Amy Crider

Born in Ohio in 1961 and raised in rural upstate New York, Amy Crider earned a BA in theater from Goddard College, then an MA in education, and didn't return to theater again until moving to Chicago in the 2000s, starting with the writing program at Second City. She spent ten years with Chicago Dramatists, capping her studies in their first Master Class.

One of the few writers who has won awards for both fiction and drama, her childhood during the trauma and violence of the 1960s launched her lifelong desire to inspire audiences toward redemption, courage, and compassion.

Crider's latest novel is Kells: a novel of the eighth century.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

I struggled with the title of my novel Kells: a novel of the eighth century. The novel is about the creation of the Book of Kells, but it was not known as the Book of Kells at that time. The monks weren’t living at Kells then, they moved there later. I wanted to keep Kells in the title to make clear this is the Book of Kells, and I tried some variations such as Kells: the Gospel of Columba, as well as The Pen of God. I rejected those because it made my novel sound more religious than it is. My editor decided the title we used worked well enough.

What's in a name?

I read 50 books to research this novel. The very first book I read, Fury of the Northmen, mentioned that in the annals of the monastery of Iona, which is mostly a log of who died when, there is mentioned the death of Connachtach around 800 AD, and they note he was a “master scribe.” I immediately thought: Wow, this could be the guy, the chief scribe of the Book of Kells! So I had to write his story.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

My teenage self wouldn’t be surprised. I was always interested in writing historical fiction, even in high school. Maybe, though, she’d be surprised at how long it took. I was ambitious and thought I’d find success at a young age. And now I’m 62. Better late than never!

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

I struggle with endings more. This is true of both my fiction and my playwriting. Even though I usually know how the story will end, I do revise endings more than beginnings.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

I definitely put myself in my characters. With Connachtach, I wanted to subvert the expectation that he would be some conservative, religious monk. Connachtach is an artist before anything else, struggling with his ego, which I call “pride” in the novel. I depicted to some degree my own struggles with my ambition and ego.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

For Kells, I was captivated by medieval art. What monk created in this era are known as “illuminated manuscripts,” lavishly illustrated. They were called “illuminations” because they were like light shining through a stained glass window. Once when I was showing some of this artwork to a teenager, he asked if the monks were doing drugs. That’s how fantastical this art is. For my research I took a Celtic art class and learned how to do that tricky interlace pattern. It’s amazing stuff. I also love medieval music and Celtic folk music.

Visit Amy Crider's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Robin Stevens

Robin Stevens was born in California and grew up in Oxford, England, across the road from the house where Alice of Alice in Wonderland lived. Stevens has been making up stories all her life. She spent her teenage years at boarding school, reading a lot of murder mysteries and hoping that she’d get the chance to do some detecting herself (she didn’t). She studied crime fiction in college and then worked in children’s publishing. Stevens now lives in England with her family.

Her new novel is Death Sets Sail.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

I'm very proud of the title of Death Sets Sail - I think it really lets readers know what the book is about! My books are 1930s murder mysteries starring young detectives, and this story is all about a murder on board a Nile cruise ... but death is also pursuing my main characters, with one of them facing a terrifying and potentially tragic end ...

What's in a name?

I think names are extremely important. My favorite name from this book is Hephzibah - I think it's awkward and old-fashioned and a little bit weird but still charming, and that's the character! I often borrow names from friends or family members or people who are important to me - my detective George's last name is Mukherjee because that was the name of a tutor whose university course I really loved, and my narrator Hazel's last name is Wong because that's one of my best friends' names!

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

I think she'd be completely delighted by it. It combines so many things she loved - murder mysteries, Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile, Egyptology, cults, young detectives, a group of best friends, and two extremely romantic romances! I hope she'd be very proud of me.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

I think they're both very hard to write well! I usually start with a clear idea of the beginning scenes, and the moment of the crime, and then struggle a bit more with the middle and the end. I usually change quite a lot in terms of the final scenes, and what happens with all of the characters after the mystery is over. With this book, though, I actually had an unusually firm vision for the very final chapters. It was a moment I couldn't wait to write, and I couldn't write without crying. And I still cry when I reread it now!

