Thursday June 24, 2010 5:04
5:06
Stephen Elliott:
I am here early, just to make sure nothing goes wrong. So far, nothing has gone wrong.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:06 Stephen Elliott
5:07

[Comment From Brian Brian: ]
does it start at 5 pst or 6?
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:07 Brian
5:07
Stephen Elliott:
Hi Brian. It doesn’t start until 6pm. We just started early to make sure there’s nothing buggy.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:07 Stephen Elliott
5:08

[Comment From Alyce Connolly Alyce Connolly: ]
Hi Stephen. I’m early too. But I think I’ll do some laundry first. Is anyone else here?
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:08 Alyce Connolly
5:08

[Comment From Brian Brian: ]
thanks- i will log back in later.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:08 Brian
5:08

[Comment From Alyce Connolly Alyce Connolly: ]
Great, see you in an hour.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:08 Alyce Connolly
5:09

[Comment From Stephen Elliott Stephen Elliott: ]
Hi
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:09 Stephen Elliott
5:10

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
It works for me.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:10 Ally
5:52

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
Hey Stephen, just got here and ready to get started.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:52 Eric
5:52
Stephen Elliott:
Hi Eric!
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:52 Stephen Elliott
5:54

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
hello!
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:54 Threemoons
5:54
Stephen Elliott:
Hey!
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:54 Stephen Elliott
5:54

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
Lag city here.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:54 Threemoons
5:54
Stephen Elliott:
John should be here any time now. I’m sitting in The Rumpus office with Isaac.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:54 Stephen Elliott
5:55

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
Hola from Washington, DC
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:55 JenniB
5:55

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
Hello
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:55 Sarah
5:55
Stephen Elliott:
The lag is because the comments are moderated. I’m not sure how else to do it. If there’s a lot of people there will be too many questions flying for John.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:55 Stephen Elliott
5:55

[Comment From John F John F: ]
The click-clack typing sound that accompanies every message already makes this better than a regular live reading/Q&A.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:55 John F
5:56
Stephen Elliott:
Ha!
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:56 Stephen Elliott
5:56

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
going to have to figure out how to mute that thing
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:56 Sarah
5:56
Stephen Elliott:
You could turn your sound off on your computer?
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:56 Stephen Elliott
5:56
Stephen Elliott:
That’s what Isaac did, but I left mine on so he has to listen to it anyway.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:56 Stephen Elliott
5:56

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
hit the little sound button at bottom of window
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:56 Threemoons
5:56

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
just did. thanks
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:56 Sarah
5:56

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
The speaker at the bottom, by the word live – that turns it off.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:56 Ally
5:56
Isaac Fitzgerald:
I hate it. Stephen loves it.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:56 Isaac Fitzgerald
5:56

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
yup
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:56 Sarah
5:56

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
annoys.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:56 Threemoons
5:57

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
I…i think I LOVE the clacking!
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:57 JenniB
5:57

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
Maybe full-on audio chat could be in rumpus book club’s future?
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:57 Eric
5:57

[Comment From Matt Matt: ]
Perhaps instead of reading a passage, John could type a passage in.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:57 Matt
5:57

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
could make master-slave comment here but I won’t
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:57 Sarah
5:57

[Comment From john b john b: ]
Here I am. At y’all’s service.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:57 john b
5:58

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
For now, we’ll pretend the clicking means we’re in the same room
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:58 Eric
5:58
Stephen Elliott:
Hi John! Welcome to the first book club discussion.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:58 Stephen Elliott
5:58

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
full sized txt chat would make my life easier right about now
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:58 Threemoons
5:58

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
That’s the way it goes with sound tho – we live in the country, quietest place on earth, and my husband designs those noisy speakers on all those boom-boom-boom cars.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:58 Ally
5:59

[Comment From Jeremy Hatch Jeremy Hatch: ]
Hey, I’m here early too.
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:59 Jeremy Hatch
5:59

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
very important question to get things started: does Mr Brandon love or hate the clacking noise? The answer could be revealing
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:59 JenniB
5:59
john b:
testing
Thursday June 24, 2010 5:59 john b
6:00
Isaac Fitzgerald:
John Brandon is with us folks!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:00 Isaac Fitzgerald
6:00

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
Looking forward to the chat.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:00 Lisa
6:00

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
turn it up to 11
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:00 Sarah
6:00

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
Hi, all. The clacking is going along nicely with someone playing piano in my apt. in the background.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:00 Andréa
6:00

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
we see u!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:00 Threemoons
6:00

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
waiting w/bated breath
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:00 Sarah
6:00
Stephen Elliott:
OK, we’re starting.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:00 Stephen Elliott
6:00
Stephen Elliott:
I’m going to hold all comments until we hear from John.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:00 Stephen Elliott
6:00
john b:
Here I be.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:00 john b
6:01
Stephen Elliott:
John, first off, maybe talk a little about the genesis of this book. Your decision to publish with McSweeney’s a second time.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:01 Stephen Elliott
6:02
Stephen Elliott:
Sidenote, hey everybody. we’re going to take questions one at a time and let John answer them, and we’ll see how that works. Maybe once we’re started we’ll switch to an unmoderated discussion.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:02 Stephen Elliott
6:03
john b:
It’s hard to remember what I had when I began the book, other than Toby. I had Toby and I had the place. Everything after that I made up as I went along.

And as for McSweeney’s, I think they’re terrific to work with. The grass on the other side appears fancier, but not as nourishing. They took my first book out of the slush, so I’ll forever feel warm toward them.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:03 john b
6:04
Stephen Elliott:
It was so unexpected when Toby kidnapped the girl. How did you make that decision?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:04 Stephen Elliott
6:05

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
Hi John. What was the decision behind not giving Mr. Hibma a first name?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:05 Leah
6:08
john b:
As far as I can remember, I got a little too far into the book without anything happening, and so made something happen. My first book was small problem after small problem, and maybe I was bored with that. I get bored easily. I think I wanted a major happening that hung over everything else, rather than a bunch of little things I could continually leave behind. Trust me, Arkansas was easier.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:08 john b
6:08
Stephen Elliott:
Hey guys, what do you think about opening this discussion up a little? It might be kind of hectic. Should we try?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:08 Stephen Elliott
6:08

Jeremy Hatch:
Sure
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:08 Jeremy Hatch
6:09
Stephen Elliott:
OK, I’m going to start publishing comments as they come in.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:09 Stephen Elliott
6:09
Isaac Fitzgerald:
Things’re about to get Rumpus-y.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:09 Isaac Fitzgerald
6:09

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
yes, please.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:09 Ally
6:09

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
weeee
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:09 Lisa
6:09

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
go for it
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:09 Eric
6:09

[Comment From John F John F: ]
Did you follow the reaction to Citrus County on The Rumpus Book Club blogs and comments? And does its reception outweigh the importance of your own self-satisfaction with what you’ve written?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:09 John F
6:09

