Brooklyn Book Festival 2012

I attended the Brooklyn Book festival on Sunday in Downtown Brooklyn. It was an energetic cluster of back to back panels. Here is a summary of two panels i attended. Characters on characters: Dennis Lehane(L), Edwidge Danticat(D), Walter Mosley (M). Mod(moderator) Mod: Where do your characters come from? M: Wanted to write LA from black point of view. Biggest influence was my father.. took elements of my father`s life and put it in my work. (Mosley`s father said to him: "They say i'm in this book; i don't see it." Audience laughed.) One of Lehane's characters,the mother in Gone Baby Gone and described by him as odious, was based on a real person. And this person showed up at a book event. "She was standing in line (at a book signing)... came up to me and said 'where'd do you come up with that bitch?'" Audience laughed. I laughed. (Did they make this up?) D: When the characters take over the story it is a good thing. M: I've met a lot of people from Louisiana, (and they say about a character) "I know her". Mod: would you agree your characters are dark? M: You mean dark complexions? ... laughter. D: (dark)marginalizes people's experiences. Half live that way. They're doing the best they can. ... -------------- Money in fiction: A few highlights: Discussion of fiction that deals with money reall well. i.e. Autobiography of a Schilling - from the point of view of a coin. It made me think of a short film i viewed at the tribeca student film festival about the circulation of a dollar bill; a day in the life of a hard earned dollar bill (will find title)...Clancy Martin told the audience he once sold jewelry to bestselling author Sandra Brown. She was a good customer. ...