TAKE TEN: Author Charles Yu

For most of us, the future is something that is to be looked at with excitement and wonder, not knowing what can happen next. But what if you did know what was going to happen and how your own actions could alter it for the good or the bad? That is one of the lines of thought in author Charles Yu's book HOW TO LIVE SAFELY IN A SCIENCE FICTIONAL UNIVERSE*, however, you might be surprised that it's not the only one that readers will pick up on---and Charles wouldn't have it any other way.

After a fascinating interview with Cyrus Webb on Conversations LIVE Radio, Charles Yu gave more of his time to Webb for this Take Ten interview to talk about the premise of the book, how the main character got to share his name and what he hopes is the legacy his children will take away from what he is accomplishing as a writer.

This is their conversation...

Charles, what makes you feel better about being a published author: the response of the readers or how it makes you feel as a writer?

That's a really hard question.  On the one hand, the work is the work, and regardless of whether ten people or ten thousand people have read it, at the time I finished it, I felt like it was a real thing.  Not a perfect thing, but something that I had unearthed, relatively intact, from wherever books come from: The ether?  My heart?  The collective unconscious?  On the other hand, I would be lying if I said that the response of the readers wasn't invigorating.  And I mean both the positive and the negative ones.  To be engaged with people, to have written something that they are responding to emotionally, critically, etc., that connection is sustaining for me.

Are you in any way surprised by the way people are responding to your debut novel HOW TO LIVE SAFELY IN A SCIENCE FICTIONAL UNIVERSE?

I think I'm most surprised at how different people's readings of the novel have been.  Some people focus on only the time travel, others on the quantum mechanics/parallel universes, others on the immigrant story, others on the father-son story, others on the fact that it is, in large part, also a story about writing.  It's really been great to hear from people, and to see how varied their responses are.

Take us into the writing of the book. I had the pleasure of interviewing you for Conversations LIVE on the radio and you shared part of your story there. Why did you decide to name the main character after yourself?

Well, the truth really is that I put my own name in as a placeholder, and the story started to develop from there.  After a while, I thought about changing the name, but it felt wrong, like I'd be ripping something out of the fabric of the novel that was too tightly sewn in there.  Plus, it's another layer to the meta-fictional nature of teh story.  Which is not to say it's all (or even mostly) an autobiographical story.  "Charles Yu" and his parents are definitely fictional characters. 

Relationships between people are an important aspect of the book, but so are relationships between man and technology. Do you feel that the advancements we have made in the world have somehow adversely affected the way we deal wih one another?

At the risk of sounding like I'm saying nothing, I'd say that technology can isolate people, can create environments, social, physical, and mental environments, whose net effect is to decrease empathy.  On the other hand, there are technological innovations (maybe some of the same ones) that allow for modes of communication, connection and collaboration that feel new.  Yes, I straddled the fence pretty well there, I think! 

Charles, we sometime hear people talk about if they could go back and undo something in their own lives they would. Have you had that thought, and what would you like to do over if given the chance?

It's hard to say, now that I'm married to the woman of my dreams, and we have two kids.  If I changed anything from before the moment I met my wife, maybe I wouldn't have met her, you know?  What I think about now, on a semi-frequent basis, is how I'm acting today toward people close to me, how I want to act in a way that I'll be happy with at some point in the future looking back.  You know, like making sure I'm taking the time to maintain my relationships with family and friends, that I'm never taking anything, including the luxury of time, for granted.  I know that sounds like a Hallmark card, but I'm for real about this.  Maybe a less cheesy way to say it is that I try to live in a mode of Anticipatory Regret Avoidance.

I have shared with you some of the points I got from the book. As the story's creator, what do you hope people take away from it?

I don't know, really, because I wouldn't want to limit what's in there.  Even though I wrote it, I'm not sure I have any privileged access to the contents of the story or even my own mind.  Readers have repeatedly surprised me with takes on the book that are so insightful and creative that I almost feel like they're doing more of the work in reading than I did in the writing.  It's a family story about time, memory and regret, that's about all I feel comfortable saying!

