Hey all! Today I'm going to introduce you to one of my favorite Historical Fiction authors. Her name is Susan Elia MacNeal, and she writes the Maggie Hope series about a female spy during WWII. Below you can find out more about he and her writing process below! If you stick around to the end, you're going to find a nice surprise!
The Interview
Tell us
a little about yourself.
Hello Nicole! Hello, lovely readers!
Well, let’s see — I grew up in Buffalo, New York and
attended Nardin Academy. I went to Wellesley College, just outside Boston,
where I also took classes at MIT and graduated with a B.A. in English. After
that, I went to the Radcliffe Publishing Course, a six-week book and magazine
intensive course (a sort of “publishing boot camp”). I became a paid intern at
Random House in New York, then worked my way up the editorial ladder, becoming
an associate editor at Dance Magazine, a job I absolutely loved.
Alas,
the magazine moved to San Francisco, but since I’d just gotten married (and now
had health insurance through my husband), I decided to freelance as a writer
and editor.
Ok,
that’s the factual stuff. The fun stuff? Well, I married a Muppet (not really a
Muppet, but a guy who’s done significant work with the Jim Henson Company and
works in children’s television) and live in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I’m also the
mom of a seven-year-old son (seven going on forty-two!), and we have two funny,
naughty cats, Xander and Lola. I don’t have a lot of free time, but I do love
to cook and have people over for dinner. A friend calls our place “the
clubhouse” because we always have a friend or two (or more) around — musicians,
journalists, actors, puppeteers, artists, ballerinas, break dancers, Chinese
acrobats — you name it, our friends do it.
What
inspired Maggie Hope?
I’d been taking fiction writing classes at the Harvard
Extension School and also the 92nd Street Y, and most everything I
was writing was set in present-day New York. Then, thanks to my husband’s work
on the Disney Chanel show, Bear in the
Big Blue House, we were able to go to London frequently, and stay there for
fairly long chunks of time.
I
remember going to the Churchill War Rooms in London on a lark. It was a random
rainy Tuesday. A British friend had guilt-tripped me into going, actually:
“World War II did start before Pearl
Harbor, you know….” So I went.
The underground corridors looked just as they must have
during the war — and suddenly I felt like time telescoped in on itself and the
Blitz was going on overhead — with the smell of cigarette smoke, the clatter of
typewriter keys, the shrill ring of telephones. Not to mention all those tense,
pale men in military uniforms or dark suits waiting for the arrival of the
Prime Minister.
The
moment didn’t last, but the feeling haunted me. I knew I wanted to write about
it, but I really didn’t have the confidence — what did I know about London in
the 1940s? (I mean, really — how presumptuous!) But my husband saw how taken I
was by the idea and encouraged me.
And so, Maggie Hope was inspired by Winston Churchill’s
actual wartime secretaries. I knew I wanted to write a strong woman character
and did some research on the typists, including Mrs. Elizabeth Layton Nel, who
wrote a wonderful memoir of her time working for Mr. Churchill during the
Blitz. I was honored that Mrs. Nel corresponded with me in 2004-05.
Maggie herself is inspired by my writing mentor, the
late Judith Merkle Riley. I worked on Judith’s books at Viking/Penguin, and we
became friends. Maggie gets her name and her red hair from Judith’s character
Margaret in her novel A Vision of Light. But
a lot of Maggie’s character was (and is) based on Judith herself, who was an
academic as well as a novelist. She would look at some of the scenes I’d
written and say, “No! It was even more horrible and sexist back then!” Then
she’d tell me some things that were said to her, and what she wished she could
have said…Yes, a lot of Maggie is Judith.
What
made you decide to become a writer?
You know, I don’t think I ever decided — I really felt
like Mr. Churchill’s Secretary picked
me up by my metaphoric lapels, shook me and said, “You must write this! You have no choice!”
What was
your favorite scene in Princess Elizabeth’s Spy and Mr. Churchill’s Secretary?
Hmmm…In Mr.
Churchill’s Secretary, I was terrified to write any of the scenes with
Winston Churchill (because, you know — no pressure or anything). However, once
I started, I always had lots of fun with those scenes.
One of my proudest moments as a writer was getting the
“seal of approval” on my portrayal of Sir Winston (and Mr. Churchill’s Secretary and Princess
Elizabeth’s Spy) from venerable Churchill historian Richard M. Langworth,
C.B.E.. He is the author of four books: Winston
Churchill by Himself (2008), The
Definitive Wit of Winston Churchill (2009), The Patriot’s Churchill (2010) and All Will Be Well: Good Advice from Winston Churchill (2011). He’s
also the founder of the Churchill Centre and the editor of the journal Finest Hour, which is running a lovely
review of both Mr. Churchill’s Secretary
and Princess Elizabeth’s Spy, written
by fellow novelist Michael McMenamin, author of the Winston Churchill
thrillers, The Devalra Deception, The Parcifal Pursuit, and The Gemeni Adgenda.
