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The Mapmaker's Children - Author/Reader Discussion
I love old homes with history. A novel could almost be written on a house and all the people whom ever occupied it. I was trying to put together the house. Wish it was real. It sure felt real in the book. Great writing!
Constance wrote: "Hi, again, Sarah, Did the Hills, the Fishers and the Silverdashes exist historically or are they fictional? I know this wasn't part of your story, but do you know if Louisa May Alcott was an abol..."
Ack, dearest, I went on.. and on and on and on re: this topic in my initial response that the darn Internet gods snatched up. So please know that it was one of my favorite things to talk about but I wrote it as I thought/chatted so now... I can't remember half of what I said. LOL. I'll just start fresh and perhaps it's to your benefit that I'm not waxing philosophically for dozens of sentences here.
Simple answer: The Hills, Fishers, and Silverdash families are all figments of my imagination and vital heartbeats within the make-believe town of New Charlestown. TRUST that I have all of their stories mapped out and had to cut back so many tellings in THE MAPMAKER'S CHILDREN so that our narrative was focused on Sarah and Eden. That said, I know every nook and cranny of New Charlestown and I'm smitten with the community there so... you never know which characters might start whispering incessantly for their stories to be put to page in the future. I based their families loosely on glimmers of historical figures I read about in my research.
As for LMA being an abolitionist. I wouldn't even attempt to know the answer to that for certain. I put it to the nonfiction historians out there-- was she? I like to think she was part of something UGRR related. Her father was so involved in the progressive thoughts, freedom, and equality for all men and women. What do you think?
Again, so happy to have you here--excellent question, my friend.
Chris wrote: "I feel your pain. I have a war with spellcheck. I check my spelling and when I send it changes the words I type."Don't even lead me down that rabbit hole of kvetching about spellcheck. I've sent more inappropriate emails and texts in the last year... 'twould make my momma turn ten shades of beet red. I guess it puts it to us to learn to spell our words without autocorrect taking over.
Can you just imagine what the younger generation is going to be like in ten years? They won't know what to do when Suri won't complete a sentence for them. Bwaha!
You are preaching to the choir. I have said the same thing over and over again
Constance wrote: "Sorry about the Internet woes, Sarah. So frustrating!"We've had wicked rainstorms sweeping through El Paso yesterday-today so my husband (Doc B, who had to listen to my frustrated rant last night re: the COPIOUS Goodreads hours lost to half posted screens) attributed the Internet wonkiness to the storms making it pop in and out. I'm being extra cautious today while posting. We've had torrential rain all day. That's why I wasn't on earlier. It's just stopped, but the sky outside is dark and ominous. So I'm writing as fast as I can to answer a few more Qs while I have connection. I just re-answered yours, my lady. ;) The desert shuts down when we have rain or snow. It's like the very infrastructure doesn't know how to compute it. Ha ha.
Derek wrote: "I concur with the thought that Jack is a little too perfect, though perhaps for the purposes of Eden's story he had to be such. I'll add that I think the contemporary timeline wrapped up a bit too ..."Hey Derek, thanks for joining our discussion! I never anticipate where or what characters are going to do at the beginning of writing. They surprise me as much as everyone else! So it's never smooth sailing. I'm continually thinking, "Please do this" and they rarely do. Or "Please don't do that" and then they go and do it. So after years of listening to their stories and writing down what the characters say, I am as eager to know how they end up as readers!
Betty wrote: "Hi Sarah! One of my favorite genres is history, and I also love historical fiction when done well. This book was really done well, and I'm thrilled to have won a copy through this wonderful group o..."Hi Betty dear,
Thanks for joining and I'm SO THRILLED that you enjoyed how Eden grew from a troubled woman consumed by her own pain and longing to fit the social mold (career + husband + children + pretty house w/bow around it all) into a woman who said, I'm going to build my own legacy and I'm going to be proud of its uniqueness. Like Sarah Brown! I have such a heart for Eden at the beginning of this novel. She's angry and hurt and acting out in ways that don't truly represent her heart. Don't we all do that from time to time-- act foolishly and unlikeably? I know I'm guilty of that. It shames me afterward and yet, it happens because we're all human striving to be better humans every hour of every day. So I adore my Eden for being brave enough to expose herself on the page for readers to love and hate. I'm glad you embraced her too!
