Interview with author Tracy Fabre

I always had a soft spot for those who could make me think and

feel (ideally good).  Authors who could do that more than once?

Dick Francis, Donald Westlake, Jane Donnelly, Lewis Grizzard,

and Jane Austen of course.  I used to read a lot of Stephen King;

I liked his characters and dialogue (it was never the horror which

drew me in but rather the people).  I love but am way behind on

Terry Pratchett, too.

In our families emergency packs we each have between 5-10 books. Which
books would you put in your emergency pack?

Oooh, interesting question.  I would put:

1. The Stand / Stephen King

2. Love For A Stranger / Jane Donnelly

3. Guards! Guards! / Terry Pratchett

4. Pride & Prejudice / Jane Austen

5. Holes / Louis Sachar

… but if I keep thinking about it, the emergency pack’s gonna get

awfully heavy!

When I am feeling sick or down I have about 5 authors that I refer to as my
comfort authors (much like chocolate and chips and salsa are my comfort
foods). Who are you comfort authors?

Hmmm, I’m not sure I have an answer to that, most likely because

when I need comfort, I don’t go to books. I know that may sound

shocking, but it’s true. I’m more of a wallower.  🙂

What are your top five favorite books of all time?

But who can pick five?  You’re a ruthless one, you are.  I say, for

starters, those I listed above. But there are others I really loved…

Measure of a Heart by Lane Von Herzen, Scaring The Crows

by Gregory Miller, many of the Dortmunder novels by Donald

Westlake, most of the Tony Hillerman Leaphorn series, Ishmael 

by Barbara Hambly, and various nonfiction books, such as James

Lileks’ Gallery Of Regrettable Food, and Interior Desecrations.

What do you like to watch in your free time?

Monday is my big TV night — House and 24!  Don’t EVEN think

of interrupting, calling, showing up, or setting anything on fire; I will

not be moved.  Period.  But I don’t do reality shows, and I may be

one of only about six people who doesn’t watch American Idol.

The plot for your book Reasons is one that I haven’t read before, without
giving anything away as the review will be posted tomorrow where did this
story come from?

Ironically… the guts of Reasons came into being when I was about

18 and really had no clue how to write. Young and idiotic, I didn’t

get very far, but kept the Notebook Of Ridiculousness it was born

in, since I always thought I might do something with the plot line of

the hit-and-run. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I’d thrown the

notebook into the shredder pile that I began to be haunted by this

question: how would I have ended it? So after a few days of trying

to resist this (I was in the middle of moving and had no time), I gave

up one night and wrote the last five pages. Then I wrote the section

before that.  Then I wrote the middle.  Then… at some point, I had

a completed novel which was a thousand times better than my 18-

year-old self had even been able to imagine.  But as to where the

plot came from?  Heck if I know!  I can remember thinking about

it endlessly at the time but how it popped into my adolescent brain

is still a mystery to me.

What are you currently working on now?

This interview.  🙂  I have a couple of things in progress which are

waiting for my tender loving attention but I admit that mostly what

I write these days is fluff for Gather.com.  I hope I do get back to

those works in progress, particularly one set on Mobile Bay which