Midway question! Tell us about a writer you admire, whether professional or not!

Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Really. I’m probably one of the only kids who read The Scarlet Letter in high school and liked it. After that book, I decided to write my term paper on his works, delving through some of his short stories, The House of the Seven Gables and The Marble Faun.

He’s a fascinating individual. His early life, his numerous illnesses, and his real understanding of how people work, their discomforts, fears, prejudices. He captures characters so well. Sure his prose is not as streamlined as I like, but his characters intrigue me.

I really need to reread The House of the Seven Gables. Not this semester (that would be madness) but soon.