My novels have been translated into many languages, none of which I can read. I always wonder if meaning gets mangled in the process. I’ll probably never know for sure, but a look at what translating has done to some of my book titles might provide a clue. Here are some of my books with … Read more
I do a weird thing with my books. Rereading Purgatory Ridge has made me look at the issue of story arc and how I construct a narrative, and I’m honestly surprised. I see that I have often done something without really being aware of it. Simply this: At a certain point in the story, I … Read more
People get angry over prologues. It’s weird. They seem either to love them or to hate them. Me, I love prologues. Looking at my own work, I realize that almost every novel I’ve written has opened with a prologue, though I don’t always call it that. Boundary Waters begins with Chapter One, but the whole … Read more
I’m frequently asked where my ideas come from. Sometimes that’s a difficult question to answer. Often I simply can’t recall. But Purgatory Ridge is different. I remember well the day this story was delivered to me. At the time, I was employed by the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development. Iron Lake was already … Read more