Title: A Farmhouse in the Rain
Author: Joe Kilgore
Publisher: Top Hat Books
ISBN: 978-1-78535-434-2
Pages: 395
Genre: Fiction
Interviewed by: Gary Sorkin
About the Author
Joe Kilgore is the author of over twenty short stories and three novels. In addition, Joe also reviews books professionally. Before turning to fiction, he had a long and successful career with international advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. Joe lives and writes in Austin, Texas.
Author Interview with Joe Kilgore
PBR: Today we have the very pleasurable opportunity to talk with one of our favorite writers, Joe Kilgore, author of the new novel titled A Farmhouse in the Rain. Joe, thank you for spending a few minutes with us.
JK: My pleasure. Thank you for having me.
PBR: Your book has been described as a literary creation and you a craftsman of words. Tell us, if you would, what brought this book to life?
JK: I wanted to write about a time when most of America was on the same page. While I realize there is no such thing as a “good war,” it seems to me that WWII was perhaps the last time there was at least some semblance of agreement that it was a war that needed to be waged. Today it seems we have a difficult time agreeing about anything. I also wanted to construct a mystery that might also double as an actual piece of literature. Everything one reads seems so formulaic today. One might say, I wanted to write what I wanted to read.
PBR: I see you were a paratrooper. Your experiences must have supplied much of the material you drew upon while writing. How much of it is true, as in memoires, and how much did you embellish?
JK: Training and jump sequences were pretty much what I actually experienced. Research I did indicated that actual training procedures didn’t really change all that much over the years. I was raised in a very small town. People are often surprised when I tell them that the first five times I was ever in an airplane, I got to the ground before the plane did. Later, when I did a lot of business travel, I was always exceptionally pleased that all I had to do was sit back and let someone actually land the plane with me still onboard.
PBR: In what special way do you look back at those times in your life?
JK: Everyone feels differently about military service. For me, it was simply one way that allowed me to continue to go to college. I was never a big fan of the regimentation and browbeating, even though I understand why it was necessary. As has been the case with many people however, I did make some friendships that endure simply because of what we experienced together.
PBR: What are some of your favorite authors and genres?
JK: Raymond Chandler is one of my favorites in crime and mystery. Along with Jim Thompson and Cornell Woolrich. Obviously I lean toward the older “masters.” Graham Greene in both mystery and mainstream literature. As for living writers, Pete Dexter, who wrote Deadwood, Paris Trout and more. Plus Cormac McCarthy, whose Blood Meridian, No Country For Old Men, and the All The Pretty Horses trilogy are pretty much untouchable.
PBR: What are your future projects?
JK: I’m currently working on a piece, which will likely be more novella than novel in length. It’s sort of my Old West homage to Hemingway’s The Old Man And The Sea.
PBR: This is all fascinating, and we wish you the most success. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with us.
JK: Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts.
To learn more about “A Farmhouse in the Rain” please visit Pacific Book Review.
