As part of my feature on the Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses I invited publishers and authors whose books were selected for the longlist to answer a few questions or write a guest post for my blog. Today I am delighted to welcome Patty Yumi Cottrell, author of Sorry to Disrupt the Peace, which is published by And Other Stories.
1. Can you tell my readers a little about yourself and your background?
I’m a Korean adoptee. I used to write poetry. When I was in my late twenties, I wrote a couple of short stories so I could apply to graduate school, and since then, fiction has been my primary focus. I worked with Jesse Ball, a genius, at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He changed my life. I’m so thankful for him. Something he taught me was to find joy in the process of making things, and to not worry about the rest.
2. Can you tell us about Sorry to Disrupt the Peace?
It’s a dark comedy about suicide. A woman investigates her brother’s death. It’s rather bleak, but I hope it’s not too depressing. It’s supposed to be funny.
3. What inspired the book?
The simple answer is I was troubled by something that happened in my life, so I decided to write a book about it. I had a question in my mind, and I hoped that by the end of the book, I’d have an answer. Some other inspirations: Bill Callahan, Aphex Twin, Curb Your Enthusiasm, vegetables, Murder, She Wrote, Robert Walser, Jane Bowles, Sheila Heti, and Thomas Bernhard.
4. George RR Martin has said there are two types of writers – the architect, who plans everything in advance, and the gardener, who plants an idea and allows it to develop organically. Which are you?
I think the content of the book dictates these matters. If you’re writing a sprawling family saga or a fantasy novel, you need to have a plan. My book is like a scrolling video game from the early 90’s; my narrator can only go in one direction, from the left side of the screen to the right. I didn’t need an outline. I wanted to surprise myself, so I had to trust my intuition. I didn’t know what any of the scenes would contain, or what would happen next.
5. What is your favourite part of being a writer?
Sitting at my desk quietly. I also like reading, and I think that’s an important part of being a writer. People should read more than they write.
6. And your least favourite?
I don’t have a least favourite part about being a writer. I think there are some troubling aspects of being a writer, but they all relate to being a human: money-related issues, existential dread, the nauseating horrors of the world, obsession, problems with family members, addiction, etc.
7. Do you enjoy social media?
I like Instagram. But overall, I think social media is a form of hell. I recommend staying away from it for a month and seeing what that’s like.
8. Do you seek out reviews of your books?
I’m thankful for reviews, but I don’t seek them out. If someone sends one to me, I’ll read it.
9. What do you do when you wish to treat yourself?
I watch the NBA and participate in fantasy basketball. Wasting time doing nothing is another form of treating myself. Taking naps. Walking without a destination. Allowing myself to change my mind.
10. What books have you read and enjoyed recently?
Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue. It’s a complicated and challenging novel about tennis, colonization, and art. I also loved Tao Lin’s novel Taipei. It’s an awkward and uncomfortable book, but also really moving.
11. Who would you like to sit down to dinner with, real or from fiction?
I’d like to have dinner with the ghost of Muriel Spark. If she’s not available, I’d have dinner with my girlfriend and some friends and I’d invite J.M Coetzee, because I’ve heard he doesn’t smile.
12. What question has no interviewer asked that you wish they would?
I wish interviewers would ask me to tell them everything I know about polar bears.
Thank you Patty for providing such interesting answers to my questions. I look forward to reading your response when a future interviewer asks you about Polar Bears.
You may follow Patty on Twitter: @pmcottrell
Click on the book cover above to find out more about Sorry to Disrupt the Peace.
Sorry to Disrupt the Peace is published by And Other Stories who previously provided me with a guest post about their publishing house when they were shortlisted for The Republic of Consciousness Prize last year – you may read the post here.
Keep up with all the news on The Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses by following on Twitter: @PrizeRofc
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