ANDREW PERRY
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How did you come up with the idea for this story?
A: There are two answers to this question. The first is more fun. As an honorable member of the geesing society (see my bio about kayaking), I was approached by Gargle's family to share his story with humans, whom they felt needed to know about this important event in geesing history.
The second is less magical, but still fun. While my wife and I were walking our dog Tipsy in a local park, a small gaggle of five geeses banked just over our heads to land on a small pond. As they passed over, I looked up and wondered how they decided who was chosen to fly at the point of the V. The rest of the story grew out of that.
Q: Why did you name the main character "Gargle?"
A: I love the way it sounds. This book is an expression of my love of language, and how playful you can be when you rub one word against another to come up with surprising and unexpected combinations of sounds, images, textures and colors. I think most words have a taste, and for me Gargle's name is a chewy word that feels like gum in my mouth.
Q: What was most surprising for you during the writing of the book?
A: My writing process is loose and unplanned. I start with a sketchy outline of the direction I want a scene or chapter to go, but don't really know what I'm going to say until I've started writing. When working on chapter one, the character of Delbert the Duck struck me over the head quite as literally as he did to Gargle. I had no idea he was going to emerge as a character in the story until he came out of the clear blue sky. I was glad that he did since he plays an important role later in the tale.
Q: What ideas played a role in the way you wrote the story?
A: The underlying storyline of Gargle is based on a concept called an "archetype." These are story patterns that occur across all cultures, no matter their time or place. The "hero myth" is one of the most prominent archetypes. It follows a cycle made up of the call to adventure, difficult challenges in threatening environments, a moment of insight followed by a return journey to share a gift with the hero's community. In our individual lives, we are all on our own hero's journey. If you're interested in this fascinating idea, look for Joseph Campbell's The Hero With A Thousand Faces, a book that was highly influential on the characters of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in George Lucas's Star Wars trilogy.
Q: Why did you include so many difficult words in the story?
A: As I say in "A Brief Note From Your Narrator," I am challenging you, the reader, to stretch your vocabulary as you experience Gargle's journey with him. The story begins with simple words and phrases that reflect Gargle's youth and immaturity. Leaving his family and community forces him to undergo difficult trials on the road and he begins to gain maturity and a wider perspective on his life. In response, the language also becomes more complex and demanding. This is the "thorny path" placed before you as you trace your own journey through the book.
Q: Are you going to write a sequel to Gargle the Goose?
A: At the moment I have no plans to do that. However, I do have some ideas for a prequel that would take place back in the days of Galahad the Great about how he came to occupy his important place in geesing mythology.
