The description says that your book SISTERS OF NIGHT AND FOG is “based on the extraordinary true stories of an American socialite and a British secret agent”. Were the names kept the same? What can you tell readers about any research you did for this historical novel? Are you a history buff?
I’m a huge history buff, and all my novels are an excuse to keeping writing the research papers I always loved in school. In SISTERS OF NIGHT AND FOG, the names of the women were kept the same, and I tried to keep as close to the true, findable history as possible. (I disclose any deviations in the Author’s Note.) From memoir, to biography, to online archives, including the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Violette Szabo Museum, there was a wealth from which to draw. I already had a strong base in the research of the time because of my previous novel, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN - about SOE/OSS agent, Virginia Hall - but I had to go deeper. One of the most valuable components of my process is talking to living family members or friends of my protagonists, when possible. I was able to do so, and those interviews essentially turned the black and white photos of my understanding of these women into full and living color.
With this book being set in the 1940s, is there something about this period in particular that inspires your writing? Or was it the true story of the women involved that compelled you to write about it?
It was the women who captivated me. While writing THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, because of how painful and intense the research was, I resolved not to write another WWII novel. But Virginia and Violette’s stories haunted me, and Violette “pursued me” in a series of dreams that inspired me to commit to telling these stories, even though there are tragic elements of both. Ultimately, the courage of these women shines brighter than any darkness they faced.
Your book THE INVISIBLE WOMAN is also set in the 1940s and chronicles the life of a heroic woman. Is the idea of ordinary women doing extraordinary things something that draws you to these particular people?
It is. It fascinates me to chart the progress of how an everyday person finds her calling and, through grace and community, rises to do incredible things. These are the stories readers always need but seem especially poignant with the current state of the world.
In your book THE HOUSE OF HAWTHORNE, you dive into the marriage of author Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife, artist Sophia Peabody. Had you always been interested in these historical figures before researching your book? Did anything surprise you?
I’m a reader first, so it’s only natural that I’m interested in the lives of authors, and I have loved Hawthorne since high school. I had intended the focus to be on Nathaniel, but as I moved deeper into research it was his wife, Sophia, who surprised me by stealing the show. It was her etchings on the window glass of his writing room at their Concord home that beckoned and beguiled me. She took over from there.
Your book FALLEN BEAUTY is another book about a famous author. What speaks to you the most about this book? The life of an author? Or the bond between women?
It’s both the life of an author, in relationship to her time, and exploring the complicated relationships of women that drew me to Millay. After writing about men like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, it was also a pleasure to write about a strong, female writer who dominated those in her orbit, instead of the other way around. Millay was the first woman to win the Pulitzer, she was a force of nature, and her poetry is exquisite and timeless.
Do you like to read the kind of historical fiction you write? Favorite authors? Favorite books?
I read historical fiction almost exclusively. There is nothing I love more than getting lost in the past, through characters in a novel, and then resurfacing to go down the Google rabbit hole. I’ll limit the list of my favorite writers to those who came immediately to mind: Kristin Harmel, Kristin Hannah, Amor Towles, Jane Austen, Toni Morrison, Marie Benedict, and Rosamunde Pilcher. My favorite books of all time are A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW, BELOVED, EMMA, and WINTER SOLSTICE.
What are you currently working on?
The latest historical subject of my fascination is an artifact, instead of a person. The story growing around the artifact is a multigenerational family saga of love and betrayal. Most of the characters are fictional this time around, which is a new and daunting challenge, but one that keeps me engaged. I can’t wait to share more.
A WWII Novel
1940. In a world newly burning with war, and in spite of her American family’s wishes, Virginia d’Albert-Lake decides to stay in occupied France with her French husband. She’s sure that if they keep their heads down, they’ll survive. But is surviving enough?
Nineteen-year-old Violette Szabo has seen the Nazis’ evil up close and is desperate to fight them. But when she meets the man who’ll change her life only for tragedy to strike, Violette’s adrift. Until she enters the radar of Britain’s secret war organization—the Special Operations Executive—and a new fire is lit in her as she decides just how much she’s willing to risk to enlist.
As Virginia and Violette navigate resistance, their clandestine deeds come to a staggering halt when they are brought together at Ravensbrück concentration camp.
The decisions they make will change their lives, and the world, forever.
Historical | Thriller Spy | Non-Fiction Biography [Berkley, On Sale: March 1, 2022, Trade Size / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593102169 / eISBN: 9780593102176]
Erika Robuck is the national bestselling author of Receive Me Falling, Hemingway's Girl, Call Me Zelda, Fallen Beauty, and The House of Hawthorne. She is a contributor to the anthology Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion and to the Writer's Digest essay collection, Author in Progress. In 2014, Robuck was named Annapolis' Author of the Year, and she resides there with her husband and three sons.
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