As you mentioned, you are also a husband and father, Charles. When you look at your children and they see what their dad is doing with your talent,what do you hope that inspires in them?

Above all, I hope that I'm teaching them how to be empathetic, how to see other people.  A lot comes from just that one thing, empathy, right?  Both in terms of how we live and work with other people, and also in terms of producing creative work.  I hope it doesn't sound like I'm moralizing, although maybe that is what I'm doing.

As a published author you are seen as an authority on topics. One of course is the matter of success. What do you say to aspiring writers who want advice about their own careers?

That's kind of you to say, but I hope no one is really looking to me as an authority on anything other than perhaps how to feed a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old at the same time.  And even on that topic, I'm not really an expert (that would be my wife).  My advice for writers starting out is to only work on things that feel absolutely necessary to you, and to do it with conviction.  And lots of rewriting. 

What's next for you?

I've got a couple of things I'm kicking around, but mostly I'm working on another novel.  Too early to say much about it, as it's changing on a daily (or hourly) basis!

Thanks again for this opportunity, Charles. If our readers want more information about you, where can they find you?

Well, speaking of technology, I'm reachable on any number of social networks, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/authorcharlesyu31 ) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/charles_yu ).  Thank you very much for allowing me this opportunity, Cyrus.  It's been a pleasure. 

* To listen to Webb's interview with author Charles Yu about the book on Conversations LIVE, visit this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/conversationslive/2010/09/20/author-charles-yu-on-conversations-live. Yu's title was also chosen by Conversations as one of its Top 100 books of 2010. To see the complete listing, visit www.thebestbookclub.info.

TAKE TEN: Author Ricky Spann

Of all of the books Conversations Book Club President Cyrus Webb has read in 2009, few had the power to affect him personally like MAN-UP by Ricky Spann. A native of Michigan, Spann now calls Stone Mountain, GA home and has put a lot of thought into his first printed work. His book was chosen as one of Conversations Book Club's Top 100 Books of 2009, but why? What was his objective in writing this book about the roles of black men in America and how all races have to work together? Webb and Spann discuss this and more. Here is their conversation...

Rick, thanks for talking with Conversations for our Take Ten segment. Before we get into your book MAN-UP I want to say it has been great having you on the radio show in 2009 to address some of the issues of the day. Have you always found it easy or in your nature to express yourself the way you do?

First of all Cyrus it is good to be on your show and I definitely appreciated the opportunity to come and share my views.  It's always been easy to express myself, especially in a small setting and regarding what I am most passionate about – the social, political and economic issues as they relate to the black community.  I enjoy discussions surrounding black leadership past and present, and where we have failed our community as black Americans.  I also find it very easy to talk on a spiritual basis, which is a theme for another book idea that I am drafting.

When did you realize that you had a book you wanted to write, and was there any fear about the subject matter?

Since I was in high school I have always had something to say and wanted to put it down on paper.  I remember English literature and all the classes where you have to do interpretive reading; and I always admired how the people were able to take what was near and dear to them and put it in the written word.  From that time on I've always wanted to write.  I've always had certain fear and reservations because in my mind only great grammarians and English majors could write.  Then I realized that it's about those who have something to say…that what a writer is someone who can take their ideals and thoughts and put them on paper.  Once you put them on paper there was always the fear that the subject matter might be too hard for the day.  At a time for political correctness, I thought my word might be too hard because the topic would cause black people to look at the truth of our responsibility of ourselves.   I believe that this is  something that we haven't quite dealt with historically and I think we have a tendency to blame others for our plight…though others are truly at fault to some degree.  My message places a large responsibility on the black people to understand the root causes and solve our own issues.  I didn't think that message would go over real well and so I was a bit apprehensive and uncertain as to how it would go over in the black community.

Rick, many say that in order to be a good writer you have to be a good reader. What role has books played in your life over the years?

