book is the cover. Somehow, the brilliant
folks at the University of South Carolina
press, managed to find an olive green
telephone identical to the rotary device my
step-grandmother rented from Ma Bell.
Q. What was your inspiration for writing
Einstein's Beach House?
JA: I did it for the glory. And for my
country. I like to think of it as my
Lexington & Concord, my Gettysburg, my
D-Day all rolled into one. Alas, I have
found when I tell this to veterans, they have
a tendency to threaten my front teeth. On a
more mundane level, I started the collection
eight years ago when my neighbor, Penny
Sycamore, left her typewriter in my
apartment by mistake.
Q. What is your advice to writers out
there on writing short stories?
JA: The best craft-related wisdom that I
have ever received is to know your ending
before you start writing. Imagine if you
were planning a family vacation. There are
two ways to go about it. Either you could
choose your destination and travel there, or
you could step out your front door and
wander. The first approach might bring you
to Paris or Hawaii or Disneyland. The
second approach will likely lead you to
nowhere, surrounded by an irritated spouse
and whining children. So why would you
start a story without knowing where you’re
going?
Motivation is also crucial. In my case, I
keep telling myself that it’s always possible
that Sophie Loren will pick up the obscure
literary journal where I publish my story –
and then fly in from Italy to profess her
undying love. This has not yet
happened. You might think that after 215
stories, I’d have learned my lesson, but hope
springs eternal. In any case, I’d settle for a
fan letter from Karen Russell. If you’re
friends with Karen Russell and you persuade
her to send me a fan letter, I might just
remember you in my will.
Q. Your incredible work has been
featured and published in more than two
hundred literary journals including Agni,
Conjunctions, Gettysburg Review,
Southwest Review, Virginia Quarterly
Review, and West Branch. How does one
go about being published in a journal?
JA: I imagine many of your readers are
familiar with the famous Sidney Harris
cartoon, featuring two mathematicians
standing before a chalkboard with a tapestry
of incomprehensible numbers and formulas,
and in the middle, the words: “Then a
miracle occurs.” Every publication is like
that.
Q. What are your hobbies besides
writing?
JA: Wronging.
Q. Where can readers find you and your
books online?
JA: I’m at www.jacobmappel.com. I’d
much prefer you purchased my
books offline, at your local bookstore, but
you can also purchase them over the
computer at any of the major
conglomerates. Yet the best way to read
one of my books is to ask your local library
to acquire a copy.