Below you'll find my most recent interview. But even though this is my blog, I don't wish to do all the talking. So please feel free to share your own thoughts on reading, and writing, and the wonderful world of books, and cheese, and whatever else comes to mind after checking out what I had to say.
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The following is an exclusive Whispers of the Muse interview conducted by Deborah Riley-Magnus with author, Roy L. Pickering, Jr.
Muse: Roy, first of all, Whispers of the Muse welcomes you and Patches of Grey to the site. Tell us a little about yourself. What part of the world do you live in? Tell us about your background? Pickering: I was born on the idyllic island of St. Thomas, USVI and now reside with my wife and daughter in a quaint New Jersey town. In between I grew up in the Bronx, NY which I used as the setting of my novel. I knew from a pretty young age that I wanted to be a writer. The library was my favorite childhood destination. After reading my first full length novels, a couple classics by Jules Verne, I concluded that extracting stories from my mind and putting them down on paper for others to enjoy is what I eventually wanted to do with my life. My initial attempts at writing were made early on, and being quite ambitious from the start of my writing life I attempted novel length material prior to eventually getting around to short stories. Once I graduated NYU, my writing output grew increasingly prolific. Any slow period at work provided an opportunity to work on a tale, and just about anything (even a can of parmesan cheese once) provided inspiration. Next thing I knew I had completed several short stories and the earliest draft of Patches of Grey. My writing pace is no longer what it was when I first seriously caught the bug and had far fewer responsibilities, but over time quality has overtaken quantity as I’ve worked on mastering the intricate arts of rewriting and editing.
Muse: Who are your favorite authors?
Pickering: John Irving, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy, Tom Robins and John Updike top my list for consistency of amazing novels I’ve been fortunate enough to read over the years. The list keeps growing as I make new discoveries. Most recently I’ve fallen in love with the prose of Chuck Palahniuk, Junot Diaz and Richard Russo.
Muse: Why do you write?
Pickering: For the same reason I breathe, I suppose, though it takes considerably more effort. If I could think of a more fulfilling endeavor, I’d switch over to it. But so far nothing has come to mind. Immortality is also a benefit. If I leave my stories behind then I’ll never really exit this world.
To read remainder of my interview head over to Whispers of the Muse. Scroll down towards bottom of page. Be sure to check out what the other authors listed had to say as well. Also featured at this great site is my short story "Double Fault" and a 4-chapter excerpt from Patches of Grey to be serialized, with Part/Chapter 1 up now.
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