An Interview with author Erik Quisling

...another great interview brought to you by the Virtual Book Review Network 

Fables from the Mud

Erik Quisling:  I initially came up with the idea for Fables from the Mud shortly after I graduated college.  In the course of my soul searching and trying to figure out my place in the world, I was struck with the idea of a clam who was trying to do the exact same thing. For some reason it struck me as extremely amusing.  This is how The Angry Clam, the first fable in my book, was born. 

Lauren Smith: Do you see Fables From the Mud as a satire, cultural commentary or something more?

Erik Quisling:  Fables From The Mud is about three little creatures – a clam, an ant, and a worm – all of whom are struggling with very human problems.  The stories are satirical but in many ways are simply a cultural commentary on the human obsession with finding meaning in the world.  All in all, they are designed to be amusing and to get you to see somewhat the absurdity of taking life too seriously.

Lauren Smith: How did you develop each of the fables? 

Erik Quisling:  Each fable was born from its own separate bout of inspiration. In each case, it was a single line of text that came to me that was like lighting a fuse that set the story on its course.  Once the fuse was lit, the stories pretty much wrote themselves – I simply had to go back and edit them a little bit.

Lauren Smith: Are any of the characters based on anyone – or any type of person - you know?

Erik Quisling:  I can say that the more I read the stories, the more I learn about myself.  But I truly think each character is a reflection of some deeply common human experience – not of any human in particular.

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An interview with the author, Judy Gruen

Lauren Smith: Tell us about your latest book:  

The Women's Daily Irony Supplement

• When Bad Contractors Happen to Good People
• Forward This E-Mail or I'll Break Your Kneecaps
• Clutched by Purse Fever
• Reading This Warning Label May Kill You
• The Motherboard Has Blown
• Post-Bar Mitzvah Stress Disorder
• And much, much more! 

It's a book that most women, and even a surprising number of men, are enjoying immensely.

Lauren Smith: Where did you get the inspiration for it?

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