To your question regarding historical fiction. I'm not sure there is a formula--what % must be fact in order for it to qualify as historical fiction? I do know that in order for it to be a historical nonfiction it must be 100% truth. Ha! That's a given, right?
In this book, all the facts are true. As an author, I promise never to trick my readers. But there was such little information about Sarah Brown that I used those facts (daughter of John Brown, had dysentery as a child, schooled in Concord, lived with Alcotts, was an artist, opened an orphanage in California, etc.) as the scaffolding and my fiction as the bricks and mortar to build the story house.
Any legal eagles out there-- editors--who might be able to answer Betty's excellent question about what percentage fact makes historical fiction?
Chris wrote: "I love old homes with history. A novel could almost be written on a house and all the people whom ever occupied it. I was trying to put together the house. Wish it was real. It sure felt real in th..."Thank you, Chris! And I am right there with you--I'm OBSESSED with houses and the memories within them... the voices that once filled their spaces and the feet that walked over their floors. Just obsessed. It creeps Doc B out. Because if, say, we're staying at an old B&B, I'll talk all night about, "I wonder what the family who lived here 100 years ago did right here on this spot. Wonder what they were thinking. Wonder if they had a fight, had their heart broken, wanted to kill someone, ate a cookie..." Then I'll move to another spot, "I wonder what the family who lived here j50 years ago..." And so on. Poor man can't sleep for all the happy imagined ghosts I talk about. Ha-ha!
Dee wrote: "internet gremlins!"INDEED! Omg, they are after meeeeeeee!!! And I'm so paranoid, I keep stopping to copy every response I write. It's making me feel maniacal but I'll be darned if I let them keep me from... TALKING TO MY TNBBC-ers! Huzzah!
Patricia wrote: "Sarah,I'm curious why you chose the quote "and a cannon ball blew my eyes away" for Denny's guitar case. I admit I wasn't familiar with the song (by Blind Boy Grunt :-) and I enjoyed learning the..."
Hey Patricia, thanks for being here and for picking up on a part of the book that very few do! Songs/singing/music are part of the sensorial experience in life and thus, for me at least, in novels. When I read, I want to completely lose myself in all the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and tactile feelings of a place--be it contemporary or historical. So the songs and music that have remained from 1859 and/or inspired contemporary music, well, I wholeheartedly embrace in all my works. I also think it lends itself to a more full-body reader context. I'm so glad you agree and looked up that song!
I did a post for The Large-Hearted Boy on this very topic. My soundtrack for writing THE MAPMAKER'S CHILDREN:
http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/a...
Hope you enjoy listening, my friend.
♡ Kim ♡ wrote: "Hi Sarah,I would first like to thank you for my copy of The Mapmaker's Children. I absolutely loved this book! I wish I were fortunate enough to meet you and attend book signings, but honestly I ..."
Kim, lovely lady,
I'm SO HONORED and delighted that you loved my book so dearly! Let's keep our fingers crossed that one day soon we **shall** have the opportunity to meet at a signing/book event and I promise to hug the stuffing out of you (as is my souther woman way).
What compelled me--shoot, if I knew that for any of my books, I'd have the key to the universe. After 17 years together, my husband (Doc B) is still trying to figure out what goes on in my head-heart-spirit. LOL. What compels me to a set of characters mystifies me as much as the next person. It's a strange business we authors work in. Part magic and heaps of hard, never-ending work. I love history. I am a willing, proud history nerd and could watch nothing but The History Channel from now until I keeled over into my grave. So I'm always interested in learning from the past and discovering secrets that seemed to have been lost. I gravitate toward the untold stories of humanity's past... the ones that make me ask, "Why don't I know about that?"
