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| Previous First Looks Joshilyn Jackson Kevin Guilfoile |
Stephanie Doyon: Thanks for having me. Rochelle Krich: I loved your book. Can you tell our readers something about your novel, The Greatest Man in Cedar Hole? Stephanie Doyon: Basically, it's about a small downtrodden town and its quirky residents. At the heart of the story are two boys--Robert, an optimistic overachiever, and Francis, the youngest boy in a family of nine brutish sisters. The boys' lives intersect throughout the book--we see them growing up and pitted against one another. Rochelle Krich: And yet, Robert doesn't seem to be doing the "pitting." What I found fascinating about Robert is that he earns Francis Pinkham's lifelong antagonism and envy, yet he's caring, altruistic. How do you see Robert? Do you want the reader to suspect him of being less noble than he appears to be? Stephanie Doyon: At first, when he's young, he certainly does seem noble. But later on, when he gets married and has a family of his own we see that he's put all his energy into the town and not into his family. It was interesting to me to write about a character who seems perfect on the outside, but despite his best intentions, doesn't put his love and creativity in the right direction. Rochelle Krich: I found that fascinating, too. The lawn-mowing contest is a vivid metaphor for injustice that festers. I have to admit I wanted Francis to reclaim his victory. Is that how you see it? Stephanie Doyon: Yes. In the contest, the entire town is rooting for Robert because he is their "golden boy" and want him to win at all costs, even if he isn't the true victor. This happens time and time again in life. Robbing Francis of his victory was necessary to make his eventual vindication sweeter. Rochelle Krich: In your novel, objects assume significance. I'm thinking of the mailbox, the desk, the railroad. Did you know they would be important, or did they assume significance during the writing process? Stephanie Doyon: It all came about during the writing process. I'm not one to plan things out ahead of time--I like to see where the story and the characters take me. Basically, I started with a setting and certain objects, like a mailbox, to describe the setting. Then, when a plot point comes to me, I think about the things I've already described and try to use them for the plot, rather than introducing something new. In a way, this technique works really well for me because connections start to form and the story seems tighter. Rochelle Krich: They worked for me, too, and I'm sure they'll work for our readers. I found the mailbox scene terribly disturbing. How did you create Cedar Hole? A most uninviting town, I might add. Stephanie Doyon: It's not a place I'd want to live, either. I'm not sure where it began. I think the novel started with Robert--a character who is so in love with his hometown. To make it interesting, it made sense to make him love a town that wasn't worth loving. Then I tried to think of the gloomiest place I could think of. The uninspiring landscape, the constant rain, the defunct railroad. At the same time I was imagining a group of unambitious citizens whose infrequent attempts at greatness were misguided, and tried to build the scenery around them. Rochelle Krich: I noticed on the Web that there are two different jackets for The Greatest Man in Cedar Hole. One shows a young boy with a mailbox. The other shows a young boy on a railroad track, his back toward us. Which one do you prefer and why? Stephanie Doyon: The one with the mailbox is the British version, soon to be published by Bloomsbury. The other is the Simon and Schuster version. The Bloomsbury cover is cute and has a light feel to it, which I think hints at the comic aspect of the novel. But I have to say that I really love the Simon and Schuster cover--the picture of Francis staring down the railroad is just so eloquent. It hints at the novel's heart. Rochelle Krich: Aside from Robert and Francis, you have a host of colorful characters. Which one did you enjoy writing the most? Stephanie Doyon: I loved writing about Delia Pratt, the promiscuous and not-too-bright fourth grade teacher. It was just such a delight to take an often stereotypically straight-laced character and turn her inside out. I also loved writing Kitty Higgins, the librarian. Her insecurity was a lot of fun. Rochelle Krich: I loved Delia. She is so atypical. How do you keep an eccentric character from becoming a caricature? Stephanie Doyon: Keep them human. In Delia's case, she becomes entranced by Robert's goodness and it eventually inspires her to try to be a better person. Kitty is also enamored with Robert, but she also is deeply concerned about what other people think of her. When Delia and Kitty are both engaged in things outside of themselves, their eccentricities fall away and they become more human. Rochelle Krich: You describe Francis's sisters as "brutish" and I have to agree. Where do they come from? Why are they so insistent on tormenting their brother? Stephanie Doyon: I think that in any household where there