The Bennett Series (The Partition of Africa and The Marshall Plan) wonderfully captures young adulthood and the sometimes difficult process of maturation, when we discern fully who we are and what principles will guide us. Often, our convictions are tested for the first time. What about this stage of transition compels you to write about it?
I’m so glad that you mentioned this, and so early in the interview! It’s one of my favorite topics.
Even though nothing truly extraordinary happened to me while I was there, my time in college felt so turbulent. I went in as a smug seventeen-year-old know-it-all, and I was spit out four and a half years later with an engagement ring and no ideas for what I wanted to do next. During that time, I wanted more than anything to find a fictional character who was going through these generation-specific ordeals—marrying young in the twenty-first century, trying to find a job in a dried-up economy, dealing with the fact that a bachelor’s degree isn’t as valuable as it was twenty years ago.
