BIO

Marie Bostwick Skinner was born and raised in the Northwest. Since marrying the love of her life twenty-four years ago, she has never known a moment's boredom. Marie and her family have moved a score of times, living in eight U.S. states and two Mexican cities, and collecting a vast, cherished array of friends and experiences. Marie now lives with her husband and three handsome sons in Connecticut where she writes, reads, quilts, and is privileged to serve the women of her local church.

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INTERVIEW

November 21, 2008

Marie Bostwick is the New York Times bestselling author of four novels: FIELDS OF GOLD, RIVER'S EDGE, ON WINGS OF THE MORNING and the newly released A SINGLE THREAD. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Jennifer McCord, Bostwick explains why she decided to focus on a contemporary storyline in this latest book after publishing three historical works of fiction and talks about how her heroic characters were inspired by the strong women in her life. She also recalls how she first began writing, discusses her fascination with quilting --- including its history and cultural value --- and shares details about the next two installments in her Cobbled Court series.

Bookreporter.com: After penning three historical novels, you have written A SINGLE THREAD. What led you to write a contemporary work of fiction?

Marie Bostwick: I know that people have pegged me as a historical fiction writer, but I've never thought of myself that way. In my mind, I'm just a writer. Period. I wrote three historical novels because the stories I wanted to tell just happened to be set in the period between the first and second World Wars. I've written A SINGLE THREAD for the same reason I did my other novels, because I found a plot I thought was worth writing about. The only difference is that this time, the plot takes place in a modern setting. I suspect that I'll keep writing in the contemporary period for a good long while, but if I wake up one day and find a compelling historical plot crowding my brain, it's possible I'll return to that genre. I certainly wouldn't rule it out.

BRC: Did you have to make a transition in your writing to write in a contemporary time frame?

MB: Yes and no. Writing from a historical perspective definitely means more time spent researching, and most of that research involves reading. I still have to do research to tell a contemporary story, but not as much, and the research I do tends to involve interviewing actual people, trying to gain a clear perspective of a situation I may know little about, such as owning a quilt shop or coping with cancer. Also, writing a contemporary versus historical novel requires an adjustment in character voice. Earlier in the century, people had a more formal way of speaking than they do today. Now I find it easier to write in a contemporary voice, but it took me some time to get a feel for it.

BRC: The heroines in all of your books confront either an unpredictable situation or are thrust into new circumstances. What qualities do you admire about these heroic characters?

MB: I love strong women, probably because I come from a long line of them, my three sisters included. My sisters are as tough and as tender as they come --- they've been through everything that life can throw at them and still come out smiling; actually, make that smiling and laughing. No matter how tough things get, the women in my family can still find something to laugh about. And I guess that's what I admire in these characters too, that inner toughness and that intense loyalty to each other that carries them triumphantly through every kind of challenge and change. There's an old saying, "Women are like teabags; you never know how strong they are until they end up in hot water." That's what I admire about these characters --- you can put them in the hottest water imaginable and they keep it together. They might leak a little, but they don't fall apart.

BRC: Are women portrayed differently in your historical novels than in A SINGLE THREAD?

MB: Oh, sure. Not because I feel differently about them, but just because the times were different. The women in my historical novels had far fewer opportunities than we do today. They had to fight to be taken seriously, and the world they lived in tended to limit the scope of even their dreams. Writing those books has given me a deeper appreciation for the freedoms I enjoy as a woman today. Of course, we still have a long way to go as a society before women enjoy true equality, but things are exponentially better than they were in the '30s or '40s.

BRC: Quilting dates back to colonial American times. What made you choose this to be part of A SINGLE THREAD?

MB: Partly because of that history. Quilting is one of the earliest folk art forms, and, as such, it was one of the earliest ways women were able to express themselves artistically. And quilting is such a communal activity; quilters have a long tradition of sharing their lives through that art form. It seemed the perfect medium for creating a story of friendship and community among women. I know all about that because I've been a quilter for 20-something years now, which is probably the real reason I decided to include it in the book.

BRC: The quilting scenes and descriptions may inspire some readers to begin a quilt or join quilting circles. Do you have any advice for readers on how to begin to learn about quilting? Joining a quilting circle?

