Kwon The Incendiaries
A decade ago, R.O.
Kwon set out to pen her debut novel and wound up spending years just reworking the first 20 pages.
Im a maniac about sentences, she explains.
Credit: Lawrence Jackson; Gregg Richards; Smeeta Mahanti; Elena Seibert
I wanted them to be perfect.
I loved the idea of becoming a religious recluse, says Kwon.
Writing this book was basically an exercise in embarrassment, says Dorey-Stein.
But Im proud of myself for writing it all down.
After the election I was like all right, screw it, she laughs.
Lets just go whole hog.
The books profundity stems from its prologue, a mini-history of Native American life.
For Orange, beginning on such an encompassing note was key.
Ive always loved what prologues can do, he says.
The nuptials also beget the return of an estranged son and more than a few crises of culture.
The moments of betrayal or cruelty were the hardest to write, she explains.
And the central theme is based on a struggle that Mirza herself knows.
I always felt both inside and outside of the faith and culture of my family, she says.
Writing about this fictional family allowed me to return to my home with curiosity and love.
Shes best known for her role onDownton Abbeyand has also done stints onThe TudorsandDoctors.
She first had the idea forSomething in the Waterwhile she was shooting in the desert of Namibia.
It was so hot that the background artists were fainting in the heat, she says.
I just loved the idea of all that crystal clear water.
She turned to where else Google.
My hard drive would be deeply concerning if taken out of context!