Well books have had a very important role in my life.  I can remember one of my first experiences with realizing that I enjoyed reading was when I was transferred from the 3^rd to the 4^th grade and my homeroom teacher happened to be the librarian, Ms. Henderson.  She noticed that I always liked to read the titles of the books and open up books and read passages, and would always volunteer to stand up and read out loud in class.  So Ms. Henderson really encouraged me.  Unfortunately, being a new student in that school I would often get laughed at and picked on for always wanting to stand up and read before the class.  As a young man new to the school, my tendency was to succumb to the peer pressure and not volunteer to read and let anyone know that I really enjoyed reading.   Once Ms. Henderson detected my phobia, she took me aside and said don't let the other boys influence you and cause you to stop reading or reading in class.  She explained to me that reading is a gift and more people should do more of it, and that reading would truly lead to greater understanding and greater wisdom.  She explained that most of your great readers where avid readers such as Malcom X, Martin Luther King and Gaundi, etc.

We are living in a new time in America right now with the country electing its first black President. How has that changed your perception of the work that blacks have ahead of them if at all?

Personally, it hasn't changed my perception at all.  In fact, I think the fact that America has elected a black president can actually be a setback to the challenges that face the black community.  What I mean by that is that so often blacks tend to get emotionally involved in issues without understanding why or being not deeply emerged enough into issues to prevent them.  Actually I think that electing a black president has given black people a sense of arrival, and that is not the case.  I think that black people have a tendency to become complacent once an emotional hurdle has been achieved and they take their eyes off the larger issues of future political, social, economic and spiritual parody with all of mankind.  So I think that blacks don't want to hear the message that electing a black president at the wrong time is tantamount to racial demise.  By that I mean the entire black community's future seems to rest on whether or not the current president can solve everyone's problems.  The favor that a white president would get, President Obama will not get; and consequently his failures will be failures of the black community.  An analogy that I use is that in sports, such as the NFL, the argument is that black athletes do not make great quarterbacks, when in reality as black athletes become more and more comfortable playing the position of quarterback from little league to the pros, then their performance of quarterback will be as great as any other race. 

Do you think that some minorities will take success for granted since there is a man of color in the White House?

I don't think they'll take it for granted.  In  a broader since I don't think most minorities understand what success is.  Black America tends to think that success is getting a good paying job or a descent business and making a lot of money from an individual standpoint.  They fail to realize that success on such a small scale as an individual form of achievement is short-lived and serves no purpose in perpetuating the successful survivability of the race.  So the message that blacks get having a black president is that we as black individuals can achieve great heights is such a shallow message, and vastly overrated and misunderstood.

Rick for those who haven't read the book, tell us what Man-Up is about.

Man-Up is about mankind, and specifically black americans' position in the scheme of creation.  It's not about racial divide or prejudice.  It's about all men are created equal and all men's responsibility is to do the best they can do the greater good of all mankind.  It gives a spiritual road map for the healing that must occur and the forgiveness that must occur before blacks as a people can transcend a carnal existence to the spiritual existence, and become true cohabitants of this world and worlds to come.

If you had to decide on a particular group of people that your book is most targeted towards, who would it be and why?

First and foremost it is targeted toward the black community.  It's a how-to self-help book of developing strategies and subsequent plans to solve the social, political, economic and spiritual problems that are currently inhibiting the advancement of the black race, and fulfilling our God-giveen purpose.

Have you been surprised at the response you have gotten so far? 

No.  I expected the responses to be mixed and they have.  Some blacks, even prominent blacks think that the book is too harsh on black people.  Other blacks think that it's about time someone gives a how-to as oppose to a what's wrong with us approach to addressing the political, social, economic and spiritual ills of the black community.

What message do you hope readers get from the book overall, and how do you hope they can apply what you share?

That whether we succeed or whether we fail, we have to take responsibility for our own success and survival and also we have to realize that we are only a part of  God's plan and not the totality.  As such, we have a duty and obligation to seek our role in the universe as it relates to other races and other creatures that God has created.  I think that we cheat ourselves when we denigrate God's creation along racial divide.

Now that you have one book under your belt, what's next for you?