In PRINCESS ELIZABETH’S SPY, I really loved writing the scenes with Maggie and the young
Princess Elizabeth. Despite the vast differences in their lives, they both are
serious and smart women, with a strong sense of duty, but also a streak of
whimsy.
Was
their any scene that was particularly hard to write?
I find the characters of Edmund Hope challenging to
write, especially now that I’m a parent. I can’t fathom a parent ever
abandoning a child. And yet, a similar situation happened to my husband—we only
recently found out that his biological father faked his own death, then started
a new life in a different state. (And in case you’re wondering, no, I really
and truly am not kidding. I wish I were.)
Obviously, that revelation affected my writing. Some
people are quick to say things about Maggie’s story, like, “That’s crazy!
That’s soooo over the top!” Meanwhile, I want to say, “Hey, come over to our place.
Let me pour you a martini and then let’s talk about what’s ‘crazy.’ ”
What was
your reaction when you found out that you were going to be published?
There was a fair amount of disbelief, then a lot of
running around, hugging, and crying. There was champagne involved at some
point. It’s all a blur now, really.
Do you
dream of seeing Maggie on the big screen? Who would you like to see play her?
How great would that be? I can see Maggie played by the
actress Claire Danes. She has the intelligence and gravitas to play the role, I
think.
What is
your favorite book?
Oh, that’s a tough question. Hmmm…I have to say that
year after year I always come back to Jane Austen. I’m torn between Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion.
Who is
your favorite author?
Do I have to pick just one? Um, let’s see — Jane Austen,
Sarah Waters, Alice Hoffman, Laurie Colwin, Louisa May Alcott, M.F.K. Fisher….
My favorite book of this year is Tigers
in Red Weather. I absolutely love what author Liza Klaussmann does with her
multiple narrators — gorgeous prose, insight into human nature, and great
storytelling.
Who do
you think has had the biggest influence on your writing?
Judith Merkle Riley, definitely. In fact, PRINCESS
ELIZABETH’S SPY is dedicated to her memory. She was an incredible woman, and I
was lucky to have her in my life as both a friend and mentor. I was privleged
to work on her books, The Oracle Glass
and The Serpent’s Garden.
What
would you say is your biggest achievement?
That my son says “please” and “thank you” and is (most
of the time) a really good and loving kid.
What do
you do when you get writers block?
Hmmm, I always think of the choreographer George
Balanchine, who said, “My muse comes to me on union time” (because he was
working with dancers and musicians being paid by the hour through their
respective unions). So, I try to take that attitude and just write whenever and
wherever I can.
What
genre of books do you find yourself drawn to?
I love books from all genres! I know I’m late to the
party, but I’m absolutely obsessed with George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series. I’m also reading
Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend this Never
Happened, and the historical novel, Juliet Nicolson’s Abdication.
What
other time period would you like to write about?
I’d actually love to try present day at some point…
What is
your writing process like?
Well, I usually start off with a vague idea of a setting
and plot, and lots of notes, which I fill out into a three-act outline. Then I
think about characters and relationships and really write a lot about them –
most of which, never makes it into the book (their first love, worst
humilation, what they keep in their bottom drawers, what they have for
breakfast, etc.). But I also leave room to change things during the process.
You never know what can happen. Sarah, for instance, was not a planned
character, and she just appeared one day — I couldn’t say no to Sarah.
How long
does it take you to write a book?
Mr.
Churchill’s Secretary took years, but now that I’m under contract with
Bantam; it takes me about a year, plus the copyediting process. It’s like
having a baby. Just as painful sometimes, but also as infinitely rewarding.
What was
it like trying to get published?
It was hell on toast. Seriously. There is a land of
Literary Rejection, and I am the Queen. But I never stopped writing, and I
never gave up. I may not be the best writer ever, but I think I have to be
close to the top when it comes to perseverance, edits, and rewrites. I have
worked very, very, very hard to be very, very, very lucky.
Are
there any tips you have for aspiring authors?
In the words of Winston Churchill, “Never, never give in.”
Believe in yourself, in your characters, and in your story. Weeping in bed in
the fetal position is fine as long as you eventually get up, wash your face,
and make a cup of tea — and then start writing again.
Find a mentor, and find a community
of friends who are also writers. Your writing tribe will understand and support
you in ways your family and friends can’t.
Thank you so much for this opportunity, Nicole!
The Surprise!
QUEEN ELIZABETH II’S DUBONNET COCKTAIL
Ingredients
1 ½ ounces Dubonnet Rouge
½ ounce London dry gin
Stir well with cracked ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with lemon slice and a large ice cube.
