Interview with author Jeanne Gassman
Welcome Readers toanother installment of our author interview series. Today we have the pleasureof chatting with Jeanne, author of two historical fiction books.
JMR-Welcome to theBooks Delight, Jeanne. Tell our readers where you live, what you do for fun andwhat does the perfect day look like?
JG- I live in Ruidoso,New Mexico, a small town on the edge of the Lincoln National Forest. I enjoyreading, hiking the local trails that wind through our natural beauty, walkingour dog, and playing and singing music. I sing in our church choir, which has beena learning experience, since I’m an instrumentalist, not a trained vocalist.
My perfect day beginswith a walk with my husband and our dog, Picasso. After we return home, I goupstairs to my home office and dig in on my latest writing project. In theafternoon, I putter around the house, practice music, or even take a nap! Inthe evenings, I dig into a book on my TBR list.
JMR-What’s yourfavorite historical time period? Why?
JG-I don’t know if Ihave a favorite historical era. I’m a history buff, so I love learning aboutall time periods. I’m fascinated by the continuum, how historical events affectevents in the present. What happened years ago has an impact on our culture, ourlifestyles, our beliefs, and our laws. We think we are moving forward, but aswe move forward, we are always responding to what happened in the past.
JMR-Who is yourfavorite historical figure? Why? If you could ask them one question, what wouldit be?
JG-Probably one of myfavorite historical figures is Abraham Lincoln. He served as President duringone of the most difficult times in our history, and he had rough personal lifeas well. His son died, and he suffered from depression. I would ask him wherehe found his strength.
JMR- How did you cometo be a writer of historical fiction?
JG-I think I sort offell into it with my interest in history. When I started writing fiction, Ifound myself fascinated by the lives of people in the past. I wanted tounderstand their cultural choices, their responses to change in their worlds,and their struggle to find meaning in their lives.
JMR- We are allaffected by the highs and lows in our lives. How has your lived life informedyour writing?
JG-My husband and Ihave shared multiple, deep losses. We’ve had two children die. My mother hadAlzheimer’s disease. I lived through two life-threatening pregnancies, and mostrecently, my husband has lost most of his sight. These losses have given me adeep well of empathy.
We’ve also had somewonderful experiences. We adopted two biracial children who have grown intoterrific adults. We’ve traveled to Paris and Italy and all over the country. Wewere able to move to our dream home six years ago. My first novel won severalprestigious awards. I’ve been blessed in so many ways, and those blessings havetaught me resilience.
Nothing in your life isall good or all bad. That view is reflected in my writing. My characters oftenendure loss and tragedy, but they find the strength to rise up, to reinventthemselves, and to find hope in the future.
JMR- Did you visitanyone of the places in your book? Where did you feel closest to yourcharacters?
JG-My first book is setin first century Palestine. I was unable to visit that location in person, butI did have access to experts and resources that informed my writing. When I wasworking on Blood of a Stone, I visited a Biblical arboretum in Texasthat had recreated a setting in Galilee. I felt very close to my charactersthere.
JMR- Jeanne, tell usabout your book, Blood of a Stone.
JG-Set in the firstcentury on the edges of the Roman Empire and the Jesus movement, Blood of aStone is a sweeping story of murder, betrayal, love, and the search forredemption.
Faced with thebrutality of slavery, Demetrios confronts his master and flees by the blood ofa stone. Determined to escape his past, he struggles to create a new life and anew identity with his friend and fellow escaped slave Elazar.
However, freedom hasits price. Secrets cannot remain secret forever. A chance for love is lost.Elazar betrays Demetrios to a so-called prophet named Jesus of Nazareth.Fearing the Roman authorities and Jesus, Demetrios risks everything to silencethose who would enslave him again. His quest leads him to startling discoveriesand dire choices. Demetrios must answer the question we all ask: Can we be freeof our past?
One of the themes Iexplored in this novel is the element of forgiveness. Can we forgive those whohave harmed us? Can we forgive ourselves for our bad choices and decisions?When we first moved to Ruidoso, I was thrilled when the priest of our church usedan excerpt from my novel for her sermon, which was about the meaning offorgiveness.
JMR-What projects doyou have in the pipeline?
JG-My second novel, Whenthe Sky Fell, is currently on submission with my agent. Set against thebackdrop of the Cold War, it’s a story about a family of downwinders, peoplewho contracted cancer from government-sanctioned radioactive fallout from theatomic bomb tests in Nevada. The novel spans 30 years, from the early atomicbomb tests in the 1950s to the downwinders’ struggle to find justice andcompensation from the federal government in the 1980s.
I’m working on a thirdnovel about an artist in Santa Fe, New Mexico, who paints visions of futureclimate change disasters. Although he can paint these horrific scenes, he hasno idea when and where they would take place. His wife, a gallery owner, promoteshis career, but the two of them get caught up in an attack by a conspiracytheorist who is obsessed with finding solutions for climate change and believesthe artist knows more than he’s telling. The novel explores the intersection ofart, science, and climate change. Obviously, this book is not historicalfiction.
I’m also working on anessay collection about my life experiences.
JMR- Tell our readershow to find you on social media and the web.
JG-You can find me allover the Internet.
Website:jeannelyetgassman.com
Twitter: @JLyetGassman
Threads and Instagram:jeanne.gassman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeanneLyetGassman
My blog, Jeanne’sWriting Desk, where I post opportunities for writers:jeannelyetgassman.blogspot.com
JMR- What question wereyou hoping I’d ask but didn’t?
JG-How do you researchyour historical fiction?
JMR- Thank you, Jeanne,for stopping by. Your books look really great! Readers, I’ve included a link toJeanne’s book below. Please be sure to check it out.
