INLAND VALLEY VOICE Author walks fine line between truth, fiction By Pam Noles CHINO -- What people really want to know, Andrew Winer has discovered, is how much of his first novel is actually true. This story in "The Color Midnight Made," about a white boy dealing with his crumbling family while growing up on the not-always-comforting streets of San Francisco's black community -- how much of what he wrote really happened to him? Though Winer jokes that he found himself "calculating percentages, 23% true, 46% outright lies," he said he knows there's a deeper question behind that gossipy one. His book is an attempt at an answer. "What they're asking any author is, 'How have you lived?' " Winer said. "Serious fiction comes out of a place of pain and suffering. A novel is your attempt to create a harmonious narrative out of the pain of life. This book was my attempt to find some beauty and joy and humor amid pain and suffering." Author Janet Fitch, the Pomona College 2001 Moseley fellow whose first novel, "White Oleander," became a hit through Oprah's Book Club, said she's hoping Winer's book gets all of the attention and praise it deserves. "Andrew is a wonderful writer. He's one of those real craftsman whose every sentence is so beautifully written it makes you smile," she said. "Whatever it's about, it's such a pleasure to read his work." Winer said Fitch provided invaluable advice on how to deal with real-world family issues that arise due to the book. The mother character in his book isn't the portrait of motherly perfection. Fitch told him to talk to his mother before the book came out to explain the differences. Every writer has to go through that process because the families have a way of appearing in first stories, even if just bits of them appear, Fitch said. The writer must reassure his family that what was written is fiction, with bits of true feelings blended in. "Always deny anything to anybody who recognizes themselves in your work. Deny everything," Fitch said, laughing. "Always change the hair color. If you can't change the gender, change the height. Change something." The conversation was "very delicate," but worth it because "I love my mother very much," Winer said. "She's coming to a signing in the Bay Area and she's bringing all her friends. That's a good sign." Equally important was authentically capturing the essence of the black community that makes up the core setting of his book, Winer said. He said he feels "very fortunate" to have been part of that world, which deeply influenced his path as a writer. "From the time I was 5 years old, language became such an important thing to me. In the African American community, where often the economics of the neighborhood are not so great and kids do not have a lot of extra material goods, what they do have is language," he said. "Their ability to wield language with panache is how you become judged. It's the way young kids achieve grace. It's also how you survive. If you can't speak the language, you're in trouble."