Above Us Only Sky (28 page)

7. The characters are preoccupied with the idea of “home” and also homecoming. What do you think defines a place as “home”?

We can't control to whom we are born, but after that, it's up to you. It's up to me. We make our home. We find our home.We can choose our family, our real family. Home is not static. Home will always be a theme in my writing.

8. Prudence is born with a feature—her wings—that makes her different than most others. Can you relate to her experience of feeling different?

Most definitely. When I was Prudence's age, I was often called “a freak.” I felt out of place and different from my peers. I'm always writing about outsiders because I was one.

9. Which of the characters in the novel do you feel the most sympathy for or relate to the most?

I've thought a lot about this, and oddly enough, it's Lukas Blasczkiewicz. When he appeared on the page, I fell in love with him. I perceive him as this man who had this miserable upbringing, a total pawn, trapped, yet artistic, and then he witnesses a miracle, and he becomes one. Lukas is miraculous. He is a maker of joy. Maybe I don't sympathize with him the most, but I love him in a way that's unique from how I feel about the other characters. It's like I learned something from him.

10. What connections are there between
Above Us Only Sky
and your first novel?

Plenty. I don't always realize the connections. I'm not conscious of them until someone else points them out, and a friend of mine happened to elucidate this for me. Both
The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors
and
Above Us Only Sky
are coming-of-age novels with female protagonists; they both tell multiple stories that eventually converge. The female protagonists have peculiar, unique male counterparts (Buckley and Wheaton), and there is also always the quest for home, for finding where one belongs in the world. The novels are entirely different, yet the themes replay themselves.

11. How has the story of the Vilkas family influenced your current writing projects or changed the way you write?

I learned to take my time. This process was an emotional roller coaster and sometimes I wanted to rush it or simply get off. It was not easy imagining myself on a Siberian-bound train. I learned to trust my editor. As she noted, “Our relationship has lasted more than most Hollywood marriages.” Like my characters, I learned to never give up. I write a first draft in under a year. I write a novel in about four. My imagination is in the first draft. My craft joins us around the fourth or fifth draft. They have to learn to play nice together.

12. Who are some of the storytellers who have influenced your own work?

My friends and family. They tell the best stories. Arundhati Roy, author of
The God of Small Things,
who taught me to have fun with structure. My mind is not linear; neither are my books. William Faulkner, Gunter Grass, Toni Morrison, John Irving, Wally Lamb, Flannery O'Connor, Kurt Vonnegut, and J. D. Salinger. These writers taught me to write with my heart, to embrace my unique voice, and not to be afraid, and if I am afraid of what's on the page, it's probably a good thing. I should keep writing.