When writing a novel, Geraldine Brooks loves to fill in the gaps in history with her imagination. She illuminates her writing techniques, explaining why she must first find the voice in her stories; talks about her latest book, “People of the Book,” that provides the reader with a vivid lesson in history; and tells how she weaves fact with realistic fiction in her storytelling: “When you run out of facts, that’s when you try to create plausible fiction that engages the reader.”

Biography

As a journalist, best-selling author Geraldine Brooks covered hot spots such as Bosnia, Somalia and the Middle East for the Wall Street Journal. She received the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her second novel, “March,” where she retells the beloved American classic “Little Women” from the father’s perspective. Her latest book is “People of the Book” (Penguin/Viking, 2008). Brooks will appear in the Fiction & Mystery pavilion.