[Comment From Natalie Natalie: ]
Hi John, Thanks for chatting with us! My one burning question: why did you decide to not show us the rescue at the end?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:09 Natalie
6:10

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
So you had Toby and you had the place, but was your Toby really someone who you figured would do something like stash a little girl (why not little boy?) underground for nine weeks? Did you think at first it would be that long a kidnapping?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:10 Sarah
6:10
Stephen Elliott:
This is fun, it’s like a speed round.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:10 Stephen Elliott
6:10

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
or did it just develop, out of boredom, as you suggest
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:10 Sarah
6:11

[Comment From m m: ]
Not to bombard you, but I second Leah’s question and don’t want it to get lost. Why did you not give Mr. Hibma a first name?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:11 m
6:11

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
haha, where’s John going to begin?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:11 Eric
6:11

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
John – I’m curious if you ever considered using a first person narrator – the obvious choice being Toby, but possibly Shelby…
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:11 JenniB
6:11
john b:
I never feel too satisfaction as a writer. I just go on to the next thing. It’s impossible to judge your own writing. Yes, I read some of the discussion. I think I agreed with most everything that was posted, whether negative or positive. A lot of the issues raised had been raised in my talks with the editor, so I think people were on the right track
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:11 john b
6:11
Isaac Fitzgerald:
@Leah, Three Moons said “tell leah i think we did get a first name once.”
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:11 Isaac Fitzgerald
6:11

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
I’m really interested in the Donald Justice poem that Uncle Neal partially relays to Toby toward the end of the book. My question, had you been thinking about this poem before you started coming up with the plot? It seems so perfect to the story to me. And did you intend a theological theme to the events in the book?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:11 Andréa
6:12

[Comment From Matt Matt: ]
I was surprised at how little you gave us about Kaley while she was in the bunker. Did you make a conscious decision to keep the nitty-gritty of Toby’s visits to the bunker unseen?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:12 Matt
6:12

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
JenniB, thats a good point, what would the book have been if we didn’t know Toby was the culprit until the end?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:12 Eric
6:12

[Comment From Frances Frances: ]
John, I read in the back of the book that you grew up in the Gulf of Florida. You mentioned that you had Toby and the location right away so I was wondering whether any of the events in the novel autobiographical or not?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:12 Frances
6:12

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
mr hibma was a teacher and they’re all first-nameless maybe
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:12 Sarah
6:13

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
apologies i assumed a functionality that didn’t translate..meh..
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:13 Threemoons
6:13

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
Why did you have Mr. Hibma regret throwing the dart? I loved that about him, it changed him when he started wishing he’d thought it through.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:13 Ally
6:14

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
In your head, does Shelby ever forgive Toby?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:14 Lisa
6:14
john b:
No theological theme intended, though that doesn’t mean it might not be there.

Donald Justice is my favorite poet. I made an allusion to him in Arkansas and in the novel I just finished writing. I don’t know, I just love the guy. I figure it can’t hurt to quote a great writer. Did I say it was Justice, or does someone know Justice by heart?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:14 john b
6:14
Stephen Elliott:
No way Shelby could forgive Toby… At least not in my head.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:14 Stephen Elliott
6:14

[Comment From Frances Frances: ]
Ally- I too was wondering that about Mr. Hibma. Did the dart represent something and did I just miss it?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:14 Frances
6:14

Jeremy Hatch:
Re Mr. Hibma’s name, I loved the way it implied that he actually thought of himself as a teacher — he was embodying at least some aspect of it, if reluctantly
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:14 Jeremy Hatch
6:15

[Comment From Martha Martha: ]
At some points Mr Hibma was almost funny–how intentionally awkward did you intend him to be?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:15 Martha
6:15

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
He’s such a putz, hibma
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:15 Sarah
6:16
Stephen Elliott:
John just told me he’s going to take a couple of minutes to address the Haley comments. That doesn’t mean you can’t keep talking.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:16 Stephen Elliott
6:16

[Comment From Laura Laura: ]
Living through Shelby and Toby made me really think about if I was as thoughtful and analytical and cynical as they are at 14.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:16 Laura
6:16

[Comment From joed joed: ]
joe’s here!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:16 joed
6:16

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
I’m a teacher, and there are teachers I’ve worked with for 14 years and never spoken their first names. So the Mr. Hibma thing – that was very true for me.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:16 Ally
6:16

[Comment From Kevin Kevin: ]
My high school lit teacher told us about a student of hers who called Ken Kesey on the phone because he couldn’t get his mind around the Mr. Siggs anecdote in “Sometimes a Great Notion.” The answer Kesey gave him was, “Don’t try to unscrew the inscrutable.”
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:16 Kevin
6:16

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
@Jeremy Hatch: I never thought of it that way but I like the idea. I guess I’d always thought it was meant as a way to further separate him from everyone else around him, but your approach is great. He’s embodying something so fundamental about the profession and yet seems to dislike his colleagues so much because of their “passion” for the job.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:16 Leah
6:17

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
John pls help me out here i coulda sworn that we got a first name for Hibna ONCE–when he was reading a doc with his name on it or something…
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:17 Threemoons
6:17

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
Hhaha great point Ally! Never thought of it like that!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:17 Lisa
6:17

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
I agree with Sarah and Jeremy about Mr. Hibma’s name. He was like so many HS teachers I had; you felt kind of weird knowing their first names…seeing them off school grounds was disorienting.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:17 Andréa
6:17

[Comment From Kevin Kevin: ]
So I’m wondering about the hardware store garden section. It’s in both of your books, seems important. Is that like a Mr. Siggs situation?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:17 Kevin
6:17

[Comment From Alison Alison: ]
Laura, I definitely was not that thoughtful or cynical at 14, but while reading I really wished I was.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:17 Alison
6:18

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
@Laura – I agree. I kept having to remind myself that these kids were supposed to be in middle school. I think at one point Shelby skips school and one of the classes listed is “psychology”. O’rly?!? Psychology in middle school? It didn’t seem realistic to me.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:18 JenniB
6:18

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
maybe he worked in one; he seems to have worked everywhere
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:18 Sarah
6:18

[Comment From Frances Frances: ]
@ Andrea. High school teachers of mine from a decade ago have found me on Facebook and I still feel super weird about it. Especially seeing their vacation photos…
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:18 Frances
6:18

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
@Andréa: Very true. I went to boarding school and lived with a lot of my teachers and I sometimes forget that that’s quite far from the normal high school experience.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:18 Leah
6:18
Stephen Elliott:
This is so cool.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:18 Stephen Elliott
6:18

[Comment From Martha Martha: ]
The place Toby has with his uncle it reminded me of Ethan Hawke & Chris Cooper in the Great Expectations movie Alfonso Cuarondid a fewyears ago—is that the tone & color you were going for? Is that your present day southern gothic?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:18 Martha
6:18
john b:
Might as well address the bunker situation. I never considered giving Kaley point of view, because I couldn’t imagine doing that without it being melodramatic, but I did have scenes in the bunker that I ended up taking out, that now are merely summarized in a line or two: Toby cutting Kaley’s hair, for instance, was a whole scene. In the end I felt like I had to either do the bunker stuff all the way or very little, so I decided to do it very little. I wanted to keep the focus on Toby and Shelby and Mr. Hibma (Milton, by the way). Sounds bad, but I didn’t really care about Kaley the way I did about the other main characters.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:18 john b
6:19

