Delphic Oracle, U.S.A. received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Steven Mayfield.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Delphic Oracle, U.S.A.; release date: October 11, 2022
What’s the book’s first line?
You are born with a mother and a father, always in a place.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch.”
Funny, poignant, and occasionally tragic, intertwined lives across nearly a century explain how a small Nebraska town became home to the long-lost Oracle of Delphi.
What inspired you to write the book?
It began as a short story that eventually became Chapter Two in the book. I had several prospective projects in my Ideas folder and realized that all the characters in those stories lived in the same town and knew each other. Eventually, the major players all became members of the same three families.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
I write books with humor, heart, and an occasional dash of crime, and this book is no different. If a reader needs a laugh, a lift, or a tug on the heartstrings, Delphic Oracle, U.S.A. will provide all three. It’s part of a vow I made to myself to write books that don’t make people feel wretched.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
The narrator, Father Peter Goodfellow, blends wry cynicism with empathetic observations of the people whose stories he tells. He reminds me of the Stage Manager character in Thornton Wilder’s play, Our Town. The main characters around which Father Peter’s narration revolves are July Pennybaker and Maggie Westinghouse. July is a shameless con man in the vein of Sinclair Lewis’s Elmer Gantry, O. Henry’s Jimmy Valentine, or Bill Starbuck from the play, The Rainmaker. I thought of Burt Lancaster’s portrayal of Starbuck in the film version of The Rainmaker as I wrote the character. Maggie Westinghouse is based on my wife, a beautiful, forthright woman.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
I’d leave such decisions to a casting director, although I could see Ewan MacGregor as Father Peter.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I wrote poetry at nine, started my first novel at twelve, and published my first story at twenty-one. However, I didn’t really commit to writing until I was forty.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
My literary publications include a short story collection, Howling at the Moon (Mount Parnassus Press), and a novel, Treasure of the Blue Whale (Regal House). The Penny Mansions is finished and currently being pitched, and I’m working on a new book, tentatively entitled, “Sixty Seconds.” It’s about 20% done.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’m a retired neonatologist.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
Two to four hours every day.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
Best part: My association with Regal House Publishing. I love those guys.
Hardest: Marketing and promotions.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Don’t be afraid to tell people you’re a writer. Many will respond with, “Oh really… Have I read anything you’ve written?” Always look them in the eye and say, “Yes…you have.”
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
Well, I am traditional, just not with one of the legacy publishers. To re-phrase your question, would I leave Regal House to go with Random House? I don’t think so. I’d let Regal House sell them the title and we’d share the largesse. They made an investment in me and deserve to get a return on it.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I want to make readers feel something…and I want my wife to laugh at the jokes, cry at the tender parts, and tell me how to write women in a way that is compatible with female life on the planet.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
No one person. I have been greatly influenced by Sinclair Lewis, Muriel Spark, O. Henry, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, and John Cheever. Among contemporary writers, I think Anthony Doerr is perhaps America’s greatest living novelist.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn.