Ask the Author: Mary Doria Russell
Answered Questions (21)
Mary Doria Russell
Yes, I spend time in Calumet, walking the streets, studying the buildings that date to the era of the story, touring mines, asking questions and loading up on research material from the local museum's bookstore.
There was a lot to learn about the copper mining industry and about Annie Clements' moment in time. I had to put her experiences into the context of several other strikes led by and for women laborers, like the shirtwaist sewers and mill girls. And the work of suffragists was germane as well.
In general it takes me about three years to write a novel. About 1/3d of the research takes place before I begin writing. I'll coast on that for about 150 pages of writing before I have to stop again and do another round of digging so I can see my way clear to the end of the story.
There was a lot to learn about the copper mining industry and about Annie Clements' moment in time. I had to put her experiences into the context of several other strikes led by and for women laborers, like the shirtwaist sewers and mill girls. And the work of suffragists was germane as well.
In general it takes me about three years to write a novel. About 1/3d of the research takes place before I begin writing. I'll coast on that for about 150 pages of writing before I have to stop again and do another round of digging so I can see my way clear to the end of the story.
Mary Doria Russell
For the second time in four years, I awoke to the news that Donald Trump would be president.
Mary Doria Russell
As it says in the book, most immigrants changed the spelling of their names to match the way English-speakers would spell them. I speak enough Hrvatski to know that a c is pronounced ts but few of my readers would know that. So I followed Joe Clements' Americanized spelling.
Mary Doria Russell
I relied on travelers' memoirs from 1911-1925 but I also had two recent visitors to the region vet my portrayal. There've been earthquakes and serious fires in the decades since Agnes made her trip, so I wanted to be sure I was only having her see and do things that were available to her at the time.
Mary Doria Russell
I can only quote Ringo Starr: "Well, you know, it don't come easy." Six years of research, three years of writing DOC, another three for EPITAPH, endless editing of endless drafts, constant reworking, months of cutting, tightening, rethinking.
I also work with test readers at each stage, and they are good about telling me things like, "Mary, nobody is as interested in 19th century dentistry as you are." Or "Not every single character has to be given an aria to sing." And all that is before it goes to the publisher, so there are additional rounds of reaction and guidance.
This isn't an easy game to play and it's lovely to hear that you were so completely immersed in the story!
I also work with test readers at each stage, and they are good about telling me things like, "Mary, nobody is as interested in 19th century dentistry as you are." Or "Not every single character has to be given an aria to sing." And all that is before it goes to the publisher, so there are additional rounds of reaction and guidance.
This isn't an easy game to play and it's lovely to hear that you were so completely immersed in the story!
Mary Doria Russell
That was a tough one. Seven years of research and writing, interviews with refugees, soldiers, rabbis, priests, etc. Three trips to Europe (in November, because it was cheaper).
Those were also the most challenging (which is to say sucky) years of my life so far. Three close relatives dying of awful diseases, much turbulence in the lives of my husband and son, and my own personal menopause. I used to fantasize about having a nice little heart attack of my own so I could just rest and not have to take care of everything and eveyone else around me.
In the end, though, I think A Thread of Grace brought an important story to a lot of readers. The reaction from the children of WWII partisans and refugees has been especially gratifying. They've written to me to say they never really understood why their parents acted the way they did, and Claudette's story gave them context for their own childhoods.
Those were also the most challenging (which is to say sucky) years of my life so far. Three close relatives dying of awful diseases, much turbulence in the lives of my husband and son, and my own personal menopause. I used to fantasize about having a nice little heart attack of my own so I could just rest and not have to take care of everything and eveyone else around me.
In the end, though, I think A Thread of Grace brought an important story to a lot of readers. The reaction from the children of WWII partisans and refugees has been especially gratifying. They've written to me to say they never really understood why their parents acted the way they did, and Claudette's story gave them context for their own childhoods.
Mary Doria Russell
They're under option by Palm Star as a vehicle for Jeremy Renner. They are thinking about a limited series of 11 episodes, I think, but nobody tells me nothing!
Mary Doria Russell
Crystal, I'm afraid you'll just have to make do with my other four books. I read to learn and I write to understand. Once I've finished a novel, I am ready to move on to something completely different. Six years with the same characters is enough for me!
