Q & A with James Schwartz
Q: Describe your new book and your writing process?
JS: This book is over a decade in the making. I don't actually write a lot of fiction so this is a collection of nearly all of my short stories.
I like to write longhand in a notebook with black ink, never blue, and then type it up later. Also I write lying down. Sometimes I'll play electronic music like 90s trance but usually not.
Q: Why now?
JS: The declining literacy rates in my home state of Michigan and the US was on my mind.
I read that piece in The Atlantic declaring the Literary Age over - depressing. I wanted to share my love of books, reading and writing. In my Introduction I write about that.
The Amish are big on reading though, I wonder if that too will change.
I have always been a reader and it bothers me that we as a collective are moving away from books and into mindless scrolling. I make it a point to limit my own screentime, you have to protect your time.
Earlier this summer I had a health scare and almost died. I have actually had a lot of near death experiences throughout my life but I was reminded that I still have a few things on my bucket list like a short story collection.
Q: What are your favorite short stories?
JS: "Rain" by W. Somerset Maugham, "A Day's Work" by Truman Capote come to mind.
Q: Your characters are rebels challenging the status quo, art imitating life?
JS: Of course! LGBTQ Amish are persecuted and shunned by the church today as when I left over thirty years ago.
Perry Brass wrote a profound Foreword for this book about religious intolerance and queer desire which sets the vibe for my stories.
Q: What are your summer plans?
JS: I will be hosting a book launch party in August and otherwise catching up on my reading!
.jpg)