are too many people, a new addition is always a strain. I'm guessing here, because I'm an only child, but I've seen it happen in other families. The fact that Francis is the only boy among so many girls is definitely a factor. Jackie, the oldest, is really the one who resents Francis the most--the other girls follow whatever she does. There are several hints in the book that Jackie dislikes boys in general and that Francis is the outlet for her aggression. Rochelle Krich: We have six children, and yes, sometimes there's strain. But the viciousness? I was so frustrated seeing the way the sisters treated their mother. Do you think the father's "absence" was responsible? Stephanie Doyon: Definitely. He was also very complacent, which I think was part of the problem. Rochelle Krich: Do you think Francis would have been a different person if he had grown up in a safer, more nurturing environment? Would he be "great"? Stephanie Doyon: Early on, he definitely had the potential. But it's actually all the adversity that he goes through which ends up making him great in the end. Robert was a natural at being great, but there's a vast difference between doing something just because you know it's right and doing something right that is painful and costly. Francis is forced to make a decision that is precisely that, and in my mind, that makes him a better person. Even better than Robert. Rochelle Krich: I agree. The concept of "greatness" in the novel reminded of Shakespeare's line in Twelfth Night: "Be not afraid of greatness. Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." Stephanie Doyon: Exactly. Rochelle Krich: One of the many aspects of the book that I admire is your refusal to sentimentalize the characters or the story. Were you tempted to create some happier endings for some of the characters? Stephanie Doyon: A little--in trying not to be sentimental, you can certainly go the wrong way and be too dark. What I was hoping for was to be a little realistic. Maybe things weren't perfect yet for the characters, but you could see that sometime later, down the road, it might all work out. Rochelle Krich: Before you wrote this novel, you were a ghostwriter for several teen fiction series. You also wrote a series about a high school graduate who travels around the country before college-On the Road. How did ghostwriting and On the Road prepare you for writing your first adult novel? Were there any techniques that you had to leave behind? Stephanie Doyon: Ghostwriting was an invaluable experience for me. I used to say that it was my grad school. Everything I know about pacing, plot, and suspense I learned from writing teen books. The only thing I might have left behind was a limited vocabulary and the need to tie the ending up in a neat bow. Rochelle Krich: So, like, no big words? Stephanie Doyon: Like, yeah. Rochelle Krich: At Colby, you studied with Richard Russo and Jim Boylan. What are the most valuable lessons that you learned from them? What advice would you give aspiring writers? Stephanie Doyon: I learned so much. Russo is a master at dialogue and really showed me how to listen to the rhythms of everyday speech. My advice to aspiring writers is to work, work, work. It's fun to sit around and talk about writing, but so much better to actually do it. Have tons of faith and patience, believe in yourself and be persistent. I fully believe that those who succeed in writing are not necessarily the most talented, but the ones who have the most tenacity. Rochelle Krich: I read that you were at Book Expo last week in New York. Sorry I didn't have a chance to meet you. What was that like? Stephanie Doyon: You were there? Rochelle Krich: Roaming the halls, shlepping books, growing shorter because of the weight of the tomes... What was it like for you? Stephanie Doyon: I'm sorry we didn't meet, too. Book Expo is total madness, as you can attest. It was a wonderful experience, though. I took part in the "Emerging Voices" panel with several up-and-coming writers. Everyone was so supportive of one another. I also had the opportunity to sign galleys of my book. My one disappointment was that I didn't get a chance to get a signed book from my hero, Michael Cunningham. By the time I got to the booth, the line was way too long. Rochelle Krich: The lines are always too long. Stephanie, what are you working on now? Stephanie Doyon: I have a few characters kicking around that didn't make it into Cedar Hole. I've been playing around with them a bit, trying to find an angle that will be different enough from the last book. There's always a fear of becoming a one trick pony. Rochelle Krich: I don't think you need to worry about that. Where can our readers contact you and learn about your tour appearances? Stephanie Doyon: You can find information about both at the Simon & Schuster website www.simonsays.com . I have a website in the works right now, but unfortunately it's not up yet. Rochelle Krich: Good luck with the book, Stephanie, and with your future writing projects. It was wonderful having you here at ReadersRoom. Stephanie Doyon: Thanks so much, Rochelle. It was a pleasure. |