You might want to try Doc and Epitaph. Doc Holliday has some of the same appeal as Emilio and Kate Harony is as strong and vulnerable as Sofia.
You might want to try Doc and Epitaph. Doc Holliday has some of the same appeal as Emilio and Kate Harony is as strong and vulnerable as Sofia.
Mary Doria Russell
Kangaroos, mainly, which look like bipedal wolves and deer when you think about their faces.
BTW, I am a big fan of People of Earth!
BTW, I am a big fan of People of Earth!
Mary Doria Russell
Actually, Denver was the last stop I was able to do before I had to bail on the book tour. I was at the Tattered Cover, coughing my lungs up, and I hope I didn't make anybody else sick while trying to soldier through the event.
Sorry we missed each other, but at least I didn't give you pertussis!
Sorry we missed each other, but at least I didn't give you pertussis!
Mary Doria Russell
Good question! I'll write a blog on that and post it in a few days!
Mary Doria Russell
I'm working on two books right now, which is unusual for me. Actively writing Unremembered Lives about the early days of the American labor movement, but also doing research for the next novel, which is about six kings of the Plantagenet dynasty 1100-1250.
Re: Doc. It took the production company a looooong time to get their act together (which is worrisome) but yes, we now have a signed option deal for both Doc and Epitaph, to be developed for a TV series. Don't get excited: many are optioned, but few are filmed. Nothing is real in Hollywood until the cinematographer is on the set eating a breakfast burrito.
Re: Doc. It took the production company a looooong time to get their act together (which is worrisome) but yes, we now have a signed option deal for both Doc and Epitaph, to be developed for a TV series. Don't get excited: many are optioned, but few are filmed. Nothing is real in Hollywood until the cinematographer is on the set eating a breakfast burrito.
Mary Doria Russell
Happy to hear that, Joyce. The obvious next book would be Children of God!
Mary Doria Russell
Oh, gosh, well, thank you for your kind words. The novel was submitted for several prizes but my publisher didn't know about the Spur, so the book was out of that competition. Most awards are voted on by committees within the organization that gives the prize, so unless you're a member, I'm afraid you can't vote.
I'm tempted to make a remark about presidential candidates who were never members of a party but feel entitled to complain about the rules...
Anyway, what you can do is leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads and to nag your friends and stand in bookstores saying in a loud and ringing voice, "Epitaph is the best historical novel on the American West I've ever read!"
I'm tempted to make a remark about presidential candidates who were never members of a party but feel entitled to complain about the rules...
Anyway, what you can do is leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads and to nag your friends and stand in bookstores saying in a loud and ringing voice, "Epitaph is the best historical novel on the American West I've ever read!"
Mary Doria Russell
It was the other way around: studying Judaism was partly what led to The Sparrow. I already had been reading on my own and had taken the Choosing Judaism course before starting The Sparrow.
That began as an intellectual journey but motherhood had solidified my interest. Judaism is all about raising children who will want to be good -- without the threat of hell or the bribe of heaven. That was what I wanted for my son, and he was thriving at the JCC preschool even before I began studying with a rabbi.
As I moved more decisively toward a formal conversion, I decided that I should reconsider the religion of my own childhood as an adult. That's where The Sparrow came in. I didn't want to set up a Catholic straw man and triumph over him. I wanted to make the best case I could for the religion of my youth.
I don't know if you've gotten to the homily for Alan Pace (potential spoiler there), but after I wrote that passage, I told my rabbi, "Okay. I am bilingual religiously, but I am a Jew. Let's make it official."
Sofia was my way of easing into writing a Jewish character, but by the time I got to A Thread of Grace, I felt capable of writing for a rabbi! I hope you'll go on to the sequel to The Sparrow (Children of God) and then to A Thread of Grace, which is about Jewish survival in Nazi-occupied Germany. Forget the pope. A vast conspiracy of Italian priests and peasants saved over 43,000 Jews during a brutal, vindictive occupation. It's a story that deserves to be better known.
That began as an intellectual journey but motherhood had solidified my interest. Judaism is all about raising children who will want to be good -- without the threat of hell or the bribe of heaven. That was what I wanted for my son, and he was thriving at the JCC preschool even before I began studying with a rabbi.
