JW: Is the fact that you’re interviewing yourself a sign of solipsism or desperation?
JW: Define “sign.”

JW: Is this going to be one of those interviews?
JW: Define “is.” No, just kidding. I’m sorry. What was the question again?

JW: Sigh. Why did you write this book?
JW: It seemed to me that the word “faith” had become synonymous with “religious faith.” I wanted to write about non-religious types of faith – more specifically, about a serious challenge to that sort of faith. The death penalty, for me, was and is a huge challenge of that sort. I still wanted to write fiction, though, and the mystery genre felt like a good fit for the subject matter. I grew up reading mysteries, and I’m still a big fan of writers like Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky and Martha Grimes.

JW: When did you write this book?
JW: Is the next question going to be “How did you write this book?” Because I have no idea. It’s all a blur.

JW: No, just when.
JW: Hard to say. I got the idea in grad school, I think. That would have been around ten years ago. I didn’t start writing until after school, in 2003. Then I wrote off and on, sometimes putting it in a drawer for year or more before picking it back up.

JW: Ten years? Ten years is a blur?
JW: No drugs were involved, just distractions – jobs and bills, moves and marriage and kids. No need to get judgmental – it’s a blur for you, too.

JW: But—never mind. So there’s a sequel coming?
JW: Yes. It’s a couple years after the end of Faith, but it partly relates back to events in that book. Robert is in for some big changes to his daily life.

JW: Robert or Bobby?
JW: All his friends and family call him Bobby, but for some reason I’m still stuck thinking of him as Robert. That’s probably some indication of my shortcomings as a writer, but who cares? Robert/Bobby Grant, by the way is named after my parents –first name of my father, last name of my mother. My dad usually went by Bob, so the name bias isn’t from there.

JW: Ah, the Robert Welsh of the dedication. Isn’t your husband a little ticked, after all the work he did slaving over a hot keyboard to develop your book design and this inspiring website?
JW: He ought to be. Maybe he should even accuse me of desperate solipsism.

JW: So how many more installations should we expect from this series?
JW: I’m not sure. I just got the glimmer of a glimmer for the third book, but it’s so tantalizing I can’t pass that up. I also want to write a non-fiction book about higher education in America, and I’d really like to get back into writing short stories. And of course, there are those distractions. In fact, I think I’d like to go visit some of those distractions right now.