G.F. Skipworth has toured much of the world as a concert pianist, symphony/opera conductor, composer, vocalist, and opera coach. Along the way, however, he also worked as a speechwriter, in comedy and as an academic author. His formal education includes Whitman College, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and UCLA. As he describes it, one day he sat down to write a fourth symphony, but a four-volume fantasy series came out instead, which he affectionately refers to as a “shoot ‘em up clang clang.” Following the “Fables of the Carpailtin Campfire,” he wrote a fantasy based upon the twenty-four poems of Franz Schubert’s great song-cycle, “Winterreise (Winter Journey.) Moving on to historical fiction, he released “Stormfield—Tales from the Hereafter,” based on Mark Twain’s final incomplete work. Dr. Skipworth often refers to “The Simpering, North Dakota Literary Society” as his personal favorite, although writing dialogue for a cameo appearance by the razor-sharp Dorothy Parker was maddening, even worse than for Mark Twain (at least he paused to light a cigar now and then.) Currently, he resides in Portland, Oregon with his wife Barbara, where he serves on the faculty of Lewis & Clark College. Upcoming works include “The World-Weary String Quartet of Alliance, Nebraska” and “The Madonna of Dunkirk.” Please visit G.F. Skipworth’s site at rosslarebooks.com.
We’re talking today to G.F. Skipworth about his latest historical fiction/humor novel, The Simpering, North Dakota Literary Society. Thank you for this interview, G.F. Can we begin by having you tell us why you chose to write a historical novel opposed to other genres?
Hello, and thanks for allowing me to speak with you today.
My first effort was a four-volume fantasy, and by the final volume I noticed that the action was continually drawn to its setting, present and historical, in the Pacific Northwest. Characters referred to historical highlights on a constant basis. My next series of stories went toward my love for Mark Twain, and finally to early twentieth century America.
I teach a college class that is based on a student’s discovery of what his or her grandparents and great-grandparents were reading, listening to, wearing, and driving. What was important to them, as opposed to the present, or were they the same? It’s my favorite class to teach, and spills over into my writing all the time, as I seek to know how we, as modern Americans, got here.
Did you outline before you wrote your book or did you just go with the flow?
A little of both—My first life included work as a symphonic and operatic composer, and those art forms are built on structures that perfectly parallel the sort of fiction I enjoy writing. Traditional forms keep you a little more efficient, and yet allow some improvisational style. The time-tested plots offer a world of character study and wrinkles on human behavior. They can also be superimposed onto any era or cast of characters. Following the “Exposition” in which much is explained and many characters are introduced, comes the “Development,” the fun part. That’s where the imagination can really run. It’s difficult to make myself stop sometimes for the “recap” and “coda.”
Who was your favorite character in The Simpering, North Dakota Literary Society and why?
Edielou Zingarella spends more time in the spotlight, and is still nowhere near where she wants to be. The others bring eccentric behavior to the story, but the story brings eccentric challenges to her, always nudging her to open and to overthrow old self-prejudices. As I wrote her, I both adored and felt for her. When an author feels so strongly about one of his or her people during the writing, the chances that it’s going to go well are greatly improved. In fact, she has inspired me to begin a prequel, rather than moving on to other stories lined up on my mental shelf.
Who was your least favorite character?
Ida Bolzner was difficult, as she throws off so little light. Her character always moves within an “Adams Family” atmosphere. (“She could extinguish the light of Tuscany at high-noon.”) The great American wit, Dorothy Parker, makes an appearance for a few chapters, but I had to escort her off the premises, because writing dialogue for such a sharp mind was exhausting and, at times, impossible (more difficult, at times, than it was for Mark Twain.)