The goal is to write 10 books with various themes around the spiritual, social, economic development of the black community.  Each book will give a more finite plan, milestones and phased approach to becoming self sufficient and globally relevant and justifiably equal to all mankind.

Rick, thanks again for talking with us. Continued success to you. How can our readers keep up with you online and through the social networks?

I'm on FB and also have a webpage at www.rickyspann.com  and my twitter site.  You can email me directly via my webpage.  You can also order my Man-Up: A Plan for the Organization and Spiritual Retooling of Black America at www.iuniverse.com or www.amazon.com

 

TAKE TEN with International Bestselling author Father Andrew M. Greeley

When it comes to discussing international bestselling authors today, it is impossible not to include Father Andrew M. Greeley. He has produced over 50 bestselling novels over the past few decades, and I have had the pleasure to read and enjoy 15 of them myself. His tales of the lives of those who devote themselves to the service of the church have sparked dialogue and controversy almost from the beginning of his career. But there has been a positive side to his career and success as well. When talking about Greeley, Reverend Ron Rolheiser said this: "Nobody has ever left the church because of an Andrew Greeley novel, but many have been attracted back to it by him." Why is that, you might ask. Read this exclusive interview to find out.--- Cyrus A. Webb, Conversations Magazine


Father Greeley, we appreciate your taking out the time to talk with TAKE TEN today. Having enjoyed numerous bestselling novels and praise from around the world for the stories you create, do you see your writing career as an extension of your ministry?
Not so much an extension as an essential part of my ministry.

When did you know that you were such a gifted storyteller? Did you come from a family of readers?
I don't know that I'm a gifted story teller. I must leave that to others like yourself to judge. Both my parents read and both like to tell stories.

I have been curious for sometime about was there any one individual along your literary journey that inspired you to write and then seek to be published. Can you share with us what led to your submitting your first written work?
The late Bernard Geiss, a "packager" of novels, urged me to write a story about two young men who grew up to be priests. The Cardinal Sins emerged from that suggestion.

I became a fan of yours some 10 years ago, and I can say that one of the things that I loved about your work was how you allowed us to see the human side of people carrying out God's work on earth. Do you think we sometimes forget that the people carrying his message are prone to the same mistakes as the rest of us?
Many people expect perfection from their clergy and are shocked and dismayed when they see not perfection, but humanity. Sometimes the clergy abet this by pretending to be perfect.

Your work doesn't seem to try and protect anyone from scrutiny as we saw in THE CARDINAL SINS and PRIESTLY SINS. How much do you think the scandals of the Catholic church were worsen by the denial of any wrongdoing?
They were certainly made worse by constant denial. Why should anyone believe a bishop any more.

I know from talking to other fans of yours that regardless what their faith, you books strike a chord with all types of readers. What do you contribute that to?
I don't know how to answer that question. Apparently I write stories that many different kinds of people like to read. On the other hand I get lots of hate mail.

In a world where marketing is everything and the literary community is having to compete in a sense between itself, has there been the pressure to change the formula that has enthralled your readers for so long?
Only once when someone suggested that I set the novels somewhere besides Chicago, like maybe Denver. With all due respect to Denver, I declined. Chicago is a character in the stories. I've had a few helpful suggestions from editors and publishers, but they did not involve a change in style.

The Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rawling seemed to captivate readers of all ages. What are your thoughts about the impact the Harry Potter franchise has had in encouraging young people to give reading a try?
A lot of young people gobbled up the stories about Master Potter. Whether they will read more because of those books, I'm not sure. Better that they get lots of good example from their parents.

Father Greeley, alot of authors that we speak to have an experience that has encouraged them to keep going when it comes to their careers. What does it for you?
I never once thought about abandoning the telling of stories. I am always encouraged by people like you who understand what the stories are about -- comedies of grace.

Thank you again for sharing a few moments with Conversations. We appreciate your time. You’re welcome, Cyrus. Thank you for the work you are doing to educate and encourage reading.

Additional information about Father Andrew M. Greeley can be found at http://www.agreeley.com.