throughout the course of his career . By tapping into a vast reservoir of unflinching determination and artistic tenacity , Bohjalian found the strength to rewrite the story of his life , one day – and one page – at a time .
Defining Moments
Much like many of the characters in his novels , Bohjalian has experienced a series of defining moments in which he was confronted with seemingly insurmountable obstacles . The first of these moments happened during his college years at Amherst . It was there that he met his wife , Victoria Blewer , who is a gifted photographer and artist , and was a student at nearby Smith College . Unfortunately , he also met an esteemed professor who greeted his creative efforts with a disappointing response . Bohjalian recalls : “ There was a visiting creative writing professor who was very accomplished , and I really wanted to be in her class . In order to determine who would be among the students chosen for her creative writing seminar , the professor requested that we all submit a short story . After I handed in my story , I was summoned to the brick monolith that housed the English department . It was a dusky January day when I walked into the building . I saw her sitting behind a desk that was the size of a putting green . She looked up to me and said , ‘ Ah … you must be Chris . I ’ m not even going to try to pronounce your last name .’ She beckoned me in , slid the story across the desk as if it was roadkill , and then said the following : ‘ I have three words for you , Chris : Be a banker .’”
Although the professor ’ s words were painful to hear , Bohjalian used the ensuing feeling of creative disillusionment to fan the flames of his creative ambition . “ I often tell young writers that it ’ s important to write with a fire in your belly ,” says Bohjalian . “ Write because you love it madly , write because you want to prove your doubters wrong , and write because you want your words to be remembered .”
After graduating from Amherst , Bohjalian moved to New York City , where he followed in his father ’ s footsteps and took a job at the J . Walter Thompson advertising agency . “ I went into advertising to pay the rent , but I never stopped writing . I wrote short stories and sent them relentlessly to publications like Harper ’ s Bazaar , The Atlantic , and The New Yorker . My stories got summarily and consistently rejected , so I came up with another plan .”
In the wake of his creative setback , Bohjalian doubled down on his efforts . At the time , Cosmopolitan was publishing
many short stories . Bohjalian rounded up several issues of Cosmopolitan , and began studying them in an effort to understand what constituted an ideal short story that would appeal to their audience . After carefully reviewing the tone and style of the Cosmopolitan pieces , Bohjalian drafted a short story called , “ Sparks ,” which told the tale of a female supermodel who was unhappily married to a spectacularly wealthy arbitrage trader . Bohjalian found success through his strategy , and Cosmopolitan published the story in their June 1988 issue .
One month before that story was published , a coincidental confluence of events prompted Bohjalian to consider a change of scene . The day after Bohjalian and his wife witnessed a forceful and frightening drug bust while walking down the street in New York City , they saw an article about Burlington in the travel section of The New York Times . “ At the time , there were express flights that flew between Newark and Burlington for $ 19 ,” says Bohjalian . “ We flew to Vermont on Memorial Day weekend in 1988 , and the rest is history .”
The Vermont Connection
After falling in love with Vermont during his trip to Burlington with his wife , Victoria , Bohjalian set up a series of interviews at advertising agencies in Burlington . Bohjalian quickly landed a job at Sandage Advertising & Marketing , and he and Victoria purchased a house in nearby Lincoln , Vermont . During this period of transition , Bohjalian ’ s debut novel , A Killing in the Real World , was published in July 1988 . Bohjalian and his wife finalized their move from Brooklyn to Lincoln in October 1988 , and he spent the next several years working at Sandage while continuing to pursue his literary aspirations .
The first novel that Bohjalian wrote in Vermont , Hangman , was published in 1991 . The story is centered around a couple who moves to Vermont from the city to start a new life , only to find tragedy and death at the hands of an uncertain perpetrator . According to Bohjalian , writing Hangman helped him face his fears and doubts about his relocation and embrace his new life in Vermont .
In 1989 , Bohjalian began writing for the Burlington Free Press as a contributing business and marketing columnist . In the years that followed , he wrote lifestyle columns and book reviews , and also penned articles for VERMONT Magazine , Vermont Life , Reader ’ s Digest , and newspapers such as The Boston Globe . In 1992 , Bohjalian wrote the first of his celebrated weekly “ Idyll Banter ” columns for the Burlington Free Press . The columns candidly articulated his experiences as a Vermont transplant who was adjusting to the pace of rural life . The column ran from
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