WomensHistoryReads interview: Sarah McCoy

Today I'm delighted to add to the #WomensHistoryReads series with this interview with Sarah McCoy: New York Times bestselling author, deft weaver of past and present plotlines, walking ray of sunshine. I've been fortunate enough to cross paths with Sarah many times over the years, online and off, and I'm particularly excited about her next project -- about which more below. Without further ado:

Sarah McCoy

Greer: Tell us about a woman from the past who has inspired your writing.

Sarah: Sarah Brown, the unmarried daughter of abolitionist John Brown. She was a highly-educated woman, an artist, a teacher, honorary mother to an orphanage of children, and a quiet powerhouse in the abolitionist movement’s Underground Railroad. Yet, history records virtually nothing about her. Her enigmatic existence inspired me to write The Mapmaker’s Children. I felt compelled to flush out her story and tell it forward to future generations of women.

Greer: What book, movie or TV show would your readers probably be surprised to find out you love?

Sarah: "Star Trek." Yes, that’s right, I’m a closet Trekkie and science-fiction fan. I grew up watching the old 1966 series with my dad. The adventures of Captain Kirk, Spock, Lieutenant Uhura, and Dr. “Bones” McCoy were my TV bread and butter. It was also one of the few shows I remember seeing with women taking charge of the helm and carrying phasers while embracing their femininity. I thought it brilliant. To this day, my heart races when I hear the opening theme song. It promises an exciting story where “no man has gone before.” That message has been instilled in me. All grown up, I'm still looking for stories that delve into distinctly female topics where no man has gone before.

Greer: Right there with you! What’s your next book about and when will we see it?

Sarah: My next book is titled Marilla of Green Gables. It’s the story of Marilla Cuthbert, the beloved, adoptive mother of Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series. There’s a resurgence of Anne captivation these days, and I love to see it. I, too, am an earnest Anne fan. It was the first book I remember my mom reading to me. Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Green Gables formed my earliest imaginings, and I never quite left the farm. The 1985 television series blew my mind. I was eternally devoted to Megan Follows’ Anne and Colleen Dewhurst’s Marilla. Even begging for a puffed-sleeve dress at Christmas and having a Green Gables birthday tea party.

As a younger reader, I felt every bit a kindred to Anne. Now older, I’ve grown into a particular fondness for Marilla. I see myself in her and have always been fascinated by her mysterious past. How did she end up a spinster at Green Gables? What happened between her and John Blythe? I thought it high time we got answers. So I set myself to the challenge: rereading the first handful of Anne books in the series that include Marilla; learning the history of the Canadian Maritimes prior to Anne’s arrival; researching Lucy Maud Montgomery’s childhood, family, and life; traveling to Prince Edward Island to walk in her world, in Anne and Marilla’s world, too.

The novel releases from William Morrow/HarperCollins on October 23, 2018, and I can honestly say that out of all the books I’ve written, this is my favorite. It was more than just writing. It was a calling and a responsibility to do right by Lucy Maud Montgomery’s legacy and Marilla’s story at long last.

Thanks for having me on this fun series in honor of Women’s History Month, my dear Greer!

Greer: Aw. Thanks for participating!

Sarah: And my question for you -- Girl in Disguise was such an intriguing look at a nearly forgotten historical figure, Kate Warne. What historical figure do we think we know publicly, but you believe has an enigmatic story yet untold? 

Greer: I've been doing some reading lately on Marie Curie, and I feel like there's a general perception of her as brilliant but kind of one-dimensional -- devoted only to science, working herself literally to death in pursuit of scientific discovery, part of the dry, historic past. And her scientific achievements were incredible. But she was also a living, breathing woman, and a few years after she lost the love of her life in a freak accident, she became embroiled in a sex scandal so outrageous she once returned from a conference to find a torch-wielding mob waiting outside her house. I want to dig into that story.

Tune in tomorrow for the next in the #WomensHistoryReads series of interviews!

--

SARAH McCOY is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of Marilla of Green Gables (forthcoming from William Morrow); The Mapmaker’s Children; The Baker’s Daughter, a 2012 Goodreads Choice Award Best Historical Fiction nominee; the novella “The Branch of Hazel” in Grand Central; and The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico.

