The Astonishing Pay Off of Hard Work and Research

It just so happens that the same day I started reading National Book Award Winner, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M. T. Anderson, my GoodReads friend, Elizabeth C. Bunce, author of Curse Dark as Gold (winner of the first ever William C. Morris award) posted dozens and dozens of books she read to research CURSE. Then, just few days later, Elizabeth’s GoodReads update showed volumes more she’s using to research her next novel. That’s the day I concluded I was a lazy writer.

Elizabeth talks about her research in her interview with editor Cheryl Klein. Check it out. And follow her CURSE journey in her blog archives. Learn about Anderson’s process in his interview with Publisher’s Weekly .

I can only imagine the time put into establishing the authentic voices in these novels. The narrators’ fluency in their historical languages leave readers completely transported.

I say bravo and thank you to both authors for their intense dedication to their craft. And I’m delighted it’s paid off so well.

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