Tracey Lange

Most readers seem to go with contemporary fiction and/or family dramas when describing my books, and I think that's about right. They're somewhere between commercial and literary on the spectrum. I love digging into what makes people tick, what our deepest motivations are, and why, though we are generally well-intentioned, we sometimes make terrible decisions that cause ourselves and others pain. All that bears out well in our family relationships, whether it's the family we're born into or one we create, so it's a great setup for exploring all that.

I grew up in New York City, and, though I've lived out west for a long time now, I'm drawn to writing about where I come from. So far all my books take place in New York—two in Westchester and one way upstate in Potsdam. I had some research to do for those locations, but there was a certain familiarity with the area, including the history and the people. My current work-in-progress is actually set in New Jersey, so a little different...but not really.

I was a voracious reader as a kid, always had a book with me. It helped that I spent a fair bit of time on public transportation to get around, buses and trains, which made for great reading time. And I loved spending hours at our small local branch of the New York Public Library, with it's creaky wood floors and endless stacks of books. The first author to really blow me away was Stephen King. I read and re-read many of his early books in high school. It wasn't so much the horror aspect of his stories that drew me in, rather I couldn't get enough of his wonderful characters.

In many ways writing is about finding your own unique voice, so I can't say I wish to write like anyone else. However, I admire many authors and strive for the quality of my writing to be anywhere near the orbit of theirs. I first read Wally Lamb decades ago (I Know This Much Is True) and was basically stunned by the emotional impact of his characters, how real and wounded and flawed they were. John Boyne is another author who never fails to amaze me with his compelling characters and profound insights into human nature.

Ugh, that's tough to narrow down. If I have to do it, right now I would go with: Jane Austen, John Boyne, Russell Banks, Leif Enger, and Barbara Kingsolver.

Sorry, I truly can't say I have one. When I buy someone a book, I try to choose one that fits their taste, so it varies widely. The last book I gifted was A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Towes, for my son's girlfriend. It's an all-time favorite of mine. The narrator is a sharp, funny, vulnerable young woman, and I thought she'd like it.

I would say it's probably Casey McCray in my last novel. Thankfully I have not been through the tragedy she has, but I pulled from own experience as a wife and mother throughout that story. There are similarities between her history and mine, such as meeting her husband and getting married quite young, and many of the hopes/fears/regrets she navigates as a wife and mother relate to my own.

What Happened to the McCrays? will always have a special place in my heart. Not only are there aspects of my own history in there, but if you check out the acknowledgements you'll notice that I ended up including names and personalities from my own family and friends—most notably, my sons and Star, our beloved German Shepherd who passed away last year. None of their storylines are factual, and I changed people's ages or circumstances, but it kept my "community" present in my mind while I was writing.

I normally write at home in my office, which is a cozy nook off the kitchen with a long desk and floor to ceiling bookshelves. We have a larger, quieter office upstairs, but I chose this one because I like to be near the heart of the house—the kitchen and living space—so I don't miss what's anything that's going on with my family. I wrote by first novel in our old house, at the small built-in desk in our kitchen, for the same reason.

I can read anywhere, but I think one of my favorite places is an airplane. It is uninterrupted time where I can't find something "more important" to be doing. There's no excuse to distract myself. In fact, I don't really like to fly, so the reading itself is a great distraction!