Conclusion of Interview with Sheldon Greene

LB: Joshua attended the meeting between Commander in Chief Washington, General Greene, General Sullivan, Major Arnold, and Major Wilkinson. I felt as though I was present as they discussed the situation of the Continental Army and planned on crossing the Delaware during the fierce storm. Were there records of this meeting that you referenced or did what happen there come from your imagination?
SG: Both. I read what I could about the planning process. The army was sick and evaporating, the treasury was empty, the officers were reeling from recent defeats. Washington, planned it, capitalizing on the element of surprise--the Hessians would be drunk on Christmas Eve-- and recognizing that it was literally a do or die moment for the Revolution. The rest is my fictional construct. I’m glad it had the ring of truth for you.

LB: Have you always had a desire to write?
SG: Yes. I’ve always had a passion for writing. It’s something I’ve always done.

LB: When was your first work published?
SG:I suppose you could say 1980, when Random House published Lost and Found.

LB: Do you have a scheduled time to write?
SG: No. I like to think of my life as seamless. I do a lot of different things. I write when the spirit moves me.

LB: Or do you write at different times each day?
SG: I follow my bio- rhythms; morning or afternoon, rarely at night.

LB: Do you write every day?
SG: No. If I did it would become a burden rather than a pleasure.

LB: Where do you write? Do you have a special room set up in which to write?
SG: I have an office that looks out on the garden. It’s a multi tasking environment.

LB: Are you currently working on another book?
SG:Yes.

LB: If so, will you share with us what it is about and when it will be released?
SG: It’s a sequel to my first novel, set in the same small western Pennsylvania town, and with the same narrator and a lot of the same characters. The community converts a home for the aged into a boarding school. It’s sort of a second coming of Christ but as with the first novel, there’s plenty of room for interpretation. Maybe it will be out in 2012..

LB: What advice would you give aspiring writers?
SG: Don’t do it unless you have to. Don’t expect to write a best seller. Start with a detailed outline and character bios. Build the novel right to the end before you start writing the first chapter. Leave some of it to chance. Once the characters are alive in your imagination, they will write it for you. Enjoy it.