Jesmyn Ward

Transitioning from life as an average college professor to an award-winning author may seem daunting, but it's something 34-year-old Jesmyn Ward knows--and handles--extremely well. Her novel Salvage the Bones gained worldwide attention this past November when it won the National Book Award for fiction, and the unforgettable tale of the South has become an instant classic. Here, an introduction to the award-winning author.

REFLECTIONS: Hometown: DeLisle, Miss. * First real job: I worked as a managing editorial assistant at Random House after getting my B.A. * How you broke in to the business: I earned my Bachelor's degree in English, then I worked for an MFA, and afterward, I wrote a lot. I also read tons. I applied for fellowships and agent representation, and even though I faced a lot of rejection, a few people said yes to me and that made all the difference. * Most valuable business lesson you’ve learned: That a gracious, kind demeanor can create many opportunities. * Most valuable life lesson you’ve learned: That there is beauty beyond tragedy, hope over sorrow, and joy after despair. * Advice you would have given yourself 10 years ago: Life will get better. Keep hoping, keep working, keep fighting. * Working on currently: I have a memoir coming out in 2013, and sometime soon I expect to begin to work on a novel. * Words to live by: Breathe. You can breathe through anything.

DIVERSIONS: Reading now: Sepharad, by Antonio Munoz Molina * Reading next: Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, by Jared Diamond * Last fun purchase: I purchased Gray's Anatomy (the book) at Barnes and Noble. I'm looking forward to buying a telescope sometime soon. * Recently discovered: I learned that fleur-de-lis was originally a stylized version of a lily or iris. I already knew they were associated with French culture and the French monarchy. The first strange fact I found out about the fleur-de-lis I read a few years ago, when I found that escaped slaves from New Orleans and the southern Mississippi and Louisiana areas were branded with a fleur-de-lis after recapture. * What keeps you up at night: Global warming, extreme weather, and the degradation of the natural environment. The prospect of peak oil horrifies me.

PLAYING FAVORITES: Getaway: I know it sounds trite, but I visited Negril, Jamaica, for the first time last summer, and it was a revelation. I'm not saying this because the beaches were beautiful and the people were gracious and warm, but because it was amazing to be in a country where the majority were people of African descent. * Entrée: Charbroiled oysters from the Half Shell Oyster House Restaurant in Gulfport, Miss. * Adult beverage: Daiquiris and dirty martinis. * Vice: Frozen custard over peach cobbler from BOPS (a southern, regional frozen custard chain).