What was it like writing Life is Fine versus writing Sweet Thang?
AW: Party at Allison’s place on March 11th to celebrate Life Is Fine! I am really excited about this work. It is totally different in tone from Sweet Thang. Charmaine is sharp and glib; there’s expansiveness to her voice. In Life Is Fine, Samara is clipped and cynical, and she’s dangerously close to shut down all together. Both girls are smart but Samara doesn’t have the same outlets for her intellectual pursuits. What’s next for you? AW: My next novel will be published next year called Hollywood and Maine. It’s a companion piece to Sweet Thang. I wrote it because when I went on book talk I was continually asked what happens next to Charmaine and her family. Not to give too much away but Charmaine tries her hand at modeling, Tracy John joins the baseball team, and their ex con uncle comes to live with their family while he gets his life together. Gwendolyn Brooks and Richard Wright are two of your favorite writers. What are your favorite works by them? Do you consider them as influenti
