Sean Godfrey -An Interview

Fiction winner 2023

How did you feel when you learned you’d won the Rubery Book Award?

At first, I thought my friends were “punking” me. After confirming with my agent, I was humbled, surprised then elated.

What does this award mean to you personally — and to your writing career?

My entire writing career I have been consumed by doubt and in many ways a feeling of imposter syndrome. I would wonder if I belong to the writing community and whether or not I have anything of value to say. This award is validating. It says that yes, you belong.

Why did you choose to enter the Rubery Book Award?

Actually, I wasn’t aware that the work was entered for consideration; this was all my publisher’s/agent’s idea.

Has winning changed the way you think about your book or your audience?

This was a challenging question for me. The narrative structure combined with much of the language made me question if my audience might become exhausted or worse, be completely turned off. Even after some positive reader reviews, I still found myself in doubt about this work. Winning gave me a shot of confidence in the audience and the book itself.

What inspired this book, and what made you feel the story needed to be told?

Not unlike many works, the story was inspired by so many disparate experiences and observations. I think the first inkling of the story grew out from the whatever happened to… questions that assail us as we age and examine our lives. There was a small family lodging with mine when I was around 9. The girl in the family, then 11, was rambunctious and, in my mother’s estimation, too wild and the girl’s mother flogged her mercilessly. Then one day they up and moved without warning and I never heard from her again. Years later in my teens I moved to America with my mother; I was driving from Miami to Orlando one weekend and at the rest stop I saw a billboard with those age-enhanced pictures of missing children, usually girls. I had seen them several times, but on that on trip, it was the picture of a black girl. Before then, it never occurred to me that black girls went missing. Those days, in the 1980’s, media coverage was primarily of missing white girls. I became obsessed with finding out who the girl was. But I was a teenager and life sort of just went on and I forgot her. Those two memories stuck with me and became the seed of the novel.

What themes or questions did you most want readers to take away?

Please be patient with me on this one, as there are so many. I want readers to think of the lives of poor people, those persons that Spivak call the subaltern, the invisible, the people who wash our clothes, pick up our garbage, who fold our sheets in hotels. What happens when crimes are committed against the working poor, when they are bullied, afraid, when they giggle? Even with much progress on racial and gender equity, crimes against black girls are still under-reported in popular media, dismissed by law enforcement and ignored by local communities. Lastly, I want readers to think about the “threat” of female sexuality. What is it about women and girls’ sexuality that un-nerves us so, yet the same consternation is missing for men and boys.

Was there a moment during writing when the story surprised you?

Wow, the moment I realized that the other main character, Sasha wanted to insert herself in the narrator’s life at every step of his growth. That was not my initial intention. It was as if she took over the writing. I began to understand more about myself in ways that were quite revealing.

Which scene or character was the most challenging for you to write — and why?

The character most difficult was June Taylor. I knew what was going to happen to her, what the narrator would do and I fought myself through the whole writing. Because, how does one narrate one’s own crime? Surprisingly, I wrote it in one sitting.

What was your writing routine like while working on this book?

Mostly early mornings at a coffee shop close to my home in Texas. Those flat whites and blueberry scones were a life saver. I developed quite a sweet tooth. And I listened to music, lots of music. I had to start with Althea and Donna’s Uptown Top Rankin’ every single time I opened my laptop. It became my battle song to begin the writing process.

Did you face any major obstacles during the writing or editing process?

Three things; there was one character that I loved dearly but no matter how much I tried to work her in, the story just fought it. Eventually I had to let her go. Second, the query process. The “rejections” almost crippled me in the beginning. Even though I told myself before sending the queries, ‘don’t take it personally,’ I did, that’s the truth. Lastly, I desperately wanted a different title and throughout the process found that another Jamaican author had already used it. That one was especially painful but I had to move on.

What research, if any, went into creating your story or world?

Not much. And this was intentional. The work centers around themes of memory and reliability and I wanted to embrace that feeling of ‘not quite getting things right.’ If I did too much research, I was afraid I would abandon that feeling.

