An Interview with Peter Gooch

Peter Gooch is a painter, former art professor, and writer originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, currently living in New Mexico. He is the author of the novels SEREN and LIPS. His short fiction appears in numerous literary magazines. He holds an MFA in painting from Western Michigan University. He resides with his wife, Dr. Sharon Ransom, in the village of Corrales, near Albuquerque.

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Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Finding the title for LIPS was the easiest part of writing the novel. The story was inspired by the George Sand quote on the deceptions men often require from their spouses: “…one who will caress the hand that strikes her and kiss the lips that lie to her.” Paradoxically, I coupled the first with the better-known and gentler quote: “There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.” The central premise of the novel is love and the lies that keep lovers, families, and lineages together. Both the small white lies whispered in the night, and the convenient mythologies that whole generations create to disguise the truth—in the case of the Davis clan, the long hidden sources of wealth and status, hinted at in the novel but never revealed.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

I was very pleased to see the cover of LIPS. I knew from the outset I wanted a non-narrative cover for the book. Finding the lips (excerpted from a painting by Caravaggio) for the inset band was not easy, but in the end, the search turned out well. Working with Alex Kale and Ronaldo Alves was a seamless process from start to finish. Designer Bryn Kristi of MindBuck Media created the cover. She worked closely with Ronaldo Alves every step of the process. In holding the actual object for the first time, I was very pleased with both the exterior and interior design—I could not have been happier. What did surprise me a little was the heft of the book. The original manuscript was edited down from 150K words to 84K words, and yet it still came in at around 300 pages. I was surprised but pleased.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I grew up in a painter/professor’s household in Ann Arbor, Michigan. When I went to graduate school for an MFA in painting, I was afforded an opportunity to work closely with Arnie Johnston, and Jamey Gordon in the English Department’s creative writing program. Both were inspirational teachers who encouraged and guided me along the way. Later, when I became a professor of painting, I utilized contemporary literature in many of my class assignments—from intro to advanced. Both worlds of literature and painting appear in my written work regularly, those are the things I know best. Other than my former teachers, writers who most inspire me make up a very long list. A few who have stayed with me over the years are: James Salter, Michael Ondaatje, Lawrence Durrell, Wallace Stevens, Eudora Welty, and Annie Proulx.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

For a few short years, between undergrad and grad school, I managed a camping/backpacking store in Ann Arbor. In those days, I harbored a Midwesterner’s ambition to climb in the Alps. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I was, and am, quite ungainly and had I pursued that path, I probably would not be typing these words.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Teaching university-level painting for many years convinced me that the desire to communicate with others sincerely and fully drives all good art—not the marketplace. Being able to connect with a reader in the fashion other writers have touched me over the years is a profound gift.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I would hope any reader would come away from the book feeling as if they’d been taken on a slow journey to a world of the senses, lost in the back passages of life’s interiors. An opium dream barely remembered. One that haunts.

My perfect reader would love language above all.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

PROLOGUE:

Artist	Music	Scene
Daniel Herskedal	“Mistral Noir” (soto voce)	Beach/Night

PART 1:

Artist	Music	Scene
Daniel Herskedal	“Mistral Noir”	Driving/Cottage
Cowboy Junkies	“Dreaming My Dreams with You”	Cottage
Chromatics	“I’m on Fire” (intro)	Spoon
Arpi Alto	“You Are So Beautiful”	Mirror
Dream Academy	“Indian Summer” (chorus, soto voce)	Beach
Lucinda Williams	“Essence” (background)	Party
Dream Academy	“Life in a Northern Town”	Party
Yo Yo Ma & Wu Tong	“Rain falling from the roof”	Miss Addy
Velvet Underground	“Heroin” (fragment instrumental)	Den

PART 2:

Artist	Music	Scene
Lola Marsh	“I got you”	Gillian
Ali Farka Touré	“Savane”	Koko
Mazzy Star	“Blue Flowers”	Bike
Mazzy Star	“Taste of Blood”	Lipstick
Kate Bush	“Hounds of Love” (chorus)	Lipstick
Cowboy Junkies	“Dreaming my Dreams”(background)	River
Cowboy Junkies	“Sweet Jane” (instrumental)	Chicago
Chromatics	“Running up That Hill” (fragment)	Chicago
Chromatics	“I Want Your Love”	Chicago
Velvet Underground	“All Tomorrows Parties”(soto voce)	Evan/Photos

PART 3:

Artist	Music	Scene
Nina Simone	“Wild Is the Wind”	Blanchard’s Place
Mahler	“Kindertotenlieder”	Drake’s
Patti Smith	“Gloria” (intro, soto voce)	Full Moon
Velvet Underground	“Venus in Furs” (soto voce)	Full Moon
Daniel Herskedal	“Mistral Noir” (fragments)	Cottage
Kayhan Kalhor & Toumani Diabate	“Morgenland Festival” (intro)	Miss Addy
Leonard Cohen	“By the Rivers Dark”	Cottage (Glory)
Mazzy Star	“Look Down From the Bridge”	Wake Up Daddy
Mazzy Star	“Quiet, Winter Harbor”	Kayak
Kayhan Kalhor & Freirichs Trio	“It’s Still Autumn”	Tea, Miss Addy
Cowboy Junkies	“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”	River
Arpi Alto	“Wicked Game”	River
Lucinda Williams	“Are You Alright?”	Airport

EPILOGUE:

Artist	Music	Scene
Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder	“Diarabe”	Beach

What creative projects are you currently working on?

Currently I’m working on a sequel to my first novel SEREN. This follow-up story takes place in Europe—mostly the south of France, the Scottish Highlands, and the Welsh seacoast. It traces Fairchild Moss’s renewed quest to find the deadly muse, Seren. It’s great fun working with familiar characters in a new setting. Writing long-form fiction with characters you love is like a leisurely dinner party with a group of close, intimate friends who happen to be as weird as you are.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

It was a great experience. From the very first conversation I had with Kyle McCord the publishing process at Atmosphere Press was clear, clean and transparent. Alex Kale managed the production of LIPS from start to finish in a masterly fashion. My team of editors made good suggestions but were not intrusive. I never felt any pressure to do more than I originally intended. Every step was shepherded by bright, professional people, educated and well-versed in the field. I never felt dismissed, ignored or hurried throughout the entire process. I would work with the fine crew at Atmosphere Press again in a heartbeat.

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