Her work has been featured in Real Simple, The Millions, Your Health Monthly, Huffington Post, Read It Forward, Writer Unboxed, and other publications. She has taught English writing at Old Dominion University and at the University of Texas at El Paso. She lives with her husband, an orthopedic sports surgeon, and their dog, Gilly, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Connect with Sarah on Twitter and Instagram at @SarahMMcCoy, on her Facebook Fan Page, Goodreads, or via her website, www.sarahmccoy.com.

WomensHistoryReads interview: Allison Pataki

Today I'm thrilled to share this interview with Allison Pataki, author of The Traitor's Wife, The Accidental Empress, and other favorites. Publishing in the age of digital and social media clearly provides more possibilities for connection between authors and readers than have ever happened before. This goes double, luckily, for connections between authors. I'm so lucky to get to interact with authors over the years even when we haven't had the chance to meet in person, and applaud them as their careers grow with every new book. Allison's books visit a variety of different places and periods but always introduce us to compelling characters, intriguing places, and high-stakes plots against the backdrop of history.

Allison Pataki

Greer: Tell us about a woman from the past who has inspired your writing.

Allison: There are so many—history is filled with the best raw material! But I have to go with Empress Elisabeth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, known affectionately to her people (and history) simply as “Sisi.” I was so beguiled and charmed by this female historical figure that I devoted not one, but two novels to her.

Sisi, the captivating wife of Emperor Franz-Joseph, was Europe’s last great Empress, as it was her family that declared war and began World War I. But before all of that, Sisi was plucked from obscurity at the age of 15 and thrust onto the throne in the golden era of the Habsburg Court.  She was known as the “most beautiful woman in the world,” but it was her wit and intelligence and charisma that made her a legend in her own time. She is often compared to Princess Diana, as she captured the hearts and imagination of the public, even while clashing with the imperial family into which she married and bristling in the crushing role into which she unwittingly waltzed.

And yet, somehow, Sisi has become a footnote in modern history, particularly for Americans. It is so interesting to me how many women—women who accomplished huge things—have slipped through the cracks of history with their stories going largely untold.

To read about Sisi is to be transported to the beautiful and romantic world of the imperial Habsburg Court, filled with Walt Disney-esque castles and grand ballrooms and violin waltzes. It is to travel to Vienna during the time of Klimt’s art, Strauss’s music, and Freud’s scientific breakthroughs.

And yet, Sisi’s story is not your typical fairytale. Hers is a tale of drama, complexity, love triangles and intimate struggles that play out on an imperial stage with international consequences. I mentioned before that history provides the best raw material, and that is certainly the case with Sisi.

Greer: What’s your most recent book about and why did you decide to write it?

Allison: My most recent novel, WHERE THE LIGHT FALLS, was published this July and it is an historical fiction set during the French Revolution. Talk about a period roiling with drama!

The book plunges readers, at the beginning, into the turbulent days known as the “Reign of Terror.” Three years after the storming of the Bastille, Paris is enlivened with the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The monarchy of King Louis and Marie Antoinette has been dismantled—with the help of a new invention by Doctor Joseph-Ignace Guillotin—and a new nation, for the people, is rising up in its place.

Our story follows a quartet of historically-inspired protagonists—André Valiere, Jean-Luc St. Clair, Sophie de Vincennes and Marie St. Clair. They are all fictional characters, though their stories and struggles were inspired by real events.

From the cafés to the courtrooms, from the alleyways of Paris to the battlefields of Napoleon’s conquests in Egypt—and featuring cameos from legendary figures such as Maximilien Robespierre, Louis XVI and Alexandre Dumas—WHERE THE LIGHT FALLS was an epic journey for me, as the writer. And I hope for readers, too!

Greer: What book, movie or TV show would your readers probably be surprised to find out you love?

Allison: It’s no surprise that "The Crown", "Versailles", "Poldark" and "Downton Abbey" are some of my favorite television series, right? But I also have some guilty pleasures… I probably should not admit this, but sometimes at the end of a long day, there’s nothing I enjoy more than to curl up on the couch and dive into some really questionable reality television. I have definitely found myself mesmerized and perplexed by "The Bachelor"; how do these contestants form such intense connections so quickly? Also, some of the Real Housewives franchises are fascinating to me. The New York one is close to home and yet it feels like an entirely different world, so it can be fun to watch the drama play out from the relative safety of my own couch.

Allison: Greer, you have been granted supernatural abilities on the time / space continuum. Congratulations! Which five figures from history will you invite to sit down and break bread with at your dinner party?

