QUESTIONS FROM READERS

T. Greenwood answers readers' questions about writing style, race, and the research she performed in preparation for her most recent book, TWO RIVERS.

Carol from Voorheesville, NY: How would a writer attain your easy flow of writing?

T. Greenwood: I think that fluidity of language is something that comes naturally to some people, but may be more of a struggle for others. There are times when words and sentences, ideas and thoughts are effortless for me. Other times, pulling them out of myself is like extracting a rotten tooth. The key to remedying this is usually in the revision stage, when I can go back over the clunky prose and re-work it until it seems as though it were effortless.

Jeannine from Medford, NJ: At the beginning, I was unsure of Harper's race. The issue of race didn't seem to be a factor in his angst over how to explain Maggie's presence. He seemed only concerned with the fact that she was young and pregnant, which led me to think that perhaps he and Maggie were of the same race. Was this intentional on your part?

T. Greenwood: I think that Harper’s struggle with race is complex. He does take Maggie in primarily because of her situation, but I think her connection to something deep and dark in his own past is also a motive. And this frightens him. I didn’t set out to make his race ambiguous, but rather his feelings about race.

Mary from Glastonbury, CT: What does the "T" stand for?

T. Greenwood: Tammy.

Patricia from Kansas City, KS: How was the location selected? Did the novel require hours of research? Where was the research done?

T. Greenwood: I am a native Vermonter --- a fourth generation Vermonter. I often describe my novels as autogeographical. Vermont is very much a part of who I am as a person and as a writer. The research I did actually took years…but it had less to do with location and more to do with the historical period in that particular location. My father was born the exact same year as Harper, and he was also a teenager in Vermont in the '60s. He was a great resource for me. He (and my grandfather) also both worked for the railroad --- my dad for a brief stint, and my grandfather for 40 some years. I also spoke extensively with a Middlebury professor who attended Middlebury the same years that Harper did, and to a family friend (and fellow Vermonter) who was heavily involved with the SNCC and the Civil Rights Movement during Freedom Summer and beyond. Other than that, I just always had a browser open on my computer while I was writing, so that when some unknown popped up, I could research whatever I needed to on the spot: from the kinds of ice cream treats Betsy and Harper would have enjoyed to what Harper’s DeSoto might have looked like. The Internet is the greatest invention ever for writers.

Peggy from Columbus, OH: Where did you get the idea for TWO RIVERS? What are you working on now?

T. Greenwood: I knew three things when I started this book. I knew I wanted to put a pregnant southern girl on a train headed north. I knew that there was a man, a widower and single father working for the railroad in Vermont who had been involved in a shameful crime. And I knew the train would derail. What I didn’t know was who Maggie was (or why she was on that train). I also didn’t know how she fit into Harper’s past. And I didn’t know she would ultimately be the key to his atonement. I think that’s why the book is so surprising. It surprised me. I believe firmly in writing in this way. This sense of discovery is the joy of writing for me.

I am working on a novel called THE HUNGRY SEASON. It is about a family dealing with the aftermath of the death of their teenage daughter. It will be published in February of next year.

© Copyright 1996-2010, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.

Back to top.