Welcome to the War Stories by Elisabeth Doyle Blog tour, put together by Tribute Books. On my stop today I'm featuring the book and the author has done a Q&A to share with all of you. At the end of the post you will also find a rafflecopter form. You can enter to win a paperback copy of War Stories, it is quick and easy. WHat is better than winning a book? I hope you all enjoy the post and thank you Elisabeth Doyle and Tribute books for having me on this blog tour.
War Stories by Elisabeth Doyle
We all carry our own battle scars.
This is the premise of War Stories, a rich collection of short fiction that draws upon both the literal and figurative meaning of its title. Through a diverse array of characters, settings, and circumstances, War Stories delivers a series of powerful tales from the home front of war: the stories of parents, siblings, and spouses of those who have fought, as well as those who have returned from battle.
Set against the backdrop of contemporary conflicts, War Stories’ compelling nine narratives tell of a wounded veteran who seeks renewal through an imagined relationship with a neighborhood girl, a grieving father who finds peace and reconciliation at the site of a disastrous bus crash, a young woman who searches for identity and meaning in the wake of her husband’s injury, and an urban teenager engaged in a fateful standoff with local recruiters. Interspersed with these tales are powerful, non-traditional “war stories” – of youth, unexpected loss, and heartbreaking love.
War Stories’ thoughtful and beautifully crafted tales, which range in style from deceptively simple to rich and complex, tell of people young and old, male and female, who share two things: humanity and resilience. These diverse and deftly written stories are joined through Elisabeth Doyle’s remarkable style and ease in creating a universe full of despair, hope, and dreams. At turns tender and harsh, tragic and yearning, these stories will leave you wanting more.
About Elisabeth:
Elisabeth Doyle is a writer and attorney living in Washington, D.C. She studied fiction writing at Sarah Lawrence College and the University at Albany, and is completing a Masters of Laws Degree at Georgetown University Law Center. Ms. Doyle’s short fiction was published in the literary journal Nadir and was awarded the University at Albany’s Lovenheim Prize for best short fiction. Her first short film, Hard Hearted One, was admitted into the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema and the Street Films Film Festival, and was shown on Public Television and Manhattan Cable. War Stories is her first collection of short fiction.
Find Elisabeth:
Q & A
Please
tell us about your current release.
War Stories is a lean collection of short fiction – nine
stories – many of which are set against the backdrop of contemporary conflicts,
including the war in Vietnam and current wars.
Can you tell us about
the journey that led you to write your book?
In January 2002, I traveled for the first time to the
country of Vietnam. I went there on a bit of a lark – a childhood friend of my
mother’s was working there and had extended a kind of “open invitation” to
visit. For some reason, I decided
to go. Maybe I shouldn’t say “for
some reason” – I was born during the war in Vietnam, and the conflict endured
throughout my early childhood. I had vague memories of the images of war that
flickered on our small television screen each evening. Usually, these images
were mere background to our lives – they played out as my mother cooked dinner.
No one seemed to pay great
attention. I also had vague
recollections of the scenery of Vietnam – some mountains and a village. I’m not
sure where or when I saw those early childhood images – perhaps on a news
program, or in a later documentary.
In any event, I traveled to Vietnam in 2002, and it’s safe
to say that the experience changed my life, and opened for me new doors of
interest, of passion, and of compassion.
I returned with a deep and abiding interest in the war in Vietnam, its
history, and its effect on American soldiers and Vietnamese citizens. I read –
and continue to read – anything that I can get my hands on regarding the war. I
focused primarily on first-hand autobiographical accounts by soldiers.
I had a background in fiction writing, but hadn’t written a
short story in years. When I relocated to Washington in late 2006, I resolved
to return to writing, mostly at the urging of my mother and grandparents. Away from the distractions of family
and familiarity, in a new city, I was able to find the peace in which to
write. It should be noted that I
did not set out to write a collection of short stories on the topic of war. In
fact, I did not set out to write a collection, at all. I just wrote – one story
after another. And what I found,
as I wrote, was that the theme of war continued to assert itself in each of
these stories, in one way or another.
After years of reading and learning, war had apparently become the
foremost, organizing principle in my mind; the circumstance around which all
other things revolved. It emerged
as a theme that linked all of the new stories that I wrote, without conscious
or deliberate effort or planning on my part.