I like smart fiction that engages and educates me as it entertains. VIRGINIA is my heart land. (Pause to high-five a sister.) So that drew me to this specific setting. Everything about it influenced me during the writing. Not just my visits back for "research" but all of my memories living there as a younger person. The most challenging part was knowing what to keep in and what had to be cut for the sake of narrative focus. This is a book about family definition and creation. It is a story about Eden and Sarah. It was initially 800 pages when I turned it into my editor (bless her) and she gave me direction to cut it down to the 300 pages you currently hold in hand. BIG CHALLENGE there. To say the least. I was completely obsessed with the history of New Charlestown and its fictional people. So much so that I tried to write a saga of the town. In the end, I'm ever grateful to the brilliant advice of my editor to hone in my focus to these two women... even if I cried buckets and felt like I was hemorrhaging character blood during the years of revision. But as I've said at events and in private to my family, I'd die for my books. I'd give them every ounce of my blood and flesh. That's how much I wish to honor my characters and the readers who invest their imaginations in them.
Dee wrote: "hi Sarah! (one of my favorite author-esses)what i love about your writing in general is that you pick such diverse topics - from your YA set in Puerto Rico to the Baker's Daughter (I loved readin..."
Hey there, Dee, one of my favorite home girls,
As I wrote Kim above regarding what compels me, the "method to my madness" eludes me. It's basically whatever story nags on me day and night until I can't NOT tell it or I'll die from insomnia. That sounds dramatic and yet, it's God-honest truth. You can ask Doc B. The man suffers with me when I have a book calling me to write it. So it's always best I keep my ears and heart open to characters trying to have their voices heard. If I fight it, like I did with Eden for a few months, then everybody in my world is in misery. Bwaha.
Shoot, this makes me curl up my toes excited to surprise y'all with where I'm headed in the next book. You'll NEVER GUESS--because I could NEVER have guessed. Yup, I'm throwing that fishing line out there and then not saying another word. ;)
Deborah wrote: "You are the author that got me addicted to historical fiction. I loved all your books!"I adore you so desperately dearly, Deb. What an eternal HONOR to be the one who got you into reading historical fiction. I could smooch & hug the stuffing out of you, my Sassy Massy darlin'. So it's probably best I live 2,000 miles away!
Deborah wrote: "Dee wrote: "i haven't read that one yet - its on the pile - i just got an ARC from here - Sarah, Kristina and a bunch of other authors wrote an anthology of WW2 fiction with a common theme - they a..."Reading with Robin's pre-party for THE MAPMAKER'S CHILDREN in Providence is one of my most cherished memories. Thank you for being part of making that such a beautiful experience, Deb! Having you and all of those gorgeous readers cheering and loving the book was everything to me. And can we just mention again how good those Tandoori shrimp, nibbles and wine were?? Come on, that was heaven.
xx
Mod
Sarah wrote: "Dee wrote: "hi Sarah! (one of my favorite author-esses)what i love about your writing in general is that you pick such diverse topics - from your YA set in Puerto Rico to the Baker's Daughter (I ..."
i need to treat you and Doc B to dinner next time you are in VA...hopefully the Army lets him take some leave ;)
Deborah wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Hi Sarah,As you know I loved this book. I love the combination of fact and fiction. Is that your preferred style of writing? When is you..."
Ack, ack, ack! There's a storm brewing and it's just beginning to rain so I'm typing as furiously as the dust devils outside. You have **no** idea the long, elaborate reply I composed in response to your initial chat room post, my dear. I was basically sitting down on my couch with you beside me chatting endlessly so now, of course, I can only remember fleeting bits of "our conversation" given that it was coming completely off the cuff. So here and now, I'll rein myself in and answer directly.
I can't say I have a favorite author or book. There are SO many brilliant writers putting out stories that blow my mind. I don't even have a favorite genre to be completely honest. I love reading anything and everything with good prose and a driving narrative. I.e. Characters that grab your face and say, "LISTEN TO MY STORY." So that could be a historical character, a contemporary woman, an sci-fi alien, a dystopian man, a child, etc. I read whatever feels "right" to me as I also believe that stories call their readers to pick them up. Literary sprites that know what people need to read what book at what time. I believe in those and further believe that if you force yourself to read something that doesn't fit you in that particular time (be it because it's your book club pick or your best friend recommended or its the #1 bestseller today), it could be a tragic book-reader relationship. So I try always to go where my antennae is leading. I suggest you, readers I care about, do similarly for the best story experiences you can have!
