An Interview with Ohio Author Bonnie Proudfoot

 

An Interview with Ohio Author Bonnie Proudfoot

Goshen Road is on my nightstand. It is an engaging novel that is recommended reading. The author of three books, Bonnie Proudfoot is a resident of Athens County, Ohio. Bonnie writes:

I moved to WV in 1979, received a BA in Art and English Education from Fairmont State, an MA in Creative Writing from WVU and an MA from Hollins University. I crossed the Ohio River in 1996 and live in beautiful rural Athens Co., Ohio, where I teach part-time and write. I received a WV Arts and Humanities Fellowship for a Novel-in-Progress, Goshen Road, and the novel was published in Jan. 2020. My poetry and fiction have been awarded prizes and published in literary journals.

I am grateful for the audience the novel has found. I consider my writing to be a conversation between writer and reader, and it is a gift to hear what readers think.

 

Welcome, Bonnie!

GM: What is the premise for your new book?
BP: My novel Goshen Road is loosely based on the lives of two sisters who lived in very rural West Virginia during the 1960's through 1990's. The book explores the challenges of life for both sisters and their families, especially from a female perspective, and especially in the context of life in north-central WV in a small hamlet, where the economy is based on logging. The road itself, Goshen Road, is almost a character in the book, a way to show how rugged and difficult the road of life is for the two sisters.

GM: How do you maintain thoughts and ideas?
BP:  I have kept a journal, and written down details as they occur to me, whether it is on walks or while driving. I talk to my i-phone and send myself messages. Each chapter of my novel was conceived of as a short story, so that the chapters are a series of linked narratives. Once the central issue of each chapter came together, I had to figure out how my characters would respond, what their challenges would be, and how they would or would not meet those challenges.

GM: Where do you like to write?

BP: I used to write in coffee shops in Athens, especially Donkey Coffee, but since Covid, I have taken over my kitchen table with my laptop and journals.

GM: Do you have a muse or other inspiration that sparks creative ideas?

BP: Reading poetry or my favorite fiction works can help my muse wake up. 

GM: What are you currently reading?

BP: I am reading a book of poems by Manuel Iris called The Parting Present.

GM: What are you currently writing?

BP: I am writing a book of poetry, and I have a chapbook of poems that is out for consideration.

GM: Do you have advice for novice writers?

BP: Read, Read, Read. Read award winning books in the genre that you are writing. National Book Award winners, Pen Award winners, Best American Poetry, Fiction, Essays, read literary journals. keep a journal so your ideas do not evaporate into the ether. Look back at earlier stories and poems to see if you can revisit those ideas.

GM: Please share your book marketing secrets...

BP: I have reached out to bookstores, libraries, book fairs, joined groups like Ohio Poetry Association, and West Virginia Writers, connected online to a few zooms where poets and fiction writers read, I have attended readings (pre-covid) to see how authors discuss their work. I listen to author interviews online to help me to become more comfortable discussing my work. I apply for events that seem likely to include book sales. 

GM: List 10 things your fans may not know about you...

BP: 1. My novel Goshen Road was longlisted for a 2021 Pen/Hemingway award (one of 10 books selected from a national search of first novels released during the previous year)

2. Goshen Road was selected by the Women's National Book Association as one of 20 "Great Group Reads"  for book clubs across the US who enjoy reading and discussing books

3. I was a featured reader at Lit Youngstown literary festival this past October of 2021

4. I have read sections of my book online and presented fiction writing workshops for the Kanawha County Library in Charleston WV

5. I presented an online fiction writing workshop for the WV Book Festival

6. I write (occasional) book reviews for the Athens News

7. One of my short stories ("Old Spirits") won a national prize for short fiction in the Sand Hills literary journal last year.

8. I am one of 4 panelists in a bi-weekly radio program reading and discussing poetry for WOUB-FM

9. I was an Associate Professor in the Department of Arts, Business and Sciences, teaching English classes at Hocking College

10. Two of the chapters of Goshen Road were published as independent short stories.

Connect with Bonnie:

Find my new novel at https://www.ohioswallow.com/book/Goshen+Road

Find my website at http://bonnieproudfoot.com/ 

Find my blog at https://bonnieproudfootblog.wordpress.com/

Author Bonnie Proudfoot