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
@Laura True I think “in our day” kids were a lot more innocent. I felt that John really captured what kids are like “these days”
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:19 Lisa
6:19

Jeremy Hatch:
@Stephen Elliott This is like we’re at a reading where they ask “any questions”? And you can hear everybody’s thoughts.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:19 Jeremy Hatch
6:19
Stephen Elliott:
@jeremyhatch Ha!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:19 Stephen Elliott
6:20

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
Would it make you care less about the characters, do you think? Stockholm Syndrome with Kaley if you tried to relate to her as you wrote her?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 Ally
6:20

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
Did you realize how offputting your decision to put a little girl in a bunker for that long would be to readers? What reactions from readers were you after?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 Sarah
6:20

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
I really agreed with that decision, John. Kidnapping scenes were something we’ve seen way too many times, and it was the characters that made your story unique. And though it does sound bad, its true. Kaley’s situation is far too simple to be compelling.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 Eric
6:20

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
Well, to some readers
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 Sarah
6:20

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
I loved the sense of isolation in all of the book’s locations. Citrus County seems so far removed from the rest of Florida (at least in psychological terms) and then to connect with someone in Iceland which is so physically separate from everywhere else. I just loved that.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 Leah
6:20

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
@Jeremy Hatch – I feel like we are all baby birds with open maws, chirping for part of a regurgitated worm.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 JenniB
6:20

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
not all readers
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 Sarah
6:20

[Comment From LauraJ LauraJ: ]
My comments aren’t coming through and I am wondering if it is because there are two Lauras.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 LauraJ
6:20

[Comment From m m: ]
was there any character you wanted to develop further but the plot or pace didn’t allow for?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 m
6:20

[Comment From LauraJ LauraJ: ]
Ok that did it!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 LauraJ
6:20

[Comment From Martha Martha: ]
We are at the most inviting (or alcohol-soaked) reading ever, yes.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 Martha
6:20

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
And I love Milton as the first name.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 Eric
6:20

[Comment From Natalie Natalie: ]
I think not showing us inside the bunker except in limited situations really worked–in an awful way Kaley was just a means to an end–Toby accomplishing his “evil” deed and her family mourning–Kaley’s not part of that but her absence is so leaving her out made it that more real for me at least
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:20 Natalie
6:21

[Comment From Alyce Connolly Alyce Connolly: ]
In the beginning, when it’s said that Toby is “evil” I kept thinking… really. How can someone be really truly evil? Isn’t he just fucked up because of his home life? And is there a difference? I loved going back and forth with that.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:21 Alyce Connolly
6:21
Stephen Elliott:
There’s just a brief lag while we approve comments.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:21 Stephen Elliott
6:21

[Comment From Frances Frances: ]
@ John- I think you made a good choice. Looking back on it, if you had flushed Kaley out a little more, it would have made me more involved with her character, which would have definitely taken some focus away from Toby and Shelby.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:21 Frances
6:21

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
flushed
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:21 Sarah
6:21
john b:
I’ve always had no problem with kids in literature seeming smarter or wiser than they should, so I guess I didn’t worry about that. It seems a good place to ask for suspension of disbelief, since the other option is to have less smart characters. I agree, though, at times they’re a little quick.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:21 john b
6:22

[Comment From Natalie Natalie: ]
I *love* that his name is Milton! I actually had a high school teacher with that first name
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:22 Natalie
6:22

[Comment From LauraJ LauraJ: ]
I was fine with the bunker because the plot really focused on Tobay-Shelby_mr Hibma. The bunker it seemed could have been anything that made that trio come together in the way that it did.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:22 LauraJ
6:22

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
I teach middle school – gifted ed. These kids were very real. if it isn’t how they really act, it is how they really feel.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:22 Ally
6:22
Stephen Elliott:
I just knew, early on, Shelby was going to follow him and find the bunker.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:22 Stephen Elliott
6:22

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
so are your kid characters kids, or are they metaphors for something? if they’re smart beyond their years?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:22 Sarah
6:22

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
@John did you originally develop the Mr. Himba murder plot? I felt like it almost ended too briefly
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:22 Lisa
6:22

[Comment From LauraJ LauraJ: ]
The only truly formed woman character was Shelby. Was she a voice from your head or did you get inspiration outside your imagination?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:22 LauraJ
6:22

[Comment From John F John F: ]
I don’t think this book was about the kidnapping, it was about the reaction to the kidnapping. Any direct narration or reporting (?) from the bunker probably wouldn’t have worked for me. It’s like if a 9/11 novel spent forever talking about the crash, instead of the aftermath, which is where there’s more value.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:22 John F
6:23

[Comment From Frances Frances: ]
I was sort of a smart-ass at that age. I could definitely place them with real kids. Maybe more city kids than suburbanites though.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:23 Frances
6:23

[Comment From Charlie Charlie: ]
Not have real bunker scenes made it more mysterious and looming to me. All the other parts of the story were weighed down with the knowledge of a bunker we can’t see.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:23 Charlie
6:23

[Comment From joed joed: ]
speaking of perfectly tuned characters, the ‘punk rock’ teacher? Loved that bit.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:23 joed
6:23

[Comment From Brian Brian: ]
Did you see this piece as a chance to consider ‘evil” and how one comes to act in evil ways?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:23 Brian
6:23
Stephen Elliott:
I love the setting, a faraway American place we rarely read about.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:23 Stephen Elliott
6:23

[Comment From Natalie Natalie: ]
@John F–I agree but a lot of people have trouble with 9/11 books that don’t focus on the crash–most haven’t been received well
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:23 Natalie
6:24

[Comment From char char: ]
I spent my high school years in southern nj, and there were a lot of kids like Toby, just less smart, which is even scarier.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:24 char
6:24

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
it’s not so much that he needed to show what was happening in the bunker. (the horror, the horror) it’s that IT WAS GOING ON. and some readers couldn’t forget about her
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:24 Sarah
6:24

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
@Stephen, yet so near a place we have all been
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:24 Eric
6:24

[Comment From LauraJ LauraJ: ]
The bunker was actually discussed all through from Toby’s perspective. I don’t think we could have gotten a fully formed picture of the enormity of the act for Toby if we had had too many bunker scenes.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:24 LauraJ
6:24

[Comment From Alison Alison: ]
My boyfriend is from Florida (Titusville) and when I showed him the book and we looked up Citrus County on google maps he said “I always forget that part of Florida is there”
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:24 Alison
6:24

[Comment From Frances Frances: ]
@Eric- definitely agree.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:24 Frances
6:24

