Sam Dauphinee
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi Ruta!! I have always gravitated towards historical fiction stories for a good read, and I got to say, Between Shades of Gray is without a doubt one of the best I've read so far. My question is, was the story and the characters inspired or related to your personal life or bloodline? The profound emotion and heartbreak in the piece is heart wrenching. Thanks for the great story.
Ruta Sepetys
Hi Samantha!
Thank you for your kind words about my writing. During a trip to Lithuania I visited my father’s cousin and learned that after my father fled from Lithuania, some of our extended family members were deported to Siberia. I was shocked, but learned that my family’s history was not unique. There are millions of people whose lives were taken or affected during the Soviet occupation. Yet very few people know the story. I wanted to write a novel to honor the people of the Baltics and also to illustrate the power of love and patriotism.
Thanks for asking!
Thank you for your kind words about my writing. During a trip to Lithuania I visited my father’s cousin and learned that after my father fled from Lithuania, some of our extended family members were deported to Siberia. I was shocked, but learned that my family’s history was not unique. There are millions of people whose lives were taken or affected during the Soviet occupation. Yet very few people know the story. I wanted to write a novel to honor the people of the Baltics and also to illustrate the power of love and patriotism.
Thanks for asking!
More Answered Questions
Olivia
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi Ruta! I loved OotE and BSoG! I'm an aspiring author and avid writer. I love to write LGBTQ fiction, and I also want to tackle writing historical fiction one day. But I have a firm belief that LGBTQ people deserve to see characters like them in fiction who don't die sad and alone, and I'm not sure how to combine these two genres while still retaining that principle. Do you have any tips? Thank you!!
Alyssa
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi! I'm a huge fan of your work; it's kind of what has sparked my love of history these past few years. I'm taking extra history classes now and reading as much history as I can, and I'm even considering having history as my minor in college. I wanted to thank you so much for helping me find this love, and I also wanted to ask: what sparked your love of history? Did someone help spark your love the way you did for me?
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