Allen Eskens, author of The Stolen Hours
Genre Fiction Category, sponsored by Macalester College
Each week leading up to the 34th annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony, we are featuring exclusive interviews with our 36 finalists. You can also watch the authors in conversation with their fellow category finalists here.
Would you tell us one or two things about your finalist book that you are particularly proud of, and why?
The Stolen Hours is my seventh book, but my first with a female protagonist, Lila Nash. I was nervous about writing a female point of view and spent a great deal of time immersing myself in novels written by women with strong female protagonists before I stepped into Lila’s shoes.
What do you hope that your audience learns or takes away from your book?
The Stolen Hours follows a young woman who had been running from her past for eight years and who has to find the strength to stand and face that past. It is my hope that readers will relate to Lila’s struggle in a way that is uplifting.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer with an interest in your category?
The key to writing a quality novel is to have a good story that is well told. Many writers focus on the good story but scrimp on the well-told aspect. There is no shortcut to learning the craft of writing. No matter how good the premise, without a thorough understanding of the craft, the story will fall short.
Tell us something about yourself that is not widely known.
My wife and I recently became a grandparents for the first (and second time) when our daughter gave birth to identical twin boys. We are looking forward to that new era in our lives.
Minnesota enjoys a reputation as a place that values literature and reading. If this sentiment rings true for you, what about our home state makes it such a welcoming and conducive place for writers?
The libraries in Minnesota are second to none in terms of holding events for authors and introducing authors to readers. And the strength and breadth of the reading community is also among the best in the country, making Minnesota a great place to be an author.
Since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, virtually everything about our lives has changed in some way. Has COVID-19 (and its fallout) impacted your writing habits and preferences? Has the unique zeitgeist of the past two years influenced your writing output in any other ways that you can pinpoint?
As a writer, I spent my pre-pandemic days sitting in my basement with a laptop on my lap. After Covid hit, I spent my days sitting in my basement with a laptop on my lap. I do miss the in-person events and the face-to-face contact with readers, but I have faith that that will return in full force soon.
Allen Eskens is the bestselling author of The Life We Bury and five other novels. His books have won the Barry Award, the Rosebud Award, the Silver Falchion Award, and the Minnesota Book Award.