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

I think all of my characters share aspects of my personality! Hazel is my quieter, kinder, more thoughtful side, while Daisy has my impulsivity and boldness and flair for the dramatic. Interestingly, this year I realized that Daisy and I share something else, too: she is an autistic character, and that turns out to have been drawn from life, as I have recently been diagnosed!

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

My mother worked in a museum when I was a child, and I was particularly fascinated by the Egypt galleries, so that definitely inspired this book! Over the years I've become really interested in the way Westerners claim Egypt as almost part of their own history - so much has been taken from the country and installed in museums across the world, with very little thought about who really owns it. So this book is about a group of British people who see themselves as having ownership over Egypt and Egyptian things, and I hope explores how foolish that idea is!

Visit Robin Stevens's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ryan Kenedy

Ryan Kenedy is a professor of English at Moorpark College. His short fiction has appeared in North American Review, The Greensboro Review, Sou’wester, and San Joaquin Review.

Kenedy's new novel is The Blameless.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

The title The Blameless occurred to me early on, even before I began writing the novel, which is unusual for me. Typically, I struggle to find good titles for my work and I'm rarely satisfied with the titles I settle on. But I knew The Blameless would be a novel about a man convicted of murder, so the idea of blame was central to my initial conception of the book. Of course, we all know what it's like to carry blame for hurting other people, and we also know what it's like to blame ourselves for things we shouldn't be blamed for, things that were never our fault, particularly those things that occurred during childhood. The novel's two main characters, Travis Lee Hilliard and Virginia Bigelow, struggle to process the lifelong effects of blame and guilt. Given who we are and all we've done, is true forgiveness even possible? Or to put in another way, can we ever become blameless?

What's in a name?

When I began writing this novel, I referred to the main character by his initials, L.T., but I didn't know what the initials stood for, and I wrote many pages before the name Travis Lee Hilliard occurred to me. I knew the character needed three names (we tend to remember murderers by their full name -- Lee Harvey Oswald, John Wilkes Booth, etc.). The problem, of course, is that L.T.'s initials don't work for Travis Lee, and yet T.L. sounded as awkward as Lee Travis Hilliard. Besides, I had grown accustomed to the name L.T. and didn't want to abandon it. To add to this complexity, L.T.'s mother had always called him Lee. And although L.T. admits that he never liked the name Travis (his father's name), it's the name he uses inadvertently when he introduces himself to the preacher and his family. So throughout the novel, Virginia refers to him as either Travis or Travis Lee Hilliard. But how to resolve the discrepancy between the character's full name and his initials? I decided his uncle Morris was to blame for this. Morris started calling the boy L.T. and nobody ever knew why, but it caught on, and only his mother continued to call him Lee. To me, these different names highlight the character's complicated identity both in terms of how he sees himself and how he interacts with others.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

In general, I find it harder to write endings than beginnings. Beginnings come easily to me, fueled by inspiration, I suppose, although the revision process tends to reveal the story's true beginning later in the narrative. This certainly happened when I wrote The Blameless. I started writing the novel forty or fifty pages before the actual story begins. But I needed to write those pages to become familiar with the characters and to develop a sense of the plot. Once I knew where I was headed, I was able to discard the original beginning with no regrets.

On the other hand, I'm more of a perfectionist when it comes to writing endings, perhaps because I demand too much from the end. I want it to do more than it's capable of doing. I didn't know how The Blameless would turn out until I was about thirty pages from the end. Suddenly, the book's final image came to mind, and, fearing I would lose it, I jumped ahead, wrote the last few pages of the novel, and then went back to finish the rest. I worked tirelessly on the final chapter, writing several parts over and over, but that last paragraph remained much as I had first written it.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

