Interview with Michael DeFrancesco

Interview Part 4

RC – So, where do the sketches finally fit into the book?

MD – Partway through the book, I started thinking about a cover. I remembered a little sketch of a dog I did in art school, and I used it for the cover. I had another one which I used for one of the chapters, and a non-dog sketch for yet another chapter. Now I realized I had painted myself in a corner, as it were. I needed a drawing for each chapter to be consistent. So, I started sketching again, and it stuck, for now. It goes back to my interest in words and images. I like the way the illustrations go with the story. Some are better than others. I also try to be visually descriptive in my writing, where I think it's useful.

RC – Did you find it easier to write short stories after writing a book?

MD – I wouldn't necessarily say easier, but shorter, obviously.

RC – (laughs with a smirk) Duh!

MD - But seriously, not to be a wise guy, there's a quicker sense of accomplishment because it's shorter. For me, writing a short story isn't much different than writing a chapter in a book. The big difference between a book and a short story is continuity and plot development. It's a lot harder to keep track of continuity and plot development over several chapters as opposed to a single "chapter" of a short story.

RC – I couldn't help but notice common traits in some of your characters across different stories. A few of the same themes pop up in several stories as well. Is it intentional? Are you aware of it?

MD – I'm absolutely aware of it, but only after I write it! I don't know about other writers, but I think bits and pieces of myself end up here and there in various characters. Not always, but probably a lot more than I realize. I think that as I become more aware of it, I start to do it intentionally. For example, I recently noticed that most of the clothes I wear are gray. I also like breakfast. It's my favorite meal, and it's easy to make. Sometimes I'll have breakfast 2 or 3 times a day. The unnamed protagonist in Dead Man Talking wears gray clothes and eats only breakfast foods. The excuse is that he is color blind and unable to taste food because he has contracted a strange virus.

RC – Some of your characters, like yourself, have interests in art or music or both.

MD – Yes, Emma, in The Dog Walker, is an artist. And Alicia, in The Room, likes to draw and paint watercolors.

RC – Kristina likes to paint watercolors as well.

MD – Yes, that's right! I forgot about her.