[Comment From char char: ]
I love the setting too, and the name implying something fruitful. Genius.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:24 char
6:24
john b:
I should be saying who I’m responding to, huh? To m, I had several more scenes with Uncle Neal–explained him a little better maybe, that were cut out. While the decision to cut the bunker scenes was mine alone, the UN stuff that ended up on the floor was pushed by my editor. He keeps me from indulging.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:24 john b
6:24

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
everybody who was that smart in my rural HS (like maybe me and two other people) got the hell out as soon as possible. We didn’t do anything that would keep us there
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:24 Sarah
6:25

[Comment From John F John F: ]
The descriptions of the geography were really vivid. Did you write the book in Florida? Where did you write?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:25 John F
6:25

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
@joed Also loved the punk rock teacher. And how he argued that his music was “something to believe in.”
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:25 Andréa
6:25

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
@Stephen Elliott: And yet it’s also situated in a state where the population is growing and yet the whole place seems so… empty; like the rest of the world has moved on.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:25 Leah
6:25

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
I guess the absence of a POVfor inside the bunker seemed out of place when we had access to shelby/toby/hibma. Again – I wonder if a different narrative voice would have made not knowing about the inside of the bunker less obvious.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:25 JenniB
6:25

[Comment From Natalie Natalie: ]
@ Alison–mine too and mine too
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:25 Natalie
6:25

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
Why are so many things not what they really are? (Books that aren’t books, a non-murder who just hasn’t murdered yet, a burst of feeling that is the absence of feeling) What was that about, stylistically?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:25 Ally
6:25

[Comment From Matt Matt: ]
You’ve chosen some interesting surnames … Register; McNurse; even Hibma. Do they have deeper meanings? Or did you just pick them because you liked the way they sound?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:25 Matt
6:25

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
Your editor must have been wise. Your pacing is incredible.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:25 Eric
6:26
Stephen Elliott:
Eli Horowitz, smart editor.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:26 Stephen Elliott
6:26
Isaac Fitzgerald:
@John B Put an “@” before the persons name to let em know you’re responding to em
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:26 Isaac Fitzgerald
6:26

[Comment From Natalie Natalie: ]
@Eric–agreed, the pacing was fantastic
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:26 Natalie
6:27
Isaac Fitzgerald:
“The Pacing Was Fantastic” The Rumpus Book Club should do blurbs.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:27 Isaac Fitzgerald
6:27

[Comment From John F John F: ]
@Eric — agreed, also.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:27 John F
6:27

[Comment From joed joed: ]
@ Andréa – totally. Him getting shut down by the (strangely sly) Mrs… what was her name? sry don’t have book in front of me. anyway, that had me ACTUALLY L-ing out L.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:27 joed
6:27

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
@Stephen Elliott What made you choose this book as the inaugural club read?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:27 Leah
6:27

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
@Eric I agree with you. The pacing was almost movie-like. Maybe it could be one?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:27 Andréa
6:27

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
(it’s funny being a part of this chat, then hearing the occasional laugh from my husband who’s NOW reading Citrus Country!)
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:27 Lisa
6:27

[Comment From Laura Laura: ]
I was seriously waiting for Mr. Hibma to kill Mrs. Conners? was it.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:27 Laura
6:27

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
@Andrea Hollywood has made worse aquisitions…
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:27 Eric
6:28

[Comment From LauraJ LauraJ: ]
Maybe we could give Mr. B a chance to catch up?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:28 LauraJ
6:28

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
@joed Mrs. Conner. Ha.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:28 Andréa
6:28

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
Why was the only really kind thing in the book (beyond Shelby’s caretaking of her father) done by Mrs Conner to Hibma, her erstwhile murderer?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:28 Sarah
6:28

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
@Laura – YA! I was shocked that he didn’t off her.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:28 Lisa
6:28

[Comment From John F John F: ]
@Laura yeah, it was Mrs. Conner.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:28 John F
6:28
john b:
john f, no response, I just agree.

Lisa, the thing with Mr. Hibma was I didn’t know whether he’d go through with the murder or not until right at the end. His mindset was switching back and forth along with my own. I saw a chance at the end to sort of save some folks, so I went for it. In the rough draft, he kills that dog that interrupts him jerking off. In the draft, it happened over and over and then he killed the dog. I think I was setting him up to be able to kill a person, but when he didn’t kill a person I went back and took out the canine murder.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:28 john b
6:28

[Comment From Lila Lila: ]
I’m finding it a little tough to reconcile how much I wanted to like Toby. How much I wanted him to do the right thing, let the poor kid go, fall in love, be OK. I mean, he KIDNAPPED a little girl. Made me feel a little like I did when I re-read “Catcher in the Rye” this year. As an adult, you just want so badly to make it better. John B., what do you think Toby might be like all grown up?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:28 Lila
6:28

[Comment From Laura Laura: ]
I was thinking that Toby would be a good guy, and Mr. Hibma the psychopath.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:28 Laura
6:28

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
Guess it would have got TOO dark and crazy if she died. Would have definitely changed the pace and tone of things
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:28 Lisa
6:29

[Comment From Frances Frances: ]
A question related to Matt’s– @John- Why did you use the name Toby again? (I’m sure everyone already knows this, but to those that don’t, Toby is also the name used in John’s first novel “Arkansas”) John Fante and Charles Bukowski were fond of reusing names (Arturo Bandini and Hank Chinaski respectively), but their novels seemed to weave a story together somehow. Your two books however, are completely unrelated.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:29 Frances
6:29

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
Yeah, I was really hoping he’d return her and apologize, but I knew he wouldn’t.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:29 Eric
6:30

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
@John – very cool…thanks so much for the response (dug the book BTW)
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:30 Lisa
6:30
Stephen Elliott:
@leah It’s a long story, but I had the idea, then I walked into McSweeney’s on my way home from the cafe an hour later and told them my idea. I was just thinking out loud. I was familiar with John’s first book and Juliet at McSweney’s said we’ve got the perfect book for you. The great think about McSweeney’s is they’re trustworthy. So I just went with it. It seemed like such a perfect fit. I’ve published two books with McSweeney’s so I’m really familiar with them. Plus, I often steal their wifi.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:30 Stephen Elliott
6:30

[Comment From Laura Laura: ]
Didn’t realize- feel like I read Arkansas forever ago
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:30 Laura
6:30
How is this going so far? You only get to choose one.
It’s crazy!!!
( 0% )
Too fast.
( 11% )
I love it.
( 50% )
I kind of love it.
( 39% )
I’ll have a better idea after I sleep on it.
( 0% )

Thursday June 24, 2010 6:30
6:31
john b:
My first novel, failed, had a character I liked named Toby, and the Toby in Citrus County is a version of him. I also wrote a short story with another version of him, one that uses his powers for good. The name didn’t mean anything to me until I attached it to that original character in that old novel.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:31 john b
6:31

[Comment From Frances Frances: ]
@ Stephen, I steal 826LA’s wifi.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:31 Frances
6:31

