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Get to know the author behind the comedy The Writer—Norm Foster! 

Describe yourself in one sentence.
More serious than people would think, and generally very lazy.

Tell us a little bit about your new book.
The book is about a father-and-son relationship. The father is an award-winning playwright who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and the son is a travel writer who has never quite measured up in his father’s eyes. The play spans seven years as we watch the father’s condition deteriorate and discover how it affects their relationship.

What’s something unique about you or something you like to do?
I write relationship plays, but I have never had a successful relationship in my life. That’s unique I think. After three failed marriages, I’m starting to think I might be the problem. Could that be? I have two close friends here in Fredericton that I enjoy spending time with. One is a playwright and one is a retired salesman. We get together twice a week to drink beer and solve the problems of the world. But mainly to drink beer.

What is something that you enjoy doing, and why?
This may sound cliched, but I love to write. When I’m working on a play any troubles that might be swirling around me at the time slip away. Writing is an escape for me as much as it is a career.

What are some of your favourite plays?
Death of a Salesman. Glengarry Glen Ross. The Odd Couple. 

What are you reading these days?
I’m reading a novel suggested by a friend. The Sisters Brothers.

What’s something that makes you laugh?
This makes me laugh every time. To me, the best humour is the laugh that you don’t see coming. The laugh that surprises you. 

Learn more about Norm Foster:
Norm Foster has been the most produced playwright in Canada every year for the past twenty years. His plays receive an average of one hundred and fifty productions annually. Norm has over sixty plays to his credit, including The Foursome, On a First Name Basis, and Hilda’s Yard. He is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama-Logue Award for his play The Melville Boys and is an Officer of the Order of Canada. He lives in Fredericton.