The Story is About   +  Saundra Mitchell

Author Interview/Blog Tour: Saundra Mitchell

Saundra Mitchell

Books:

  • Shadowed Summer
  • The Vespertine

Website | Blog | Buy the Book



It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.


Why did you choose to set the majority of The Vespertine in Maryland. Was there anything specific about this place during this time period?

Books and films so often focus on the extremes of Victorian wealth and poverty that we end up with an extreme view of the era. We forget that the first female self-made millionaire in America was Madame C.J. Walker. Because they're so pretty, we forget that Gibson Girls were drawings not of dainty society girls, but of modern women going to college, working as law clerks, and enjoying their independence.

I wanted to write about middle class characters, because traditionally-- the middle class is where those barriers blur. Our history is full of segregation and anti-suffrage, and there's no denying that. But it wasn't always as insular and rigid as pop culture makes it seem. Baltimore, Maryland-- being a busy international port, and boasting a rich and varied middle class-- felt like exactly the right place to set this story.

Why not set the story in present time, what was it about the Victorian period of the 1800's that made you choose it?

I tried out various times and settings for the initial idea (a girl who could see the future in the sunset.) But ultimately, I wanted to write a gothic novel.

I really enjoy the sensibility of the gothic: the isolation that comes from both setting, and from the constraints of the time, the big emotions, the extreme moments, the hint of paranormal that exists in the world, but doesn't necessarily define it.

The whole idea for this version of the idea came from an idle thought: "Man, that guy is such a jerk; he would totally lock his sister in an attic and leave her there to die."

I suppose I could have tried to make that work in a contemporary setting, but I think it would have been a very different book!

Was the Fourteenth guest a fallacy you included, or was there some kind of basis of truth behind it? Any other interesting tidbits you learned in your research?

There really were Fourteenths! But, I definitely made it a bigger cottage industry than it really was. You could hire a fourteenth guest in the Victorian era, just like you could hire people to fill out the mourners at a loved one's funeral. However, it happened on a much more informal level than I present it in this book.

I mean seriously, there are only so many people throwing dinner parties at a given time, and only so many of them are going to unexpectedly come up short a guest. Nathaniel claims he makes his rent as a Fourteenth. In reality, he would have made a little spending money from it, at best.

I really enjoyed learning about the state of the education system at the time period. Organized high schools were in their infancy, and organized schools in general were still small enough that all grade levels participated in a single class. I thought the jump system was really interesting.

Much like musicians now can earn their way to the first chair in their section, Victorian students could earn their way to the front of the class by excelling in their lessons. Which doesn't sound like much fun, unless you realize that a jump forward puts you closer to the stove that warms the room!

What character intrigued you most, as the author? Amelia, Nathaniel... Zora? And why? (I have to say I was a sucker for Thomas!)

I'm so glad to see Thomas get some love. He's a true gentlemen, and tries so hard to be honorable while everyone around him tries desperately to misbehave! I have to say though, sometimes it's easy for an author to play favorites (Daddy was my favorite character from SHADOWED SUMMER, easily,) but I can't pick one for this book.

I genuinely loved writing every single one of them. They're all fascinating in their own ways- I mean, I've even toyed with the idea of writing a short story about Navid-- Nathaniels' roommate, whom we see for all of ten lines in the entire book!

The Vespertine was so different from your debut Shadowed Summer, was your writing experience different as well?

They couldn't have been more different. SHADOWED SUMMER was very hard to write. The characters were uncooperative, the story was hard to unearth. I struggled with every single page of that book; it was exhausting.

Writing THE VESPERTINE was a dream. Once I realized I wanted it to be set in Victorian Baltimore, the story flew right out. I finished the first draft in about six weeks, and I had so much fun every single day writing it. It was a rare and extraordinary experience, and I feel so lucky I got to have it.

I love all the books I've written, but- silly as it sounds- I feel like THE VESPERTINE loves me back. :)

Thank you so much for having me, Kristi!!


The next stop on the tour will be tomorrow at Eve's Fan Garden! Don't forget to stop by Saundra Mitchell's blog on April 1st to win a Vespertine Prize Pack full of awesome goodies:

  • a signed copy of The Vespertine
  • a blown glass pen + amber ink & pen rest
  • a silver & amber sunburst pendant
  • a signed foiled bookmark
  • a dance card signed by Aprilynne Pike, Caitlin Kittredge, Carrie Ryan, Christine Johnson, Holly Black, Linda Gerber, Lisa McMann, Sarah MacLean, Sarah Rees Brennan and Saundra Mitchell.

Two additional winners will receive a signed copy of The Vespertine, a signed foiled bookmark, and a dance card signed by Saundra Mitchell.

To enter the contest you'll need to stop by the blog tour stops (you can find the complete list at Mundie Moms) and collect the icons at each stop!

Good luck!!