It is my pleasure once again to host Cathy Gohlke at Write Now. You might recall Cathy's other visits; she is the Christy Award winning author of William Henry is a Fine Name and I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires.
Her new book, Promise Me This is hitting the shelves as we speak. It is, in my opinion, another winner. (Click here if you missed my review in last Thursday's post.)
Cathy is always a gracious guest who offers wonderful insight on writing and life. I hope you enjoy the interview, and don't forget to check out the giveaway details below.
Karen: Welcome back to Write Now, Cathy! I’m thrilled to have you visit us again. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed your book, Promise Me This. It was wonderful!
Cathy: Thank you for having me, Karen. I’m delighted to be here, and delighted that you enjoyed Promise Me This. The research into Titanic and WWI carried me away, and the story unfolded in all the ways I love.
Karen: What was your inspiration for Promise Me This?
Karen: What was your inspiration for Promise Me This?
Cathy: I’ve always been fascinated by Titanic—certainly the romance of the era and the magnificence of the ship, but especially the people who sailed, the passengers and those employed by the White Star Line. I’ve wondered about the hopes and dreams cut short that fateful night, and about those who survived—how did they go on with their lives knowing they’d been miraculously, magnanimously saved when so many died around them?
The first time I saw a copy of the ship’s manifest, I saw a gardener listed, Owen George Allum, third class, who’d sailed from Southampton. He reminded me of my great-grandfather, who’d emigrated from London just a few years before. Unable to find work as the gold leaf artist he was, he became a gardener for a wealthy Buffalo family, and developed new varieties and strains of flowers. From these two real people, the character Owen Allen was born, and I wrote a short story, “The Legacy of Owen Allen,” which eventually grew into the full length novel, Promise Me This.
Karen: I didn't realize this book grew out of a short story. Very interesting! How did you decide on the setting and the circumstances? It was great fun reading about the area in NJ where I grew up, btw. This was one reason why I was so excited about it. :)
Cathy: The facts of Titanic’s sinking provided the perfect backdrop for a story of self-sacrifice and heroism. Decisions were made that night—who lived and who died—and they were not all made by the officers of Titanic. In the history, and in the fictitious character of Owen Allen, I saw the perfect opportunity to paint a portrait of Christ’s love for us, of His sacrifice for the world. In the life of Michael, the abused young man he saved, and in Owen’s younger sister, Annie, who grieved mightily for her brother, I saw pictures of our response to Christ’s unmerited gift and His command to love one another as He has loved us.
The settings were the easiest of all to choose and the most fun to research. Titanic was built and launched in Belfast, Ireland (where my first character stows away), then sailed to Southampton, England, where she received her final outfitting. It helped that Owen Allum, the real passenger aboard Titanic, was a gardener from London. I walked streets and haunted cemeteries, museums and gardens in London and Southampton, snapping hundreds of photographs. I discovered so many wonderful details—the unemployment crisis caused by a coal strike, the building of Southampton’s town hall gardens, the girls’ school in which Annie could have enrolled, the name of the nursery and names of men who supplied flowers for Titanic, even the pub popular among her crew.
All of these and more found their way into the story. And then I traced, through research, Titanic’s route to ports in Cherbourg, France and Queenstown, Ireland, where at last she bound for the western sea. I followed the timeline of the sinking ship, the rescue of survivors by the Carpathia, and the help they received in New York. Where better for a gardener to plant his roots of Old World roses than in our own Garden State of New Jersey?
When I toured the delightful Leaming’s Run Gardens in Swainton I knew I’d found the perfect setting for Allen’s Run Gardens. The librarians of Cape May County Library in Cape May Court House, and the staff of Cape May County Historical Society were wonderful in helping me discover Swainton, 1912-1919, as was Somers Carston, a local historian. I realized from the timeline and settings of my story (Ireland, England, France, Germany, USA) that my characters would face the rigors of rationing and the horrors of WWI. The story naturally bent toward France and the nightmare at Verdun. Traipsing the hills and dales of lovely France and ferreting out the history with my husband and our son, who translated for us, was one of the great joys of my life.
Karen: It sounds like a wonderful experience. What a great way to do research! So is research, or another aspect of the writer’s life, your favorite?
Cathy: Research. I can get lost for months in the joy of digging up the past through travel—foreign or domestic, exploring cemeteries and diaries, old newspapers, attics and archives, rediscovering the places, insights and things that time forgot.
Karen: What part do you dislike? What steps do you take to work through this?
Cathy: I dislike being rushed through a story. A story, to ring true and unfold beautifully, needs to grow organically. A too-short deadline can thwart that process. I’m still learning to work through that. I try not to agree to deadlines I don’t believe I can meet, and I work very hard to meet those I’ve committed to. If possible, I work ahead. I’d rather have days off at the end than be rushed and worry that I’ve done a poor job.
And life, as we all know, has a way of happening. I’ve also come to understand that the birth of a book is a team effort, and my needs are only part of the process. All the other members of the team need their allotment of time, too—agent, editors of different varieties, proofreaders, design, marketing, publicists, sales team. Because I care about them—people with lives as demanding as my own--it makes me more understanding.
And life, as we all know, has a way of happening. I’ve also come to understand that the birth of a book is a team effort, and my needs are only part of the process. All the other members of the team need their allotment of time, too—agent, editors of different varieties, proofreaders, design, marketing, publicists, sales team. Because I care about them—people with lives as demanding as my own--it makes me more understanding.
Karen: I never thought about it from that angle, and I appreciate your insight. I'm sure those you work with do too! I know that Promise Me This is just being released, but are there any new stories on the horizon? If so, can you give us a hint?
Cathy: Band of Sisters will release in September 2012—the story of Irish sisters who escape an abusive English landlord, only to find themselves drawn into a web of human trafficking beginning at Ellis Island (1910-1911). Hope springs when an unlikely band of sisters and two good men ask and act upon the question we all face, “What would Jesus do?” The novel raises awareness of modern day slavery—there are more than twice as many people enslaved today as at the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade—and the role we can play in abolition.
Karen: Band of Sisters sounds like a winner, too. Can't wait to read it. Thanks so much for the sneak peek, and thank you for stopping by. Wishing you much success!
Cathy: Thank you so much, Karen. It’s been a pleasure! Promise Me This is available on-line or wherever books are sold. I love hearing from readers and can be reached through my website www.cathygohlke.com.
Giveaway Details
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- Open to residents of the United States.
- Deadline to enter is midnight EST, Friday, February 3, 2012. Winner will be notified via email and will have 36 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Winner will be announced Monday, February 6.
Do you have any questions for Cathy? What period or event in history do you think would make a good fictional story?
Happy writing,
Karen
