How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?Visit Meg Elison's website.
The phrase "founding fathers" is so ingrained in our culture that a play on it seemed inevitable. I love the word "foundling" meaning orphan, meaning a child found on a doorstep or in a basket of woven rushes. Combining the familiar, powerful idea of the founders with a term that indicates some kids on their own was irresistible. It shapes expectations of the book by telling you right off that these characters aren't the legendary men you're expecting; they're vulnerable. And it's a set of words you think you know, but it makes you do a double take.
What's in a name?
I love giving a character a name that carries specific meaning that's so obvious that it's right under your nose and you might still miss it. Not must leeway on the names of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Ben Franklin, so I thought hard about what to name their mother. First off: what do you name a virginal, utterly ideal mother besides...[read on]
Q&A with Meg Elison.
--Marshal Zeringue
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