[Comment From m m: ]
I was wondering about Uncle Neal. I think you left him exactly as he was meant to be, a giant vague question. You kept him from being a mundane extreme and left him to us to imagine and round out his evils as we liked. I liked that allot.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:31 m
6:31

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
I was wondering whether Toby’s fairly easy and quick decision to kidnap Kaley was supposed to be contrasted by Hibma’s drawn out thought process in killing his colleague. Did I totally read too much in to that?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:31 Leah
6:31

[Comment From Alyce Connolly Alyce Connolly: ]
@john b – I love that Mr. Hibma’s mindset was your own. It made the pacing seem really natural.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:31 Alyce Connolly
6:32

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
@Stephen Elliott It was definitely a great choice. Kudos to you, McSweeney’s and especially John.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:32 Leah
6:32

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
Stephen-can you address some of the controversy re the whole “new releases/galley prints/pricing” thing? FWIW i don’t have a problem or i wouldn’t've signed up.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:32 Threemoons
6:32

[Comment From John F John F: ]
I really liked how you wrote Uncle Neal. It was one of the more fitting deaths I’ve read recently.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:32 John F
6:32
john b:
Leah: One of those development that wasn’t intentional but that I love to see pointed out as if it were.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:32 john b
6:33

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
Well, uncle neal was the gun on the table in the first act. It had to go off in the third.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:33 Sarah
6:33

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
It is interesting that Kaley was kidnapped and put into the earth – buried underground, and that essentially she dies – the reader doesn’t know what is happening to her, Shelby and her father begin to move on, even Toby begins to move on – and then when she is resurrected, she’s different. A part of her has been killed off. She is “nipped in the bud” much like Toby/Shelby’s love, and Hibma’s plans of murder.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:33 JenniB
6:33

[Comment From joed joed: ]
@ Sarah – ha! well put.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:33 joed
6:34

[Comment From Martha Martha: ]
I brought this up earlier but can you talk a bit about the setting? How do you feel about the term southern gothic?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:34 Martha
6:34

[Comment From Laura Laura: ]
I thought there was going to be a big scene with the hemlocks.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:34 Laura
6:34

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
@John, I think that’s what makes it feel so natural; if its what you wanted from the beginning, it would have felt forced.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:34 Eric
6:34

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
=)
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:34 Sarah
6:34

[Comment From Laura Laura: ]
plus with the cover art..
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:34 Laura
6:34

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
I thought there was a very interesting distinction between “authors” and “people to whom things happen to” in this book.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:34 Andréa
6:34

[Comment From char char: ]
This could be a movie. I’m a screenwriter. But the kidnapping would become the major event for the studio and hence, the audience, so it would be a much different story. All the internal decisions would have to be voice-overs. I’m not sure it would do the original book justice. Sorry, I’m thinking with my fingers.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:34 char
6:34
Stephen Elliott:
@threemoons Well, it was mostly hardcovers. There were twenty galleys mixed in. With our next book, The Surf Guru, there won’t be any galleys. I think over all it will be very rare that we use galleys. The pricing I think is pretty fair. There’s a lot of expenses you don’t expect. For example, we screwed up a shipment yesterday and we had to resend 22 international books priority at $30 a book. So you have to charge enough to cover for stuff like that.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:34 Stephen Elliott
6:35

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
@JenniB – but don’t you find as a reader…YOU kind of move on too! I think that’s what I liked so much about the book. This insanely crazy event happens, but then, life goes on
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:35 Lisa
6:35

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
@JenniB nicely put
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:35 Andréa
6:35

[Comment From Alison Alison: ]
@char No, no voice overs! Everything they think could be dialogue, it practically is in the book anyway.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:35 Alison
6:36

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
I think the price is more than fair – you guys are putting a lot of time/work into this
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:36 Sarah
6:36

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
Not to be a tech weenie, but any chance of offering any of the Club on Kindles/Nooks/etc?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:36 Threemoons
6:36
Stephen Elliott:
Wow, those polls move fast!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:36 Stephen Elliott
6:37

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
Is he typing? or what?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:37 Sarah
6:37

[Comment From char char: ]
I really liked the design of the book – it reminded me of old-school children’s books and it holds up well over time.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:37 char
6:37

[Comment From John F John F: ]
@Stephen Elliott: On behalf of everyone here who doesn’t much care about galleys vs. hardcovers, thanks for setting any of this up at all. It’s all so very cool.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:37 John F
6:37

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
I’d love that – Kindle books. This is the only paper kindle – I mean, printed book – I’ve read since I got my Kindle in 2007.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:37 Ally
6:37

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
@Threemoons, it was the first physical book I read in a while. I thought it was kind of refreshing.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:37 Eric
6:37
Stephen Elliott:
@ally Ha! paper kindle.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:37 Stephen Elliott
6:37

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
@StephenElliott – here here! This is a GREAT idea and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. Thanks for all the hard work!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:37 Lisa
6:38
Stephen Elliott:
Thanks guys! That means so much to me.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:38 Stephen Elliott
6:38

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
Don’t get me wrong, i LOVE paper books and have too damn ma=ny of them if that’s possible–hence the Kindle.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:38 Threemoons
6:38

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
@char McSweeneys does do great design. I still love my copy of “The Convalescent” because of the colors (and the story! but definitely the colors)
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:38 Leah
6:38

[Comment From char char: ]
@Alison – a lot of the book is narration and not dialogue. Toby hardly ever says what he’s thinking or feeling aloud.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:38 char
6:38
john b:
martha: About Southern Gothic. I tend to like many books considered Southern Gothic, but I don’t think about being in that category while I’m writing. I think of O.Connor when I think of SG, and nobody’s going to do it better than her. As far as setting, I like to write about places that I don’t know too well, but that I feel something for. Arkansas was a state I drove through several times, stopping off for a day or two. It didn’t feel like it was finished. It felt like it had real mystery, and I knew I’d set something there. CC was a place I drove through going back and forth from Gainseville and I always felt the same way, like there was something unknown about it, like it wanted me to fill it in. I don’t know. I get pent-up if I know where every 7-11 is and who lives in every house.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:38 john b
6:39

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
If you don’t like keeping books you can always try bookcrossing.com (where you register a book then leave it for someone else to pick up and read)
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:39 Lisa
6:39
Stephen Elliott:
John, where are you living now?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:39 Stephen Elliott
6:40

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
So in the end is Mr. Hibma a dart thrower or not? Was his regret of throwing it and squandering his inheritance a real regret?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:40 Ally
6:40

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
@Lisa, I like Bookmooch.com myself. my bookcrossing books tend not to travel very far.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:40 Eric
6:40
Stephen Elliott:
You don’t have to give your exact address
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:40 Stephen Elliott
6:40
john b:
Oxford, MS. Teaching at Ole Miss for the time being. Just ate at SnackBar.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:40 john b
6:40

