An Interview with Morris Striplin
To start
this off, why don't you give an idea of what the book is about?
The story begins
with Josh Wagner and
Ellen Pike who were the two most popular students in high school before graduation.
A weekend visit home from college brings
a chance meeting between the two who spend
a memorable weekend in New Orleans. After several weekend visits and they
have found
true love, Ellen disappears.
At a party, a pregnant girl
uses Joshs
advanced state of inebriation to maneuver
him into thinking she is pregnant with his
child. After enduring years
of a loveless marriage, Josh and his wife divorce. The
twins, who are born during the marriage,
make a new friend at school who will
inadvertently solve the continuing mystery
of Ellen's disappearance, bringing the
story to a happy conclusion.
Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life?
I grew up in a very rural area where the
main industry was farming. Since our
school district was as dirt poor as the farmers, the teachers had few if any
teacher aids besides books, so reading
was emphasized at a very early age, but
the joy of writing did not come to me
until I entered middle age.
Who were your earliest influences and why?
My mother and father were both
schoolteachers. Watching
them struggle
to make ends meet while we lived in public
housing, I was determined to avoid the
teaching profession at all costs. Although
I must admit, helping your fellow man
became a part of my psyche, and I spent my
entire working career as a social worker.
What would a typical day be like for a
writer?
When I was employed as a social worker,
which was the case with BACKWATER, I would
begin writing immediately after the house
was quiet and would write until I was
ready to go to bed.
On the weekend, I
would write every chance I could manage.
After having
worked a regular schedule
for so many years, my writing day starts
as my work day did, with one exception,
I take the time out for leisure time
activities like playing tennis or going
to the gym when the notion strikes me,
which I find makes me anxious to get
back to what I was doing when I left off.
How long have you been writing and in what
capacities?
I have been writing fiction for over
thirty years, but I have never been
employed in any capacity as a writer. Everything I have done was with the hope
of one day being published, but I had absolutely no idea
what a daunting task
laid ahead. Had
I known, I might not
have ever tried.
Which is more difficult to write - Fiction
or nonfiction and why?
Thats really hard to say. They are
very much alike because you have to do
research to do either one to make sure
you are correct in what you are trying to create. I think fiction is far more fun
because you are only limited by your imagination
as long as anything you use
in your story, dates, quotes, geography, historical
figures etc., is absolutely correct.
Has
there ever been a time when you wanted
to
throw in the towel and give up? And if
so,
how did you defeat those instincts?
Like so many other authors, I have
enough rejection letters to cover the
walls of my home, which has been done at
the Jack London museum.
Each rejection
letter was like an arrow through my heart,
bringing on a period of depression I
could literally taste.
Each time I
received a rejection letter, I swore I
would give up and put the idea of being
a writer behind me, and move on. Before
I realized what was happening, Id find
myself sitting in front of my keyboard.
After a few keystrokes,
I was back in my
world where anything was possible.
What is the hardest part about being a
writer?
I think everything about writing is
hard. In the
beginning, its writing
a story that is good enough and
formatted correctly so the manuscript
can be sent to perspective publishers
and agents. When
you reach this level,
theres the difficulty of avoiding a
whole industry that has developed out
of taking advantage of another persons dreams. And finally, the most difficult
of all, finding a publisher who
believes as you do, there is an
audience out there somewhere who
would love to read your story.
Do
you have any hobbies? What are they?
How
do they enhance your writing?
My hobby is tennis, which I play with
a passion.
Unfortunately for me,
they are worlds apart. I dont even
have a desire to write a tennis story,
my stories developin the fertile
fields of my mind, and the tennis
court is my battleground where only
the strong survive.
Articles
and media alike make it sound
as
though the only way to rise to the
top
is to sacrifice. What do
you find
to
be good sacrifices?
I find that everything you do is a
sacrifice if you are truly a writer.
You devote
your time, your energy,
and your hopes and dreams in everything
you create. If what
you create is good,
the rest is pure and simple luck.
What question do you get asked more
than any other?
Are you going to use your name on
the cover of the book?
Whats the coolest thing a reader has
said to you?
When I read your book I cried because
for once I knew what my Dad went
through before he died. I wish I had
read your book while he was still
alive. She was talking about my novel,
A DYING PLACE.
What has been your feedback from
readers? What do they say to you about
their interpretations of your book?
So far, everything Ive been told, or
has been related to me that someone
said, has been downright embarrassing
they have been so kind.
As far as interpretations, my books are
straightforward and tell a story.
There are no hidden
truths or
innuendos.
Do you think that as a writer you are
more prone to watching what goes on
around you and observing behaviors
than most people are?
I dont know about anyone else, but
when I sit down at the keyboard to
start a new story my mind is blank.
When my
fingers touch the keys, I
begin to write. If
I have begun to
write a story, I review the last page
I have written, allow my mind to go
blank, and the process starts all
over again. There have been many,
many times when have I read what I
had written the day or even a week
before and didnt remember writing a
single word, only to be amazed at
what I had created
Who
are some of the authors you consider
to
be "don't miss"?
Im not qualified to answer that question
for many, many reasons. If I had to give
an answer, Id say read the bestsellers
lists.
If one were looking to start his/her
own career as a writer, what would you
suggest his/her first step to be?
I have met few people during my
writing career that when the subject
of writing came up, that didnt say
they had a story they could write that
would top any book that had ever been
written with the exception of the
Bible. My response
has been, and
always will be. I completely understand
and I have no argument for you.
So why dont
you write your story? All
you need is a pencil and a piece of
paper. If you can
type, you can use a typewriter or a computer, which ever
you can afford. Once
you begin, work
until you have completed your
manuscript. Once
you have finished,
ask me again.
What kind of movies do you enjoy?
I think movies are like books. They
must be well written, have a good
beginning, an entertaining middle,
and a satisfactory ending. Any movie
that meets these criteria is a movie,
like a book, that I can enjoy.
What is your favorite city to visit,
but one that you wouldnt want to live
in?
I truly do not have a favorite city,
and I am perfectly happy with where I
live.
Whats
the strangest question youve ever
been
asked in an interview?
The one you have just asked me.
*LOL I think
we may have to discard
this question!
Whats the best part of being a writer?
Knowing all the lonely, lonely hours
I have spent desperately trying to tell
a story I think people would enjoy
spending a part of their life reading,
has become a reality. This
humbles me,
helping me to realize there is a far
greater writer than I, for He is the
One who created our universe.
What's next?
Thus far, I have written eight books,
and have seven more underway. After
all my books have been printed, who
knows? But
you do not give up in a
wining combination.
We'd like to take this time to thank Mr. Striplin for indulging us with all this inquisitiveness
and wish him a great journey towards success!
