I recently got the chance to interview oh-so-awesome Saundra Mitchell, author of THE VESPERTINE and SHADOWED SUMMER. Check out her answers to my questions below!
Thank you for joining us on YABC today! First off, can you tell us a little bit about your latest novel, The Vespertine?
Thank you for having me! The Vespertine is about Amelia van den Broek, who goes to spend the summer with her cousin in Baltimore, for the purpose of finding a husband. Instead, she finds a completely unsuitable suitor in the shape of a hired guest and painter -- as well as discovering she can see the future in the fires of sunset. At first, her gift is a parlour trick, and brings her and her cousin Zora all kinds of popularity. But when darker visions come, people start to wonder if Amelia isn't just telling future disasters -- but creating them.
How did you come to the decision to set The Vespertine in late 1800's Baltimore?
I tried writing the book in contemporary Indiana, then in contemporary New England, and the story never gelled. It wasn't until I decided to move it to Baltimore, and back in time, that everything blossomed. I'm not so much sure I came to a decision as the book slowly nudged me that way until it got what it wanted.
How did you do your research on the time period? Were there any specific resources you turned to?
I read a lot of books -- books on Spiritualism and women in society, the early suffragette movement, household management, middle class social histories, period architecture and medicine, man, I read a ton of books. I also went online, and dug through the Baltimore Historical Society's website thoroughly, traipsed through the Library of Congress, and read a ton of period newspapers. I re-read novels written in the period to check my language.
Plus, I talked to some incredibly nice people at Pacific Yew Longbows about the archery aspects. Then, when I revised, I broke out the etymology dictionaries to make sure nothing was anachronistic, and did a
lot of cross-checking sources to make sure everything matched up.
The fashions are a little off, though. I originally set the book in 1881, then later moved it to 1889. So the girls' dresses are actually out of date. But, they all came out of period editions of Harper's Bazar, as did Nathaniel's wardrobe. Yow, we think of that period of time as being very sedate, but the real period color choices are WILD. I actually toned them down a little, because a purple and orange silk dress just doesn't sound like it would look good in 2011, even though it was a very popular color combination in the 1880s.
I loved the inclusion of calling cards. It's so similar to shooting a friend an email or a tweet nowadays. Did you know you wanted to use calling cards as an integral part of the story from the beginning? Or did you stumble across the idea by chance?
Once I knew the book would be set in that particular era, I totally knew calling cards (and dance cards) would play into the story somehow. If you're going to jaunt back to 1889, you have to take advantage of all the goodies. I'm still sorry that I didn't manage to
2 Comments on Interview with Saundra Mitchell!, last added: 3/10/2011
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Today...Saundra Mitchell, author of SHADOWED SUMMER!
This books sounds so interesting! It combines a lot of things I like, I'm looking forward to it.
I saw that this book is being given away as part of a contest on the Beyond Her Book blog, too. In the huge list of giveaways, something about this title caught my attention and I wrote it down. Now to see this interview - it's fate! And good marketing.
I have a soft spot for R.L. Stine from my teen years, too.
Great interview! The Vespertine sounds really unique. Getting to talk to Tamora Pierce would make the ten year old in me absolutely DIE. I don't think I would stop squeeing for days!
Sara
http://smreine.com/