Q&A with 2012 Featured Author John Wiley

John Wiley, Jr. is the co-author of “Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind” (Taylor Trade Publishing), a history of how GWTW became an international phenomenon that has sustained the public’s interest for 75 years. Wiley is one of the world’s foremost authorities on Mitchell and her novel. He owns an immense collection of related memorabilia, including more than 800 different editions of the novel, and has been interviewed by USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the London Times and NPR. Wiley publishes “The Scarlett Letter,” a quarterly newsletter for GWTW fans, and served as artistic adviser for a 1999 U.S. postage stamp featuring the novel.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Read and write at every opportunity. Seeing how others write and constantly “practicing” the art yourself will only help you improve.

What are you reading right now?
“Catherine the Great” by Robert K. Massie

What book has inspired or affected you in some way?
For me, the obvious answer is “Gone With the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell. It led me to write my first book, and has brought many of my closest friends into my life.

If you could sit down at dinner with three other authors, living or dead, which three authors would you choose, and why?
Margaret Mitchell. Selfishly, I would like to know if she approves of our book: Did we tell her story accurately? (And, yes, I want to know what happened to Scarlett and Rhett!)

Rick Bragg. His writing makes me call friends and read passages of it out loud. I would love to know if his wonderful descriptions and turns-of-phrase come naturally to him, or if he has to sweat over them. (I suspect the latter, although his writing reads like the former.)

Leon Uris. Today, I’m afraid, he is an underappreciated author. He could handle a giant canvas of characters and storylines and keep your interest; in the end, that’s what good storytelling is all about.