HALLIE EPHRON: I recently had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Susanna Kearsley for her book (The Vanished Days) launch event at Houston's Murder By the Book. Which I could do because of covid and Zoom -- the silver lining. And which I am happy to report I can share with you through the power of YouTube.
Susanna is a New York Times bestselling author with a huge following - I know this because I usually sit beside her at the book signing at the annual Surrey International Writers Conference in Vancouver, and her line snakes out the door. And because I'm a huge fan of her writing.
Her books are juicy romances, and ever so much more they are meticulously researched historical fiction. The Scottish Highlands are her one of her sweet spots, and the new novel takes place in the Autumn of 1707.
It's a turning point in Scottish history, the story of the ill-fated Darien expedition. It was their attempt to become a colonial power but was sabotaged by the English king, leaving Scotland all but bankrupt. And in the foreground, there's the delicious story of a young widow who comes forward to collect her husband's due payment but her claim is questioned.
Like I said, terrific romance but fascinating historical backdrop.
I had a wonderful time interviewing Susanna - and I invite you to watch it now at this link on YouTube. Do those turning points in history fascinate you, too? That moment when the founding fathers had had enough and decided to proclaim independence? That moment when penicillin was discovered? And what might have been.
This is so interesting Hallie . . . thanks for sharing the interview with us. Now I’m looking forward to reading Susanna’s book. I do enjoy when an author weaves such important moments in history into the telling of their story . . . .
ReplyDeleteMe, too. And Susanna's new book is also very much of a mystery, complete with a reveal that gobsmacked me.
DeleteGood morning, Joan. There are so many intriguing mysteries hiding in the lesser-known episodes of history!
DeleteI'll take a look this afternoon, Hallie. I love historical fiction. I cam upon the era of my Quaker Midwife Mysteries by accident but then was delighted to discover more and more about the late 1880s being an era of incredible change.
ReplyDeleteThere's so much in real life that can fertilize fiction.
DeleteEdith, the 1880s did indeed witness some pivotal moments. In the USA alone, the 1880s saw the assassination of President Garfield, the gunfight at the OK corral, the killing of Jesse James, the birth of the American Red Cross, and the coming of the Statute of Liberty to New York Harbor. Quite a decade. And didn't Edison first light a Christmas tree with electric lights in the 1880s?
DeleteLooking forward to catching the interview this afternoon. Yea for YouTube!
ReplyDeleteTurning points in history? Yes, I am fascinated by the Victorian era. The social and economic changes were enormous and we are dealing with the effects and excesses of the industrial revolution that began during her reign.
This makes me think, there are quite a few books that take the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire as their jumping off point.
DeleteKait, my ancestors on my dad's side were miners and silk weavers in the north of England who were very much affected by the industrial revolution, having to uproot themselves and follow the work, so they're who I always think of whenever I think of those times.
DeleteGood morning, Hallie! What a wonderful thing to wake up to. Thanks so much for these very kind words, and for making me welcome at Jungle Red Writers. This virtual life isn't quite the same as seeing you in person, but at least at our event at Murder by the Book we managed to come close. I love being able to re-watch our talk, because your questions were so wonderful and led us into such a great conversation.
ReplyDeleteI think one of my favourite bits came right at the beginning, when you asked me whether this book felt different in any way from the books that I normally write, and whether I had thought about it any differently while I was working on it, "because it is so pronouncedly a mystery."
For those who haven't gone to YouTube yet, here's how I answered that: "I didn’t really think about it any differently because each book sort of takes its own shape…I’m a pantser, I’m not a plotter. I kind of just throw the characters on there and see where they’re going to go…I could tell that it was heavier on the suspense and the mystery, but each book is different, so all my books have a blend of things—they have mystery, history, romance, some of them have a light paranormal mix in there. It’s like making cakes, and you’re never quite sure how much of each ingredient is going to come out topmost in the blend, and in this one the mystery is definitely up there at the top, but that’s happened before in a couple of my books, where the mystery would be the foremost ingredient, and as I got into the book I could see that it was really taking centre stage, so I just went with it, I just let them go. And it’s fun for me, too, because it’s a mystery for me, too. Because I never always know who’s doing it, or who the bad guy is, or how it’s going to turn out."
Which makes me think about your turning point question, because turning points in history are often a little like that, aren't they? You never know which way you're going to come out, when you enter them. And depending on which angle you approach them from, they can be filled with endless possibilities.