Regarding my research for a book. I love to travel in general. Blame my Army brat upbringing or my Army spouse life. But I love-love-love experiencing new cultures of the United States and new cultures around the globe. It invigorates me and gives me a broader global perspective. So I try to travel as much as possible for research, which is VASTLY different from traveling for book tour events. Ha-ha. Let me make that distinction. When I travel for book events, I'm in "business Sarah McCoy" mode and not "creative Sarah McCoy." So I'm doing presentations, meet-n-greeting readers, signing books, attending dinner galas, having cocktail hours, doing ticketed gigs, etc. I don't really get to see much of the settings I'm in outside of what my hosts may include in my visit program. But when I travel for research, I go incognito. I want to blend into the people, the scene. I lose myself in the characters' minds in that place and transition back to whatever time they lived. I leave Sarah McCoy elsewhere and am simply Sarah.
I enjoy both but in different ways. Different parts of my soul are nourished with each. I'm hoping that after this go-go fall book festival touring, I'll have a chance to scoot off for some Book 4 research in the New Year. Right now I'm booked to tour through Christmas. ;) This TNBBC week was my one "down time" to do laundry and repack before I jet off again! Sadly, no New England stops this season for THE MAPMAKER'S CHILDREN. I'm West Coast mostly with my last event at the Miami Book Fair right around Thanksgiving.
Any TNBBC-ers from Mee-ami?
Hugs to you, Deb love.
P.S. Thank goodness my Internet held off despite the storm starting!
Lori wrote: "Sarah, does the issue seem to have resolved itself? Did you happen to report it to Goodreads? That is the darndest thing!"LORI, our TNBBC fairy godmother!
So happy to see you here, lovely lady. I think it was the storm system here in El Paso making the Internet wonky. That said, I also have my inklings that it may have been an EMOTICON issue too. (Serves me right, I suppose.) Because Goodreads seemed to cut off my posts wherever I put an emoticon image and then kept writing. In all of my responses today, I didn't use emoticons. Then I tested my theory by putting one at the end of a response with a P.S. after.
Wouldn't you know... everything after the emoticon (in the P.S.) didn't show up on the post. So warning to all friends here: emoticons may be Goodreads party poison! I'm just glad all of my posts came through whole today. Yesterday's debacle had me flicking my laptop screen with GREAT disdain. ;)
Sarah wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Dee wrote: "i haven't read that one yet - its on the pile - i just got an ARC from here - Sarah, Kristina and a bunch of other authors wrote an anthology of WW2 fiction with a commo..."Yes Sarah, that Indian food was delicious My first time having Indian food and meeting you all wrapped up into one. I adore you as well. xx
Sarah wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Hi Sarah,As you know I loved this book. I love the combination of fact and fiction. Is that your preferred style of writ..."
I am so glad the storm held off for you to talk with me. Hugs to you too, Sarah, love. See you on the next tour in New England. I may come up with more to talk about this week as well. All my love, Sassy Massy
Sarah, I'm so glad that your full answers were posted without issue tonight! I love hearing from authors about what goes on while you all are writing your books. Your answers were all so thoughtful and I appreciate the time it took you to answer our questions. You have a fan for life in me!
Hi, Sarah, A few questions about your writing habits: Do you have a regular writing schedule, or does it vary? Do you prepare a detailed outline before you start drafting, or do you write "by the seat of your pants?" Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? I'd like to thank you and your publisher for the free copy of "The Mapmaker's Children," which I was thrilled to win!
Hi Sarah, I love how you made Eden a natural born storyteller. Do you feel you were meant to be, what you are, a natural born storyteller? Have you always loved writing? History?xx
Chiming in because I haven't yet, but also haven't quite finished the book. But I'm SO enjoying it, and looking forward to Sarah's (complete!) answers to many of the above questions. :)Welcome, Sarah!
Sarah you did a lot of research on Sarah Brown. Did you find any other information on her life in California that you did not include in the story. You referenced the Saratoga Historical Society. Was that in Saratoga, CA? I used to live about 2 miles from Saratoga and I was totally unaware of the place ( that is if it was in Saratogs). I hate when I miss something in my own backyard.
Sarah, in your author's note, you say that you were fascinated by Sarah Brown's nearly forgotten life. I think most people didn't know of her before your novel. I found her character and story fascinating! Did you ever consider writing a non-fiction book about her life or were you always drawn to the fictional story?
