Tawni O'Dell
Tawni O'Dell
Tawni O'Dellis an American novelist...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
CountryUnited States of America
deaths excuse mine miners mining needless owners
Mining is a dangerous profession. There's no way to make a mine completely safe: These are the words owners have always used to excuse needless deaths and the words miners use to prepare for them.
agenda author books coal country last novelist politician presenting reporter sets simply struggling
I'm a novelist - not an expert on coal mining. I'm not a politician with an agenda to push. I'm not a reporter presenting facts, and I'm not a sociologist documenting the last struggling remnants of blue-collar America. I'm simply an author who sets her books in coal country because it's where I come from, and it's what I know.
Here I am, this smart, bookish girl, and I have this biker-chick name.
almost blatant coal disregard greed health industry known knows life mining quality rife work
Coal mining is an industry rife with mismanagement, corruption, greed and an almost blatant disregard for the safety, health and quality of life of its work force. Everyone knows this. Everyone has always known it.
people positive statements
I don't try to sugarcoat things, but I also think my books make positive statements about the people and values in small-town America.
I really, really missed the Pennsylvania countryside and hills.
life saw though
I saw myself as a writer, a novelist, even though I was living the life of a mother and housewife. Writing was - and is - what I do.
considered whether
I'm a novelist, and I'm a woman, and I'm considered to be a serious author whether I like it or not.
cover turned
It turned out I really didn't like journalism. I wanted to make up stories, not cover real events.
defined detached focus gets home including
People, including me, can get so detached from everything, but when you can focus on a defined place, a home, it gets you back in touch.
oprah
The image I had was that Oprah books were fluffy.
good people
When you live in a community where people know you, it makes you want to be good and decent. It's a strong influence.
buildings burning disaster fit miners press puts quite rid rush streets time tries war
Each time a new disaster puts miners in the news, the press tries to make them into heroes, but they don't quite fit the bill. They don't march off to war or rush into burning buildings or rid our streets of crime.
including life
I should have been deliriously happy. I had my dream come true. I'm a best-selling author. So why is everything in my life, including my writing, going bad?