Katherine
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi, I LOVED Between Shades of Gray! As an aspiring author, I was wondering if you have any advice for someone who may be interested in writing historical fiction based on their own family? (my family came from Italy to NYC in the early 1900s)
Ruta Sepetys
Hi Katherine!
Ooh, I bet your family has some amazing history coming from Italy to NYC. My first bit of advice would be to dig through family archives, relatives, and friends to find photos, journals, or any personal mementos. A single photograph could unlock a whole story for you. If possible, I would also encourage you to interview any and all elderly family members left. Their story and memories are so important! You might also go to the library and use Ancestry.com online. Through Ancestry you can research the ship that your family came over on and even print the passenger manifest. Once you know the name of the ship, you can check to see if anyone on Ancestry has posted photos or stories from their experience on the ship. You can also research census reports of each household. Hope that helps and good luck! :)
Ooh, I bet your family has some amazing history coming from Italy to NYC. My first bit of advice would be to dig through family archives, relatives, and friends to find photos, journals, or any personal mementos. A single photograph could unlock a whole story for you. If possible, I would also encourage you to interview any and all elderly family members left. Their story and memories are so important! You might also go to the library and use Ancestry.com online. Through Ancestry you can research the ship that your family came over on and even print the passenger manifest. Once you know the name of the ship, you can check to see if anyone on Ancestry has posted photos or stories from their experience on the ship. You can also research census reports of each household. Hope that helps and good luck! :)
More Answered Questions
A Goodreads user
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi Ruta! I really enjoyed your book "Between Shades of Gray". I really enjoyed it. I want to ask you about the inspiration about that book, besides basing it on the real event. I also want to know if there were any secrets in it that I may have missed. Do you have any recommendations for any other historical fiction books? Thanks!!
Jillian
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hello Ms. Sepetys, First off, I thourougly enjoyed both Between Shades of Grey and Salt to the Sea...the latter one being read by my book club who all loved it. (except Alfred...he's kinda a wack-job) Would you consider writing a book with another member of the Vilkas family now that Lina and Joana are written for? Who are your favorite authors? How do you get out of writer's block? Thanks, Jillian :)
Lisbeth
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi! I read "Between the Shades of Grey" for a book club at my school. It is now one of my favorites. I love how you captured events in history and made it a beautiful story. What were some of the challenges when writing the a novel based on historial events? What inspired you to develop Lina as a beautiful, artistic, intelligent, and strong character? If, you could change anything about the novel, would you? Thanks!
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