Deanna wrote: "Hi again Sarah, another observation I had was how dogs were a part of both families. I also started believing that the dogs were also related :-) how did you decide the "puppy" would play a subtl..."
Let's talk DOG LOVE!
Thanks for bringing up a topic I could confab all day on, Deanna. I am a dog fanatic. In fact, I love all animals. I grew up with dogs, a cat, a horse, a turtle for a brief stint and my brother desperately wanted a rabbit but that is one of the only animals of which I have a slight phobia--to put it mildly--and even more strange is that my fear of rabbits (one of nature's seemingly most innocuous and fairy-tale lauded creatures) is thanks to literature!
The book WATERSHIP DOWN traumatized me so deeply as a child that I've since seen only fanged, little warring vermin in all rabbit-kind. The only rabbits I adore are the stuffed kind-- i.e. The Velveteen Rabbit. ;)
Okay, do we see how I tangent when I have no character count (140 on Twitter kills me every tweet)??
Back to dogs. The genesis of this novel was Eden's saying, "A dog is not a child." I think I've talked about that earlier in our TNBBC discussion. I had dogs and their role as family members on my mind from the get-go so including "puppies" was quite direct and meaningful. That was part of what drew me to this story-- that idea that women are told that A) we must be nurturers to be "real" women, B) we must nurture/produce biological offspring to be real "wives", C) we must nurture flesh children to be "real" mothers. It deeply disturbed me. This unsaid prototype. Sure, to a degree we agree with some of the above but to a greater degree, it's an unfair stereotype that holds out SO MUCH LOVE that doesn't fit into its parameters.
Dogs being fur babies, being one of those. I had a dog named Gatsby. He was my first "fur baby" who sadly passed away of Lymphoma at age 2. Extremely young and it was extremely painful to spend half of his lifetime holding his paw through the sick & dying process. I learned so much from that experience, however, and it's made me cherish every day with my current "child" Gilly, a 4-year-old, 9-lb Coton de Tulear that my husband and I are devoted to.
Do you have a dog/pet?
I have a sweet, pretty rescue dog, named Casey. As I read what you wrote about loving our dogs, I'm getting tears in my eyes as I watch sweet Casey whimper and look sad; she had a golf ball sized mass removed from her neck today. She'll be fine, but I'm sure she's in pain, plus still feeling effects of anesthesia. We do love our dogs.
Rosanna wrote: "Sarah, in your author's note, you say that you were fascinated by Sarah Brown's nearly forgotten life. I think most people didn't know of her before your novel. I found her character and story fasc..."Great question and thanks for reading my Author's Note so thoroughly! That was my first time writing an appendix to one of my novels. No "character voice" to channel. It's all my own! And while I loved sharing my research and writing process for THE MAPMAKER'S CHILDREN, I never set out to write Sarah Brown's biography. I make sure I say that emphatically at events and across all medias. I never, never wanted or intended to write her nonfiction biographical account. That would take yearssssssssss of research and historical digging. Not only do I not have that kind of time (I gotta get cracking on the next novel!) but while I respect the facts and figures of her life, I was more concerned with her heart story. Sarah Brown's emotional impact and valuable lessons still salient to our contemporary, female society. A biographer must be objective when handling his/her subject matter and I am entirely SUBJECTIVE when it comes to Sarah Brown. I think her marvelous. Inspiring. Powerful in a way that stretches out from the grave and makes me stand a little taller, as a woman, an artist and a nurturer without biological, human children.
I say this everywhere: If someone reads THE MAPMAKER'S CHILDREN and decides to write Sarah's biography, I shall preorder it this minute! I'm fascinated to know what "really happened" from the hour of her birth to the hour of her last breath.
I'd love to know more about Sarah's story, too.
Leslie wrote: "Chiming in because I haven't yet, but also haven't quite finished the book. But I'm SO enjoying it, and looking forward to Sarah's (complete!) answers to many of the above questions. :)Welcome, S..."
