1. Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer.
12-word synopsis: small town, Maine, murder, family, alcoholism, love, secrets, revenge, rage, blizzard, redemption
2. What inspired you to write Dead of Wynter?
My own family. My mother's side of the family has a troubled history. In the 1940's, an ugly rumor about a murder among cousins at a Michigan campsite surfaced. In a moment of dementia, my grandmother inadvertently revealed to my mother that there may have been some truth to the stories. Then, when my
heavy-drinking uncle died (my mother's brother), I decided to combine the two tragedies into a novel. Dead of Wynter is a kind of fermented, concentrated version of those events with plenty of made-up things thrown
in.
3. Where do you do most of your writing?
When I'm planning a novel, the less it seems like work the better. The creative rocket sauce is more potent that way. So, I usually sit on my sofa under my headphones with my iPad. Then, once I start my drafts, I sit at big bare desk my father built for me writing on a laptop. Unlike many other writers, I can't write in public spaces. I need to cocoon myself, preferably in the dark under headphones.
4. What is your favorite book?
Honestly, I consume and like so many books that my "favorite" is usually one I've read in the last year or so. Joe Hill is in that category currently. I loved Horns and Heart Shaped Box, both of which I read this past year. A few years ago, I fell in love with Caleb Carr's The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness. Before that, I might have said Stephen King's The Shining. Ken Follett, Jack Ketchum, and Peter Straub have also written favorites for me at one time or another.
5. Which part of Dead of Wynter was the most enjoyable to write?
When I was about halfway through the second draft, I happened to be at my parents' house on Cape Cod. This was in the summer of 2009. There was something about the plot as it was then that had been bugging me for several weeks. One afternoon, I stepped out of the shower and out of nowhere came a new, better idea for the second half. I rushed for a pad and pen and felt incredibly happy even though I knew I would have to go back and shuffle some things around to make it work. After that, the second half of the book was a
thrill to write.
Thank you Spencer for the great insight into you and your writing life.
Giveaway:
Thanks to Erin McNichols and Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, I have one copy of Dead of Wynter to give away. Simply fill out the form below. Open to US/Canada only. Ends 5/19/2011.
If you can't see the form below, you can find it here.
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