Paul Martin Midden is the author of five previous novels,
each of which explores different writing styles. He practiced clinical psychology
for over thirty years. Paul’s interests include historic restoration, travel,
fitness, and wine tasting. He and his wife Patricia renovated an 1895
Romanesque home in 1995 and continue to enjoy urban living.
Q: What’s inside the
mind of an adult fiction author?
A: Most importantly, I
think, is a desire to create something. Something that has not been done before,
at least not in the way I would do it. Then there is the desire to create
characters and let the lives of these characters unfold. For me, this means not
overplanning my work or worrying too much about how they will turn out. Once a
book is populated with believable characters, events take on a life of their
own. It’s a matter of suspending left-brain thinking and respecting the
characters that have been created.
Q: Tell us why readers
should buy Riley?
A: For those who are
interested in how relationships work (or not) in contemporary American life,
this book would be of especial interest. It would also appeal to readers who sympathize
with normal, even typical, people and how they navigate their lives in often
difficult situations. The characters are not meant to be idealized versions of
humans; they are living, breathing, mistake-making humans. Like all of us.
Q: What makes a good general fiction book?
A: The writing must be
appealing and readily understood. Beyond that, the virtues of a good novel are
clarity, candor, and representing the world as it is. Authenticity on the part
of the characters is essential to a compelling read.
Q: Where can readers
find out more about you and your work?
A: My website at http://www.paulmidden.com
Q: What has writing
taught you?
A: Writing fiction
enables me to reach beyond the everyday world to create something that reflects
that world and allows me, and, it is to be hoped, the reader, to see it in
another way, from another perspective. It has deepened my appreciation of the
complicated issues that we humans struggle with. It has also taught me the
importance of letting events unfold, listening to the characters as they come
alive on the page, and developing a greater perspective on life and
relationships. And mostly it has taught me to savour the precious human experience.
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Author: Paul Martin Midden
Website: http://www.paulmidden.com
Publisher: Wittmann Blair Publishing
Find out more: http://www.paulmidden.com/riley.html
About the Book:
Riley, a young writer, finally divorces her husband and begins a novel about a fictional couple in conflict. Supported by her best friend, Jennifer, she begins her life of freedom. In a complicated turn of events, she meets and beds Edward, a shy young man who falls for her instantly. She does not want to continue the relationship, however, and her refusal lays the groundwork for a series of dangerous events. Her conflicts and those of her characters play out in this psychologically intriguing story.
