Daniel A. Olivas
“As with most fiction writers, I
can be inspired by virtually anything: a song, a kiss, a cup of coffee, an
overheard conversation. And in writing three short story collections, those and
many other inspirations sparked a rather diverse number of plots and
characters. When I decided to move from writing short stories to a full-length
novel, I wanted to find an overarching (or thematic) inspiration that would
help me move forward in completing the manuscript and, at the same time,
allow me to revel in the creative joy I experience when writing a short story.
So, I first decided that I needed to examine who I was and what types of
stories I tended to write. My fiction often revolves around my multiple
identities as a Chicano (the grandson of Mexican immigrants), a former Roman
Catholic, a Jew-by-choice (I converted in 1988; my wife is the granddaughter of
Russian Jewish immigrants), a husband, father, and Los Angeles native. After a
few weeks of pondering, it came to me: My novel would be based on the Ten Commandments,
with each chapter inspired by a commandment. Once I decided upon this
structure, I felt liberated to create characters and plots that seemed to grow
naturally out of the commandments. Over the course of two years (in which I
also wrote short stories, poetry, essays, and book reviews), my novel grew
until I had ten chapters I really liked. After reading and editing it
several times, I decided to add a short prologue and epilogue. My novel
eventually found a home and received a very nice review in Publishers
Weekly. So, on March 24, 2011 (the
official release date), I became a novelist. If Moses only knew.…”
—Daniel A. Olivas, author of The
Book of Want (University of Arizona Press,
2011)
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