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
@Eric – kewl have never tried that one. Will give it a shot! Thanks…
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:40 Lisa
6:40

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
@Lisa – I’m putting mine in the teacher’s lounge. We have a few Mrs. Conners who need a wake up call.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:40 Ally
6:40
Stephen Elliott:
So you have a familiarity at least with the south.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:40 Stephen Elliott
6:41
Stephen Elliott:
I’ve been in Florida a bunch but I don’t think I would write about it as well.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:41 Stephen Elliott
6:41

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
One thing I reallly love about the book is the sense of pervasive bleakness, even the violent/crazy stuff seems routine, “made for TV” and somehow…sanitized and suburbanized. Great consistency of tone.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:41 Threemoons
6:41

[Comment From Alison Alison: ]
@char That’s true about Toby. Since there was more dialogue than I am used to, and since often the characters say things they wouldn’t normally say, when I read what Toby was thinking, it kind of felt like VO narration and I wanted to edit it out.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:41 Alison
6:41

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
@John, once you decided on citrus county as your location, did you do additional research into the area?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:41 Eric
6:41

[Comment From Martha Martha: ]
@johnb Thank you. And that makes alot of sense in a quasi-claustrophobic sort of way, too.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:41 Martha
6:41
john b:
I grew up in Florida and lived in Memphis and Eastern Tennessee and Virginia. Arkansas was fresh meat for me. Citrus County old meat I’d kept in the freezer.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:41 john b
6:42

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
@threemoons – the tone drove me crazy! i felt like I was always rubbing my nose up against the glass – like I couldn’t get close to the characters or to the action or to the motivations. It was seriously annoying!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:42 JenniB
6:42

[Comment From Frances Frances: ]
“Citrus County old meat I’d kept in the freezer.” I love it.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:42 Frances
6:42
Stephen Elliott:
Where in Florida? I’ve seen three fights in Florida so I always think of it as a violent state. One in Fort Lauderdale I was involved in, another outside of Orlando, but the most violent altercation I saw was in Jacksonville for sure.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:42 Stephen Elliott
6:42

[Comment From John F John F: ]
@john b so did you mostly write the geographical descriptions from memory? Because that’d be really beautiful, capturing all the parts that memory distorts.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:42 John F
6:42

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
@jennib – how close to these characters would you want to be?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:42 Ally
6:43

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
@JenniB i thought it was great how that detachment added to the overall feeling of isolation in the setting
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:43 Leah
6:43

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
How is it that despite the really awful things so many of your characters do in Ark, and in CC, nobody really gets punished, in the usual jurisprudence ways? Seems like everyone just drives off or whatever.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:43 Sarah
6:43

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
@John – so is it teaching for now or are you also working on another book?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:43 Lisa
6:43

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
Being a northern city-dweller caught up in the news frenzy, I couldn’t help but think of the Jessica Lunsford story when I read this book. Middle of nowhere, kid disappears right from her bedroom. And then, everyone starts to forget…
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:43 Andréa
6:43
john b:
eric–I do as little research as possible. I guess I don’t want to make an obvious error about a famous landmark, but other than that I like to fill things in myself. I don’t feel I owe anything to a place I write about. As soon as I choose it for a setting, its mine all mine.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:43 john b
6:43

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
outside of society, is where they seem to be (sorry Patti)
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:43 Sarah
6:44

[Comment From char char: ]
I actually liked not being able to get close to the characters. It forced me to draw my own conclusions. It was frustrating also, but I had an appreciation for it. No one is all good or all bad. We don’t know anyone, really. We don’t know what the motivations are behind the fucked up things people do. It’s more like life.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:44 char
6:44

[Comment From John F John F: ]
@Sarah good question about punishment. I think the way Toby will have to live with himself is his punishment. But he definitely evaded jurisprudence punishment thanks to Uncle Neal. Interesting.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:44 John F
6:44

[Comment From David Gwilliam David Gwilliam: ]
@Jennib, I agree with Leah, I thought the tone leant itself really well to the sense that these flat characters lived in a flat landscape
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:44 David Gwilliam
6:45

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
well sociopaths don’t self-punish much though
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:45 Sarah
6:45

[Comment From Charlie Charlie: ]
This whole chat will transcribed and available to read later, right?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:45 Charlie
6:45

[Comment From David Gwilliam David Gwilliam: ]
flat in a dimensional sense, not in a literary sense
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:45 David Gwilliam
6:45
john b:
Teaching mostly, writing a little. Just finished the next book, though, so time for a rest. Watching a ton of soccer.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:45 john b
6:45

[Comment From Alyce Connolly Alyce Connolly: ]
@char I totally agree
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:45 Alyce Connolly
6:45

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
@Ally – not close. Well, maybe close enough to smack occasionally. >_
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:45 JenniB
6:45

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
I really liked it when Mr. Hibma found the recipe for rugelach, btw. I liked that he inherited yet a little more, and was still so cavalier.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:45 Ally
6:45

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
I guess I have a weird quasi-attraction to Mr. Hibma. His self-beratement when he looked at himself and said that he’d spent all that money on whores… I loved that. Reminded me of Pete from Mad Men.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:45 Leah
6:45

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
does john b think of toby as a “sociopath”?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:45 Sarah
6:45

[Comment From bobby bobby: ]
will the next book also be a mcsweeney’s?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:45 bobby
6:46

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
@Leah I feel like I know Mr. Hibma personally.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:46 Andréa
6:46

[Comment From John F John F: ]
@Sarah well then what would you say to Toby’s punishment being losing Shelby, even though she’s all he can think about at book’s end
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:46 John F
6:46

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
@Andréa I feel like I wouldn’t mind knowing Mr. Hibma more personally. Oy.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:46 Leah
6:46
Stephen Elliott:
@charlie The chat will be edited, I’m not sure exactly how, to resemble an actual interview, I think. It won’t just be a direct transcript. For that you could just cut and paste.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:46 Stephen Elliott
6:47

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
take out all my silly asides.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:47 Sarah
6:47

[Comment From Charlie Charlie: ]
@stephen Thank you, that sounds better anyway.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:47 Charlie
6:47

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
@David Gwilliam but I didn’t think Citrus County (as a character itself) was flat at all. I felt that the location of the story was the only fully realized character in the book.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:47 JenniB
6:47

[Comment From char char: ]
I don’t think there is a bigger punishment for Toby than taking away Shelby forever.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:47 char
6:47

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
Am also interested in @Sarah’s question for John B: is Toby a sociopath?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:47 Andréa
6:48

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
@char : taking shelby away? you mean further ruining her life?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:48 Sarah
6:48

[Comment From David Gwilliam David Gwilliam: ]
@JenniB Yes, yes. I think you’re right. I literally imagine tiny cardboard cutout people against a beautiful, watercolor landscape, rich in detail, but still two dimensional
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:48 David Gwilliam
6:48

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
don’t understand that
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:48 Sarah
6:48