MB: Actually, before joining a circle, I'd recommend going and signing up for a beginning quilting class at a local quilt shop or community center. Once you have a handle on the basic techniques of quilting, joining a circle might be a great next step. You'll learn a lot and make many, many new friends. Quilters tend to be very passionate about our art, and we love welcoming newcomers into the fold.

BRC: A sense of place is important in your novels. Do you gain inspiration from it? What kind of research or travel do you do to create that sense of place?

MB: Yes, that sense of place is absolutely key for me, probably because I draw so much personal inspiration from nature. Cities are fun for me to visit, but I don't think I could be happy living in one. Being outside, noticing the way the light plays on the trees, or the color of the clouds, or the way it feels and smells and sounds to walk through a pile of fallen leaves, is important to the sense of peace with myself and the world. I notice every little thing about the physical world around me and that seems to come through in my writing quite naturally. I don't think I could write any other way.

There have been times when I had to travel to actually see a place --- which was true for my first novel, FIELDS OF GOLD, which was set in the Oklahoma Panhandle --- but I don't really have to research it. I just have to be there and then I can't help but write about it. It's an instinctive response.

BRC: Would readers be able to find a town like New Bern, Connecticut, if they traveled to New England?

MB: Absolutely. I live a little more than an hour from where Norman Rockwell had his studio, and I can tell you, if Rockwell were still alive, he'd still find plenty of scenes to paint in this part of the world. That's why I've fallen in love with New England.

BRC: What do you hope readers will understand about the sense of place in which you have set A SINGLE THREAD?

MB: That community matters immensely. That happiness depends less on what we have or can buy than how we treat each other. And that nothing built by human hands will ever be one one-hundredth as beautiful as anything we see in nature.

BRC: What is it about small towns, their inhabitants and their values that attract you?

MB: I think people in small towns tend to be kind to each other --- or at least polite. I suspect that has more to do with a lack of anonymity than any superiority of character. If you're rude to people in a small town, everybody is going to know about it and pretty quickly. And I think that's a good thing. It tends to make people watch what they say and do --- not always, but often.

BRC: What themes are expressed in your four books? Is there a common thread that ties them together?

MB: I suspect there are, but that can be hard for me to see. I think in terms of character and plot, not themes. Of course, there are themes there, but they get woven in naturally as part of the writing process. I don't sit down at the computer with a message in mind and then write about it. Generally, I don't know what the themes are until I read the finished book.

If there were one thing, I think it would be faith. My personal faith is woven tightly into my everyday life, so that tends to come through in the books as well. Also, the idea that every situation we face in life has meaning. That goes back to that "women are like teabags" idea. Like everybody else, I've faced hardships in life, none of which I volunteered for and most of which I'd never want to repeat. But, in retrospect, I've been grateful for it all, even the tough times, because it has made me stronger in the long run. I like being me, but I would never have become me if I hadn't endured hardships. Every major character in my book faces problems and pains she never anticipated, but one way or another, they get through it and in doing so, they become stronger.

BRC: When did you believe you were a writer? How did you know?

MB: I've told this story so many times I feel like people must be bored with it, but the shorthand version is this: About 15 years ago, I wandered into a writer's workshop while I was on vacation. At the end of the week, the instructor pulled me aside and said, "You're writer. What have you published?"

I assured him I wasn't a writer, just a woman who hadn't fired her imaginary friends when she grew up. He looked at me and said, "Well, what do you think writers are?"

Really, that was the moment for me, when that stranger --- that writer --- looked at me and told me I was part of the tribe. I felt like my secret identity had finally been revealed.

BRC: Does your writing tap into a well of metaphor and memory?

MB: Oh, yes. I'm not writing biography, but to some degree, every writer has to write from life, from the memories we've gathered and the personal metaphors we've adopted to explain our lives to ourselves. Imagination is absolutely key to my writing. I don't have to have personally experienced everything I write about because I do have a good imagination and I use it, but even my wildest imaginings have to be filtered through the mesh of personal experience. How could it be otherwise?

BRC: What do you hope your readers will experience when they pick up a novel that you have written?

