C.H. Hooks is the author of the new novel Can't Shake the Dust. He also wrote the novel Alligator Zoo-Park Magic. He teaches at Flagler College, and he lives in St. Augustine, Florida.
Q: What inspired you to write Can’t Shake the Dust, and how did you create your character Little?
A: The idea for Can’t Shake the Dust started with Little. My books often start with a character and with their voice. I feel for Little. I grew up in South Georgia and was moved out of public school after getting into a few scuffles.
When a character feels like I can hear them in my head then I usually know they will have enough substance to show up on a page. Little was ready because in my mind, I knew him, how he would react to his dad (Wild) and the inflections in his voice when he spoke.
Being a teen is tough. Being a teen that lives in the shadow of others’ brokenness forced a story.
Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: It's a biblical reference to the idea of not being able to change a person’s feelings, actions, behaviors, or heart. To me it fit the book because it was all about not being able to change your blood or lineage, or the soil that your family comes from.
Q: The writer Caleb Johnson called the book “a singular addition to the South's
raucous storytelling tradition.” What do you think of that description, and how
do you see your book fitting into that tradition?
A: I would call it flattering! I try not to think about where a book I write “fits in.” I attempt to do the characters justice. On some level it feels like I'm living with them, telling their stories when I'm writing a book and maybe my life sometimes feels a little “raucous.”
The final space of where the book fits in a broader tradition—again, is flattering—and I hope that I've written the best book possible. I owe Caleb a drink for that description!
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: The American South feels strange, funny, and tragic. It's a mixed up space even for someone who was born into it.
My hope is that the reader will see humanity in the people, that they can feel they know the characters. That they could be walking down the street and see someone somewhere and think that they've met them before. Maybe they overhear a conversation and think, “That could be Little, or Wild, or Nanny.”
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’ve got a couple manuscripts written in various stages of editing and revision and another that I’ve been drafting this summer.
One is very much a Florida story. We live near the water here and it's nearly impossible to not see the stories that come from this space. Another manuscript stems from portions of my childhood. My grandfather was a mortician and it’s hard to escape some elements of that experience.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I’m happy to be featured! Thank you!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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