Greer: This question is so difficult! I spend so much time reading about history that my brain is definitely overpopulated with possibilities. But here are the first five who come to mind:

1. Kate Warne, of course. First female Pinkerton detective, Union spy, without whom Abraham Lincoln might not have made it to his inauguration alive. I wrote a novel about her (GIRL IN DISGUISE) based on the skeletal information in the historical records -- I'd love to hear directly from her what her life was really like.
2. Nellie Bly. Groundbreaking "girl reporter" who not only went undercover in an insane asylum in 1887 but then followed it up by racing around the world to see if it could be done in fewer than 80 days. In the 1880s. By herself. With one dress and the 19th-century equivalent of a gym bag. The guts of that woman!
3. Anne Bonny. Notorious lady pirate. I mean, talk about the challenges of succeeding in a male-dominated industry. 
4. Katharine Wright Haskell. Did you know the Wright Brothers had a sister? I'm dying to read more about her, and since you've given me the power to go straight to the source, I definitely want to hear the tales she had to tell.
5. Michelle Obama. Just because I really want to hang out with Michelle Obama. Seems like a good enough reason.

Find out more about Allison and her books at the links below:

AllisonPataki.com 

 Twitter.com/allisonpataki 

Facebook

Insta: @allisonpataki

WomensHistoryReads interview: Laurel Davis Huber

One of the fun challenges of a major month-long project like these #WomensHistoryReads interviews is figuring out what order to post them in. So many great authors! So many great answers! But when I found out yesterday that Laurel Davis Huber's THE VELVETEEN DAUGHTER was awarded the 2017 David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction, I knew it was time to move her interview to the front of the line and share. Congratulations, Laurel!

Laurel Davis Huber

Greer: Tell us about a woman from the past who inspired your writing.

Laurel: It was my sixth birthday, January 28, 1957. My mother and I were in the kitchen making a birthday cake when the doorbell rang. It was Mrs. Chaplin, my first grade teacher, who stood at the door. She had a gift in her hands. (You might think, Whoa, teacher’s pet! And you might be partly right, but the truth was simply that the Chaplins were neighbors and friends of my parents.) Anyway, the gift was an alphabet book, Beginning With A. There were short poems inside, each named for a child. A is for Alexander, J is for Josephine, O is for Oliver, etc. But it was the drawings that were truly entrancing: each child surrounded by a different, gorgeous frame of diamonds and bows and the most exquisite geometric designs. I loved the book, and I held on to it.

More than half a century later, when I was having trouble making headway with a novel (can you imagine?), I procrastinated by reaching for my beloved Beginning With A. For the first time, I paid attention to the name of the author/illustrator—Pamela Bianco. Just to procrastinate further, I Googled her name. Quickly I discovered she had been a world-famous child prodigy artist. Fascinated, I kept Googling. One thing led to another, and I found out her mother was Margery Williams, author of the children’s classic, The Velveteen Rabbit. I was hooked. And thus one novel was set aside and a new one began—The Velveteen Daughter. So as it turned out, the woman who inspired my writing was my first-grade teacher. Which does make things come full circle, doesn’t it?

Greer: A lovely circle! Next up: what’s the last book that blew you away?

Laurel: Interesting, the phrase “blew me away.” While a vivid metaphor, it also makes me realize how while The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish most certainly did blow me away, it also did quite the opposite—it ensnared me, pulling me into its depths. I was so happily mired in this beautiful story that I did not want it to end. The novel, an intricately wrought literary thriller, begins with the discovery of 17th century papers found hidden under a London staircase. The story concerns Ester, a young Jewish woman living in Amsterdam in the late 1600’s who becomes a scribe for a blind rabbi. The fact that, as a woman, she is even literate, let alone proficient in Greek and Latin, is a wonder. Her heart yearns for knowledge, for the chance to converse with the great (male) philosophers of her time, especially the exiled Spinoza. Ester’s literacy—and her lack of a dowry—makes marriage a difficult proposition. Her tribulations, and the fierce intellectual burning that fuels her quest for the freedom to think, to express herself, combined with a compelling and emotional plot, make for an exceptional read. Toward the end of her life, Ester wants her diary to be burned. These are her words:

"Let the pages burn, for such be the fate of the soul, that all our striving be dust, and none in the bright living world ever know truly what once lived and died in another heart.”  