How did you know the book was “finished”?

“Finished,” I am so glad that this in air quotes as I don’t think that if I ever did. If I had to pick a time, it was when ‘Sasha’ went quiet, as if she was saying, ‘you can rest now.’

What challenges did you face bringing your book to publication?

I was an unknown and to make matters worse I am not social media savvy. I was worried that no one would hear about the work. So many publishers and agents want writers to already have a solid social media presence. The second issue was that I lived in America while my publisher was in the UK. If I could change anything I would have taken extensive time off from my job and spend a month or two in the UK before publication day.

Do you think indie publishing gives you creative freedoms traditional publishing doesn’t?

Without a doubt. I could take risks in the narrative structure that a traditional publisher would simply balk at. I played with language in a way that I normally could not. For instance, much of the work leans heavily on Jamaican “patois” and stretches the reader a bit. Indie publishing gave me that creative license.

What advice would you give indie authors considering entering book awards?

Because my publisher entered on my behalf without my knowledge, I am not sure I could give any good advice on this one.

What part of the Rubery Award process did you find most encouraging or helpful?

I like that the committee reached out to me directly. It felt very personal and it made me feel like my work was valued, that the committee truly spent time with the work.

Have you noticed any changes in visibility, reviews, or sales since winning?

Visibility definitely. 

Would you encourage other authors to enter the Rubery Book Award? Why?

Absolutely. Your work gets noticed in a way that you’d never dream of before. There are so many stories that go unnoticed by the larger world. The Rubery Award opens up your work to an audience that values experimental creativity in storytelling.

Which authors or books have most influenced your writing?

I am drawn to short stories so I am mostly influenced by that form. Jamaica Kincaid is my biggest influence as an author. Her short story, “Girl”, was the first piece I read that capture what it is like growing up as a Caribbean black girl. Other influences were Kevin Brokcmeier’s stories, “The View from Seventh Layer” and “The Year of Silence” as well as Steven Millhauser’s “The Disappearance of Elaine Coleman”. Richard Wright’s nonfiction work, “Black Boy”. For novels, Zora Neale Hurston’s use of vernacular in “Their Eyes were Watching God,” gave me the confidence to use “patois”. NoViolet Bulawayo’s “We Need New Names” and Kiran Desai’s “The Inheritance of Loss” were simply beautifully written.

What are you reading right now — and does it influence your current work?

Marquez’ “The Chronicle of a Death Foretold”. Not sure why it took me so long to read this work.

What can readers expect from you next?

With some historical distance since the murder of George Floyd, I am working on a piece set in that period.

Are you working on a new project you can tell us about?

Not sure how much I can say but the historical moment of George Floyd continues to fascinate me. I think my next work will likely be influenced by that.

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

I love this one!! Pretty eclectic. Lots and lots of reggae music of course. Here goes:

1. Uptown Top Rankin

2. ABBA Super Trouper

3. BoneyM; I could listen to “Brown Girl in the Ring (the Remix) a million times and never tire of it.”

4. I love anything Steel Pulse so Roller Skates

5. Chant a Psalm- Steel Pulse

6. Your House- Steel Pulse

7. Bodyguard, (told you I love Steel Pulse, haha)

8. Puff She Puff by Black Uhuru

9. The Cranberries, Dying in the Sun and Stars

10. Top of the World by The Carpenters

11. Take it on the Run by REO Speedwagon

12. Ross’ Concert by Jeff Danna (from the film “Uncorked”)

13. You Don’t Love Me (Extended Version) by Dawn Penn

14. Con una Sonrisa by Kevin Laliberte

Which character from your book would you most like to meet in real life?

Lena. Mainly because I think that she would despise me initially, then we’d have a good laugh later after we became good friends.

What’s one thing about you that readers would be surprised to learn?

That I actually don’t care much for the music of Bob Marley. Yes, I am a bad Jamaican.