The novel includes many details of commercial fishing, giving the sense that you know what you're talking about, all while not bogging us non-fisherpeople down with the minutia. Did you have to do a lot of research about the life of a fisherman?

I did. I read a number of books, and am indebted in particular to Linda Greenlaw’s fascinating account of life as a swordfish boat captain, Hungry Ocean. I also spent several days just walking around the wharves in Galilee, Rhode Island, taking pictures, watching the boats go in and out of the harbor, and especially watching the men work. I paid attention to what they wore, how they talked, the sights, sounds and smells that were around them. Finally, I knew a few people who knew some things about deep sea fishing. I had them read early drafts to make sure I got the language right.

It's obvious that Shakespeare's work is bedrock for you, particularly in this book. Who are other writers that have significantly influenced you?

I think it’s important for writers to read widely. I think Cormac McCarthy is the greatest writer in English today. What he is able to do with language and ideas humbles me. The Great Gatsby is a touchstone book for me, one I try to read every year. The late Andre Dubus is, for my money, the most underappreciated writer of the 20th century. He wrote mainly short fiction but his novellas have had an enormous influence on what I write about, and how I write. Donna Tartt has written only two books but I devoured both of them. I admire Scott Spencer quite a bit, and Envious Moon is reminiscent of his first novel, Endless Love. They are both tales about the driving obsession of teenage love. I also really believe in the importance of archetypal stories, stories that we all share in common. Shakespeare certainly fits that bill. The bible does as well. To some extent, I think most of are simply reinterpreting the same material over and over. I don’t necessarily think that’s a constricting reality. Rather, I think there is something enormously comforting in the idea of universal stories, that there just might be this great narrative thread that links us all.

How has being a new father and husband influenced your life as a writer and vice versa?

The dedication to my daughter, Sarah, in the novel reads: "At six months old, she cannot yet read my words. But her smile when she sees me would not only make the moon envious, it makes me want to write down every story I know, so that when she is old enough to read them, they will always be there."

I guess, for me, fiction is all about understanding human relationships and interactions. The most profound relationships we have are as partners and husbands and wives, and as fathers, mothers and sons and daughters. We become more human in strong relationships, and also, hopefully, more humane. Being a father has surprised me in many ways. It opens up another chamber in your heart. Even more than marriage, you are forced to think beyond yourself. Since this is true of writing fiction as well, I think it continues to help me mature as a writer and a thinker.