MB: I hope they will get whatever it is they need at that moment. For some people, probably most people, it may be nothing more than a few hours of entertainment or escape. For others, it may be an excuse for a good laugh or, more importantly, a good cry. Others may need encouragement, to find that character who has gone through what they're dealing with and comes out triumphant in the end. It's different for everyone. I don't kid myself that I'm writing books that change the world, but for me, writing is a sort of ministry --- a way to entertain, uplift, encourage, or sympathize with people I've never met in the way they most need it. That's a pretty good day's work.

BRC: What are you working on now, and when might readers expect to see it?

MB: I'm actually working on my third Cobbled Court novel, which I find somewhat amazing considering that people are just now reading the first one, A SINGLE THREAD. The second book in the series, A THREAD OF TRUTH, will be out in June of 2009 and the third, the one I'm working on, will be out in the summer of 2010.

I'm finding this really funny because I keep talking to friends who've read the first book and I'll say something like, "Well, yes, but then you remember that Abigail went to New York and she..." And then I'll stop because I'll recall that, no, they don't remember because they've only read the first book and I'm talking about something that happens in book two or three.

And what's even stranger is I'm working on the third book and I keep jotting down ideas for a fourth. When I first began to think that A SINGLE THREAD might be a series, I was worried that I'd get bored writing it, but no. I can't seem to get enough of this town and these characters. I suppose it will happen eventually, but it hasn't yet.

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INTERVIEW

November 9, 2007

Reading a Marie Bostwick novel is like treating yourself to a long, luxurious bubble bath --- restful and invigorating at the same time. In ON WINGS OF THE MORNING, Bostwick mixes romance, rich historical details and faith to offer an engaging story of male and female pilots in World War II. In this interview, she talks with Bookreporter.com’s Cindy Crosby about how Anne Frank inspired her as a young girl to investigate history, her early joyrides in her father’s small airplane, why faith is woven into her novels and a secret desire that might surprise you.

Bookreporter.com: What made you decide to pick up the storyline from your debut novel, FIELDS OF GOLD, and write the sequel ON WINGS OF THE MORNING?

Marie Bostwick: When FIELDS OF GOLD was turned in, my editor asked if I would consider doing a sequel and I declined. I’d left my main character, Eva Glennon, in the world of happily ever after --- which was where I wanted her to stay. But when the galleys for FIELDS showed up at my house and I read the story again, I realized I had unanswered questions about Eva’s son, Morgan. When the book was published, I got a lot of mail from readers who had similar questions. I began developing some thoughts about Morgan, but not enough for a book. It wasn’t until I picked up a book about the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and a new character, Georgia Carter, formed in my mind that I knew I wanted to write WINGS.

BRC: RIVER’S EDGE was also a WWII novel. Why historical fiction instead of contemporary?

MB: It began early. Like many young girls, I first learned about the human cost of WWII through the eyes of Anne Frank. Reading her diary absolutely broke my heart and led me to search out many other books on the war. I kept trying to understand how it could have happened, how some people were willing to stand by and allow their Jewish friends and neighbors to be persecuted and murdered, while others were willing to risk their lives hiding and rescuing people they’d never even met. It’s the classic contrast between good and evil. I was never able to find adequate answers to my questions. I suppose that’s why I’m still writing about it; my search continues.

As far as why history instead of contemporary, I’ve never thought of it as one or the other. Until recently, I’ve concentrated on historical fiction, but I’m just finishing my first contemporary novel. I suspect I’ll keep going back and forth between the two. The idea of being stuck in a genre trap is petrifying to me. I think writers should keep exploring new styles, genres and periods. Otherwise, I don’t see how it is possible to keep your writing fresh, book after book.

BRC: You write so convincingly about the wonders of flying! What sort of research did you do to prepare to write about aviation?

MB: I did a fair amount of reading and visited a number of flight museums to get up to speed on the technical aspect of aviation, but my “hands-on” research was done years ago and quite inadvertently. My dad flew in the Korean War and when I was little he had a small plane. I have very clear memories of being belted into the back seat of his plane with my sisters, dad giving us each a lemon drop to suck on (I’m not sure if those were to ward off motion sickness or help the pressure in our ears, but they were always part of the ritual) and off we’d go! Dad would do all these dips and rolls and, of course, we loved it. I’m sure my mother would have thrown a fit if she’d seen him going through those acrobatic tricks with her babies on board, but we all lived to tell the tale.

