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Like most writers, I read a lot. But I rarely read fiction; I think the last work of fiction I read prior to last week was Stieg Larsson<\/strong>‘s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo<\/em> series. But when I learned that Alli Marshall<\/strong> \u2013 Arts Editor at Asheville’s altweekly Mountain Xpress<\/em> \u2013 had published a new novel with a music journalist as its central character, I was intrigued, and happy to make an exception.<\/p>\n I quickly discovered that How to Talk to Rockstar<\/em>s is not a work of autobiographical fiction; the book’s Bryn Thompson bears only the most superficial resemblance to Marshall. But the author has clearly drawn upon her considerable experience as a music writer\/journalist in the development of this story.<\/p>\n There’s not a great deal of what one could term traditional dialogue in the pages of How to Talk to Rockstars<\/em>. Much of the book is given over to a sort of inner monologue, in which Bryn agonizes over an upcoming major interview. And while there are certainly fundamental differences between the book’s central character and myself, I found myself identifying with many of Bryn’s innermost thoughts.<\/p>\n The story arc \u2013 which Marshall unfolds in nonlinear fashion \u2013 concerns Bryn’s upcoming interview with a sort of singer\/songwriter\/rockstar, one with whom’s work Bryn is deeply enamored. The tension rises from the question: How far should I go in connecting with him? But mercifully, How to Talk to Rockstars<\/em> is not some romance potboiler. It’s about deeper issues than that. The character lists a number of so-called \u201crules\u201d to which a music journalist should best adhere. These rules are sometimes mere realizations of facts on the ground: you will not become great pals with the rockstar. Don’t try to impress him\/her with your knowledge. Ask a penetrating question, then <\/em>shut up and let them answer<\/em>. And Bryn\/Alli notes a rule that it took me some time to learn: when the interviewee finishes answering the question, let some silence hang in the air. Give them a moment, and as often as not, they’ll pick right up again, giving a deeper, more heartfelt, more thoughtful, more revealing answer than before.<\/p>\n