Might As Well Jump

After realizing that both my first two novels, Black Chalk and Grist Mill Road, involved the peril of high places, I wrote an article for the Powell’s book blog on the personal significance such high spots possess. It begins like this:

“I was perched on the edge of a cliff in a dusty Coloradan canyon, standing there by choice, despite the fact that I have a dizzying fear of heights. So clearly — I mean, very obviously — I had no urge to jump.

And yet jump I did… three, two, one, oh God no… This wasn’t exactly a case of facing your fear and doing it anyway. I jumped because I felt obligated to do so. Literature made me do it. I jumped because I owed it to several of my fictional creations…” Read the rest of my article on the Powell’s website here.