The funny part is that, today, I really don’t care for flying. But then, flying in a big, generic commercial aircraft with all the entailing security hassles is very different from hopping into a Piper Cub with your dad for a joyride on a sunny Saturday.

BRC: Your settings range from Oklahoma to Chicago, yet you are a “Connecticut Yankee” who was born in Oregon. Do you have connections to Oklahoma or Chicago, or are they places you just wanted to explore through writing?

MB: I’ve lived in so many places; I’ve had 18 addresses during my 26-year marriage. One of those addresses was in suburban Chicago, so that was a natural choice for one of my settings.

Three of our moves were to Texas. During that time I had occasion to visit Oklahoma, but I never lived there. For FIELDS OF GOLD, I needed a location that was conducive to barnstorming and a natural landscape that was particularly rugged, where the land itself is almost a character in the story, driving the other characters to develop a toughness they might not have otherwise. The Oklahoma Panhandle during the Dust Bowl years immediately emerged as the ideal choice. Once my decision was made, I spent several weeks in the area doing research and trying to get a feel for the land and people.

BRC: After reading about the Lindberghs in your novel, I wondered: Are you a fan of Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s writing? How did your interest in the Lindberghs develop?

MB: Like so many young women, I read and loved Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s A GIFT FROM THE SEA, but I never really thought about her in terms of her husband. As far as I was concerned, she was just a wonderful writer whose feelings I could identify with.

Before I began working on FIELDS OF GOLD, the only thing I knew about Charles Lindbergh was that he’d been the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic and that his child had been kidnapped and subsequently murdered. It wasn’t until I saw the old movie, The Spirit of St. Louis, starring Jimmy Stewart, that I began wondering about Lindbergh. He just seemed so impossibly perfect in the film, and I wondered if he could have been that way in real life. I started reading about him, not with any thought of including him in a book, just from personal curiosity. The Charles Lindbergh I discovered in my reading was more complex, more conflicted, more controversial and far more interesting than the movie version. As such, he was a perfect catalyst for the story I was ready to tell, a story that examined the nature of heroism in everyday life.

BRC: I loved the faith themes in your book. Are they personally relevant for you?

MB: Yes, very much so. From an early age, I had a deep curiosity about God, and the world, and humanity, and how they relate to one another. I still do. Over time, my curiosity led me to seek out answers and ultimately embrace the Christian faith. My personal faith is tightly woven into the fabric of my everyday life, and so it’s natural that my characters reflect that. That doesn’t mean that all my characters ultimately choose God, or live perfect, holy lives. They question, they seek, some find, some accept, all make mistakes, some forgive and some are forgiven --- that’s what makes them real to me and, hopefully, to my readers.

BRC: What books are on your nightstand?

MB: An enormous stack that is continually on the verge of toppling over. I’m only going to give the highlights. If I listed them all, you’d think I was making it up.

THE PREACHER AND THE PRESIDENTS by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy, a nonfiction book about Reverend Billy Graham’s relationships with various modern presidents; THE GREAT DIVORCE by C.S. Lewis; FIGHTING CASTRO, a narrative nonfiction novel by Kay Abella; THE KOMMANDANT’S GIRL, WWII women’s fiction by Pam Jenoff; THE HOUSE OF MIRTH by Edith Wharton (my third time reading this --- I love the classics); THE IRRESISTIBLE REVOLUTION: Living as an Ordinary Radical, a clarion call to evangelical Christians urging a return to the values of justice, simple living and community that were common in the early church by Shane Claiborne; and, recently arrived, Adriana Trigiani’s THE BIG STONE GAP TRILOGY. That’s the book I’ll be taking on my upcoming tour --- can’t wait to get started on it.

BRC: Morgan’s mother was an artistic quilter. Do you quilt, or is this just something you enjoyed writing about? What do you do to relax when you’re not writing?

MB: I do quilt but not with anything approaching the artistry of Eva, Morgan’s mother. I need a pattern and clear instructions whereas Eva can just envision a scene or idea and turn it into a quilt.

Writing is a full-time business and then some, but apart from reading, quilting is probably the hobby I spend most time on --- that and buying fabric. I have more fabric than I can use in two lifetimes, but I keep buying it anyway. I like cooking and gardening, too.