Hurray, welcome, Leslie! I hope you thoroughly enjoy reading the rest of novel! And if you haven't connected with me on Facebook and Twitter, please do! I'd love to hear from you after you've finished and beyond. ;)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSarahM...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahMMcCoy
Deborah wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Dee wrote: "Yes Sarah, that Indian food was delicious My first time having Indian food and meeting you all wrapped up into one. I adore you as well. xx "A first time for so many magical moments--how lovely, Deb! I'm so glad we shared them together, Mass o'Sass a'my heart. ☞❤︎
Susan wrote: "I have a sweet, pretty rescue dog, named Casey. As I read what you wrote about loving our dogs, I'm getting tears in my eyes as I watch sweet Casey whimper and look sad; she had a golf ball sized m..."Whaaaaatttt! Ohhhh poor Casey-love! A golfball size mass? Benign, I pray! Gatsby's lymphoma was the size of a grapefruit. In a 25-lb cockapoo, that was basically his entire middle! Even after they removed it, the margins were unclean and malignant so it returned with a vengeance, eating his sweet little body up from the inside out until not even the chemo was helping. So we let it be... brought him home and comforted him like a little prince even until the very last minute of his life. Doc B was holding him beside me when he passed. We saw it happen... life there and then, gone. One of the most spiritual events of my life. I had this unexplainable feeling that he was "passing" from this world's pain into another of light and love. I saw it in his eyes as he died...
I've never shared any of the above publicly. Only with close friends and family. I hope it doesn't sound hokey, but it's honest-to-God truth. We can only testify to what we each experience, and I won't be silent about witnessing the miracle of life in its cycle. A life-altering lesson I learned from a DOG, yes! Big souls in little critter bodies.
I'm praying for Casey to recover and be her spunky self again in no time. She's blessed to have a fur-mama like you who loves her unconditionally. Isn't that what we all yearn for in life?
Sarah,I have 3 dogs and 6 cats, mostly animals that people didn't want anymore . I love them all,but my 135 pound 2 year old German Shepherd /Lab is my baby. I cried so hard when Cricket died, shame on you. :-)
Sarah wrote: "Deanna wrote: "Hi again Sarah, another observation I had was how dogs were a part of both families. I also started believing that the dogs were also related :-) how did you decide the "puppy" wou..."
Sarah dearest, I have 9 cats. Yes, I know the crazy cat lady, however, I like you love all of nature's animals and have the same instinct, to love them. Wholeheartedly, as if they were my own children and my cats are. I am the oldest of 12 and grew up on a farm, with all kinds of animals, so I learned to nurture them before I had to nurture my children and grandchildren. Animals can teach us how to love unconditionally. xx
BTW, I also feed about 20 feral cats and try to find all the kittens they have home. I socialize them first of course.
Chris wrote: "Sarah you did a lot of research on Sarah Brown. Did you find any other information on her life in California that you did not include in the story. You referenced the Saratoga Historical Society. W..."YES, Saratoga, California! I was there, walking the streets and visiting this one-room Saratoga Historical Society Museum where Sarah Brown's paintings hang this very minute. The plaques with her titles and name are so small that most people see only her subject matter: John and Mary Brown. Such gigantic characters in our American history that most viewers forget to ask, "Who painted them?" Their daughter-- Sarah!
The curator opened the doors to me when the museum was closed so I could take in everything about Sarah Brown without interruption. I was dumbfounded to find there was hardly more than a stitch of information about her. I bought the single remaining "comprehensive packet" (a locally produced journal) on the Brown family's time in California and there was but a handful of pages that even mentioned Sarah Brown. The rest were dedicated to Salmon, Annie and Ellen who married local Saratoga folk and became Saratoga staples by way of their progeny continuing through the community bloodlines. But Sarah never married. Never had biological children. So the info was sparse.
Every fact I discovered from West Virginia to Massachusetts to California, I put in THE MAPMAKER'S CHILDREN. I wanted you, my wise readers, to learn everything I could find. Still, it seems too little, right!
Deborah wrote: "Dee wrote: "Deborah - have you tried Kristina McMorris (she is a friend of Sarah's - i can't remember who introduced me to who)?"No I haven't , I will have to check her out! Thank you
I think I mi..."
I have the early copy of The Edge of Lost by her from the publisher. will let you know how it is Dee. and you too Sarah, love.
