Exploring the Brilliance of Yvonne Osborne: An Interview with the Author of Let Evening Come

Ever wondered what fuels the imagination of an author who can make you laugh, cry, and reflect all in a single sitting? Yvonne Osborne, author of Let Evening Come, serves up a blend of humor, honesty, and culinary creativity in this candid interview. From dreaming up the perfect dinner for Stephen King to confronting the challenges of public speaking and bad reviews, Osborne shares her fears, triumphs, and the quirky rituals that keep her writing alive. Join us as we explore her inspirations, literary crushes, and what she really thinks about writing workshops.

If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make?
Stephen King, and I would make blood pudding. Just kidding! During a two-week trip to England, that was the only thing I tried that I didn’t like.

For Stephen King I would make Puttanesca, Italian style spaghetti that's fast and easy (so there’s time to discuss killing my darlings with no remorse) made with anchovies, garlic, and mixed olives, served with a salad of mixed greens tossed with a date vinaigrette and a robust burgundy. For dessert we would have Galette Au Chocolat.

What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears?
Three things: rejection, critical reviews, and having to read in front of people. The only way to combat rejection is to plow ahead– “Drive your plow over the bones of the dead” to quote the suspense thriller by Olga Tokarczuk. I’m not sure how to combat fear of public speaking, but with my upcoming book signings, I’m going with wine and dark chocolate. As for the fear of critics and bad reviews? To quote C.N. Bovee, “There is probably no hell for authors in the next world—they suffer so much from critics and publishers in this one.” We all get bad reviews, there’s no pleasing everyone if you are to write anything of value, so I remind myself, writers have the last word. As Tennessee Williams more eloquently said: “The best thing you can do about critics is never say a word. In the end you have the last say, and they know it.”

Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character?
This is a great question. After giving it some thought, I’d have to say Alessandro in Ramona--stoic, handsome, and tender yet brave-- the novel by Helen Hunt Jackson to protest the mistreatment of Native Americans. This tragic tale is still the only novel that made me weep.

What books are on your nightstand?
Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, Eastbound, an intriguing novella by Maylis de Kerangal, and Wager by David Grann.

Favorite punctuation mark? Why?
The em dash. Because it interrupts politely yet firmly and demands the writer pay attention to what is “in between”. It’s better than sluggish semicolons and nondescript parenthesis.


What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did?
I read everything I was supposed to and some I wasn’t supposed to.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Absolutely energizes. When I’m deep in the throes of my character’s lives, I’m more alive than when in my own middling one, and as a consequence, serves to make me a happier--more interesting?-- person.

What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Too much advice. Too many writing workshops, trying to follow the current rage or mirror the writings of a favorite author. Wrong wrong wrong! Find your own voice, let yourself fall into the “zone” and once you’re there, don’t stop. Never stop until you know what’s going to happen next.

Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?
Sure they could write about a sociopath. Seriously, it would be hard to write point-of-view with agency if you don’t feel emotion strongly. Can one train themself to feel emotion strongly? Put themself in another’s shoes with honesty and empathy? Isn’t that what writers have to do? I see I’ve answered a question with a question.

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
Creative writing teacher and poet, Cathryn Essinger, because she encouraged me to write a short story and then to keep going until it snowballed into a novel which birthed another, and then another. Also, fellow author, MJ Werthman White who I’ve recently become acquainted with through mutual friend, Essinger. MJ has generously shared her marketing tips with me for that which none of us wants to do, but must. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my daughter, Melissa, my most faithful reader and editor. She makes me “kill my darlings” with ruthless efficacy, and would give Stephen King a run for his money. A writer from the third grade, Melissa has more ideas for novels and works in progress than I have teeth. And I have all of them.

What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
When the teacher in our one-room schoolhouse read aloud from Island Of The Blue Dolphins. It was the only time that even the boys were quiet. For myself, as a young girl in an isolated rural community where the highlight of the school year was the arrival of the bookmobile, the story of this young girl’s survival when stranded on an island all alone was captivating.

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
Carson McCullers “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter”. "We are all broken, that's how the light gets in." What stood out for me and still remains in my heart is how, at the end of the novel, the young girl, Mick, with a passion for music, has to give up her dream of getting a piano and taking music lessons to go to work full time at a soul-sucking job to help support her family. It’s sad because she just gives in. Loses her spunk. The universal message-- creative enterprise rarely supports the artist, so it is difficult to follow your dream, even if you live frugally.

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
An owl. Because their voice is unique and haunting, and they fly by night and roost in warm haymows by day, and everyone loves them.

What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?
I owe them a thank-you for letting me eavesdrop and for doing stupid shit I can fictionalize. Seriously, for the most part, my characters and their flaws are products of my imagination, and making up shit is what I do best.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Four. A Vietnam Era love story I’ve worked on for so long it has become Historical, a contemporary novel of strife in farm country. “Anyone can be good in the country; there are no temptations there,” which is a loose sequel to the Vietnam one, an unfinished memoir, and a work-in-progress involving the catastrophic die-off of amphibians, the biologist who lives in the woods to figure out why, and a reporter who only wants a story but instead gets a second chance at love.

What does literary success look like to you?
Having an ISBN number. An agent at a writer’s conference I once attended told the participants that manuscripts are not books. “Your manuscript is not a book,” she said adamantly, “until you have an ISBN number.” That stuck with me, so when I first saw that number appended to the publisher’s marketing data I knew I had a book. It was a huge Ah-ha moment, a badge of authenticity.

What’s the best way to market your books?
I believe word of mouth is still the best marketing tool. But it takes a while to get beyond your immediate circle of family and friends. In the interim, Amazon can’t be ignored for its breadth and reach, but Amazon clashes with the core values of independent booksellers who support authors, readers, and their communities. They, along with libraries, are the champions of authors. From my small local Brown City Library to the New York Public Library, libraries have but one mission– to make as many books available to as many people as possible. They are a refuge for inquisitive minds and soaring imaginations. Many libraries also have local author collections. So, short answer--libraries and indie bookshops.

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
I don’t find it hard at all. Men are easy to read. I love them, I watch them and listen to them, and I’m intuitive enough to see through them to know what they really want.

What did you edit out of this book?
A sex scene. Because I think one good sex scene is all you need unless you are a romance author and then you need one in every chapter.

If you didn’t write, what would you do?
I would work on a tree farm or in a vineyard and stomp grapes or pick apples, press cider, and dabble with fermentation.