Until now, my favorite literary thriller was Possession by A. S. Byatt. I still love that novel, but The Weight of Ink has toppled it from its throne.

Greer: Your description is mouth-watering -- now I'm dying to read The Weight of Ink. What unsung woman from history would you most like to read a book about, and who should write it?

Laurel: My “unsung woman from the past” would actually be four women – the women who shaped Benedict Arnold. (What can I say - Arnold is one of my obsessions.) We tend to forget that until he wasn’t, Arnold was a brave patriot, a beloved leader of his troops, and an honorable man. Arnold grew up without a male role model at home. He was deeply ashamed of his father, the town drunk. But he had great love and respect for his mother, and these feelings continued with the other women who helped to shape his life: his sister (who ran his household when he was widowed with children), and his two wives. His second wife, Peggy Shippen, just nineteen when she married Arnold, was both beautiful and highly intelligent. It is very likely that she was a large factor in Arnold’s decision to turn traitor. The story of Arnold’s women is a very colorful one. I’m afraid I’d have to choose myself to write it – it’s the book I set aside in answer #1!

Greer: And is that your next book? When will we see more from you?

Laurel: Actually, my next book is a stark departure from historical fiction. It is contemporary, with elements of magical realism. While the story revolves around a woman, her family, and a dog (the dog being extremely important), the cast of characters also includes Queen Victoria, Odysseus, Cleopatra, and Little Bo Peep.

Enough said, I think!

I am aiming for an early 2019 publication date, but who knows.

Greer: Can't wait to see how that cast of characters comes together.

Laurel: And your question: Do you ever think about writing outside your genre? I am, naturally, a huge fan of stories about great unknown women from the past, but are there other kinds of stories that gnaw at your brain? 

Greer: The writer's mind is a vast, unconquerable landscape. For years and years I wrote nothing but contemporary, and ended up accidentally writing historical fiction when I got the idea for THE MAGICIAN'S LIE. Then for several years after that, every single idea that came to me was a historical fiction idea, most with that strong element of uncovering women's stories from the past, as you mentioned. But now a new (but also old?) gnawing has begun. Other, non-historical ideas are popping up. I don't know when I'll have the time or energy to pursue them, but I'm definitely keeping track.

Find out more about Laurel Davis Huber and her prize-winning book The Velveteen Daughter at her website, laureldavishuber.com.

WomensHistoryReads interview: Jennifer Laam

One of the most delightful perks of authordom is getting a sneak peek at upcoming books -- when there's a potential big overlap between your readership and the readership of a new book, getting asked to read for a blurb is a great honor. When it helps you discover a book you didn't know you'd love, it's a joy. So it was when I got to read Jennifer Laam's latest novel, The Lost Season of Love and Snow, before its recent release. Now it's out for the world to read and enjoy! And I knew when I decided to put together the #WomensHistoryReads interview series that Jennifer's take on Natalya Goncharova needed to be on the list. Here's our Q&Q&Q&A.

Jennifer Laam

Greer: How would you describe what you write?

Jennifer: I write historical fiction with strong romantic elements. I love bringing two characters together and depicting passionate physical, emotional, and intellectual connections between them. At the same time, I explore both the world of the past and the continuing allure of certain historical figures and events. My first two books – The Secret Daughter of the Tsar and The Tsarina’s Legacy – feature plot lines set in both the past and present. In those books, modern-day characters are drawn to the tragic last Romanovs and Catherine the Great respectively. My recent novel The Lost Season of Love and Snow is a more traditional work of historical fiction in that it is set exclusively in the past and focuses on one character: Natalya Goncharova, the notorious wife of celebrated poet Alexander Pushkin.

In my view, Natalya’s personal history was too often eclipsed by a tiresome trope and she was depicted as the seductive woman who brought down a great man. I focused on aspects of her life that might resonate with contemporary readers, such as her uncomfortable interactions with the tsar, a man with complete power over her. In this way, even in a traditional historical fiction format, I could continue to investigate the deep associations between past and present.

Greer: Do you consider yourself a historian?

Jennifer: I do! Academic history and fiction intersect at points where we piece together the truth of a woman’s life, often using resources other than firsthand narratives. My master’s thesis consisted of biographical work on three early American women. The research process for that project informed my approach to The Lost Season of Love and Snow. I wanted to recover and recreate Natalya’s experiences in her marriage to Alexander Pushkin while still maintaining a twenty-first century feminist perspective. Having said that, I embrace the opportunity afforded me as a novelist to take educated guesses regarding women’s perceptions of their own lives. I try to flesh that out to create complex characters who can help provide insight into issues that still haunt us, such as sexual harassment.

