Lisa Reardon Reading
Lisa Reardon reads from her novel entitled The Mercy Killers. Reardon discusses the lengthy research she conducted for the novel, which is set during the time of the Vietnam War. Reardon recalls how the 9/11 tragedy occurred while she was visiting Vietnam, and how this experience further informed the “most political work” she has ever written. She goes on to acknowledge the similarities between her novel and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, pointing out that the similarity was so great that she was forced to rethink the ending to her narrative.
Reardon further discusses her extensive research on the Vietnam War, claiming that she read “anything that I could get my hands on.” She had been concerned that, due to all of her research, her novel would read like a non-fiction account, so she had taken special care to focus on the relationships between characters in the work as well. Reardon goes on to discuss her position as a creative writing teacher to “troubled” youth, claiming that “they have an amazing ability to convey the immediacy of their experience, once you gain their trust—which takes a long time.”
Reardon discusses how fiction writing differs from her past screenwriting experience, pointing out that she felt so much freedom with the ability to move beyond the constraints of writing in strictly dialogue. She expresses her appreciation for the feeling of “total control” that fiction writing allows her.
In: "Live from Prairie Lights" Audio Archive | Fiction
Authors: Lisa Reardon
Date Recorded: November 22, 2004
Works Read: The Mercy Killers by Lisa Reardon
Program: Live From Prairie Lights
Format: reading
Contributors: Introduction by host Julie Englander.
Topics: Vietnam War, primary source research, creative writing instruction