Thanks, Susanna! I was so tickled that you were writing such a twisty mystery. And my oh my what a plot twist there is!
DeleteI have watched several interviews recently with Susanna but not yours, Hallie, so I'll be bringing up that link.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Emily! I really loved doing that interview with Hallie. We've known each other for over a decade now, through our annual participation in the Surrey International Writers' Conference, but this is the first time we've been able to do an event together, and the experience was so wonderful.
DeleteSusanna--that cover! Worthy of framing! I'm such a fan of well-written historical books and am always interested in a book set in historical Scotland. My mother's family was rooted there and in Ireland. What I enjoy most about historical novels is when they focus not on the big events but the little people's lives. Everything from Egyptian tablets to Roman graffiti reminds us that times change but people remain the same--your boss is a jerk, someone cheated a widow, the one you love doesn't know you exist. Can't wait to read The Vanished Days.
ReplyDeleteFlora, isn't it a pretty cover? I can't take any credit for it whatsoever, but when I first saw it, I had that same reaction--I wanted to frame it and hang it on my wall! And I'm with you, I like the little people. I remember wandering through a museum in Bordeaux, France, and what stuck with me most wasn't anything rich or fabulous but a plain, worn Roman headstone with an inscription that read, in essence, something like: "He was a good man, he was loved, and his wife and children miss him". Those are the lives that I want to put back on the page.
DeleteThat's so sweet! Wandering around in historic cemeteries is something I love to do, too. And I'm often moved to tears by the tiny little headstones.
DeleteGood historical fiction has helped me understand history better than most of my classes in school. Having well fleshed out characters moving through a particular time and space turns something on in my imagination that dry history lectures and dull recitation of facts and dates never could. In particular, women's roles and the depictions of their lives in those times help me inhabit the era more fully and satisfactorily. Reading the novel Tom Jones made me realize how much like us today people were, even 450 years ago.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to listening to your interview, Susanna and Hallie, and to reading The Vanished Days.
YES! I asked Susanna about that is, too, as I bet Hallie did. And Susanna has a great story about facing down a history teacher...
DeleteDo tell, Susanna!
DeleteI agree, Karen. Being able to bring history down to the personal level and focus on people instead of the larger events helps to bring it to life for me, too.
DeleteAs for the incident Hank is referring to, it was an historian, and I probably didn't tell the story very well to Hank because I wasn't facing the poor woman down, I was apologizing, because I'd been going on about how historians so often get things wrong and perpetuate misleading accounts and leave people out of the official record, and here this woman had been very patiently sitting in the audience of one of my events and then she piped up and told me she was an historian, and I felt terrible. So I was quick to reassure her that I do rely on GOOD historians and their work, to point me in the direction of the sources that I need. And there are many good historians out there, believe me. Anyhow, it was a valuable lesson for me to learn, to give a little more thought to the feelings of who might be sitting in front of me, when I'm complaining :-)
I'll watch the talk later. Yes, looking at those pivotal moments and thinking, "What if?" is an interesting exercise.
ReplyDeleteAs Karen said, good historical fiction educates as much as it entertains.
"What if?" is always how a story starts to grow, for me. There's a wonderful quote by Lord Dacre that says, "History is not merely what happened: it is what happened in the context of what might have happened." So I always try to keep that in mind, and consider what MIGHT have happened, if things had pivoted in a different direction...
DeleteOh, I loved this book! Absolutely immersive, and I really felt transported, and entertained, and educated! I'd never heard of the Darien expedition, and it's so--touching and revealing. (And I interviewed her for A Mighty Blaze--she's so fascinating! You can watch it on the Mighty Blaze page on Facebook.)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, as a non-plotter, too, I'm so aware of decisions--that moment where a person decides to open a door, or not. And there is change, and there is story, and there is life.
You, Hank, are exceedingly good for my self-esteem :-)
DeleteAnd yes, decisions and choices are everything, when books are taking their shape.
Susanna, welcome to Jungle Reds and congratulations on your new novel! I love Scottish history. My great grandfather was born in Scotland. Why didn't I know about the Darien expedition? I knew a bit about the tulip shares in Holland that caused a financial crisis. I knew a little about East India Company.
ReplyDeleteHank, these turning points in history are so fascinating! Thank you for introducing a new to me novel.
Diana
Thank you, Diana! If it makes you feel better, many Scots don't know about the Darien expedition, either, or at least they don't know the whole of the story. Although, to be fair, there's so MUCH Scottish history it's difficult to keep it all in one's mind.
