Allison Pataki
For me as a writer of Historical Fiction, the inspiration and the story ideas obviously come from the historical record. But in the case of the two novels I’ve published so far, there has been a personal connection to the history of each. That is the key—that personal connection is what makes me so impassioned to tell that particular story.
So for my first novel, The Traitor’s Wife, the novel is the story of Peggy Shippen Arnold, the cunning wife of Benedict Arnold and mastermind behind America’s most infamous act of treason. Peggy plotted with Benedict Arnold to turn West Point Fort over to the British during the American Revolution, and she very nearly succeeded. Had Peggy and Benedict Arnold achieved their treasonous purposes, they would have ended the war and the hope of American independence. For me, this story was close to home, quite literally, because I grew up across the river from West Point. As a child I played in Benedict and Peggy Arnold’s old yard. I knew the land and the history and I felt theirs was a story worthy of being told in a historical fiction novel.
And with Sisi, it was a similar process of finding the inspiration in what I already knew. I am of Hungarian-American descent. I am very involved in the Hungarian community in the U.S., and I co-founded the Hungarian birthright program called ‘ReConnect Hungary.’ I’ve traveled to Hungary with my family throughout the years, and I always came across the image of Sisi. I always wondered what her story was.
What was so interesting to me about Sisi was how the Hungarians—still to this day—venerate her and adore her. She is their Princess Diana, but on an even larger scale. Knowing what I knew about my family and that the Hungarians did not ever like their Habsburg rulers (they didn’t appreciate being a part of the Austrian Empire, the Hungarians always thought of themselves as distinct from their Habsburg emperors), I was stunned at the way the Hungarians still embrace Sisi, almost worship her.
I found out that Sisi and her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, were the only Habsburgs that my Hungarian relatives ever loved. That was intriguing. Why Sisi, I asked? I was just captivated by these striking, smiling—and yet almost somehow sad—images of Sisi that I saw everywhere. She is beautiful. And then when I found out about her story I realized that her life was even more dramatic that anything I had imagined. In Sisi’s case, history is juicier than fiction. She makes for such a compelling leading lady in a novel!
So for my first novel, The Traitor’s Wife, the novel is the story of Peggy Shippen Arnold, the cunning wife of Benedict Arnold and mastermind behind America’s most infamous act of treason. Peggy plotted with Benedict Arnold to turn West Point Fort over to the British during the American Revolution, and she very nearly succeeded. Had Peggy and Benedict Arnold achieved their treasonous purposes, they would have ended the war and the hope of American independence. For me, this story was close to home, quite literally, because I grew up across the river from West Point. As a child I played in Benedict and Peggy Arnold’s old yard. I knew the land and the history and I felt theirs was a story worthy of being told in a historical fiction novel.
And with Sisi, it was a similar process of finding the inspiration in what I already knew. I am of Hungarian-American descent. I am very involved in the Hungarian community in the U.S., and I co-founded the Hungarian birthright program called ‘ReConnect Hungary.’ I’ve traveled to Hungary with my family throughout the years, and I always came across the image of Sisi. I always wondered what her story was.
What was so interesting to me about Sisi was how the Hungarians—still to this day—venerate her and adore her. She is their Princess Diana, but on an even larger scale. Knowing what I knew about my family and that the Hungarians did not ever like their Habsburg rulers (they didn’t appreciate being a part of the Austrian Empire, the Hungarians always thought of themselves as distinct from their Habsburg emperors), I was stunned at the way the Hungarians still embrace Sisi, almost worship her.
I found out that Sisi and her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, were the only Habsburgs that my Hungarian relatives ever loved. That was intriguing. Why Sisi, I asked? I was just captivated by these striking, smiling—and yet almost somehow sad—images of Sisi that I saw everywhere. She is beautiful. And then when I found out about her story I realized that her life was even more dramatic that anything I had imagined. In Sisi’s case, history is juicier than fiction. She makes for such a compelling leading lady in a novel!
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more