[Comment From Alison Alison: ]
Without Shelby (and Kaley) Toby is going to be just another redneck like those ones Shelby told off at the library
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:48 Alison
6:49
john b:
Punishment: Yeah, I think I’m always sort of on the side of the Toby’s and Kyle’s. Maybe their lives seem punishment enough, as somebody just said, or maybe in the literary garden I’m tending, cops just don’t matter. I guess I’m old fashioned and still have a bad tude towards law enforcement (this makes me a child, I know). I get back at them not by having them killed but by making them irrelevant. Now that you mention it, I think both Toby and Kyle have a line to the effect of the cops being the least of their problems.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:49 john b
6:49

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
I don’t think Toby is a sociopath as that would imply he has no moral center. I think he definitely has one, he just wants to prove to himself that he’s a bad person.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:49 Leah
6:49

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
@David Gwilliam YES! totally agree with that.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:49 JenniB
6:49

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
well, not really! he’s a redneck who’s capable of doing really creepy and criminal things
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:49 Sarah
6:49

[Comment From char char: ]
@Sarah – no, I mean, just the fact he loses her at the end. To him, death wouldn’t be worse.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:49 char
6:49

[Comment From John F John F: ]
There was also this recurrent theme of these characters wanting normalcy in… Citrus County… which, on the surface, as Toby notes in the beginning and throughout, is normal to the point of blandness. That was really interesting to me.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:49 John F
6:50

[Comment From Kevin Kevin: ]
In Arkansas, the boys end up on the 19, maybe (I’m not sure) entering Citrus County. Was this book already in your head when you wrote that, or was it a coincidence, or neither?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:50 Kevin
6:50

[Comment From Natalie Natalie: ]
@Leah–I agree because being that bad person is the only identity he thinks he can have at this point
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:50 Natalie
6:50

[Comment From Charlie Charlie: ]
A sociopath doesn’t consider himself evil the way Toby does.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:50 Charlie
6:50

[Comment From Ally Ally: ]
@JohnB and @Stephen and everyone who made this so enjoyable – I have to go, but this has been so fun, and I am so excited to get to be the first to tell my friends about this awesome book and share the details on my little blog – so yay! Thank you for this great experience.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:50 Ally
6:50

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
@char: his life is a kind of ongoing death as it is and even worse going forward I think
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:50 Sarah
6:51

[Comment From char char: ]
Yeah, and a sociopath doesn’t dread having a victim.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:51 char
6:51

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
ciao ally!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:51 Sarah
6:51

[Comment From char char: ]
@Sarah – exactly.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:51 char
6:51

Jeremy Hatch:
Hey yeah, I’ve got to run too, but thanks everybody! This whole thing was super fun. Nice to make your acquaintance, John B!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:51 Jeremy Hatch
6:51

[Comment From Alison Alison: ]
@Kevin ooh good attention to highways, I like that.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:51 Alison
6:51
john b:
Toby: I can’t say whether he’s a sociopath, but I know I never could have thought of him that way. If I thought of him that way, I don’t think I would’ve cared about him enough to write him for a couple hundred pages. It never occurs to me to think of specific psychological disorders. The writer, if no one else, has to think of the characters as more complex than that. I think.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:51 john b
6:52

[Comment From David Gwilliam David Gwilliam: ]
@John B: while I was reading it, I felt seriously affected by the characters’ austerity, their determined self-destruction. I don’t know if it’s just where I am in my life, but I felt that, for a short time, I needed people to read this book to understand how I was feeling. I guess it connected with larger trends for me. Was it at all like that to write it?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:52 David Gwilliam
6:53
Stephen Elliott:
Ha, as soon as I wrote that everybody stopped commenting.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:53 Stephen Elliott
6:53

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
I hate to keep going on about it, but if you can, please tell us a little more about your decision to use 1st person narration. Was it the appeal of writing a story about relationships while withholding the sense of connection and intimacy that a 1st person narrative voice might have evoked. Did you intentionally set out to create distance between the readers and the characters?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:53 JenniB
6:53

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
@John, perhaps a good way to wind down would be to tell us a little about your next book?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:53 Eric
6:53

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
pardon – 3rd person narration as opposed to 1st person – oh, you know what I mean
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:53 JenniB
6:53
john b:
kevin: not exactly a coincidence. Maybe I was trying the place out. That’s maybe my favorite part of Ark–when they drive down the Florida Gulf Coast. Thanks for reading it.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:53 john b
6:54

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
@Eric – rad idea!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:54 Lisa
6:54

[Comment From char char: ]
@Stephen Elliott – It’s like the teacher telling us to pack up our books.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:54 char
6:55

[Comment From Charlie Charlie: ]
Agree with Eric.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:55 Charlie
6:55

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
(BTW I’m currently stuck at an airport, waiting for a flight, so thank you all for making this last hour incredibly fun!)
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:55 Lisa
6:55

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
This was very cool.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:55 Andréa
6:55
Stephen Elliott:
@lisa Thank you!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:55 Stephen Elliott
6:55

[Comment From Martha Martha: ]
Thanks for putting this together Stephen! And thanks for being here John, I really appreciate the perspective.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:55 Martha
6:55

[Comment From char char: ]
Wine would’ve been a good idea.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:55 char
6:55

[Comment From Alyce Connolly Alyce Connolly: ]
Thanks, Stephen.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:55 Alyce Connolly
6:56

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
Agree with everyone. This was wonderful. I often feel like I miss thinking and this is a great opportunity to chat with some smart folks about a very interesting book.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:56 Leah
6:56

[Comment From Charlie Charlie: ]
And cheese,
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:56 Charlie
6:56

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
how do u create a poll?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:56 Threemoons
6:56

[Comment From Natalie Natalie: ]
Thanks to John B. for humoring us And to Stephen for making it all happen–very cool!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:56 Natalie
6:56

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
@JohnB – for sure…thanks so much for your time. Was a pleasure hearing your two cents. Cheers everyone!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:56 Lisa
6:56
Stephen Elliott:
@threemoons I think you have to be a producer.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:56 Stephen Elliott
6:56
john b:
David: Truth be told, I wasn’t in a great place when I wrote this. I was writing this while working in factories and NOT getting Arkansas published. I’m sure I was feeling ignored and discouraged, and I think it would be a little too cool to act like things like that don’t effect the outlooks of your characters. I’m glad you connected with them.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:56 john b
6:56
Isaac Fitzgerald:
Don’t forget to help spread the word about The Rumpus Book Club!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:56 Isaac Fitzgerald
6:56

[Comment From Alyce Connolly Alyce Connolly: ]
This is really incredible. Thanks so much
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:56 Alyce Connolly
6:57

[Comment From Brian Brian: ]
@Stephen – how many people have signed up for the book club?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:57 Brian
6:57

[Comment From m m: ]
Thank you Stephen and John — I love the book club and the book. Thanks for the entertainment!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:57 m
6:57

