Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Read-Alikes
Armistead Maupin was born in Washington, D.C., in 1944 but grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, he served as a naval officer in the Mediterranean and with the River Patrol Force in Vietnam. Maupin worked as a reporter for a newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina, before being assigned to the San Francisco bureau of the Associated Press in 1971. In 1976 he launched his groundbreaking Tales of the City serial in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Maupin is the author of several novels, including the seven-volume Tales of the City series, Maybe the Moon, The Night Listener and, most recently, Michael Tolliver Lives. Three miniseries starring Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney were made from the first three Tales novels. The Night Listener became a feature film starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette.
Maupin lives in San Francisco with his husband, Christopher Turner.
Armistead Maupin's website
This bio was last updated on 08/08/2015. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.
You are known for producing complex plotlines full of unexpected twists.
Does this require careful planning, or is the process more organic in nature?
I always let a storyline percolate for a while before I begin to write,
but even then I have only a general road map of the territory. Many of the side
trips arise unexpectedly, which is a source of delight to me. Sometimes, of
course, it's necessary to rewrite in order to look like I'd always planned on
taking that side trip. This requires engaging both sides of your brain
simultaneously. That is, you have to maintain a kind of formal structure but go
a little crazy at the same time. And, for me, that's never a speedy process. I
usually write two pages a day at the very most. I wish I could let it spill out
heedlessly, but I've grown more and more fussy over the years--thanks, in part,
to the invention of the word processor.
Did you know how The Night Listener would end when you began it?
No. That came to me very close to the end, when I was out walking the
dog. But it arose from what I'd already learned about Gabriel--and about
myself--in the course of writing the book. It was thrillingly obvious, too, as
if I should have seen it all along.
...
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an eleven-time Emmy Award-winning American comedian, television talk show host, author, and film, television, and stage actress. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Night Listener
Try:
Find Me
by Rosie O'Donnell
Tony Parsons, a former music journalist and television personality, is the author of Man and Boy, winner of the Book of the Year prize. He began his career as a music journalist on the NME, writing about punk music. Later, he... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Night Listener
Try:
Man and Boy
by Tony Parsons
We recommend 2 similar authors
The Stone Home
by Crystal Hana Kim
A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The most successful people are those who are good at plan B
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
