My third novel, Lovelier than Daylight, is based on the Westerville Whiskey Wars of the 1870s.I'm working on it right now, and it will be released in November 2012.
Because the novel is about temperance crusaders fighting a saloon (among other things), it must inevitably deal with the subject of alcoholic beverages and their abuses.
A couple of years ago, I told my dad that I had some concerns about writing this novel, even though it was part of my series proposal.
"How can you not want to write a novel about people blowing up a saloon?" he asked.
"Because handling the alcohol issue is going to be tricky," I said. "People have very strong feelings about it. But I don't write polemics, and I'm not going to portray the temperance crusaders as completely right and the saloon owner as completely in the wrong. I'm going to show all sides of the issue."
After all, I thought, this is a real story from history, and trying to paint it as a black-and-white situation would do a grave disservice to the actual historical account. In real life, it's often hard to tell the heroes from the villains, and the Westerville Whiskey Wars are particularly ambiguous in that respect.
Flash forward two years. Now that I'm embarking on the edits for this novel, I'm really enjoying the complexity of the novel's depiction of alcohol and the conflict surrounding the saloon.
CBA novels have a reputation for being preachy, which is sometimes deserved and sometimes not. More and more, CBA novelists are developing the craft and finesse to address even controversial topics in non-preachy ways. In fact, when a novel deals with a hot button topic, it is even MORE important to write it with a very light hand.
If you want to see the beautiful cover for this third novel, it will receive its grand unveiling at my Facebook party this Tuesday night, February 28th, at 5pm Pacific, 6pm Mountain, 7pm Central, 8pm Eastern! Just click on my author page and we'll be having all kinds of fun conversations, plus GIVEAWAYS! An Ipod Nano and a Downton Abbey prize pack could be yours, plus gift certificates and free books.
Facebook Author Page for party Tuesday night!
Question for you: do you prefer historical novels to address complex real-life issues about morality and conduct, or would you prefer a lighter read that's more of a nostalgic portrait of a historical era?
17 comments:
Hi Rosslyn, I prefer ANY novel, contemporary OR historical, to address real-life issues. While I respect the reasons behind some of the CBA 'rules', I cheer when I see them being broken. I think it's a tricky subject though. I got called out by one person over the fact that my characters in Yesterday's Tomorrow drank, said not nice words and were 'immoral'. I'm not going to use your lovely blog as a soapbox, so I won't go into my response to those comments. I will simply stick to your question and answer as a reader, with a big, "OOO RAH!"
complexity! Real-life. All the way. And I cannot wait to see the cover!
I know you know my answer. Makin' it real, baby!
Excited to see your cover soon!
~ Wendy
Looking forward to the party and the cover! I can completely relate to this, Rosslyn. I also deal with the alcohol issue in my fiction. It can be a difficult subject to work with but through the challenge can come beautiful results.
Real life...it's the truth, plain and simple.
I look forward to your book cover, and will try to make the party! It sounds fun!
I definitely like real life issues. I love it when I can relate to the character!
Stay true to the facts. Keep it real. Tell the truth. That's what Stephen King says.
O, are Christians allowed to quote King? Would Jesus?
Okay, total tongue-and-cheek. Fact is, we spiritualize everything and create our own view of the world through that spiritualization. Wine is all over the Bible. It was Jesus's first miracle. Some say it was watered down, but why would we be commanded not to get drunk if the wine were as weak as water?
*Loving and Hurt-Filled Rant Warning*
Alcohol is real life. It's not a sin. Abusing it is. So why in the world do we the Body make such a huge stink about it? Do we really think that shielding our eyes from the truth, from real life, is going to do a thing? Make us more holy? Save our children? Something else? *Side note: Most of my friends who grew up in a 'non-drinking' church are now drunk every weekend. From black … to white. AKA: They learned not to drink; they didn't learn how to be like Jesus, who, yes, drank alcohol and lived with perfect balance and without sin*
To just sweep things like alcohol under the rug or vow to never drink (which I did until I was 24) is the easy way out. It's the black and white that easily leads to a legalistic and judgmental life. To vow not to drink is like vowing to never own a computer or internet connection because of all the possible filth you might come across.