As I moved more decisively toward a formal conversion, I decided that I should reconsider the religion of my own childhood as an adult. That's where The Sparrow came in. I didn't want to set up a Catholic straw man and triumph over him. I wanted to make the best case I could for the religion of my youth.
I don't know if you've gotten to the homily for Alan Pace (potential spoiler there), but after I wrote that passage, I told my rabbi, "Okay. I am bilingual religiously, but I am a Jew. Let's make it official."
Sofia was my way of easing into writing a Jewish character, but by the time I got to A Thread of Grace, I felt capable of writing for a rabbi! I hope you'll go on to the sequel to The Sparrow (Children of God) and then to A Thread of Grace, which is about Jewish survival in Nazi-occupied Germany. Forget the pope. A vast conspiracy of Italian priests and peasants saved over 43,000 Jews during a brutal, vindictive occupation. It's a story that deserves to be better known.
Mary Doria Russell
Oh, Lord! NO! Not that one. As you'll learn at the end of Epitaph, the movies of the 1940s-1980s present very inaccurate portrayals of what happened in Arizona in 1881 and why.
The best movie is "Tombstone" with Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. There are factual errors in that as well, but it's the closest to reality. There is a great deal of operatic violence at the end, but that's the way the American mythology about the gunfight has evolved. If you watch that movie, then you'll be aware of how the story has been simplified into Good Guys versus Bad Guys.
All the characters in Epitaph are real. I tried to be fair and compassionate to every one of them, but I was also writing about how the gunfight became central to American beliefs about the West. You can see how this plays out in contemporary politics, as well. I hope you like the book.
The best movie is "Tombstone" with Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. There are factual errors in that as well, but it's the closest to reality. There is a great deal of operatic violence at the end, but that's the way the American mythology about the gunfight has evolved. If you watch that movie, then you'll be aware of how the story has been simplified into Good Guys versus Bad Guys.
All the characters in Epitaph are real. I tried to be fair and compassionate to every one of them, but I was also writing about how the gunfight became central to American beliefs about the West. You can see how this plays out in contemporary politics, as well. I hope you like the book.
Mary Doria Russell
I didn't just see the article, I heard the gunfire from two blocks away! I was in Tombstone for the Helldorado Days festival. When I found out that a tourist had been grazed by a ricochet but declined medical treatment, I thought, "Damn! If that had been me, it would have been great publicity!"
The poor bastard who got shot had to be medevac'ed out -- the wound was "high in the groin," which I fear is a euphemism...
The poor bastard who got shot had to be medevac'ed out -- the wound was "high in the groin," which I fear is a euphemism...
Mary Doria Russell
I always give one piece of advice to the many writers who contact me about their work: please go to Writer Beware and read all the articles:
http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/f...
SFWA is a science fiction organization, but their advice and warnings for aspiring authors are very important.
For every unpublished writer, there are dozens of literary wolves who feast on hopes and dreams. The scams are widespread, varied, and shameless. These people rake in millions, year after year, from writers who are naive about publishing.
Don't let yourself be preyed upon. Legitimate agents never ask a writer for money. They make their living the way real estate agents do: by getting 15% of what a legitimate publisher pays the author. If anyone asks you to pay them one dime, RUN -- no matter how seductive the scammer's approach is.
http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/f...
SFWA is a science fiction organization, but their advice and warnings for aspiring authors are very important.
For every unpublished writer, there are dozens of literary wolves who feast on hopes and dreams. The scams are widespread, varied, and shameless. These people rake in millions, year after year, from writers who are naive about publishing.
Don't let yourself be preyed upon. Legitimate agents never ask a writer for money. They make their living the way real estate agents do: by getting 15% of what a legitimate publisher pays the author. If anyone asks you to pay them one dime, RUN -- no matter how seductive the scammer's approach is.
Mary Doria Russell
France was one of the first nations to do a translation! Le Moineau de Dieu was published by Albin Michele in 1998 and was Un Gran Livre Du Mois. You might be able to find it in a used bookstore at this point. I doubt that it's still in print in French.
Mary Doria Russell
Well, the fact that my first book was about Jesuits in space didn't exactly help! Getting turned down by 31 agencies was awful and I probably should have given up, but ultimately it worked out. The Sparrow will be reissued with a 20th anniversary edition next year.
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