Frequently Asked Questions
Is Peter Rock your real name?
Yes, it is. And yes, I'm aware of the rapper with the same name (though I suspect that it is not his real name. And it is my real name. It is.).
Do you ever write non-fiction?
No. I think fiction is harder and more interesting. Less fake.
You seem to be writing a lot about young girls, lately, even from their perspective. What is up with that?
I'm really interested in them. Isn't everyone? Of course, I am curious about my daughters; and it's also true that a young girl's experience is pretty far from mine, and I seem to write best when I choose filters that are further from autobiography.
Are your attractive young daughters available to model clothes or other merchandise?
Not at this time.
Have you ever met the father and daughter who were the real-life inspirations for My Abandonment?Do you know what actually became of them?
No, and no, though I've been told a lot of stories that couldn't possibly be true. One day, perhaps, we'll meet (and I'll have some explaining to do), but I feel I've brought enough attention to people who didn't seek it, and have mixed feelings about using real people as inspirations for fiction in this way. So I am not actively in pursuit of them; I am easy to find.
Do you write with a pencil or pen or machine?
A pen, for a long time. And then many machines, for a short time.
What are you working on now?
A book about two sisters who sometimes live beneath a house. Another about mustids, and fur trapping in a remote area of British Columbia. Some oral histories, based on interviews I've done for various projects. Some of these projects, maybe all, are not really for publication. I would like to write some short stories again, one day.
Who are some of your favorite writers? Favorite books?
Yasunari Kawabata (especially the Palm-of-the-Hand-Stories; House of the Sleeping Beauties is also devastasting); Lydia Davis; Ursula Le Guin; Hemingway, sometimes; Mary Shelley; Steven Millhauser; The Turn of the Screw by Henry James; The Hunters by Claire Messud; The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker. Man, there's many things I love to read. Cheever, Chekhov, Alice Munro, Stuart Dybek, Diane Williams.
Do you practice yoga? Do you swim great distances? Do you have any writing mantras?
Yes, yes and yes. A few:
"It is the writer's job to learn how to write." (Jules Renard)
"It is only in order to shine sooner that the author refuses to rewrite. Despicable. Begin again." (Albert Camus)
"Things get my attention and I horse around into them." (Diane Williams)
Can I send you some of my work for critique? How much do you charge?
I'm glad to hear that you're writing, but sadly I barely have time to keep up with my current students.
Can writing be taught?
Not exactly, but it can be provoked. And it can be fun to talk about.
Where can I interact with you on "Social Media"?
I have failed to qualify for such interactions. However, due to the extreme generosity of Russell Campbell III (who was once a student of mine in a city far away in another time and decided I needed a website), I began to have a website. What generosity! Russ ran the "unauthorized" Project for over ten years, in which time he also generated two daughters. So I decided to relieve him of the burden. Now, the estimable and talented Jason Parker has put this whole thing together while under incredible pressure from me to make it cooler than I am.
Is Arthur Bradford really your brother-in-law?
Yes, this is yet another fact in my fortunate life.
