This napkin courtesy of Boo Walker ‘s son, Riggs. Brilliant!
I first met Boo and his family when they moved to St. Pete around the same time as us. We broke bread, shared wine and regularly co-conspired on the lives we were creating for ourselves. He’s “Booda” in my phone and continues to be one of my favorite human beings.
Any time we’ve spent together has always left a mark in my memory. Including, a day of beer, tacos and music (ending at the house of a guitar maker that gave me chills of being in a serial killer’s lair. I checked the floor for plastic sheets - more than once).
Beyond those escapades, Boo is a prolific writer with 15+ novels penned. His upcoming “The English Bookstore in Bologna” hits shelves August 18 and is available for pre-order now.
When I landed on the 3x5 Napkin Interview idea, Boo was the first person who came to mind. And, I was thrilled he said “yes” to my invitation and questions.
With that, I give you my inquiries and Mr. Walker’s insights…
Who sits in your creative family tree? Name the writers, and the musicians from your Nashville years, whose work you feel running under your own. What did each one hand down to you?
The English Bookstore in Bologna comes out August 18th, and you’re launching it inside a real English bookstore in Bologna. Tell us about Sandy and his community of misfits. What made you want to spend a whole book among them?
You shelved this book in 2021 after your publisher passed, then brought it back two years later and moved it from Valencia to Bologna. What changed in you between the version that got rejected and the version you finally wrote?
You’ve been a banjo player in Nashville, a farmer on the Yakima River, a wine-country transplant, and a novelist in Spain and now Maine. Was there a moment you set down a version of yourself that used to define you and picked up something truer? What did that cost, and what caught you off guard?
You had a seven-year mentorship with Leila Meacham and never met her in person. She told your wife, “Something just now told me to turn around, that I need to connect with this Boo fella.” What did she see in you before you saw it, and what of her is in your sentences now?
You’ve written that nothing frightens you more than a cursor blinking on an empty page, so you set a timer, crank loud music, and refuse to stop until you’re done. Walk us into that room. What does the fight with the blank page feel like on a normal Tuesday morning?
One of the misfits in the new book is a recently retired man who fears he has nothing left to offer. Where did he come from? What did you have to understand about a person like that to write him honestly?
You write book-club fiction as Boo Walker and thrillers as Benjamin Blackmore. What does Benjamin let you do that Boo won’t, and does one of them feel closer to the real you?
Set the new book aside for a second. What’s the thing on the bench right now, half-seen, you haven’t told many people about yet?
You’ve said you’re not writing to impress anyone, only to fall into flow as often as you can. That sounds like it took years to arrive at. What did you have to stop chasing before you could write like that?
And that’s as good a place as any to end.
Be the highest and best version of you. It’s what the world needs from all of us.
Now you understand why I call him “Booda.”
Huge thanks to Boo for trusting me and being the first in this series. If you liked this interview, please share it using the link below. Also, go grab a copy of “The English Bookstore in Bologna” and check out Boo’s “Drowning in Words” right here on Susbtack.
Thanks for reading,
Kevin
Below is the text version of my questions and Boo’s answers:
Who sits in your creative family tree? Name the writers, and the musicians from your Nashville years, whose work you feel running under your own. What did each one hand down to you?
The fellows in my band from my Nashville years linger with me always. It was with them I learned how to dance with the muse and how to properly express my creative energy. As far as writers, every book I’ve read serves as a building block toward my writing.
The English Bookstore in Bologna comes out August 18th, and you’re launching it inside a real English bookstore in Bologna. Tell us about Sandy and his community of misfits. What made you want to spend a whole book among them?
I love damaged characters, beautifully colorful people who’ve been knocked down to the studs. My stories are about how they build themselves back up. Sandy was the perfect lead because she’s broken in places that no one else even sees, and if she can find healing, anyone can. The rest of the cast grew from her dysfunction.
You shelved this book in 2021 after your publisher passed, then brought it back two years later and moved it from Valencia to Bologna. What changed in you between the version that got rejected and the version you finally wrote?
Since I was no longer living as an expat, I was worried that I’d not have enough to say, but as soon as I fell back into that living abroad life, I recalled exactly the story I’d initially set out to tell. It’s the tale of every expat, people running to or from something.
You’ve been a banjo player in Nashville, a farmer on the Yakima River, a wine-country transplant, and a novelist in Spain and now Maine. Was there a moment you set down a version of yourself that used to define you and picked up something truer? What did that cost, and what caught you off guard?
Every time I began a new journey, something was lost and found. Each time, I thought I was living exactly the life I should, but once I walked away, I felt like I was indeed taking a step toward my truer self. There was a day years ago during harvest when I was picking grapes, preparing to make a new vintage, and it occurred to me that the richness I chase in life, all these fun journeys, were to serve my writing.
You had a seven-year mentorship with Leila Meacham and never met her in person. She told your wife, “Something just now told me to turn around, that I need to connect with this Boo fella.” What did she see in you before you saw it, and what of her is in your sentences now?
I’d like to think Leila felt my passion through my wife. Perhaps she saw my desperate burning to write glowing in my wife’s eyes as she told Leila about me and my journey. Every sentence of mine carries Leila in it, as she gave me so many tools with which to edit my words.
You’ve written that nothing frightens you more than a cursor blinking on an empty page, so you set a timer, crank loud music, and refuse to stop until you’re done. Walk us into that room. What does the fight with the blank page feel like on a normal Tuesday morning?
So often it’s procrastination. When you’re simply writing for fun–and yourself–it’s easy. When it’s your job too, you have to find inspiration even when your creative energy is stagnant. Or when you’re drowning in the latest fear. Sometimes, there are a million things I’d rather do, but I put my trust in the process and get my butt into the chair even when all of me would rather be somewhere else. Once I get going, I often find those are the best days.
One of the misfits in the new book is a recently retired man who fears he has nothing left to offer. Where did he come from? What did you have to understand about a person like that to write him honestly?
I have someone very dear in my life who was crushed by retirement. He’d been cruising along all his life, working a job that satisfied his soul, and then it was gone. Forget the excitement of sleeping in and playing golf and taking cooking classes. For this person, losing his purpose dug up a fragile and wounded part of himself that needed major healing. Being so close to the experience, I was able to mine the truth from it.
You write book-club fiction as Boo Walker and thrillers as Benjamin Blackmore. What does Benjamin let you do that Boo won’t, and does one of them feel closer to the real you?
It’s funny, I can feel myself moving back to Benjamin with each book. I’m not sure if it’s my interest in the shadow self, but I’ve adored exploring darker themes lately, so perhaps my two pen names are coming together as one now!
Set the new book aside for a second. What’s the thing on the bench right now, half-seen, you haven’t told many people about yet?
The breaking news that barely anyone knows is that we’re moving to Charlottesville, Virginia next year, and I anticipate an entirely new volume of stories waiting for me there. I’ve always found moving keeps the creative fires going.
You’ve said you’re not writing to impress anyone, only to fall into flow as often as you can. That sounds like it took years to arrive at. What did you have to stop chasing before you could write like that?
For so long, I felt like I had to prove something to the people around me. I don’t know where that came from, but I had this mad urge to show the world that I mattered. After a lot of self-exploration, I realized that I mattered the moment I took my first breath and that I have nothing to prove to anyone. All I have to do is realize my own potential, be the most Boo I can be, and to do that, it’s all about daily presence.
I'm so honored, amigo. I love your new series and look forward to following it!
What a fun way to interview people. And man, I still struggle with #10. But I gave my protagonist that same misbelief and that’s helped me grow. Looking forward to reading more of these, Kevin.