Every weird thing that happens, happens there. Florida is also a very good place to hide: everything that grows, grows there. It’s a very good place to hide between the weirdness and the growth.

I go back there at least once or twice a year.

THC: Did growing up in that environment prepare you for the craziness of magazine life in New York?

BC: I’m at such an advantage because I’m not a real New Yorker. I am pretty sure it has served me well, but in what way I am not sure.

THC: In both your books, there is a higher quotient of loss and sadness than in most books. Why did you decide to go that route?

BC: In every life there is loss. [The novel] covers a broad spectrum of these people’s lives, and loss is just part of their life.

THC: Are there any similarities between “The Orange Blossom Special” and “Nothing to Fall Back On”?

BC: I really hope there aren’t. There is a fire, I had a fire. Everything else [in the novel] I really tried to keep away from my life.

THC: What are you working on now?

BC: I am working on my second novel now, the title of which you can now reveal: “Delores Taurus: An Underwater Novel.” It is due to my publisher by Labor Day.

THC: What advice would you give to students interested in publishing?

BC: Just keep writing. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing about—it could be shoes or lumber. Just write.

THC: Do you have any general advice for college students just coming into the real world?

BC: Try everything within reason.

I think that, if you really want to do something, you can probably do it. I think the scariest thing in my mind is wanting to do something badly and then, for whatever reason, not trying it.

—Staff writer Scoop A. Wasserstein can be reached at wasserst@fas.harvard.edu.