In this post, we’ll be hearing from Canadian author Jack Stilborn. Check out his bio:
Jack Stilborn lives in Ottawa, Canada, and writes fiction and short stories. The Tyranny of Good Intentions, his debut novel about love, death and a great deal of politics on a condominium board, is now available from Chicken House Press.
He showed early promise with a comic story that made a cousin laugh so hard she threw up. He was then deflected by studies (double major in political science and English literature at the University of Saskatchewan; politics and philosophy B.A. at Oxford University; PhD. with dissertation on the thought of Alexis de Tocqueville at Western University). After that came life as a policy research analyst (Parliament), intergovernmental affairs advisor (Ontario government) and public servant (Ottawa). He also enjoys cycling, kayaking and (recently) cold water swimming; family life (Alex, Jessica, Christine and partner Linda); participating on volunteer boards and lots of reading, especially literary fiction and history.
Jack, tell us how the concept for your debut novel The Tyranny of Good Intentions came about. What helped propel you forward to finish the manuscript?
I have served on several condo boards of directors, as well as other volunteer boards. I started doing this while still working on my long-term day job as a research analyst working for Parliament (federalism and parliamentary governance issues). At a certain point, the light went on and I realized how much of national political life is captured in relations and behavior on these smaller boards. I was propelled forward because writing was a pleasure for me, perhaps an escape. Also by curiosity about how Andrew, the protagonist, would deal with challenges that are part of democratic citizenship.
The novel’s protagonist, Andrew Walmer, suddenly finds himself roped into a microcosm of our own societal landscape. What difficulties did you experience while constructing the plot? Did you have doubts while writing the draft?
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Pauline Shen 