Philip Beard discusses his latest novel and also his first book, set against the events of 9/11
The events of Sept. 11, 2001, unfolded as Philip Beard was about 50 pages into writing his first novel.
The basis for what would become “Dear Zoe” was a teenager writing to her younger sister, who had been killed in an accident.
“I had writer’s block for the first time in my life,” Beard confessed, with 9/11 weighing so much on his mind. “I didn’t know how to write about a small tragedy in the face of that.”
Beard, who will be the guest of Mt. Lebanon Public Library at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10, solved the issue by weaving the theme of how the national crisis overwhelmed what his main character, Tess, was going through with the death of her sister.
“The book is really just speaking to her and writing to her,” Beard explained.
“Dear Zoe,” published in 2004, launched Beard’s career as a novelist, as he was entering his 40s. The Pittsburgh native and Aspinwall resident had been practicing law for a decade when, as he mentioned, “I really got the bug to start writing again.”
His latest novel, “Swing” (2014), will be the main topic of discussion during his Mt. Lebanon visit.
“I always enjoy talking to readers,” he said. “It’s interesting to hear the different perspectives on what they are getting out of the novel.”
“Swing” draws on Beard’s experiences surrounding the champion 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates, with the book’s two main characters – John Kostka, a legless veteran, and 10-year-old Henry Graham, whose father has left home – sharing a bond over their love of the team.
Beard’s love of the team has a personal connection. His uncle was a friend of then-bullpen coach Dave Ricketts (1935-2008), who often was able to provide tickets for terrific seats.
“As an 8-year-old kid,” Beard recalled, “I ended up sitting five rows back of home plate for all three games of the World Series played that year in the one-year-old Three Rivers Stadium.”
His development of the Kostka character came from an experience later in the ’70s, when he saw a man who had no legs lift himself onto a bus at Pittsburgh’s Gateway Center.
“I never saw him again, but that image stayed with me forever,” Beard said.
As for the novel, he cautions against putting it in the sports category.
“‘Swing’ isn’t really a baseball novel,” he explained. “People who aren’t baseball fans will enjoy it for different reasons. It’s about a family in crisis, trying to find their way through life with various ups and downs.”
His second novel, “Lost In the Garden” (2006), explores a similar theme, with the life of fortysomething protagonist Michael Benedict unraveling around him.
“I wouldn’t call it a comic novel, but it’s definitely the funniest of the three,” Beard said.
For more information about A Night With Author Philip Beard at Mt. Lebanon Public Library, visit www.mtlebanonlibrary.org.