And then there’s the usual. Dog walking. Reading. I just finished Sheila Heti’s book, How Should a Person Be? And found it funny and compelling and upsetting – all at the same time.

I’ve got two William Trevor collections on my side table, and I’m excited about diving into them.

JC: One of the two central characters in Radiance is Daisy, who starts out as the sort of 1950’s housewife that people tend to dismiss. Yet by the end of the novel, she has dignity and resilience after navigating through complex domestic, social, and politically-charged situations. Tell us how Daisy evolved in your creative process -- specifically, when did she become real to you?  

SL: That’s a great question – when does a character become real? I think Daisy became real when I changed her name. She had been ‘Mary’ for a long time, with dark hair and a kind of nondescript face. And  when I changed her name to Daisy, she crisped up nicely, and I could see the outside of her so much more clearly. Her freckles. Her age spots. Her hair, which turned immediately to a sandy blonde.  I could even see her lapsed Catholicism. Names are so important.

JC: What’s the one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you first started writing novels?