The book I’m currently talking about, Wealth and Privilege,
is Historical Fiction. History is my
playground and I love research, so that’s why I’ve written more books in this
genre than any other. But I’ve also
written stage melodramas, and marketing materials, and a textbook on waltzing,
and a screenplay for a romantic comedy about the sport of fencing, and a
modern-day satire on Jane Austen. Ever
since Fifty Shades of Gray came out, I’ve been wondering about writing in that
genre. I have an idea that I think would
be both sexy and thought provoking. But
I also have a children’s book I’d like to write, about my guardian angel. My brain doesn’t sit still much.
What's your favourite
quote about writing/for writers?
“Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a
blank piece of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.” That’s obviously an old quote. I first heard it in college, when we really
did write with pen and paper, and then typed everything up before turning it
in. My other favorite quote is the end
of the first sonnet in Philip Sidney’s Astrophel and Stella: “Biting my truant pen, beating myself for
spite: ‘Fool,’ said my Muse to me, ‘look
in thy heart, and write.’ ” In a way,
both these quotes are saying exactly the same thing.
Who is your
favorite character in your book and why?
One of my favorite characters is George. It’s a bit part; he’s my hero’s
coachman. He sees much, but says very
little. He is the soul of
dependable. He’s that quintessential
always-there-when-you-need-him kind of guy.
It’s very much in the background, but I left hints. When the hero’s father dies on Christmas,
George is still around to take care of the hero. Now, most of the household staff is very
devoted and thoughtful, but George always goes the extra mile. (Yes, pun intended.) He is to Wealth and Privilege what R2-D2 is
to Star Wars. Plucky and resourceful
and helpful.
Why do you think
readers are going to enjoy your book?
I put a lot of care into making the history seem real. My characters go through big crises of the
Industrial Revolution, like the Railroad Riot in 1877 and the Johnstown Flood
of 1889. My accounts of those events are
taken from newspapers and eyewitness accounts and biographies. The water tower
my characters climb when they witness the massacre is right there on the
maps. The hourly descriptions of events
are straight out of the accounts at the time.
They are immediate, and heart-stopping.
I also want readers t to know what everyday activities felt like,
smelled like, tasted like. So I talk
about the clothes, the dancing, the food, the extracurricular activities of the
time. I always want the reader to feel
like they’re inside the story, inside the locations.
How long did it take you to
write your book?
Ten years! I started, then
stopped, then picked it up again, then six months would go by before I wrote
any more, then I needed another research trip to go get answers to a bunch of
questions. Back then, I couldn’t get
online and look up the census records for Johnstown in 1880. I had to go to Johnstown and look them up in
the library! The change in available
resources is huge. I also learned to
spend less time on the laundry, and email, and lawn mowing, and other
distractions, and put more time into writing.
I got this book finally finished because my best friend would call me up
every single day and ask, “Have you worked on your book today?” After three days of saying “no,” my conscience
would kick in, and I’d let the mundane tasks slip to a lower priority, and I’d
get some writing done.
Fishing was a big sport for rich men in the late 1800s. That was probably the most astonishing thing
I learned in my research. When I was
little, my dad fished because if he didn’t, we wouldn’t have anything to eat
for dinner that night. So, for me, the idea
of fishing as something millionaires did to relax took me a while to absorb. I found lots of surprises in history. Unions and management were not actually
enemies in the 1870s. They respected
each other, the battles came later. I love sharing these things that challenge
our assumptions. History is always more
interesting and more complicated than we think.
Who inspires you?
People of courage and tenacity.
Edward R. Murrow. Ulysses S.
Grant. Grace O’Malley. And, in her own
way, Alva Vanderbilt. They all lived in
“interesting times,” and in their various situations, had to face down very
powerful enemies. They had to use what
resources they had to the best of their abilities. Failure was always a danger, but fear didn’t
stop any of them from doing what they thought was right.
What is your work in
progress? Tell us about it.
When I finished writing Wealth and Privilege, I thought I was done
with that world and the characters. And
readers kept approaching and asking, “You ARE writing a sequel, right?” I wasn’t planning on it. Margaret Mitchell never wrote a sequel to
Gone With the Wind. And then I realized
I knew where I wanted to go with it. And
then the characters started beating on the inside of my brain. At that point, I didn’t have a choice
anymore. Since I knew the characters and
the research is so much easier now, it isn’t going to take me ten years to
write the sequel. I’m calling it Brains and Beauty.
What are your thoughts on
self-publishing verses traditional publishing?
Traditional publishing is a mystery to me. I read terrible books, poorly researched,
poorly written, that were able to get an agent and a publisher. Someone gave this writer money and put it in
print? And then I’ll find some
self-published work that is brilliant, but the author couldn’t even get an
agent, much less a publisher. There’s a
bias that anyone with a little money can be in print with a book full of poor
grammar, but I see traditionally published works that are full of typos. If traditional publishing is not there for
quality control, what are they there for?
When you’re not
writing, how do you spend your time?
I’m a dance instructor.
I teach college students, elementary school children, senior citizens,
church members, the LGBT community, etc, etc how to dance. It is one of the most joyous things in life,
helping people connect with other people in the form of a tango, or a polka, or
a waltz, or a schottische. I am the pet
caller for a Civil War brass band, and I call set dances. I teach couples to dance for their
wedding. Besides that, I run a Cancan
troupe and a belly dance troupe. I love
being in motion!
GIVEAWAY
