Q&A with Jason Mott

Jason Mott is a 2009 Pushcart Prize nominee, the author of two poetry collections and his writing has been published in numerous literary journals. His debut novel, “The Returned,” will be published in September 2013. The book was optioned for a television series pilot by ABC Studios and Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment along with ABC Studios and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Emmy Award-winning director Charles McDougall (“Desperate Housewives,” “The Tudors”) will direct and Aaron Zelman (“The Killing”) penned the script. Jason has a B.F.A. in fiction and an M.F.A. in poetry from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and he currently lives in North Carolina.

What are the best books you’ve read recently?
“The Age of Miracles” by Karen Thompson Walker. “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey. “The House Girl” by Tara Conklin. “The Lost Witch” by Suzanne Palmieri. “October Light” by John Gardner. (I’m always rereading that one. Ha!)

What was your favorite book as a child?
Beowulf. There are others that worked in tandem with it but, on the whole, Beowulf was the story that really captured me. It’s the story that taught me to dream. And I think I’m still a child, because it’s still one of my favorites.

Why do you enjoy attending book festivals, either as a presenter or audience member?
I love meeting new people, and book festivals are the perfect place for that. Furthermore, book festivals, by their sheer nature, attract book people. And is there anything more fun that meeting new book people?

Have you been to the D.C. area before? If so, what is your favorite thing about it?
Yes. I’ve been to Alexandria several times and into D.C. proper twice. I love the history. I have had the pleasure of reading at a venue where John Quincy Adams once read. That’s the kind of deep-rooted, historical presence that only the D.C. area can offer.

What is the most difficult, or challenging, aspect of being a writer?
Endeavoring to persevere. Writing is tough. Some days it’s frighteningly hard to come back to the page and take another swing at it—especially if the previous day’s writing was particularly challenging. So, for me, the hardest part of writing is overcoming the urge not to write, that desire to just spend my time doing something else. But, at the end of the day, I can’t go very long without writing. We’ve simply been married too long.