Author: Marsena Konkle
ISBN: 1-55725-427-3

The following interview was contributed by: Mary Simmons:  Click Here To Read Mary's Reviews

To read Mary's Review of A Dark Oval Stone CLICK HERE

Mary: In 'A Dark Oval Stone' your main character, Miriam, experiences a lot
of loss in her life. What inspired you to tackle this subject matter in your
novel?

Marsena: When I first began this novel, I really had no idea what it was
going to be about.  In fact, I wrote and rewrote the first chapter for about a year
before I realized that Paul died.  In some ways, that may have been a result
of my tackling my first novel-length book, but it's also partly that I feel
as if I had to get to know Miriam and her particular losses before I could
write her story.  It probably sounds strange, but I never really felt that I
was "making up" her story.  From a fairly young age, I've wrestled with the
fact that pain is an unavoidable part of life and I've seen in myself and
others that loss can change a person, for better or worse.  It makes sense
that these issues would arise in my writing, although it was never a
conscious decision of mine.

Mary: Miriam's husband, Paul, keeps his father's abuse and his own
involvement with abused women from her. Do you think husbands and wives have to share
everything with each other in order to have an honest, happy marriage? On a
similar note, Miriam finds out her brother and her best friend have
also been keeping something from her. Is there ever a time when it is
necessary to be secretive or does it always cause pain in the end?

Marsena: These are interesting questions...and it would be wonderful to talk
about them with a group!  I don't feel as if I have the authority or knowledge to
answer these questions absolutely; I suppose a case could be made for both:
that some secrets are destructive and others are sometimes a blessing.  In
Miriam's case, the secrets that people kept from her did cause pain, but
perhaps more importantly, they caused her to evaluate her way of relating to
others and face the possibility that she was partly (or mostly) to blame for
making people feel they couldn't confide in her.

Mary: After her husband's death, Miriam has to come to terms with her own
shortcomings. Do you think it is harder to recognize personal character
flaws than those in others and does it take a tragedy to reveal them?

Marsena: In my own life, I have certainly found that it's easier to see
everyone else's flaws than my own!  Part of growing and maturing is learning to turn
that critical eye on ourselves rather than others, don't you think?  Whether
or not a tragedy is required to reveal personal character flaws, I think
there are myriad ways for us to learn and grow.

Mary: Faith plays an important role in your book. In Miriam's mother, it
becomes overbearing, based in fear. Does fear have any place in true faith?

Marsena: In Miriam's case, fear was something that imprisoned her and kept
her from embracing life.  But I wouldn't want to say that fear has no place in true
faith.  Just as with guilt, I can think of times in which a lack of fear
would lead to a whole new set of problems.

Mary: Hope is another theme in your novel. Do hope and faith go hand-in-hand
or can you have one without the other?

Marsena: Oh, there are so many things that could be talked about here!  And
it makes me want to ask more questions: what good is a faith system that doesn't
offer hope in the face of life's difficulties?  Is it possible to feel
hopeless and yet still have faith?  Does hope mean acting like everything is
fine and dandy?  I hesitate to answer these questions...I don't mean to be
evasive, but I'd much rather hear what readers think.

Mary: What is the most important message you want readers to come away with
after finishing your novel?

Marsena: I can't think of a specific message.  I hope readers will feel
encouraged; that they would feel validated because Miriam's story resonates with their
own experiences; or that they would understand better people who are
different from themselves.  I would be disappointed in myself if readers
came away from my novel feeling that I had an agenda or an ax to grind.

Mary: 'A Dark Oval Stone' has been compared to 'Gilead,' 'The Secret Life of
Bees' and 'Peace Like a River.' What books have inspired you and how have
other authors influenced your own writing?

Marsena: Those comparisons are high praise!  I admire those authors a great
deal. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett inspires me--her writing style is so lyrical and
beautiful, and her ability to create three-dimensional characters with a few
swift words is wonderful.  Richard Bausch is another author I love; I study
his stories as if I were sitting at the feet of a great teacher.  "Someone
To Watch Over Me" is perhaps my favorite short story--he conveys so much
with gestures alone!  And it has the best opening paragraph of any story I
can think of.  The book I go back to again and again, however, for
inspiration and perspective is "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok.  It was after
reading this for the first time in junior high that I became aware that I
wanted to be a writer.  The story so moved me that I thought, "I want to do
this for others."  I've re-read this book too many times to count, and it
seems that each time, I learn something new.  Not just about the characters
and their lives, but about how Potok works as an author.  His prose is
deceptively simple, and it never gets in the way of the story, yet there is
a rhythm and beauty to his sentences.

Mary: This is your first novel. What can readers expect from you in the
future?

Marsena: I am currently working on my second novel.  I don't know yet what
it will be about exactly (that's part of the suspense as an author!), except that a
group of friends go on a weekend vacation together to an island and get
stranded there by a storm.  I have a feeling they will find that they don't
like each other nearly as much as they thought they did!

Mary: Is there anything else you would like to share with the public?

Marsena: Only that I would be absolutely thrilled to hear from readers.  "A
Dark Oval Stone" is now their book more than it is mine, and their responses are what
really counts.  I can be emailed through my website.