Wayne Arthurson, like his
protagonist Leo Desroches, is the son of Cree and French Canadian parents. He
has worked as a newspaper reporter, a drummer in a rock band and as a freelance
journalist. He was born in and lives in Edmonton, Canada, with his wife
and child. Fall from Grace
(Forge, March 29, 2011) is his first novel.
On your nightstand now:
Two books: All Clear by Connie Willis and 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann. Both are great books, but guess which one is for pleasure and which is for research.
Favorite book when you were a child:
I'm not really one of those folks who have a favorite book of all time. I read so much as a child, and still do, so I can't just pick one book that stands out. The same goes for music and albums.
Your top five authors:
Sorry, but see the previous answer. But so this space isn't blank, I'll list instead my favorite drummers who write books: Jacob Slichter of Semisonic, Tim Thorton of Fink, Neal Peart of Rush, Vinnie Fiorello of Less Than Jake, plus Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and Bill Bruford of Yes and King Crimson.
Book you've faked reading:
A book club I used to belong to picked Glue by Irvine Welsh. I just couldn't push through the thick Scottish brogue of the voice. I discovered that most of my book club didn't finish the book, either.
Book you're an evangelist for:
I'm more of an evangelist for the idea that genre books can be great literature. In Canada, literary fiction is considered more "important" and has more to say about society than genre fiction like mystery and science fiction, especially when it comes to major prizes and certain readership circles. Many times I feel the opposite is true.
Book you've bought for the cover:
Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. I love to cook--it's like meditation to me--and when I saw the cover, I thought, "This book is just what I need."
Book that changed your life:
After finishing journalism school, it took awhile to get a job. And I hadn't read novels for several years. So I got a job as a security guard and had plenty of time to read. I think I picked up Catch-22 and read it straight through in one day at work. And every day after that, I would read another book. A couple months later, I was inspired me to start writing fiction again.
Favorite line from a book:
One of my favorite opening lines comes from Neuromancer by William Gibson: "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
I recently did a road trip through ranch country in southern Alberta and thought about Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove. I hated finishing that book because the stories and the characters were so incredible. Also, I remember being so stunned at the opening section of Salman Rushdie's Midnight Children.