The Steinbeck Detail: A Short Story

In the southern sky, the sun burned rims of yellow across painted blue over a sleepy suburb of Chicago. It had been a brooding week filled with secrets hidden in a mindscape of psychological terror for Robyn Charles. In a shocking revelation, Robyn learns that she must confront her greatest fear. But is it too late? An Amazon Bestseller Top 100 in Fiction (Drama), The Steinbeck Detail is a short story by Daniel Amory that is unrelenting with every last word. A Q&A with Daniel Amory How did you start writing? Daniel I started as a journalist, actually. I’ve worked in connection with The New York Times Magazine, The History Channel and A&E Television. I’ve always enjoyed writing, whether it was reporting a news story or story-telling. I think my parents have a lot to do with it. They are both incredibly creative. My mom is an artist and has paintings at different Art Institutes. I can’t draw to save my life, go figure. My dad is also very creative in his own right. How did you make the transition into literature? Daniel Over the years, there have been a number of stories that I have thought about for short stories or novels; characters I think the world should meet and stories people want to hear. I read a lot myself. To be a writer, I believe you have to read. And read for many years. I have read many authors and I have so many favorites. Name a few. Daniel Well, the obvious ones are Hemingway, Kafka, Orwell, Wharton and Fitzgerald. I also like Mark Twain, Cormac McCarthy, Frank McCourt, Stephen King—I can go on and on. In the U.S. Kindle Bookstore, as of December 2010, The Steinbeck Detail is the #1 New Release in Arts & Entertainment (Theater), #2 New Release in Fiction (Drama), Top 40 Overall in Fiction (Drama), Top 10 Overall in Arts & Entertainment (Theater) and Top 100 Fiction Short Stories. With its success, what is your next project? Daniel Well, I have been working very hard on a novel called Minor Snobs and it is going to be released by Patron Press in March 2011.