Greer: It's amazing how far we've come and how far we haven't. More of a curveball for your last question: What book, movie or TV show would your readers probably be surprised to find out you love?

Jennifer: I’m not sure if this is a surprise, but I’ve seen every episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and know way too many stretches of dialogue by heart. I love science fiction almost as much as I love historical. Both genres lend themselves to allegory and commentary on current politics and events. I think the distance of both past and future settings makes it more likely a writer can change hearts and minds. A reader or viewer with a particular political perspective in relation to the present might have greater sympathy for different points of view through these genres. Make it so.

Greer: Yes! Not to give too much away in advance, but I was surprised by how many of the historical fiction authors I asked this question responded with love for sci-fi shows. There's a definite pattern.

Jennifer: And a question for you -- What initially drew you to your heroine Kate Warne, the first female detective at the Pinkerton Agency?

Greer: The idea that she was such an early pioneer grabbed me immediately -- she was hired in 1856, before the Civil War, in a time when it was unusual for a woman to work outside the home at all, let alone in such a dangerous profession. Then it intrigued me that I'd never heard her name before. If we know the name of the man who assassinated Lincoln, why not the name of the woman who saved him from an earlier attempted assassination? While on tour for GIRL IN DISGUISE, I told everyone I was on a Kate Warne Awareness campaign. I want her name to be known.

Want to know more about Jennifer and her books? Check out the links below:

Twitter: twitter.com/JenLaam

Facebook: facebook.com/jenniferlaam.writer

Instagram: instagram.com/jenlaam

Book: bit.ly/lostseasonofloveandsnow

Website: jenniferlaam.com

(And, of course, stay tuned for the next #WomensHistoryReads installment tomorrow.)

WomensHistoryReads interview: Melanie Benjamin

I thought it was fitting to kick off my #WomensHistoryReads interview series -- an interview every day in March with a woman writer who brings us the stories of amazing women in history -- with a writer who has a special knack for finding and telling that particular type of story. From Melanie's debut novel ALICE I HAVE BEEN (about Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland) to her more recent bestsellers THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE (socialite Babe Paley and her pal Truman Capote) and THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE (screenwriter Frances Marion and silver screen star Mary Pickford), she has consistently wowed readers with the stories of women in unique circumstances, yet who still struggled with the same challenges common to us all.

Brief note: all of my #WomensHistoryReads interviews are in a format I call Q&Q&Q&A -- I ask the author three questions and they wrap up by asking me one. Seems only fair to turn the tables sometimes!

With no further ado, here we go...

Photo Credit: Deborah Feingold

Greer: How would you describe what you write?  

Melanie: Historical fiction that tells the stories of women – so far, women! – that have been overshadowed or told by men.  I say so far, because I don’t limit myself to women’s stories.  But the truth is, when you’re looking for untold stories of history, they are mostly women’s stories.  

Greer: What’s the last book that blew you away?  

Melanie: ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE by Gail Honeyman.

Greer: What book, movie or TV show would your readers probably be surprised to find out you love?  

Melanie: The reboot of “Battlestar Galactica” that was on the SciFi channel a few years back. [Greer: Me too! Brilliant stuff.]

Melanie: And for you -- What is the most frequently-asked question you’re asked about your novels by readers?

Greer: Everyone wants to know where we get our ideas! I don't always have a good answer. There's always a clear point of inspiration -- in the case of my most recent novel GIRL IN DISGUISE, it was Kate Warne, the first female detective -- but I don't write a book about every single interesting person who comes along. It takes something extra to goose that initial inspiration into the decision to commit years to a project. I can't explain what that is. But isn't that so much of writing? Inspiration beyond explanation?

Melanie's most recent novel is THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE (Delacorte Press, 2018); her website is melaniebenjamin.com.

--

Tune in tomorrow for the next #WomensHistoryReads interview, all month long!

#WomensHistoryReads interview: Marie Benedict

I'm so thrilled to publish this interview with Marie Benedict, author of THE OTHER EINSTEIN and CARNEGIE'S MAID, as a preview of my month of #WomensHistoryReads interviews. Marie and I are both published by Sourcebooks and love to explore untold stories -- especially about women who struggled in the past with the issues women still struggle with today. So here's my interview with Marie! 

