[Christopher Bunn]

I just finished up interviews with Helen Hanson and Philip Chen. One of the things that struck me with both of them (and has impressed me with other author interviews I've done in the past) is that the writer behind a book, the person behind a book, is also like a book. There's fascinating stuff in 'em. Unexpected developments. Unusual backstory. Drama. Tragedy. Triumph. You name it.

I'm not sure what I'm aiming at here, but it certainly is worthwhile to take a closer look at the authors themselves around us.

 

[Kevis Hendrickson]

"If you don't know the history of the author, you don't know what you're reading."--KRS-ONE

Ever since doing those dreaded research papers on writers like Shakespeare and Yeats in college, I realized that I enjoy learning about my favorite authors. The insight a reader can gain into the lives of the authors makes the books they write even more relevant. You'd be surprised how autobiographical most books are once you've been given a glimpse into an author's personal history. I remember spending an entire year devouring books about Tolkien and in turn being blown away by how much of himself he put into his works. The Tale of Beren and Luthien immediately comes to mind.

A few KB authors like Ed Patterson have been quite open with sharing some of details of their lives through their books (such as Ed's experiences in the military). But I think it would certainly be interesting to learn more about some of the authors who frequent this more. If for no other reason than to see what influences their writing.

 

[FrankZubek]

I checked out your site. Looks like a bunch of interesting interviews

I for one agree. Stephen King is one of my all time favorites and just knowing so much more of his personal life than most other writers would agree to release, seems to make the written works so much more interesting

 

[Christopher Bunn]

Yeah, Stephen King's life is fascinating. I wasn't much of a fan until I read his autobiographical book on writing. That look into his life made his writing compelling for me. Tolkien as well. I suspect he couldn't have written anything close to LOTR without having been the person he was.