That is the question that I get most often about my books, whether it’s at a book signing event, a festival or fair, or even at my workplace. When I speak to people about my published books, many will skip the congratulatory niceties and get to the meat of the subject.
What is it about?
That is a very good question and one that I often find difficult to answer. There’s the long, convoluted answer which entails an entire synopsis of my work with details and descriptions that either baffle or bore the person who asked. Then there’s the short and sweet version, which for brevity’s sake is reduced to a one sentence logline. It’s easy enough to remember offhand and just enough information to give interested readers a glimpse of the adventure in store, should they choose to partake.
Canned responses to intrigue and inspire are fine, but as the writer, there’s so much more to this question. It’s not just about what the story entails, but also the layers and layers beneath the superficial surface of genres and tropes which tell the real story. Oftentimes, for me, those layers delve into my own psyche, my own fears, hopes and dreams, allowing me to freely express existence as I know it, in the hopes of engaging a world outside my reach in the most delicate conversation of all: What is life about?
Of course, this book is a fantasy, but it’s also a discourse on captivity and the desperate desire for control over one’s own existence. Sure, this book is a thriller about murderous escapades, but it’s also an exploration into a dark and twisted mind to see how such darkness came to be. The point is simply that there is more to a story than even the story. As writers, so much of ourselves gets poured into the work from our hands, each creation allowing us more courage and freedom to speak our truth and explore ideas that challenge as well as frighten us. Wobbling on that delicate balance of story vs. depth, one makes an exhilarating discovery: Existential truths can come from fantastical and fictional places.
While story is key, what a book is truly about is much more nuanced and fascinating. The inspiration and layers of life, no matter how trivial or seemingly small, are what truly create a wonderful masterpiece of literature. If we as writers are able to communicate this kind of layered depth in our stories—to enlighten as well as to entertain—then we can truly say that we understand what storytelling is all about. Every story, every page that we write is about life. Life as we see it, as we wish to see it, or even how we wish life had never been. Hope as well as regret, sadness as well as joy, and that niggling feeling of fear that creeps into every bit of our light.
So, what is it about?
Life.
Keshia C. Willi
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