Author Talk: September 17, 2010
Prolific author Francine Rivers is moving American readers yet again with HER DAUGHTER’S DREAM, the heart-wrenching sequel to HER MOTHER’S HOPE that follows Carolyn Arundel as she struggles to heal the wounds that ripped her family apart during the Cold War, only to find herself facing the same difficulties with her own daughter, May Flower Dawn. In this interview, Rivers discusses the generational conflicts that played themselves out in her own household, elaborating on the difficulty of writing a family drama and the challenge of exploring real-life issues in a fictional setting. She also offers insight into the ways in which faith can help heal unresolved trauma and reveals what men can learn from reading a book about mother-daughter relationships.
Question: How has exploring the relationship between your mother and grandmother helped you understand yourself?
Francine Rivers: This is a question I would love readers to ask themselves at the end of HER MOTHER’S HOPE. I realized early in the story that I have many of my grandmother and mother’s character traits, both good and bad. They both had tempers. So do I. They both had low self-esteem. I’m always striving to “measure up”. They both chose spouses who respected them. So did I. Both women had strong faith and servants’ hearts, something they encouraged in me. My mother extended grace to others --- a trait I want to cultivate to the end of my days. By holding onto her anger, Grandma lacked the peace and joy she could have had in her last years. I tend to relive past hurts. Writing about Marta made me decide to let go, forgive and move on. For whatever reason, Grandma couldn’t and missed out on so much joy in her last years. Sometimes people who were deeply hurt as children take offense where none was intended. Holding a grudge causes suffering, especially for the one who won’t let go. Jesus said to forgive one another as He has forgiven us. Forgiveness frees us, even if the other person refuses to join in the process of reconciliation. As I examine my own life, I see how much I’ve been forgiven. How can I not extend God’s grace to others? The best way to experience the fullness of God’s presence in my life is to surrender it to Him. And in that surrender, we are made more complete and joy-filled.
Q: Mother-daughter relationships are often complicated and fraught with emotional landmines. What was your approach to exploring the complexity of those relationships in a fictional setting?
FR: Questions, lots of questions! Every time I told someone I was working on a book about mother-daughter relationships, people wanted to share their family stories. As I wrote HER MOTHER’S HOPE, I wanted readers to see through each woman’s eyes and understand how the past shaped each character in the way she responded to her mother. Hildemara doesn’t believe her mother loves her, but it is out of Marta’s pain and loss that tough-love techniques were forged. Marta wants to strengthen her daughter for whatever lies ahead. Sometimes what we view as rejection can actually be an act of sacrificial love. We seldom know the experiences that shaped our mothers --- the deep hurts, the traumatic events, the broken relationships. I hope women who read this book will want to share those things with one another.
Q: Writing a novel is not for the faint of heart. What was the most difficult part of writing this family saga? What came the most naturally to you?
FR: The most difficult part of writing any novel is getting out of my own way. I have to get rid of preconceived notions about themes and characters and plot. The first draft of this novel came in at over 1,000 pages and was too biographical. I wanted the story to shift back and forth from present to past, trying to show what happened to create the rifts and valleys between Hildemara, Carolyn and May Flower Dawn. I was too cautious, too afraid to harm to my grandmother and mother’s memory.
A wonderful editor wrote me an insightful letter in which she listed what she wanted to know about each of the characters. Her letter got my creative juices flowing. She helped me look at the story in a new way. I set the first manuscript aside and started over. I found it better to move from one generation to the next in a linear story. This time the characters followed my grandmother and mother’s timeline, but took on a life of their own. They became unique individuals rather than the shadow of real people.
Q: After readers finish this series, what do you want them to remember? What questions and feelings do you want it to provoke on a spiritual and emotional level?
FR: I hope and pray that readers who have had difficult relationships with their mothers or daughters will let go of the pain and anger and allow God to work in their lives. God can work all things together for good for those who trust and love Him. Following Jesus’ example changes the way we see people. It changes the way we relate to one another. Even when the chasm is too deep to cross, we can decide to forgive. Some people wear grievances like a dirty coat. With God’s strength, we can strip it off and be free. When people finish reading HER DAUGHTER’S DREAM, I hope they will want to extend God’s grace and forgiveness. I hope they will tear down their walls and use their life experiences to begin building a bridge.
Q: Who do you see as the audience for this story, and does that differ from your previous readership?
FR: I am fortunate to work with Tyndale House. If a writer does well in one genre, publishers encourage the writer to continue in the same genre. Tyndale has given me the freedom to go wherever the story leads. I have done historical as well as contemporary. This two-part saga was intended to be one long book. Splitting the story into two parts made it more affordable for readers and eliminated the need to delete entire sections. Hopefully, both women and men will enjoy HER MOTHER’S HOPE and HER DAUGHTER’S DREAM. Men play a strong role in the lives of all four primary characters: Marta, Hildemara Rose, Carolyn and May Flower Dawn. And both books have much to do with faith: how it presents itself and how it grows, often under difficult circumstances and in unexpected ways.
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