Last week, I had the fun of reviewing a new LDS historical fiction novel, “Traitor.” Today we are joined by the author of “Traitor,” Sandra Grey.
Sandra, your first novel just hit the bookstores. What does it feel like, having this dream come to pass?
It’s a feeling I have to describe with a little background information first: Near Thanksgiving Day in 2002 I stood on Red Square in Moscow, rough bricks under my feet, my hands, nose and ears numb, a strange language in my ears and my Arizona coat losing the battle against a murderous Russian cold front. I remember how I felt: The numbness of my extremities mirrored the strange, peaceful, sensation inside of me that I have come to associate with my own personal brand of euphoria. I was actually standing where Stalin had stood, and Lenin, and farther back in history, the great Czars of Imperialist Russia! Some people, when faced with the reality that they have finally reached a long-dreamt-of goal, will race around crazily screaming something like “eureka!” Others cry. I go calm. It sounds incongruous, I know. But it is a peaceful, fulfilling sensation that is a peace I associate with reaching a goal that has not been particularly easy, but has proven to be worthwhile. That’s about how I felt when “Traitor” was published.
I think I cried when I first held the book in my hands, though. Oh! And the first time I walked into a bookstore and saw it displayed there -I think I’ll remember that sensation for the rest of my life!
Your book is a very detailed historical fiction piece about World War II
in Europe. How did you conduct the research for your book?
I read a lot (both past and present tense intended). I sat in the car and read while I waited for my daughters to leave their dance class. I read while I waited at basketball practice or the children’s dental appointments. I read during Cub Scouts. I always had a pen handy, and marked up my research books until they looked more colorful than used Yellow Pages. I wrote notes to myself like “Rolf would have worn this” or “Marie – possible reason for her to be in France?” For that reason I bought lots of my research books at used book outlets / online used book stores, eBay, etc, getting the most worn and much-used copies available so that I could feel a little less guilty about disobeying my own strict instructions to my kids about NOT WRITING IN BOOKS! Also, I did a lot of Internet searching for subtle, tiny details about things like bread made with sawdust in France during WWII, ersatz coffee, French villas, and why Basque berets were worn by Résistance fighters. I talked with people who had certain knowledge of the people and timeframe, like my aunt’s mother, who was a young woman in Eastern Europe during the war.
And sometimes I just got lucky and useful tidbits of information would
unexpectedly fall into my lap.
Isn’t it amazing how sometimes, those bits of information show up right when you need them?
We’ll continue our talk with Sandra Grey tomorrow. In the meantime, check out her book here.