Interview with Kris Francoeur, Author of Tomorrow and Yesterday

by grant

in Author Interviews, Literary Fiction, News

28 Jan 2020

What can you tell us about your new release, Tomorrow and Yesterday?

This is my fourth published contemporary fiction novel, and I am very proud of this story. This is the first novel that doesn’t have any connection to Vermont, and I greatly enjoyed branching out in terms of the setting, and I absolutely love the two main characters in this book. While I never know exactly where my story ideas come from, after a vacation in Indiana, I knew that I needed to have some of it take place in the Amish area of the state.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I have written all of my life, but it truly was our son Sam who inspired me to become an author. He (along with the rest of my family) always believed that I would eventually be a published author. After Sam’s death, I knew I needed to honor his belief in me, and focus on my writing so that I could indeed become a published author.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Wow! My top 5 list…
Jitterbug Perfume
The DaVinci Code
Ferdinand the Bull
The Family Nobody Wanted
Life in a Jar

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

My first guest? My first guest would have to be Stephen King. I would want to ask how he keeps his enthusiasm for writing in the same genre for so long, then I would want to ask how his wife and son have been integrated into his writing career. Then, the most important question from the point of view of my youngest son, I would ask him who he thinks should be the next manager of the Boston Red Sox.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

I love how the stories just come to me, and how the characters control the story arc, sometimes against my own wishes. I love hearing readers say that my books have mattered to them or have touched them emotionally.

What is a typical day like for you?

My day starts with taking care of the sheep, alpaca, chickens and dog. Then coffee by the woodstove with my husband. After breakfast, I work at my day job of being a school principal, then come home to make dinner, do chores, and write, write, write.

What scene in Tomorrow and Yesterday was your favorite to write?

My two favorite scenes are the one where Delaney reunites with her horse, Freedom. My next favorite to write was the meatloaf scene in the diner.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

My philosophy of life comes from a song by the group Twiddle. The quote is, “Good things come to those who love relentlessly.”