Q&A with R.L. Maizes

 

Photo by Steve Olshansky

 

 

R.L. Maizes is the author of the new novel A Complete Fiction. Her other books include the novel Other People's Pets. She lives in Boulder County, Colorado. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write A Complete Fiction, and how did you create your characters P.J. Larkin and George Dunn?

 

A: I was inspired to write A Complete Fiction after seeing writers cancelled unfairly on social media. Over and over, I saw people attack writers after reading a book blurb or a part of a review, without bothering to read the actual book or understand its nuances. And then those attacks multiplied because of the way social media amplifies lies.

 

That bothered me to the point of obsession, and when that happens, I know I need to write about it. As a writer, it was easy for me to draw on my own feelings and knowledge about publishing to create fictional characters who were writers, editors, and agents, and to satirize the industry. It was great fun. It was cathartic.

 

Q: The writer Bethany Ball said of the book, “A Complete Fiction goes right to the mercenary hearts of two writers and with humor and pathos manages to skewer the publishing industry and the pressure cooker of literary social media simultaneously.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I think it’s a wonderful description, and I was thrilled that Bethany connected with the book because I’m such a fan of her novels (The Pessimists, What to Do About the Solomons).

 

I loved that she got the humor and also the poignancy, because while the book contains satire and I hope people laugh while reading it, the novel also has a very serious side, with characters that readers will root for and whose journeys will move them, at least that’s my hope.

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I never know how a novel will end before I start writing, and I was revising the end of this novel until the final draft.

 

My teacher and the brilliant writer Erika Krouse (Save Me Stranger, Tell Me Everything) read a draft of the book and commented to me that “endings make meanings,” which was her polite way of saying, “Do you really want that ending and the meaning it’s imposing on your book?”

 

At the time, the ending was one of revenge. I ignored her not-so-subtle suggestion that I re-examine my ending for a while. Eventually I realized she was right and that there was a more generous ending that involved connection and growth, a hopeful ending that was better suited to the book.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: I went through many titles as I revised the book and the focus changed. It was called “Blank Page” in early drafts and “Cancel George Dunn” in later drafts.

 

When the publisher accepted the book, it had yet another title that neither the editor nor my agent liked. The publisher needed a title to get started with all the mysterious things publishers do to get a book out into the world.

 

For three solid days, I scanned the book for candidates and made lists of terrible names and not-quite-as-terrible names. Then, having paid a sufficient tax to the title gods, the name A Complete Fiction came to me. All parties liked it.

 

It signifies many things. On the most simplistic level, the book is fiction, it’s a novel. It’s almost a generic name, like a grocery item named Paper Towels or Dog Food.

 

But it’s really meant ironically, because none of the fiction that the authors in the book write is complete fiction. They borrow from their own lives or other people’s lives. All writers steal from life. Even fantasy and science fiction writers incorporate emotional truths and human traits such as jealousy and anger in their work.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Right now I’m working on getting the word out about A Complete Fiction. As you know, when you have a book coming out, it can take over your life, especially your writing life.

 

I do have a draft of another novel. But publishing a book can be so hard that when I’m in the throes of it I always swear I’ll never write another. But who knows, maybe I will. The draft novel is about antisemitism and vigilantism. Cheerful stuff.  

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: In honor of the release of A Complete Fiction, a novel about writers, I’m declaring November International Be Kind to Writers Month and International Return Writers’ Calls/Emails/Texts Month.

 

I challenge everyone to choose one writer and do something nice for them or return a call/email/text that you owe them. I’ll start with something nice: The first writer to read this and request a copy of A Complete Fiction from me will receive it.*

 

*Caveat: I’m too verklempt right now to send the book outside the U.S.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with R.L. Maizes.