J. Ryan Stradal's new novel is Kitchens of the Great Midwest.From his Q & A with Caroline Leavitt:
What was the idea that sparked this book, the thought that haunted you so you had to write it out?Visit J. Ryan Stradal's website.
Great question. I wanted to write a book that my mom would’ve loved had she lived to see it exist. Beyond that, I was driven to write a book set in my home region, with characters that resembled the kinds of people I knew growing up. I hadn’t read anything yet that really nailed that for me, so I figured I’d better write it myself. This one really was heavy with my mom’s influence, though. I thought of her every day while I was writing this. It was like...[read on]
--Marshal Zeringue