Chris Bohjalian is the No. 1 New York Times best-selling author of 20 books, starting with "Water Witches" in 1995. He's also a playwright and screenwriter, and his books have been chosen best books of the year by the Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hartford Courant, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Bookpage and Salon. His work has been translated into 35 languages and three times have become movies. And that's not to mention the awards he's won or the degrees he's attained.
On May 19, Bohjalian comes to Books in Bloom, now in its 14th year at the Crescent Hotel as part of the May Festival of the Arts in Eureka Springs. Fresh off the success of 2018's "The Flight Attendant," which debuted as a best-seller and just came out in paperback, Bohjalian answered these questions for What's Up!
FAQ
Books in Bloom:
Chris Bohjalian
WHEN — 2:30 p.m. May 19
WHERE — In the conservatory at the Crescent Hotel
COST — Free
INFO — booksinbloom.org
BONUS — Other headlining authors include Wiley Cash, Brooks Blevins, James Dean and Patsy Watkins.
Q. I know "Skeletons at the Feast" was born out of journals you read, but in what other ways, situations, moments, do you find inspiration for a story you want to tell?
A. My goal is never to write the same book twice. I've written such historical fiction as "Skeletons at the Feast," but also courtroom dramas such as "Midwives" and international thrillers such as "The Flight Attendant." The inspiration for every book has been different: a dinner party, a plane, a spectacular bar. A basement door bolted shut. But what I think all of my novels share is an examination of ordinary people in really extraordinary -- and usually dire -- circumstances. My books depend upon flawed characters and a whole lot of dread.
Q. Do all of those stories require historical authenticity? Or would you ever write something that was untethered to our real world?
A. The closest I've come to leaving the "real world" is "The Night Strangers" -- a novel about a commercial pilot who survives a plane crash and, now grounded, begins to restore a house that seems haunted by the passengers who died on his last flight. Otherwise, my novels, whether set in the present or the past, are tethered to the real world.
Q. What makes a book something you'd want to read?
A. I hope to find three things in a novel: a narrative arc that keeps me turning the pages; characters that feel authentic and real (and that means they have flaws); and sentences that are exquisite gems.
Q. What do you enjoy/learn/appreciate about events like Books in Bloom where you can interact with fans?
A. I love the way events such as Books in Bloom celebrate what words and reading and books can mean to the soul -- and gather together people who understand well the way fiction builds empathy.
NAN What's Up on 05/12/2019