S.i.S.: Being
a Pulitzer-Prize winning author is quite an accomplishment
for your work as a journalist; however, did you always want
to write fiction? How difficult was it to transition to
writing a novel?
Perry: It was
really creative writing that came first. Writing fiction was
a continuation of what I'd been doing from the time I was a
child. So the real transition came when I
decided, as a teenager, that I was going to pursue a
journalism degree instead of one in English
or creative writing. And my literary writing wasn't
interrupted by my work for newspapers. I finished the first
novel while working for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
S.i.S.: How
did you come up with the premise for "Stigmata"? Tell us
about the research you did to create such a realistic story
with elements of the Middle Passage and the pre-Civil Rights
era.
Perry: That's
such a difficult question. There was no one moment when the
story "came" to me. The characters, events, settings, etc.,
entered my consciousness at different times and in different
ways. I didn't always know that those bits and pieces even
went together. My work never comes to me as a whole.
Essentially, though, stigmata and stigmatics are subjects
that I've been interested in since I was in Catholic school
(nine years!). The Catholic Church has many documented cases
of stigmatics. These were always cases of people identifying
with the crucified Christ to the point of manifesting his
wounds. But I felt that for black people, that kind of
horrific wounding could only be related to slavery.
I didn't do any research
specifically for "Stigmata." I've always been a voracious
reader, and I read about what interests me. I'm interested
in stigmatics, so I read about stigmatics. I'm interested in
the history of black people, so I read that. The historical
record, from slave narratives, accounts of slave-ship
captains, the stories of Jim Crow-era blacks, is graphic,
gritty and pretty hard to forget. If you've read lots of
stuff on these subjects, when the time comes, it's already
in the database.
S.i.S.:
"A Sunday in June," your sophomore title, is the prequel
to your first novel, "Stigmata". Was it always your
intention to write "A Sunday in June", or did you write it
based on the response of your first novel?
Perry: No, that's
just how it worked out. I don't plan things that well. I
don't like to plan too much; it's boring to me to know
exactly what chapter I'm going to write next, or how it's
going to go.
The germ of the story for "A
Sunday in June" is actually older than "Stigmata" and was
part of a novel that I started and abandoned before I
wrote "Stigmata." I borrowed some character names from that
first idea when I wrote "Stigmata," but I didn't know
that the two stories were related until much later.
"A Sunday" definitely wasn't
in response to "Stigmata." Everybody wanted me to write a
sequel. Although I'm interested in taking the
family into the future, I don't have a solid sense yet of
what a sequel would have to say.
S.i.S.: I'm
also a native of Alabama; I'm curious to know if Johnson's
Creek was based on a particular place you've lived or
visited in Alabama?
Perry: I'm
actually a native of Atlanta, but since I spent most of my
childhood and youth in Alabama, that's the place I identify
with the most. Johnson Creek is based on the rural community
that my mother's family is from; it was the first place I
remember as a child, where I was baptized, and where my
family still owns property.
S.i.S.:
There was a scene in "A Sunday in June" where Mary Nell
experiences her husband's rape of her sister. Very vivid
and passionately written. How do you write such depictions
and how difficult was it to describe such a horrific scene?
Perry: I don't
know how I write them. I can't not write
them. But those kinds of scenes are really wrenching to get
down. There were times when the whole life of the book was
in jeopardy because I couldn't get through those scenes. I
wrote around that part for years! People were saying,
"what's taking so long?" But I couldn't tell them that there
was just this hole in the middle of the book! I knew what
had to go there, but it was difficult. Then when I did get
to it, I inched my way through. I had the same kind of
difficulty with some of the scenes in "Stigmata," especially
the ones concerning the Middle Passage.
S.i.S.:
You have been compared to such contemporary writers as
Tanarive Due and Octavia Butler. How do you receive the
comparison? Who would you compare your work to?
Perry: Having
writers like Butler and Due out there is like a dream come
true. That's what I was yearning for when I was a kid
reading science fiction and speculative fiction by white
guys -- a place for us in those imaginative, innovative
scenarios. It's always great to be mentioned in the same
sentence with other great writers, especially black women
writers; it makes me feel like part of a writing community.
I don't think we write that much alike, though. We're all
taking speculative fiction and doing something different
with it, and that's a good thing.
S.i.S.: "Stigmata"
was first published by Ullstein in Germany and then by
Hyperion Books, how did that come about? How difficult was
it for you to become a published author?
Perry: "Stigmata"
was sold to Hyperion first, then to Ullstein in Germany.
But Ullstein decided to put the book on their spring 1998
list and Hyperion wanted it for the fall. The Germans liked
the first draft and went ahead with publication. I was still
in the revision process with my U.S. editor as the German
translation was being done! That's why the ending to
"Stigmata" is different in the German version than in
subsequent versions.
I had the help of a literary
agent, so he did all the real sweating when it came to
getting it in the hands of editors. There were some
rejections, but you know with that first book, you're just
glad someone is looking at it at all. I met the agent
through another writer. He worked with an agent overseas in
Sweden to present the book to the European market.
S.i.S.:
You've also been published in Great Britain, the Netherlands
and Spain. How different is the international market from
the market here in the U.S.?
Perry: I can't tell
that the international market is that much different than
the U.S. Ullstein seemed more excited about the book that
U.S. publishers did and they signed me for two books ("A
Sunday in June" should be coming out in Germany sometime in
the next year). In Spain they changed the title for some
reason. In Great Britain, they dropped my middle name
because they said it was too much of a mouthful. Quirky
things like that. I'm pretty far removed from the process
overseas, though.
S.i.S.:
Would you like to give us insight into your next project?
Any plans for a signing tour? Where will you be promoting
your book next?
Perry: I've
pretty much wrapped up publicity for "A Sunday in June." I
will be at the Atlanta Book Festival on Sept. 10 (6 p.m., at
the Auburn Avenue Library). I may hit the road again after
the soft cover comes out in February. I'm working (slowly, as
is my habit) on another project. No, it's not the sequel to
"Stigmata." ;-)
S.i.S.:
Any words of wisdom for new up and coming authors?
Perry: We're lucky in
that there are more publishing opportunities than ever
before. There's also more bad writing out there than ever
before. My advice is pretty standard. Read, of course. And
... oh, yeah ... READ. All the time. Every day. Newspapers,
fiction, nonfiction, poetry (which can teach you a lot about
conveying complicated ideas succinctly), essays, histories.
Everything. Treat writing as seriously as you would any
other profession. All writers benefit from imagination and
inspiration, but that doesn't take the place of plain
old work. Learn how to edit and revise, and don't be afraid
to ruthlessly cut out anything that doesn't work.
Don't fall prey to the idea
that you need big blocks of time to write (it's the reading
that takes up most of your time). You don't. Snatch your
writing time when you can and guard it fiercely.
Don't go looking for an agent
unless you have something for the agent to read. Telling
someone about the book you're thinking about
writing is of no use to anyone.
It's also a good idea to
become acquainted with the writing universe, which means
attending book events, conferences, workshops, etc. That
way, when your masterpiece is ready, you may have some
useful friends who might want to read it.
Thank you for your thoughtful
questions.
S.i.S.:
On behalf of Sisters in Spirit BookClub Magazine, I'd like
to wish you much continued success in the future!!
--In
Sisterhood!!
**Tiffany**
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