Greer: Tell us about a woman (or group of women) from the past who has inspired your writing.

Marie: While there are countless historical women who motivate me and shape my understanding of the past, those who have inspired me most are my own ancestors, particularly those described in tales by my great-grandmothers and great-aunts. They told me about my strong-willed immigrant ancestors who arrived in this country with nothing but their will to succeed and pushed my family to make the ascent from uneducated immigrants to Ivy League professionals — step by step, of course. Those women influenced the character who would become Clara Kelly in CARNEGIE’S MAID, the story of a bright, but uneducated Irish immigrant who becomes Margaret Carnegie’s lady’s maid and goes on to influence Andrew Carnegie’s transformation from ruthless businessman to the world’s first philanthropist and creator of the free libraries. And I feel them pushing me along every single day.

Greer: How would you describe what you write?

Marie: I endeavor to excavate from the past stories about remarkable women, whose contributions are relatively unknown and whose tales have both historic and modern significance — in an effort to ensure that the negative preconceptions our society might still hold about women’s abilities are changed.

Greer: What’s the last book that blew you away?

Marie: There are so many books that regularly blow me away!  If pressed on the best, very recent reads (I read several books every week), I would have to list:

1.       Ya’a Gyaasi’s Homegoing

2.      Lily King’s Euphoria

3.      Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace (a re-read, but recent)

Greer: If you could pick one woman from history to put in every high school history textbook, who would it be?

Marie: This might be a cheat, but honestly, I could never, ever pick just one. I’d want to insert into each segment of the traditional, high school history curriculum at least one woman (loads more, if I had my way!)— so students can understand that women have played an integral part in each era and that their contributions reverberate to this day.

Greer: What’s your next book about and when will we see it?

Marie: My next book after CARNEGIE’S MAID is a novel entitled THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, which releases next January.  Set in 1930s Austria, it is a story of a young Jewish women who marries the country’s richest man, a munitions manufacturer who ends up supplying weaponry to Mussolini and Hitler in deals struck over their dinner table. When my character learns not only the Third Reich’s military strategy but the horrific plans for the Jewish people, she escapes to London, where she’s swept up in a wave of Jewish actors, writers and directors heading for Hollywood. Very quickly she becomes an actress, but she suffers from intense survivor’s guilt as the plans she overheard begin to manifest — and the only person she saved is herself. As her means of recompense, she utilizes the secret military information she learned at her ex-husband’s dinner table to develop an incredibly effective weaponry system which she delivers to the Navy for its use in the war. But because she’s a beautiful woman, they reject her invention — a communication system we use everyday in our cell phones — and relegate her to selling war bonds. It is the story of Hedy Lamarr.

Greer: Do you consider yourself a historian?

Marie: If a historian is defined as someone who’s a student of history, absolutely! Since I was a child, I’ve been enamored of dipping into the past, and as I got older, I even fancied that I might become a professor or an archaeologist, in constant study of historical times. But, after a long detour as lawyer, I am incredibly fortunate to spend my days in the company of historical women who led important lives, exploring and learning about the world which they inhabited. What could be better?!

Greer: Who are some of your favorite authors working today?

Marie: Well, I love a fabulous author by the name of Greer Macallister!  [Ed. note: Aw, shucks!] Aside from her, there are so many writers creating important stories about women, both historical and modern day, that I couldn’t begin to list them all — I’d be afraid that I left a critical contributor out!  On another note, I’ve recently discovered (late to the party, I know!) Louise Penny, who I’m thoroughly enjoying.

Greer: What do you find most challenging or most exciting about researching historical women?

Marie: Well, I always wanted a time machine as a kid (still do), and the closest I’ll ever come is the rabbit hole of historical research that I do with my novels — so that’s definitely the most exciting part of the process. The most challenging aspect of researching these historical women is making certain that I don’t examine their world and lives and choices with a modern day lens. I have to remind myself to view them with a lens forged in their own times.

Greer: What book, movie or TV show would your readers probably be surprised to find out you love?

Marie: While I adore historical programs, of course — most recently, Alias Grace, and "The Crown"  — I’m also an ardent fan of fantasy, suspense, and a sprinkle of science fiction. Currently, I am loving "Stranger Things", "Game of Thrones", "An Honorable Woman", and "Top of the Lake."