Our vet is fairly certain it's benign, although we won't know for sure until next week. She's such a sad little thing now, and I'm certain that she is not happy with me since I took her to that place today. She was trembling from head to toe when I was checking her in. Just keep hoping that it's benign, and that she's back to her silly self soon. It's horrible to watch our animals suffer..our last dog had a stroke and it was one of the most horrible things we've ever witnessed. Rick was a mess, and I never thought he'd get another dog. 3 years after losing Sammie. He came home late from work, sobbing. I had no idea why, or even where he'd been....turned out he'd visits the animal shelter after seeing Casey's picture online, but he still didn't know if he wanted to let another animal get in his heart like that. 4 years later, Casey is a daddy's girl through and through!
Deborah wrote: "Hi Sarah, I love how you made Eden a natural born storyteller. Do you feel you were meant to be, what you are, a natural born storyteller? Have you always loved writing? History?xx"Great but hard to answer question, Deb! I say it's hard to answer because I'm inside ME so I'm not sure I know what it's like not want to tell stories... not to love writing and reading books. Is that natural-born? I guess some would argue yes, but maybe others would argue no, too, because I've worked very hard to educate myself on the narrative craft. I respect it as a job that requires work, dedication, practice, and humility. Much like any profession.
Take Doc B. Would someone describe him as a "natural-born surgeon"? Is there such a thing? Some in his field argue that a doctor must be a natural-born physician-- i.e. they must yearn to care for and treat patients with compassion and commitment. But he couldn't just wake up with a heart for it and decide to go cut people open. Likewise, I knew I needed to read as far and wide as I could. Study the novel structure. Study the men and women who created great literature long before my time. I went to MFA school to get my masters in English creative writing. In in-resident program, I wrote and read and let myself be critiqued by group after group of fellow writers for three years. Then I got out and worked even harder to get my books published... and I'm STILL working my tail off every day to be better for my readers. To create something that is worthy of your time and love.
I'm honored and humbled to tears every time I read a beautiful review on Goodreads or Amazon from someone who loved my book and rated it the highest of esteem. It rocks my world with appreciation! And makes me dedicated to storytelling as a means of connecting with you, dear friends.
These aren't just words on a page. YOU are welcoming my characters into your homes, your memories, your hearts. That makes it a holy alliance of minds and spirits, in my humble opinion. Blessed, as someone I know so appropriately declared.
I so admire your dedication to your work and to your readers. I'm sure it makes it more worthwhile when you hear comments and read reviews, so that you know how much your stories have touched us. Writing a book seems like such a personal thing. As a reader, I love that social media, Amazon, Goodreads and other outlets provide us a way to interact with you and other authors, and that we can share with authors and readers how much we love and appreciate all of you. Which authors have inspired you?
Deborah wrote: "I like you love all of nature's animals and have the same instinct, to love them. Wholeheartedly, as if they were my own children and my cats are. I am the oldest of 12 and grew up on a farm, with all kinds of animals, so I learned to nurture them before I had to nurture my children and grandchildren. Animals can teach us how to love unconditionally. xx ."AMEN, AMEN, AMEN! ❤︎ Preach it D'Sassy! XO
I am in a chat with a FB book club, and 3 of us just named you as a favorite author.(they were also jealous of me!)
Deanna wrote: "Sarah,I have 3 dogs and 6 cats, mostly animals that people didn't want anymore . I love them all,but my 135 pound 2 year old German Shepherd /Lab is my baby. I cried so hard when Cricket died, sh..."
Sigh... I loved that Cricket so dearly. I sobbed my way through writing that entire chapter/scene. If someone had witnessed it, they'd have thought me in need of psychiatric medication. Snotting and weeping at my laptop in the silent solitude of my writing office. Oh but I loved him so. I do hate that I made you cry, too, m'dear. Dogs/pets/animals are so precious!!
Constance wrote: "Hi, Sarah, A few questions about your writing habits: Do you have a regular writing schedule, or does it vary? Do you prepare a detailed outline before you start drafting, or do you write "by the s..."I'm thrilled you're THRILLED to have a copy of TMC, Constance. ♡
Of course, we all wear different hats from day to day. So when I've got on my "creative first draft writing" hat, my schedule is pretty militant. I wake up, do breakfast routine with Gilly then take my cup of über-caffeinated tea (1 pekoe + 1 green matcha) straight to my writing office to work. I don't have the TV, radio, phones, or any kind of distraction on during this process. I write and/or research until lunch then I stop and always make something hot on the stove. I need hot foods to feel full. I'm NOT someone who can do cold cuts, pretzels, + an apple at her desk and feel full. I'm a WOMAN not a wood sprite! So I always make a serious midday meal.
