Please join me in welcoming bestselling author Pam Jenoff to Let Them Read Books! Pam is on tour with her brand new novel, The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach, and I was thrilled to have the chance to ask her a few questions about her writing and the inspiration for her novels. Read on and enter for your chance to win a copy of The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach with a limited edition beach bag!
Adelia Montforte begins the summer of 1941 aboard a crowded ship bound for America, utterly alone yet free of Fascist Italy. Whisked away to the seaside by her well-meaning aunt and uncle, she slowly begins to adapt to her new life. That summer, she basks in the noisy affection of the boisterous Irish-Catholic boys next door, and although she adores all four of the Connally brothers, it’s the eldest, Charlie, she pines for. But all hopes for a future together are throttled by the creep of war and a tragedy that hits much closer to home.
Needing to distance herself from grief, Addie flees – first to Washington and then London, where the bombs still scream by night – and finds a passion at a prestigious newspaper. More so, she finds a purpose. A voice. And perhaps even a chance to redeem lost time, lost family – and lost love. But the past, never far behind, nips at her heels, demanding to be reckoned with. And in a final, fateful choice, Addie discovers that the way home may be a path she never suspected.
Hi Pam! Thank you so much for taking the time to appear on Let Them Read Books! We're honored to have you here!
I
was reading about all of the memorial projects you worked on during your time
with the army and the state department. Were any of your novels inspired by
those experiences?
I
was a diplomat for the State Department working on Holocaust issues in Krakow,
Poland and I also worked at the Pentagon as the Special Assistant to the
Secretary of the Army. Many of my
stories are inspired by survivors I met.
For example, when I was at the Pentagon I had the privilege of traveling
with my boss to events around the globe commemorating the 50th anniversary of World War II. On one trip
we traveled a remote cabin I the Slovak mountains where a local girl had aided
the paratroopers and the partisans during the war. Her story became the
inspiration for my previous book The Winter Guest.
The
Last Summer at Chelsea Beach is my first book set stateside. But interestingly, I started writing it when
I was living in Poland almost twenty years ago, so it was very much influenced
by those experiences.
The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach is the latest of several novels you've written about World War II. Why do you think fiction about this time period is important, and why do you think it is so popular with readers?
I
agree that novels set during the Second World War remain very popular. For me, they grow out of my years living in
Europe and working on Holocaust issues.
I refer to my books as “love songs” to the people who lived in those
most difficult of times. More broadly
speaking, I think that the proliferation of these books can be attributed to a
number of factors. First, when the
Communist period ended for many countries in Central and Eastern Europe,
archival materials became available to writers that were not previously and
this has prompted a number of stories. Second, with the generation of survivors
getting up there in years, there is a real impetus to capture and tell stories,
either in the form of memoir or fiction, now while we can. Finally, as a novelist, my goal is to take
the reader and put her in the shoes of her protagonist, and have her as “What
would I have done?” The war, with its
dire circumstances and stark choices, provides fertile ground for doing just
that.
What
are your go-to resources for researching this time period?
Some of my
favorites are memoirs, correspondence (between soldiers and loved ones at home)
and accounts of people who lived during the war are particularly useful. Periodicals from the era, magazines and
newspaper, are great, as are photographs.
And don’t underestimate the internet – Google earth can help with the
geography. The archives to a museum or
institute that are fully online can make it as though I was actually there.
Did
you have any real-life inspiration for Adelia's story?
Not
for her story per se. Almost two decades
ago, I
began a story about Adelia, a young girl who goes to the beach for the summer
and meets a family with four sons vacationing next door. For many months, I
struggled with the manuscript – I had no English speaking peer group of writers
and no way to connect with writing resources back home. I tried to publish it and failed. Ultimately I put it in a drawer and forgot
all about it.
Only I didn’t forget.
A few years ago, I pulled it out again.
The language, though unpolished, leapt out and grabbed me, still ringing
fresh and true. I knew there was still a
story there worth telling. So I
developed the concept, set it during the Second World War, and made the
families in the book fail from different religious and ethnic backgrounds. But it was not just a homecoming for the
manuscript – working with my own words from a lifetime ago was like having a
conversation with my younger self and I could see who I had been and how far I
had come since then.
