Interview with Lyn LeJeune, author of ELIJAH RISING

About 97.5% of the messages I see on the microblogging site Twitter are instantly forgottable, but the quality of some writers' tweets makes them stand out from the crowd. Lyn Lejeune, author of Elijah Rising, (http://twitter.com/#!/beatitudes) is one such person. That is what led me to ask her to tell me more about herself and her novel.

But, before I get to the interview proper, let me begin with an excerpt from a review of Elijah Rising, posted on Historical Novel Review:

In Lyn LeJeune's Elijah Rising, the heir to a railroad fortune, Michael is an aimless soul struggling to find his path in life. In World War I America, patriotism prevails and pacifists are punished. A misfit in the academic world and rejected for military service, Michael lives off a generous allowance from his callous mother and passes time in between bouts of drinking by wandering the streets of New York City. There he meets the disadvantaged and downtrodden and feels the need to share about their suffering through his writing. 

One of his encounters is with a young, orphaned black boy named Elijah Broom. For reasons even Michael can't understand, he is compelled to learn more about Elijah's life. When he later finds out that Elijah has become a revivalist preacher, traveling through America to bring God's message to the masses, Michael decides to follow him. Their journey takes them through the dangerous territory of the Klan and further west to the dusty deserts. Elijah becomes far more than a personal interest story to Michael – he becomes the answer to everything he has sought in life. Michael, the once-tortured soul, has found a cause in Elijah, the embodiment of hope and salvation. But the charismatic Elijah is more than what he seems to be on the surface…

And here is the interview (the short, sharp format of which is freely adapted from author interviews in Le Monde's literary pages):




Hi Lyn,

Thank you for doing this interview. I'd like to begin by asking you what you've been able to do better in ELIJAH RISING than in all your previous novels, and how you managed to do it? 

I studied history in college for almost ten years and focused on the 1920's and 30's. I was able to tell the truth of the times in my fiction, including cultural and political events. ELIJAH RISING has been compared to The Great Gatsby (hubris?) 




I saw that very favorable comparison in one of the Amazon reviews for Elijah Rising. Now, here's my next question. What's the first book you remember reading ? 

I grew up in a small town in Cajun Country, Louisiana. I used to walk around by myself and always ended up at the little library. I decided to read all the books starting with the letter Z. I cannot remember that author. But I do remember reading Zane Grey's books. I wanted to be a cowboy.




In your opinion, what book, that you loved reading, or that really influenced you, has never got the fame and readers it deserves? 

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier.
Outstanding book; outstanding young writer.




On the other hand, what supposedly classic piece of writing sent you to sleep after the first few pages ?

Pride and Prejudice, really. Something wrong with me? 




Nope, nothing wrong with you. Who's the writer you'd like to have a few drinks with? 

James Lee Burke. The south lives in this writing. 




I agree with you. I think I must have read upwards of 20 James Lee Burke novels and enjoyed them all. On the other hand, is there a writer you like to read, but you wouldn't like to meet?

John Irving 




What book published recently do you most want to read ?

Massie's new biography of Catherine the Great.




I read the New York Times review of the book recently, and I too am tempted to read it. What's the most recent book you read that nearly made you miss your train, your flight or kept you up all night ?

The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber.




What's your preferred place for writing?

I have a small room with a very old computer I use only for typing. I have this statement from Hemingway on top of the computer: "I sit at the typewriter and bleed." 




What 10-15 line excerpt from ELIJAH RISING, do you think will give readers a good idea of the book?

One day we were walking down a dirt road, the air was cool and clean. Trees that had turned to many colors lined the road. It was beautiful. Looka, Mama, I squealed. God be callin' us. The wind picked up and I caught three falling leaves; a red one, a yellow one, and an orange one. I spread them out like I was holding a deck of cards. Looka, I said, turning to sister,
Deys leaves, said sister. And she wiped her eyes that had become swollen with some kind of infection. By the time we got to the factories, to New York, she was blind.
The clouds ruffled up and a cold wind blew from the north and we continued on. On the second month of our trip, when we had no more food and drank from the streams along the way, a wagon full of little black heads headed toward us and I yelled. See dera, Mama, it be a chariot of da Lord.
And you know what? It was.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Lyn,  and good luck with ELIJAH RISING.