia is Sam Callahan’s mother. She is a strong female with flaws. I try to start each book with a character no one would like and then by the end, the reader either understands or loves the unlikeable person. With her, it took four novels to make her lovable.
Q: How have your own characters surprised you, or revealed themselves to you, as they have moved through your books? Can you give a couple of specific examples?
A: I’ve spent 25 years with the characters of this last novel, so, like your own children, they have grown in ways I never dreamed of at the beginning. My plots grow from specific details. Specific example: I had a woman watching some people go into an AA meeting and one of the people was in a wheelchair. I’d never considered that guy — just needed a detail to balance the sentence. Then, he became one of the main characters of the book.
Q: How has your process as a writer changed over time?
A: I have more faith now that I will eventually pull a book off, even if I have no idea how. I worry less about the commercial aspect than I used to. The process counts for more than the outcome.
Q: Please share with writer-readers a couple of insights about humor? Tricks of the trade?
A: 1. It’s funnier if you don’t write it trying to be funny.
2. Never explain a joke or point one out to the reader. “I was kidding. It’s a joke,” generally doesn’t do.
3. Punch lines work better in standup than fiction.
4. Putting italics around a cliché doesn’t make it any less a cliché.
Q: What is it about language and words that you love? Please share a few of your favorite words.
A: Favorite words: Skulduggery. Turgid. Wet.
Cleave is its own opposite. Ravel and unravel mean the same thing. Semi-trucks have 18 wheels but whole trucks only have 4.
Q: What kind of advice can you give for how to “think like a writer”?
A: Protect your daydreaming time. It is the raw material on which the characters are built and if you can’t daydream you can’t tell stories.
