Interview with Frances Richardson author of Not All of Me is Dust

Today I would like to welcome author Frances Richardson. Tell us a little about yourself.

I believe a life dedicated to literature is a beautiful existence. Years ago I set out to work on a master's degree in English literature, but halfway in I realized that what I really wanted to do was study theology. After I obtained my master's degree in theology I was able to combine my love of the two disciplines in writing and publishing my novel, Not All Of Me Is Dust.

It's great when you can find out what your passionate about. Frances, tell us something about your main characters.

The book is an account of the cost exacted by living out a high ideal. It tells the story of three members of a particular family: imaginative, high-spirited Clare Engle, the youngest, whose childhood fantasies of Christian perfection are realized in the shattering actuality of adulthood; her beautiful conflicted sister, Kathleen; and her brother, Stephen, a priest and poet and the hero of the novel.

Will you share a short excerpt from your novel?

This is from Part Three of a three-part novel:

     "Jacques, Louis . . ." The emotion of the moment was almost more than Stephen could bear. Dropping his hands, he stepped back.

    Joyeaux shifted into gear and the van lurched forward, heading for the open gate; picking up speed, it veered out into the road.

    Just as the road began to bend to the right, before the van reached the first trees of the woods, Cormier turned round to glance back, and Stephen, standing in the very spot on the mission grounds where he had first stepped down nine months before, looking across the low wall with its purplish haze of bougainvillea, in a profound and awful silence penetrated only by the far-off four note call of some unseen, unknown bird, saw his companion's face one last time.

Have you been given any helpful advice? If so, what?

Yes, especially in regard to writer's block. "Put your work away for a while. But don't stop writing. Write 200-300 words a day on any topic: how to make and serve cucumber sandwiches; how surly your neighbor becomes when he has to mow the lawn, that kind of thing. And read, read the very best writers, whether fiction or nonfiction. Your story will come back to you."

I'll have to try that. I haven't heard that advice. Frances, did you have to do any research for your novel?

The third part takes place in a fictionalized Rwanda. I researched the tragedy that occurred there in the early 1990s extensively: the history of the country, the culture, the scenes people would have witnessed, the conditions they had to cope with.

Do you have people read your drafts before you publish?

Yes, I think every writer needs a good editor. I was very fortunate to have found two. My first editor, Gladys Leithauser, was a treasure: brilliant, nurturing and dedicated to my work. When she died of cancer, I was distraught on many levels. I was blessed to find another excellent editor, Jeanette Piccirelli. She brought me to the finish line.

So sorry to hear about your first editor. Cancer is a horrible disease that takes far too many lives. Can you tell us who designed your cover?

Very fine artists at CreateSpace. I told them what I envisioned and they drew what I consider a beautiful cover, evoking a forest scene from Part Three of the novel.

As an author one thing we all have had to deal with or will deal with is criticism? How do you handle it?

Of course, it can hurt. But sincere criticism from someone whose judgment we value can be a gift. For the rest:  I remember once happening upon Amazon reviews of the 1980 National Book Award for Fiction, William Styron's Sophie's Choice. Here are three of them:

              five stars:   "A masterpiece, one of the most harrowing books I have 

                                 ever read. It is life-changing."

              two stars:   "Hard to plow through."

              one star:    "Very depressing. Pass on it."

     Seeing this keeps one grounded, I think.

I enjoy getting constructive criticism that is done in a non hateful way. Some of it has helped me to become a better writer. It can be tough, I know we all enjoy the positive feedback. What is the best compliment you've ever received?

One of the people who reviewed my book on Amazon said that he/she walked away with a new found respect for their religion. I was very touched by that.

Frances, how many times did you read your book before you published it?

Fifty or sixty. I wrote and rewrote for years. It will never be as good as I hoped it would be, but I had to finish at some point.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I hope I will have learned how to market my work. That has been the hardest part of publishing for me.

I agree it's not anything you think about when your writing a book. I always heard that the real work starts after you write your book. You never really understand that until you start marketing the book. Any last words?

Yes. Someone once said, "Don't die with your song still locked within you."  Keep writing. Believe in yourself. Publish.

Thanks so much for sharing. Happy Reading!!