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Author Q&A: Giving Voice to the Silent: An Interview with George Michelsen Foy, Author of The Winterpoor.
- Sea Crow Press
- Aug 5
- 5 min read
In this exclusive interview, George Michelsen Foy, author of the new Cape Cod novel The Winterpoor, reveals the inspiration behind his story, the ecological and social issues it tackles, and the creative process that shaped his characters. A haunting and poetic work of environmental fiction, The Winterpoor explores addiction, poverty, and the fragility of coastal communities through the eyes of a reclusive artist restoring a floating studio on off-season Cape Cod.
About the Book
Q: What inspired you to give voice to the often-overlooked residents of Cape Cod?
A: I'm a native Cape Codder, born in Cape Cod Hospital. Even though my family moved away during my school years, I came back and have lived here most of my life. The Cape’s environment—everything from eels and crabs to raccoons and seabirds—is a huge part of who I am, but so much of it is in danger.
Eels and raccoons can’t argue in their own defense, and I’ve always felt someone had to speak for them. The same goes for many of the human residents—fishers, marginal artists, and the housing-insecure—who are often too busy trying to survive to tell their own stories. Again, someone had to do it for them.
“When scallops and blue crabs can’t breathe in the bay… humans need to wake up.”
Q: Why show Cape Cod beyond the summer tourist lens?
A: The silent creatures are the first affected by ecological changes, and Cape Cod is a canary in the coal mine. When scallops and blue crabs can’t breathe in the bay due to nitrate pollution, humans need to wake up to what's happening to their own water table. Likewise, the visibility of homelessness among locals points to systemic issues—seasonal economies, housing crises, and environmental degradation—that demand attention.
Q: What does the floating studio symbolize?
A: Murdo Peters, the main character, is his own person—but his artistic persona draws from two real etchers: John A. Noble and Kerr Eby. Noble, who lived on a houseboat and sketched New York’s decaying harbor, inspired the idea of Eby Noble’s floating studio. Eby, a war artist turned pacifist, adds depth to the character’s moral core. The decaying houseboat represents Cape Cod’s disappearing working waterfront and the tenuous survival of artists in coastal towns. It’s a symbol of fragility—environmental, cultural, and personal.
Q: The Winterpoor touches on themes of pollution, addiction, and poverty. How did you balance those social issues with the emotional arc of the characters?
A: Murdo and Boy, the mentally handicapped boy he befriends, are shaped by the realities of off-season life—economic instability, housing insecurity, and environmental hazards. Boy suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome, and Murdo is haunted by a teenage tragedy. Their stories unfold against the backdrop of a Cape eroded by overdevelopment.
Una, Murdo’s wife, represents the forces that seek to "rehabilitate" the Cape for profit, pushing the less fortunate out of sight. The emotional arc of the novel is in how these forces collide and shape the characters' paths.
Q: How would you describe the journey your protagonist takes in this story?
A: Murdo's journey is one of self-discovery and atonement. He carries the weight of a traumatic youth and a failed marriage. His bond with Boy helps him find purpose, and in the end, it's this quiet act of care that leads him toward healing.
Writing Process & Craft
Q: What challenges did you face in giving voice to the environment and the off-season Cape Cod setting?
A: Honestly, it didn’t feel like a challenge—Cape Cod is home. But capturing its complexity required research and empathy. I spent time learning about seahorses and eelgrass, and remembering real year-round residents whose stories inspired the novel.
Q: How did you develop the unique narrative voice of the novel?
A: Voice comes organically from character. I spent weeks imagining Murdo’s favorite ice cream, the woods he walked through as a teen, his first date. When you know a character that intimately, they begin to speak and act in ways the author doesn’t always expect.
“Voice comes from knowing your characters so intimately that they surprise you.”
Q: What research did you do, historical or environmental, for this book?
A: I researched everything—from arctic tern migration to Prohibition-era rumrunning. Most of all, I immersed myself in the art of etching, both studying it and doing hands-on work with a press. It was crucial to understanding Murdo’s inner world.
Q: Was there a scene or moment that came to you first and shaped the rest of the novel?
A: Visiting the Noble Collection in Staten Island, where I saw John A. Noble’s floating studio, was a defining moment. That image—an artist sketching the decaying harbor—sparked the idea for Murdo, a sailor-artist on a houseboat in Hyannis Harbor, documenting a vanishing world.
Characters & Themes
Q: Your protagonist faces enormous emotional and physical challenges. What drew you to his story?
A: As a creative writing teacher, I tell my students to dig into what a character most fears and desires. Murdo’s internal battle is between his need to create and his fear of failure, abandonment, and societal pressure. His gut-level struggle kept me writing.
Q: How did you craft the dynamic between Murdo, Boy, and his new love interest?
A: Each is escaping something—Daisy from a broken relationship, Boy from an abusive home, Murdo from a failed marriage. Their connection is forged through mutual rescue, and that bond leads to an unexpected tenderness.
Q: Addiction and personal trauma are central to this story. What message do you hope readers take away?
A: I hope readers come away caring deeply about the characters—and by extension, the real issues they represent. Boy’s condition is tied to addiction and poverty. Murdo is pulled into Hyannis’s drug underworld. These aren't just character traits—they reflect real community crises.
Q: Is there a character or relationship that surprised you as the story unfolded?
A: I didn’t plan for Murdo and Daisy to fall in love—it just happened. When characters start taking the reins, that’s how I know the story is working. I also didn’t expect the gun or the false accusation against Murdo. Those twists emerged organically from the world I’d created.
Looking Ahead
Q: What do you hope readers feel or reflect on after finishing this novel?
A: I hope readers fall in love with Murdo, Boy, and Daisy—and come away with a deeper awareness of how environmental and economic threats are linked. Preserving waterfront communities like Cape Cod requires compassion and action.
Q: Are there more stories you want to tell from Cape Cod or other places with a similar emotional landscape?
A: Absolutely. There’s no end to the stories you can find here.
Q: What authors or works influenced your approach to this novel?
A: While no single work directly shaped The Winterpoor, I admire Ruby in Jim Lynch’s Before the Wind and the atmosphere of Steinbeck’s Cannery Row. Both capture the spirit of a vanishing maritime world.
“Preserving working waterfronts requires compassion and action.”
Q: Are you currently working on another book?
A: Yes. I’m finishing a novel set on the same harbor and featuring some of the minor characters from The Winterpoor—in particular, the marine biologist from Eel River.
The Winterpoor will publish in September 2025 and is available now for preorder from the publisher, Sea Crow Press.