DeleteI love learning history through well-researched fiction. Throw a mystery in and I'm in hog heaven. Your writing and characters are so rich, Susanna, I am in awe. You are one of the authors on my must- buy list. As for turning points, don't we all at some time wonder what would have happened if we'd done this instead of that?
ReplyDeleteLaughing here, because that's my weakness as a writer -- constantly second-guessing myself. At some point you just have to take a breath and forge ahead.
DeleteThank you for those kind words, Pat. We could go mad thinking about the roads not taken, which is why it's always safer to keep our focus on the road ahead, I think :-)
DeleteHA! Remember that Pogo?
DeleteAlbert:"What do you do when you don't know which way to turn?"
Pogo: "I don't turn."
I love Susanna's books! As for turning points in history, there were a lot of them in the opening days of the American Revolution. One of the most dramatic: Henry Knox, a young Boston bookseller with an interest in military history, was given the mission by George Washington to bring the heavy artillery captured at Fort Ticonderoga back to Boston. Knox and his men - well, I'm going to cut and paste from Wikipedia here:
ReplyDeleteKnox went to Ticonderoga in November 1775 and moved 60 tons of cannon and other armaments over the course of three winter months by boat, horse, ox-drawn sledges, and manpower along poor-quality roads, across two semi-frozen rivers, and through the forests and swamps of the lightly inhabited Berkshires to the Boston area, covering approximately 300 miles (500 km). Historian Victor Brooks has called Knox's exploit "one of the most stupendous feats of logistics" of the entire American Revolutionary War.
Those cannon drove the British out of their stronghold in the city, forcing a retreat to Nova Scotia. It effectively ending the war in New England, and proved to the rest of the colonies that the mighty British army could be defeated. If the cannons had been stuck, or sunk; if the men in Knox's group had given up; if the British had caught wind of the plan and sent a troop to stop them...
Oh, and every good piece of historical fiction needs a heroine, so how about his wife Lucy Flucker, who married him against the wishes of her parents (her brother was an officer in the King's army!) and was known to follow Henry along on his various campaigns.
OMG sounds like the grist for a terrific novel! Fascinating, Julia.
DeleteJulia,
DeleteHow did you know about Susanna's books? I cannot believe that I did not know about the books before today, even though I follow many bookstagram accounts on Instagram.
Diana
Julia, there were many turning points in that war, and in the Seven Years' War that preceded it. Turbulent times, that divided many families.
DeleteHi, Susanna, and welcome to Jungle Red! Your cover is indeed stunning, and I love anything set in the Scottish Highlands so I am very much looking forward to this! (Actually, I'm starting with The Winter Sea, so I can enjoy the progression of the books.) Also looking forward to listening to your interview with Hallie.
ReplyDeleteI do love reading and learning about pivotal moments in history. I've been watching both Call the Midwife and Grantchester on PBS. The storylines on both shows are now into the mid sixties, and it's interesting to see their takes on that pivotal moment.
Debs, I love anything set in the Scottish Highlands too.
DeleteDiana
Hi Deborah, and thank you for the welcome. The Winter Sea is always a good place to start with my books, although you don't have to read the books in order. The historical story of The Winter Sea does continue in The Firebird, but The Vanished Days has bits that overlap the action of The Winter Sea, and some bits that precede it, so it's not a strictly linear trilogy, and it's not even a proper trilogy since I'm sure there will be more books yet before I'm done with the Morays and Graemes. I hope you enjoy the read!
DeleteCongratulations Susanna on The Vanished Days.
ReplyDeleteI love history, Scotland and a good story and I’m looking forward to reading this book.
I intend to have a look at your other books as well. I like to discover new to me Canadian authors.
Thank you! You can always sample the first chapters of any of my books at my website, and learn more about the individual stories, and browse the galleries of photos I took on my research trips: https://susannakearsley.com/
DeleteThat way you can decided beforehand if a particular book might be more to your liking. Some, as I said, have more mystery, and others have stronger romantic threads. Each has its own unique blend.
This book is in my TBR pile. I’ve read all of Susanna’s books that I can find and they are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Teri. I'm glad you enjoy the stories.
DeleteOh, this one sounds fantastic! I'm adding it to my list right now!
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it, Kathy!
DeleteOh, I love Susanna's work and I've heard amazing things about this book! Very excited to add it to my short list!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jenn. I hope the book lives up to expectations!
Delete