On some level I think I was inspired by Louisa May
Alcott’s LITTLE WOMEN, with the boy Laurie living next door to Jo and her three
sisters. More recently, I’ve come to
realize that some of Addie’s choices (no spoilers here!) were also inspired by
Alcott’s work.
What
does a typical day look like in your writing life?
I
have three small children and a day job as a law school professor, so no two
writing days look the same. I adore all of it. But it does force me to be disciplined. I have written in beautiful castles and
writing retreats. I have also written in
my doctor’s waiting room and in my car.
In my perfect world I would write 7 days a week for three hours, first thing
in the morning. But I have to stay
flexible.
On January 2
this year, I issued myself a 100 days of writing challenge: to write every
single day for 100 days. It worked so
well that in April when it ended I just turned around and started the next 100
days. As of July 23, I’m still going!
What
do you like to read for pleasure? Which authors or books have had the most
influence on you?
Oh my goodness, how to answer? I read everything really, historical fiction,
modern day. I love books by Tracy Chevalier,
Anita Shreve, Kate Atkinson, Chris Bohjalian.
I could go on and on. Books by
author pals Karen White, Cathy Lamb, Mary Kubica, Heather Gudenkauf… I could go
on for days.
When I think
about books that have inspired me I tend to think of types of books. For example, there are books that have
empowered my writing, like Writing Down
the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. I
think too of books that affected me as a child, such as the Mary Poppins series by P.L.
Travers. Historical fiction with a fresh
take, including All That I Am by Anna
Funder, also inspires me. Regardless of
genre, I am inspired by beautiful prose, such as Air and Angels by Susan Hill and A Solider of the Great War by Mark Helrpin for this reason. I am also inspired by books with strong female
leads, like Barbara Kingsolver’s The
Poisonwood Bible, and more recently Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale. You get the
idea.
What are you working on now?
The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach is on a blog tour!
About the Author
Pam Jenoff is the Quill-nominated internationally bestselling author of The Kommadant’s Girl. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a master’s degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania. Jenoff’s novels are based on her experiences working at the Pentagon and also as a diplomat for the State Department handling Holocaust issues in Poland. She lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school.
Wow, I don't know how she does all of that. I'm impressed!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this fascinating feature and wonderful giveaway. I have read Pam's novels which are unforgettable, captivating, well written and unique. Pam is brilliant and creative. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. You are truly disciplined. I consider myself that way also.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting and fascinating interview. I've had this book on my TRL. I've been drawn lately to many stories from the WWll era. Looking forward to reading it. Thank you for the chance.
ReplyDeleteCarol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
What an interesting and fascinating interview. I've had this book on my TRL. I've been drawn lately to many stories from the WWll era. Looking forward to reading it. Thank you for the chance.
ReplyDeleteCarol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
I have read several of Ms. Jenoff's books --my favorite is The Kommadant’s Girl..It got me reading every I could find on the Holocaust and might radically changed my life. How could that have happened in the 20th century? your new book will be another winner,
ReplyDeleteannfesATyahooDOTcom
I enjoy nearly all historical fiction; and most recently I've been esp. pleased by all the offerings with WWII era settings. This novel sounds great. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeletePam sounds amazing! What a great interview! Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteWow, its pretty neat that the story is something she returned to and polished :) I do hope to have a chance to read and review it on my blog
ReplyDeletesvet UNDERSCORE chick AT yahoo DOT ca
Great interview. I love finding out what authors other authors enjoy reading. It always gives me lots of ideas for other books to read.
ReplyDeleteI have had for a longtime a desire to read Ms.Jenoff's work. The recent publicity of this new release has really upped the ante. Her partnership with other writers likely to appeal to fans like me, all of whom were also publishing a new work, served to really whet my appetite for this novel and the other new releases in hist fic whose intriguing possibilities I was happy to be reminded. Now I won't forget to learn more, try to win a copy, and/or buy one sooner rather than later so I can follow later novels! thanks for this sweet giveaway! Cheers, Kara S
ReplyDeletePS The author's charm is a principal part of this effective publicity that has drawn me to particular commitment to reading this and other such works soon! Thanks for featuring another delightful author personality through this interview piece!
DeleteI've heard so many wonderful things about this novel. I would love to read it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for featuring Pam for the tour!
ReplyDeleteLove the interview and I am so excited to read this book!
ReplyDeleteI love Pam Jenoff! Thank you for such a wonderful Q & A!
ReplyDelete