It should be noted that these are not combat stories, nor do
they attempt or purport to be historically accurate or to give voice to the actual
experience of those who have fought. Only those who have had to fight, or who
have lived in a war zone, can truly understand that experience. These stories are just that – stories –
written with the deepest respect and empathy for those who have found themselves
in such extreme circumstances, and who have faced the kind of difficult,
unforgiving choices that most of us can only imagine.
Can you tell us about
the story behind your book cover?
Sure. Well,
suffice it to say that the book cover underwent a lot of changes, much to the
annoyance of the cover designer, who (nonetheless) was a wonderfully good sport
about it. It was important to me
to create a cover that was NOT obviously rooted in or reflective of the topic
of war. This was so because,
first, the title “War Stories” is used both literally and figuratively. That is, while the majority of stories
in the collection are set against the backdrop of war, other stories are not.
These additional tales reflect “war stories” of another kind – the kind that we
might all experience. So I wanted
the cover to encompass all the themes in the book.
I chose to use a triptych of photos - a series of photos
that could each be traced, if a reader so desired, to one or more of the
stories in the collection. The characters in the photos are loosely
representative of several of the characters in the book.
What approaches have
you taken to marketing your book?
The book has been sent out to numerous reviewers and
publications, in the hopes of garnering print reviews, and will be presented to
bookstores, with stores having the option to carry the book or not. The book
also has a website, through which people can purchase the collection, and a
face book page. I’ve provided free
advance copies to certain friends and colleagues, as well, in the hopes that –
if they enjoy the stories – they will post reviews on their face book
pages.
What book on the
market does yours compare to? How is your book different?
I don’t really think that I can make comparisons – each
book, each author, are entirely unique.
What would you say is
your most interesting writing quirk?
I tend to write in a “spare” style, and make a deliberate,
conscious effort to avoid sentimentality or over-statement of any kind. That’s just me. I don’t know that I
succeed, but I try to convey the characters’ circumstances and states of mind
without excess or manipulation of the reader. I also deliberately write without any “message” or agenda in
mind. None of these stories, even
those that are set against the backdrop of war, are intended to convey any kind
of political message, and none of them were written with any kind of agenda or
judgment. I wouldn’t even begin to
know how to write a story with an agenda or message in mind. In general, I write short stories as a
series of vignettes – as moments in time, things that happened - from which the
reader can draw his or her own conclusions, messages, etc. I prefer to leave
the interpretation of the “meaning” of my stories in the hands of the
reader.
Open your book to a
random page and tell us what’s happening.
I did as you asked and opened the book to a random page. It
happens to be the first page of the story “The Deepest, Darkest Part of the
Woods,” on page 53. This happens
to be one of my favorite stories, and one of the last in the collection that I
completed. It’s one of the stories
in the collection that takes the most risks, I think, and revolves around a
young veteran who returns to his suburban neighborhood and struggles to
re-integrate. This first page is
also one of my favorites in the book, as it describes the return of this young
man – and others like him – into a familiar setting that is now entirely
unfamiliar to him.
Do you plan any
subsequent books?
I hope so. I’ve
begun a growing list of new short story ideas, and I hope to begin working on
them in the very near future. I’m looking forward to that. I also hope to segue back into
filmmaking at some point, to work on one or more of the documentary projects
that I’d like to explore.
Tell us what you’re
reading at the moment and what you think of it.
I’m a bit of a history buff, and (in particular) have a longstanding
interest in the civil war and the civil rights movement. I’m currently (slowly)
reading through the Taylor Branch trilogy about the civil rights movement – I’m
working on Part 1 of the series, which is called “Parting the Waters.” I’m so deeply moved by the courage of
those individuals – known and unknown – who put their lives and safety on the
line for the higher purpose of justice and freedom. I can only hope to develop some small fragment of that kind
of courage. I also just purchased several new books – “The Fiery Trial –
Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” by Eric Foner, and a history of the civil
war by Shelby Foote. I think the
civil war and the civil rights movement are pinnacles in the evolution of our
nation, and moments in which we can observe what is highest, best, and most divine
in humanity.
Giveaway:
Enter to win a paperback copy of War Stories by Elisabeth Doyle by using the rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is for US mailing addresses only, I'm sorry to international followers.
