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PreviewPort.com 2001 Describe your latest book in 250 words or less. The story, ELVIS, AXL, AND ME appears in my short story collection, THE CELIBACY CLUB. In it, the unnamed narrator says, "If Elvis is alive and well and masquerading as a Hasidic Jew in the Bronx, well, then, anything is possible, and I do mean anything." And, yes, she really does meet up with Elvis in a Bronx delicatessen (he's eating matzoh ball soup and wearing peyes) and fall in love with him. And I think what she says essentially describes the thematic link connecting the stories in this book: Anything is possible! In another story, THE MURDER OF JUANITA APPEL, the main character, Juanita, a highly sensual writer who's torn between the worlds of Latin America and the Bronx, describes her passion for writing about the world as "it should be. Or could be. Or as it would be if one thing—one particle of dust, one atom, one alpha ray—just one tiny thing in the universe suddenly shifted." In PANDORA'S BOX, (which won an O. Henry Prize), a young woman explores the connection between her own identity and sexuality, and the myth after which she's named. The PING-PONG VAMPIRE is a love story between a vampire (who just happens to be a champion ping pong player) and a shy female scientist who falls in love not only with him, but also with the game of ping pong. In THE MERMAID OF ORCHARD BEACH, a lonely child is transformed by her blossoming friendship with the beautiful, bona-fide mermaid she discovers swimming in the waters of the only beach in the Bronx. What motivated you to write it? I'm passionate about storytelling, because I love to communicate with readers, to move them to laughter and tears, to engage in an ongoing dialogue with them about the world. How long did you spend writing it? About four years. What was the most challenging aspect of the research/writing? Making enough time every day to sit down with the work in a life that's filled with other responsibilities. (I'm grateful to three artists colonies in particular—Yaddo, MacDowell, and the Virginia Center—for providing me with precious time and space over the years.) Read the next interview... |
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