A: Up until this novel my whole career involved writing that demanded strict adherence to the facts - journalism. I like that kind of writing but I wanted to write something where I could give free rein to my creativity, to invent and put together interesting characters and create a tale that's even more compelling and meaningful than what might have happened real life.

Q: The character Matt Harper appears to mirror you in real life, how similar are you two?

A: A lot of things that happpened to Matt happened to me. I worked on some stories that are similar to some of the stories Matt worked on - the airplane hitting the telephone pole, for instance. And my dad, a great newspaperman and journalism professor, died while I was working on a big project. We also share some of the same attitudes about things.

Q: What's been the response of your novel from those in the newspaper business where the story is set?

A: I have been enormously pleased that newspaper people love Grievances, almost universally. The novel has been written up in lots of daily newspapers and one of the things the reviewers consistently say is that it really shows what it's like to be a daily newspaper journalist. But don't take my word for it. Here's what the Biloxi (Ms)Sun-Herald had to say: "This is good stuff. Ethridge captures the best part of newspaper journalism, the leather-on-the-street sleuthing that takes a story from the shadowy whispers of possibility to the ink-on-paper reality of truth; the big scoop that changes history and makes the world a better place ... " I think it also really struck a chord with journalists because it reminds them why they got into the business.

Q: How did you get your debut novel published?

A: Getting it published took some time. I was lucky to start out with an agent who wanted to represent it. We sent it around to a number of publishing houses. We kept getting very encouraging feedback but no buyers until after almost a year, two publishing houses both made offers for the book on almost the same day. Perseverance and keeping a positive attitude - believing in the book - was very important.

Q: Who had been your mentors when writing the novel?

A: Three authors, all of whom I have known for decades. The first was John Katzenbach, the thriller and movie script writer who has been a friend and who instilled in me some basics twenty years ago. The second is Doug Marlette, author of the soon-to-be-published Magic Time, who read an early draft of Grievances and then told me ten things I needed to know about novels. The third is Bob Inman who assured me that good fiction gets published.

Q: What has been the most fun part of the whole writing project? What's been the least?

A: It's all been fun except the inevitable rejections. I love the writing process. It's a wonderful day for me when I can write. I'm still in the middle of a 50-stop book tour and I love that, too. Maybe the best thing is hearing from people who love the book, people whom the book has somehow touched.

Q: What is your working schedule like for writing a book?

A: I have a regular job that involves running a company that publishes magazines for parents and I do editorial consulting for a NASCAR fan newspaper. That leaves me two or three partial days to write each week, at least when I'm not on a book tour. I try to average five pages a week but I usually don't reach that.

Q: What was the last book you've read?

A: The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman. before that, Mayflower. I don't read much fiction when I'm intensely into writing it.

Q: What is your next favorite past-time other than reading and writing?

A: That's easy! Golf!

Q: Is there something about yourself which is not commonly known that you can share with us?

A: I'm very interested in alleviating homelessness. I'm chair of the board of Charlotte's Urban Ministry Center which serves the area homeless through the St. Peter's Soup Kitchen, the Room at the Inn shelter and other services.

Q: What upcoming projects do you see on the horizon for yourself in the coming months?

A: I'm hard at work on book number two. It's another newspaper book and another page-turner!

Interview Date: September 2006
Profile and questions compiled by Lawrence T., South County Regional Library