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
Agreed. I would like to thank Stephen for putting all this together, I loved Citrus County, and I’m already loving The Surf Guru, and can’t wait to see what’s coming next. Best of all, in this book club, there’s always going to be people reading the books, and eager to talk about them.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:57 Eric
6:57

[Comment From John F John F: ]
I don’t read the same book concurrently with anyone else unless its for a class. This has been so great. Getting to interact with the author AND everyone else who read his book!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:57 John F
6:57

[Comment From Charlie Charlie: ]
Thanks @ Stpehen and John for all this. Very cool.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:57 Charlie
6:57
Stephen Elliott:
Thank you @charlie
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:57 Stephen Elliott
6:57

[Comment From Brian Brian: ]
Thanks John and Stephen
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:57 Brian
6:57

[Comment From David Gwilliam David Gwilliam: ]
@Stephen, John, Isaac: Thanks so much for this. I’m super excited and I tell everyone about it at every opportunity!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:57 David Gwilliam
6:58
john b:
Next book takes place in New Mexico, another place I’ve only brushed up against. It has too many characters and magic.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 john b
6:58
Isaac Fitzgerald:
@David: Thanks man! Spreading the word really helps!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 Isaac Fitzgerald
6:58

[Comment From char char: ]
Thanks Stephen and John!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 char
6:58

[Comment From Andréa Andréa: ]
Thanks to all.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 Andréa
6:58
Stephen Elliott:
When we started we thought we’d have 20 members and 3 people showing up for the discussion. Instead we have 280 members and 40 people showing up for the discussion. We’re so excited about all of this.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 Stephen Elliott
6:58

[Comment From David Gwilliam David Gwilliam: ]
(book club as well as book)
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 David Gwilliam
6:58

[Comment From Alison Alison: ]
awesome
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 Alison
6:58

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
I think you have a great style of writing and I look forward to the development of it. I’ll be reading your next book with great interest.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 Sarah
6:58

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
Man…can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 Lisa
6:58

[Comment From John F John F: ]
MAGIC?!?! What a tease!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 John F
6:58

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
@John, sounds good, can’t wait!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 Eric
6:58

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
@John B i’ll definitely be on the lookout for it!
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 Leah
6:58

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
I think magic would be a good addition to your palette
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 Sarah
6:58

[Comment From Kevin Kevin: ]
Which one of you answered “the hard stuff”?
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:58 Kevin
6:59

[Comment From Alyce Connolly Alyce Connolly: ]
John, I loved this book. Can’t wait to read Arkansas and whatever else you publish.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:59 Alyce Connolly
6:59

[Comment From LauraJ LauraJ: ]
I enjoyed it! My only suggestion is giving the author a bit more of a chance to comment.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:59 LauraJ
6:59

[Comment From John F John F: ]
Thanks, again. To everyone! Especially john b.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:59 John F
6:59
Stephen Elliott:
@lauraj I know. That’s going to be hard. Next month we’ll probably have more members.
Thursday June 24, 2010 6:59 Stephen Elliott
7:00

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
i can neither confirm nor deny the use of the hard stuff at this particular point in time or at any points in time directly preceding the present moment or any future possible moments.
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:00 JenniB
7:00
Stephen Elliott:
But this is kind of fun this way too.
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:00 Stephen Elliott
7:00

[Comment From LauraJ LauraJ: ]
YIKES!
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:00 LauraJ
7:00
Stephen Elliott:
If you guys want to email me any comments send them to stephen@therumpus.net.
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:00 Stephen Elliott
7:00

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
maybe have people submit some questions in advance; choose them per number of ?s per topic/character/issue, and provide the authoer with them to start with then open it up
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:00 Sarah
7:01
john b:
Thanks everyone. Lots of fun. Appreciate you guys reading the book. And thanks Stephen. For my part, I had a Reb Ale and a rye whisky before sitting down here, but nothing but water since. Bye guys.
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:01 john b
7:01

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
perhaps people could submit questions in advance and we could vote on which ones get asked???
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:01 JenniB
7:01

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
@Stephen Elliott Can we sleep on it before we send you comments?
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:01 Leah
7:01
Stephen Elliott:
Bye John!
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:01 Stephen Elliott
7:01
Isaac Fitzgerald:
Later John! Thanks so much for everything!
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:01 Isaac Fitzgerald
7:01

[Comment From Charlie Charlie: ]
Agree with Jenni.
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:01 Charlie
7:01

[Comment From John F John F: ]
Bye, John. Enjoy summer break.
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:01 John F
7:01

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
thanks so very very much!
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:01 Sarah
7:01

[Comment From Alyce Connolly Alyce Connolly: ]
I agree with JenniB!
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:01 Alyce Connolly
7:01

[Comment From David Gwilliam David Gwilliam: ]
but that’s so much less like a chat
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:01 David Gwilliam
7:02

[Comment From Sarah Sarah: ]
till next time!
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:02 Sarah
7:02

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
agree with @David Gwilliam
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:02 Leah
7:02

[Comment From JenniB JenniB: ]
thank you very much John. I hope you enjoyed this as much as we all seemed to
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:02 JenniB
7:02

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
I agree with David, I liked it this way
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:02 Eric
7:02
Stephen Elliott:
That’s a great idea @jennib. I think I’ll solicit questions in advance next time and we’ll spend the first ten minutes just with the author responding to those questions.
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:02 Stephen Elliott
7:02

[Comment From Threemoons Threemoons: ]
thx for everything, can’t wait until next installment and chat!!
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:02 Threemoons
7:02

[Comment From Alyce Connolly Alyce Connolly: ]
Yeah, maybe a combination of both? After a question is asked and answered, we could respond?
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:02 Alyce Connolly
7:03

[Comment From Eric Eric: ]
Thanks again! See you all next time!
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:03 Eric
7:03

[Comment From Charlie Charlie: ]
Now agree with Stephen. I have no spine.
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:03 Charlie
7:03

[Comment From Alison Alison: ]
That would be good. I loved the chat part but would have liked to have seen more questions answered by john
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:03 Alison
7:03

[Comment From John F John F: ]
I loved this for all it’s craziness. Plus, the open format got everyone talking to each other… I just worry for how insane the Tao Lin chat will be haha
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:03 John F
7:03

[Comment From David Gwilliam David Gwilliam: ]
i like the hybrid solution. stephen ftw
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:03 David Gwilliam
7:03

[Comment From Lisa Lisa: ]
But I also like the side conversations with the rest of the group. So cool to have some focus for the beginning, but ya, the “speed typing” was awesome!
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:03 Lisa
7:04

[Comment From David Gwilliam David Gwilliam: ]
perhaps your average literati hasn’t spent much time on IRC?
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:04 David Gwilliam
7:04

[Comment From David Gwilliam David Gwilliam: ]
literatus?
Thursday June 24, 2010 7:04 David Gwilliam
7:04

[Comment From Leah Leah: ]
OK folks, I’m going to be a complete ass, but I’ve been waiting a long time for new Futurama and it’s on so I’m out. Wonderful hearing all of your thoughts!

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