title: Novel Voices: 17 Award-Winning Novelists on How to Write, Edit, and Get Published
author: Kevin Rabalais
description: "Fiction is about trouble. I make up characters who are decent or who are trying to be decent, and I add trouble. The more the better." "When we met [the authors] in restaurants, hotels, offices or their homes, they all opened themselves to us in surprising ways. In the middle of an Oklahoma thunderstorm, Ha Jin expressed his feelings of camaraderie with the long-dead masters of literature. Richard Bausch and Charles Baxter took us on car tours of their fictional settings. Tim Gautreaux joined us for po-boys at one of his hangouts, a place that seemed to spring from the pages of his fiction. Elizabeth McCracken took us along to pick up her dry cleaning. We drove to the airport with Ann Patchett's dog perched on our laps."
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  # Author Biography
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/author.jpg)
  
  
  **Lesley Kagen** is a multi-award-winning, _New York Times_ bestselling author
  of nine previous novels, an actress, voice-over-talent, sought-after speaker,
  child advocate, student storyteller, and writing instructor. The mother of two
  and grandmother of two, she lives in a hundred and fifty year old farmhouse in
  a small town in Wisconsin.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Acknowledgments
  
  
  
  
  
  Massive thanks to my editor, Chelsey Emmelhainz. Her guidance helped me to see
  the story in a different light, and I’m so very grateful. My hat goes off to
  the rest of the talented team at Crooked Lane as well, especially publisher,
  Matt Martz and Melissa Rechter and Madeline Rathle.
  
  
  When I submitted the manuscript to my agent, Mark Gottlieb, he got back to me
  in record time to tell me that he loved it and was sure he could find a good
  home for it. He has proven to be a man of his word and I’m very grateful for
  his belief in me. Many thanks as