The process of cooking is relaxing to me, too. It Zen's me away from the page and gives me a start-to-finish project that I glean instant gratification from. In comparison to the writing that can go on and on for years. Even when the manuscript is done, it's never really done. Even when it's published, you don't have completion because you're then wondering how it's being received by readers' imaginations, etc. But skillet chicken? From raw to delicious, a job well done in 30 minutes.
Post lunch. I write&research until my husband gets home around 7 p.m. then I stop & make dinner for us. I turn off all creative mojo then to simply be Sarah with my Doc B. I want him to tell me stories about his day-- shush my inner voices and let someone else talk for awhile. I cherish that time together. After dinner, I usually sit and watch brainless TV while tweeting and doing Facebook/social media. I need to unplug so I can come back to the pages fresh in the morning. However, if an idea wakes me with insomnia at 3 a.m., I get up and write it down.
That's my creative writing schedule to get a first draft done. The revision process is a totally different beast. More of a parlay between me and my publisher/editor. A hurry-up-then-wait game where I scramble to revise then wait to hear if she/he likes what I've changed. Then scramble to revise based on that feedback and wait again. It's neurotic. Typically in those "waiting" periods I work on other writing...
I do a every-other-month column for Writer Unboxed: http://writerunboxed.com/author/sarah....
A monthly "What We're Reading" for Read-It-Forward:http://www.readitforward.com/bookshel...
And various print magazine features.
So I keep busy! I must exercise my writing muscles so they're nice and strong for the novels. I've flown by the seat of my pants in the story crafting and I've done meticulous outlining. It really depends on how the characters demand their stories told. Some characters are whimsical and wandering (like my Verdita in THE TIME IT SNOWED IN PUERTO RICO). The best I could do was hold onto her kite strings while she sailed. Then there are books like the one I'm working on now... I'm outlining every dang hiccup and ear pop. The historical characters are demanding like that--their narrative plot-line so intricately woven that I couldn't possibly write without precise directions.
For THE MAPMAKER'S CHILDREN, I outlined and then I ended up writing 800 pages to include the outlined story and ALL the surrounding territory. I had to cut 500 pages to the 300 you hold in the final copy. A bloodbath as gruesome as the Civil War, I tell ya. So that book was an attempt at the outlining process that ended up flying by the seat of its own pants that then got sabered down to two focal points: Eden and Sarah.
Bottom line: I probably am the wrong author to give any kind of advice to aspiring writers. Bwaha, I'm as bad as Goldilocks eating up all the bears' porridges! I can't say there is one best way. Obviously, Eden and Sarah have infiltrated my every molecule with their "don't conform to any mold" philosophy. So maybe that's the advice: listen to your characters, follow the story, don't restrict yourself to a formula, try, try, try and try again. ☺︎✔︎✎
I absolutely love hearing how the mind of an author works.
Thanks so very much for your warm and detailed messages, Sarah. I feel like I've been sitting at your side with a cup of that pekoe/matcha tea, a dog or two at our feet, perhaps rain outside, having a lovely conversation with a dear friend! And your writing advice is SO helpful--trust your characters and yourself!
Susan wrote: "Sarah, the book festival was an amazing experience! How can you not love to be at a place where you are surrounded by books: people talking about them, reading them, carrying the, buying them! Best..."Just reading your post I could feel the excitement and I am looking forward to this Book discussion!
Thank you Sarah for a great discussion. I feel like I am at your house, drinking tea and having a wonderful time. You are a very special friend and I look forward to many more discussions. I signed up for Read it Forward so I can read all your posts. You are a true inspiration to me. All my love, Sassy Massy :) xoxo
Chris! Here's more that I wrote and the Internet gobbled... to your question regarding the house. The house, like New Charlestown, is fictional. But I based it on heaps of boots-on-the-ground research in Harper's Ferry and the surrounding townships. It's a marvelous, magical area that I highly encourage readers to take a "field trip" to sometime. But alas, the Apple Hill house is holding secrets only in our imaginations.