Meet Allen Eskens
not to take them, and thus didn’t finish my degree.
But while I was there, I was inspired to become a
better writer. I was particularly inspired by classes
that I took from Terry Davis (author of Vision
Quest). I learned important tools and gained a
greater understanding of the craft of writing.
Your debut novel, The Life We Bury, is the most
intriguing and suspenseful novel that I have
ever read. What inspired you to write such a
stunning novel?
As a talented author, with two stunning novels
out, what are your goals when writing a new
novel?
I have, in my head, two goals, the first is to give the
reader a suspenseful plot to keep them turning
pages. The second goal is to draw the reader into
the characters and evoke emotion. Achieving both
those goals is difficult, but as a reader, that is what
I look for in a novel.
Your Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Juris
Doctorate degree in Law have helped shaped
you as writer. When writing your novels what
kind of research do you have to do, if any?
I’m always researching scenes, going to the places
that I am writing about and filling my senses with
what is around me. I also try to be accurate in what
I write about, especially historical events that come
into the novel. I do most of that research online, but
have been known to hit the library to do research
as well.
First of all, thank you very much for that wonderful
compliment. The Life We Bury came from the
notion that I wanted to start with an average Joe
and have him thrown into an extraordinary
circumstance. I came upon the idea of a college
student doing an assignment from an actual
assignment I did in college. But I also wanted to tie
that in with an emotional story. I knew that I would
have Joe running away from home to go to college,
but I didn’t know at first what he was running from.
When I came up with the backstory of Jeremy, the
autistic brother, I knew that I had my novel.
You have mentioned that you have written a
second novel called, The Guise of Another. Can
you briefly tell us readers what this new book is
about?
The Guise of Another is the story of two brothers
who are both detectives in Minneapolis. Max
Rupert (the detective from The Life We Bury) is a
homicide detective and his younger brother
Alexander is in Frauds. Alexander’s life and career
are in a downward spiral and he gets a case that
he believes will rehabilitate his reputation. He
throws himself into the case and bites off more
than he expected. When things get really serious,
Max tries to help his brother survive t he carnage
that gets unleashed.
Can you tell us readers what it is like going
through the M.F.A program?
In your novel, The Life We Bury, who was your
toughest character to create and which was the
easiest?
As a matter of fair disclosure, I didn’t finish the
MFA program. I already had a law degree and
didn’t plan to teach, so I studied those elements of
writing that I felt I needed to become a better
writer. When it came time for technical writing or
classes that didn’t apply to creative writing, I chose
I think Carl was the most difficult to create because
I wanted the reader’s opinion of him to change over
the course of the novel, but not because he does
something overt to change that opinion, but
because the reader gets to know him. I think Joe