Navigating the Frozen Sea

by Julia Buckley















When I'm crunching across the ice in January, I sometimes think of this quote by Franz Kafka, which is such a passionate understanding of the role of literature:

“ . . . the books we need are the kind that act upon us like a misfortune, that make us suffer like the death of someone we love more than ourselves, that make us feel as though we were on the verge of suicide, or lost in a forest remote from all human habitation—a book should serve as an axe for the frozen sea within us.”
--Franz Kafka

Of course this concept applies both to the writing and the reading.

Speaking of writing, I'm happy to say that I'll be meeting up with one of the Deadly Daughters--Lonnie Cruse--this Saturday at the Love is Murder Mystery Convention right here in Chicagoland. It will be interesting to hear all of the writing tips and techniques from mystery writers, most notably Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Barry Eisler, and William Kent Krueger--and to see if any of them bear witness to Kafka's words.

In any case, this will be the second year that I am lucky enough to see Lonnie and to chat with her in person. We'll be sure to take pictures and share them with PDD.