Also, I live in a very beautiful part of rural Connecticut, so whenever I can I like to get outside and hike in our local nature preserves and parks. That tends to be very productive time for me. If I run into a seemingly unsolvable problem in my writing, it always seems to work itself out during the course of a good long walk.

BRC: What’s a typical writing day like for you?

MB: In addition to a busy travel schedule, I have a husband, an 87-year-old mother-in-law, three children, one of whom is still living at home, a dog and a cat. In other words, the whole list of obligations and distractions that my mother always called “the full catastrophe.” So, like most people, my life is fairly unpredictable. 

That being said, what I aim for is six hours of uninterrupted writing time per day. That means writing on a book, not keeping up with email, or doing interviews like this. Ideally, I’d like to write from 10 to 4, which is when I have to go pick my son up from school. Frequently, I’m back at my desk in the evening after my son goes to bed. Sometimes, if my schedule has gone too wrong for too long, I get my husband to take over the domestic stuff and sneak off to an inn in Massachusetts where I lock myself in a room and write about 15 hours a day, only emerging for meals.

BRC: What percentage of your time is spent researching compared to writing?

MB: It’s different depending on the type of book and the amount of knowledge I have on the subject to begin with, but for a full-length historical novel, probably 25 to 30 percent of my time is spent researching. The bulk of that happens before I ever write a word, but I also do research during the writing process as new questions arise.

BRC: You’ve done quite a few other things besides writing (bean field worker, singer, dancer, teacher to the deaf, television commercial actress, event planner, scheduler for a U.S. senator, women’s ministry director). If you could work as something besides a writer, what would you do?

MB: I’d love to be a singer in a New York City cabaret with lots of candles on the tables, where couples dressed for a night on the town sit in curved leather booths, drinking ruby colored cocktails and holding hands under the table while I sing standards from the Cole Porter songbook.

Sadly, I fear this is a ship that has sailed.

BRC: Which of these early jobs helped you most in your work as a writer, and why?

MB: It’s hard to pick just one. Working at the Senate helped me deal with pressure and deadlines, and working in ministry helped me understand more about the inner struggles of women, but probably the agricultural work I did as a girl was most important. It helped me develop the appreciation for the land and respect for rural communities that is a reoccurring theme in my books.

BRC: Tell us a little bit about your volunteer work.

MB: Right now, most of my ongoing volunteer work is through my church. I am a co-leader of our senior high youth group, which I love --- spending time with these idealistic, energetic teenagers kind of renews my faith in humanity. And, as a member of our church missions committee, I spend a lot of time helping to organize things like clothing, gifts and school supply drives for various community organizations. I’m also on the board of a non-profit called FutureLead, and I sing in the choir --- second soprano.

Additionally, I do a lot of project-type volunteer work, on an as-needed basis --- helping out at my son’s school at the book fair or annual auction or helping sew costumes for the play --- the usual mom stuff. When asked, I visit local public schools to talk to the kids about writing, speak at community fundraisers to promote literacy or other causes, or speak on issues of spiritual development at church or women’s groups. Sometimes our family volunteers together, sponsoring a needy family at Christmas, or helping to pack boxes at a food bank…that sort of thing.

This week, I’m decorating a tabletop Christmas tree with a quilting theme for our local library’s upcoming “Festival of Trees” fundraiser. It is turning out really well, but it’s going to be a photo finish to see if I can get it done before I leave on my tour to Texas, Oklahoma and Washington.

BRC: What’s next for you, writing-wise? Will there be a sequel to ON WINGS OF THE MORNING?

MB: No, there won’t be a sequel to ON WINGS OF THE MORNING. I’m all done writing about the Glennon family. I mean it this time! Unless I wake up with a good idea tomorrow.

I’m two chapters from finishing the first draft of my next novel, with the working title A SINGLE THREAD. This is my first full-length contemporary novel, and I’m very happy with how it is turning out. I have four strong female characters in this book, and they are just great fun for me to spend time with. So much so that I’m considering a series with these characters.

However, I am not done with historical fiction by any means. This winter I’ll begin researching the roots of country and bluegrass music during the ’20s and ’30s. If that research leads me where I hope it does, it should result in a novel on that subject in the next couple of years.

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