Interview of Erin and Deek Rhew, American authors

As an English major, I’ve studied the greats—Shakespeare, Poe, Milton, the list goes on and on. And I’ve often wondered if we read too much into their text, gleaned too much intention from words that simply told the story the right way or sounded best when put together.

So many times, we’re like “What is the meaning of the green room?” We analyze the color green, the layout of the furniture, the length of the curtains. But how many times is it just a green room? Maybe green because the author liked green. Or green because that’s the first color the author saw when she looked out the window?

Now that I’m on the author side, it’s interesting to see what people read into my work. I’ve been told on many occasions that The Fulfillment Series addresses prejudice. I suppose it does when I think about it. But when I sat down to write it, I didn’t set out to compose a piece about overcoming prejudice or judging people based on their own merit and not their heritage. It lived in the story already. These characters spoke their lives through me, and it just so happened to contain a message about an important topic.

And I can’t help but wonder if the “greats” were like that too.

I'll admit, having my work critiqued, reviewed, and analyzed is a bit daunting. Studying prose in depth is something that's done to Shakespeare's plays, not to one of Deek Rhew's thrillers about the mob and a federal assassin gone rogue. The Great Bard brilliantly interwove his deep understanding of people as he penned stories for kings. My goal is slightly humbler and more realistic: I wish to simply here entertain and tell a story that will have the reader flipping pages and guessing what's next.

I'm not sure there's enough depth within my tales to unearth a greater understanding of our fellow human beings or to create poignant commentary on societal shortcomings. My greatest hope is that echoes of those who have inspired me resonate--even if only faintly--from my scribbles and that readers will find entertainment and value spending their precious time on Earth within my imaginary worlds.

The greatest gift a reader could give is the trust he or she bestows upon an author to deliver on the story promised in the back blurb of a book. Thank you for giving me your trust. I will do my best to honor it.

Thank you for sharing with us and Skyping with my students! We're all looking forward to speaking with you!

Erin and Deek Rhew de Marie-Hélène Fasquel-Erhart