Yes, I see myself in my characters -- even when those characters are a world apart. This doesn't mean that the characters are versions of "me," or that they serve as manifestations of my personality. In most cases, my characters are very different from me. L.T. and Virginia are two very good examples. Still, I recognize something of myself in them: their frustrations and failures, their insecurities, their fears and desires. At the same time, although I never base my characters on real people, I can't help recognizing people I've known in one way or another. It's unavoidable. My characters are amalgamations of myself and everyone I've known, and all the books I've read and films I've watched, and everything I know and still don't understand about the human experience.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

I've lived in California most of my life. The setting of my novel ranges from the Central Valley to Los Angeles to the Mojave Desert. There's something very stark about California's arid landscape that is rarely depicted in film. But the severity of this region often finds its way into my writing, in my descriptions of place and my characterizations.

Visit Ryan Kenedy's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Mina Hardy

Mina Hardy writes books. Usually, they feature good people making bad choices, but sometimes they might be about bad people making good choices. Either way, everyone is basically a mess, and you shouldn't trust any of them. From twisted tales of domestic suspense to darker stories of bumping in the night, you can expect thrills and a few chills.

Hardy's new novel is We Knew All Along.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

The title, We Knew All Along, says it all. I hope by the time readers get to the end and find out what it is they all knew (all along) the reader can look back at certain points throughout the story and have their own “aha!” moment.

What's in a name?

Naming characters is a bit like naming a baby. You want to find the perfect fit. The difference is that a writer can create a character that perfectly fits the name you gave them, and children…well, children grow into their own people, no matter what you’ve called them. I like giving my characters names that feel as though they fit, but I also like using names that feel real. For We Knew All Along, I picked Jewelann because years and years ago, my family knew a family with a daughter called Jewelann, and it always stuck with me! I usually also try to be accurate choosing names that match the character’s age or background. The names that are most popular right now don’t necessarily make sense for a middle-aged character, etc.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

Not much. I’ve always been a fan of dark and twisted stories about people making bad choices.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Beginnings and endings are equally difficult and also easy for me. I usually know the beginning, and I often know the end…the middle is that vast wonderland of “What If.” I rewrite my beginnings more often, though. If I’m stuck, that’s where I go back to revise until it feels right. If the beginning works, the ending is much easier to find. With We Knew All Along, I had a solid beginning (the rekindling of an old romance that quickly sours) and I had some idea of where the book would end, but it changed more over time, while the beginning stayed the same. Honestly, the ending changed a few times before I settled on where it would all land!

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

All of my characters have a little bit of me in them, even if it’s their behavior being completely opposite of what I would ever choose. I write about what scares me, what I understand, how I’d do things or how I would never, ever! Basically, if I can’t understand why a character would make a choice, I can’t fully write about them.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

I always listen to music. Every book has a playlist. Songs range from current favorites to ones I choose specifically to create a mood or because the lyrics relate to the book’s theme.

Visit Mina Hardy's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Michael O'Donnell

Michael O’Donnell is the author of the novel Above the Fire. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and other publications. O’Donnell has been a member of the National Book Critics Circle since 2005. An attorney by profession, he lives in the Chicago area, where he practices law. He earned his bachelor’s degree with distinction from Indiana University and his law degree magna cum laude from Boston College.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

The title Above the Fire is both literal and metaphorical. Doug and his young son, Tim, become stranded while hiking in the White Mountains when threats of war and social collapse reach the ranger station. They decide to stay where they are, "above" the disorder down below.

But the precise nature of that disorder is hard to get their hands around because Doug and Tim are miles from it. They cannot see it. Only vague snatches of information from rangers and news reports reach them before their isolation grows complete. At one point they do get word of a conflagration in a nearby town: an event that frightens the boy. But, despite this literal image, "the fire" broadly represents the uncertainty and danger that Doug and Tim avoid by staying high in the mountains.

What's in a name?

The setting of the novel is a section of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire called the Presidential Traverse. There is a map of the Traverse after the title page of the book, showing mountain peaks, backcountry huts, trails, and elevations. The Presidential Traverse is a real trail that I have hiked. It is one tough march.

I always found the name of the trail a little bit fearsome. It comes from the various mountain peaks--Mounts Madison, Jefferson, Adams, and so on. The tallest mountain in the range, and one of the key locations of the story, is Mount Washington, the highest spot in the eastern United States. The weather on the summit is ferocious. For many years, it had the wind speed record on planet Earth, at 231 mph. All of these points conjure up a wild space where the conditions are hostile and the stakes for the novel’s characters are high.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Definitely endings. The opening chapter of the book came out as fast as I could type it. The last chapter went through several revisions, one of them pretty radical. Without spoilers, I will say that the changes affected not just the plot but the note on which the book concluded.

I think endings pose the bigger challenge in most stories. There are so many good books and movies that start out strong but the artist struggles to land the plane. I worked hard to get it right. It's not just a matter of wrapping up the storylines but also of doing so with the right tone. I'm happy with the ending of this book, and I owe a particular debt to my wonderful editor Michael Signorelli for his advice on how to make it work.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

A movie that I saw in 2020 helped inspire this novel. It is called Leave No Trace, by the director Debra Granik. The movie tells the story of a man and his teenage daughter living off the grid in the forest near Portland, Oregon. Not merely the characters and setting, but the tenor of the story--all the unspoken understandings between a parent and child--had a strong influence on the way I wanted to write Above the Fire. I only hope I have produced something half so powerful as that beautiful film.

Visit Michael O'Donnell's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Chris McKinney

Chris McKinney was born and raised in Hawaiʻi, on the island of Oahu. He has written nine novels, including The Tattoo and The Queen of Tears, a coauthored memoir, and the screenplays for two feature films and two short films. He is the winner of the Elliott Cades Award and seven Kapalapala Poʻokela Awards and has been appointed Visiting Distinguished Writer at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

McKinney's new novel is Sunset, Water City, Book 3 of the Water City Trilogy.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

When my editor and I discussed title options, we both agreed that it’s better to be direct and simple as opposed to trying to be clever. “Water City” indicates to the reader that a significant portion of the novel is set in an underwater city. “Sunset” suggests that this is the last book in a trilogy.

But I’m also hinting at something thematic. Walking backwards is a motif in these books, and the sequence of titles move backwards as well, from “Midnight” (book one), to “Eventide” (book two), to “Sunset” (book three). The idea is that as we advance technologically, we devolve in significant, terrifying ways.

What's in a name?

Two major characters in this book have the same name: “Ascalon.” This is a risk. The last thing a writer wants is confused readers. However, why write and not take chances? That seems boring. Besides, the reason they share the name makes sense. It was, at one time, the most popular name in this world because it was the name of the weapon that saved humanity (The Ascalon Project). The name also has religious and mythical implications because it’s the name of the spear that Saint George used to slay a dragon. Religion and myth figure largely in this book.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your novel?

While the teenage me would be surprised that I became a writer, he would not be surprised by the content of this and other books I wrote. Every writer has that first book that shook them, and mine was Animal Farm in the sixth grade. Orwell had an enormous impact in how I look at literature and imagine what it can say.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

For me, the ending is harder. I always have a beginning in mind before I start writing a book, and I usually stick with it. It’s through writing the first draft of a novel that an ending is discovered. In this book, I discovered the end about a quarter into draft one, when the genetically engineered mythical creatures first appear. I only found an end by navigating the self-created maze in which it hid.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

Some of these characters share my cynicism. One in particular shares my habit of liking to have a drink or ten and using foul language. Other than that, these characters are very different than I am. I don’t think of myself as manipulative, and a few of the major characters in this book are master manipulators. Writing characters most unlike me are the most fun to create.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

Watching movies and even gaming has influenced me. Blade Runner, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Road Warrior stained me for life. I have always really liked the anime aesthetic as well. As far as games go, I spent an embarrassing amount of hours playing Everquest and World of Warcraft. The Mass Effect trilogy and Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 are among my all-time favorites, too.

Visit Chris McKinney's website.

The Page 69 Test: Sunset, Water City.

--Marshal Zeringue