I could go on. I won't. Rant over.
Let the beer flow. If we don't, we might as well replace it all with Kool Aid. Because, for a lot of the Body, that's what we're drinking when it comes to the issue of alcohol. Lord, forgive our legalistic and judgmental tendencies that rob of us of Your perfect Way!
I love complex historicals that tackle the issues of the day. It's one of the reasons you're one of my favorite authors now.
I too am tackling complex, no clear right and wrong sides issues in my current WIP. Yes it's hard, but it's way more fun to stretch oneself as a writer, rather than take the easy way out.
Real life issues - absolutely! Much more relatable on many fronts. I'm with Katie, I can't wait to see the cover!
The book sounds awesome to me! While it is a "touchy" subject, it is history and it will make a great story.
In my opinion-take it for what it is- the best stories are ones that involve some type of controversy. At least that is what I am banking on for getting my foot in the door to an agent/publisher.
I'm sorry I don't use Facebook, guess I will have to wait to see the cover later!
I love real-life issues because I have yet to meet a perosn who hasn't been tempered by real-life struggles. Plus showing reality in the CBA gives hope to the unsaved who may pick up one of our novels.
First, great topic.
Second, I'll answer your question as a person who braves a romantic suspense but other than that normally avoids romances, historical as always. (Of course, I'm now in a critique group where all the other writers write romance, and only one is romantic suspense!) I'm one that likes complexity and deepness. But does one need to push the envelope to accomplish this?
Third, let me deal with this practically. I'm working on book two of a three part series. My original thought was to have homosexual characters in all three books (none of which pretend to be Christians). Then, I realized that all it accomplished in the first story was the shock value which wasn't needed, so I dropped it there. The second contributed more to the plot but again would the story be as good without it? Yes, so again I dropped it. The third deals with persecution of believers and I believe one way is the way gay activists try to silence those who don't approve of their lifestyle so I'm going to push that button when it most needs to be pushed.
I might differ from the others making comments. Many of my favorite authors push the envelope (Randy Singer, Amy Wallace, and of course Frank Peretti). But is that why they're among my favorites? Actually, just the opposite -- it's in spite of the envelope pushing.
The bottom line is too often we think realism and pushing the envelope are synomonous, and I don't think so. I believe one can work on realism and still be CBA acceptable. And sometimes pushing the envelope isn't a strength but a distraction.
By the way, Rosslyn, I think you're dealing with a subject that is natural to your setting. And I don't see a problem with that.
I love the idea! It sounds like a great historical (and relevant) premise!
Thanks, everybody, for the thoughtful feedback!
And in particular, Anonymous, I hear you. And I agree very much on that issue. I've seen denial gone wild, creating hypocrites and lost souls. It's an awful spectacle, and it makes me hurt too.
Rachel, thank you so much for the immense compliment. When a discerning fellow writer says that, it means so much!
Becky - I'm thinking it's Becky and not Jeff, right? :-) Pushing the envelope for its own sake isn't useful or productive. What matters is telling the stories that heal and help and aid the cause of the God who is Love, and doing what it takes to tell each story. Thanks for your vote that you think my subject is natural for its setting--I think so. We'll see how it is received! :-)
I love all sorts of novels, including light reads, but the ones that stick with me are the ones that are complex and make me think. In recent years, I've gotten over my tendency to view things as black and white, and believe it or not, reading novels has been a major contributor to *really* understanding the motivations of the heart, and how they aren't always what an outsider might think. So I'm very much looking forward to reading your account of this time period in history, as viewed through the lenses of different characters. I'm sure, like your other novels, it will be a captivating read.
Hi, Rosslyn, I stopped by your site after reading your comment to Mike Duran's post about Christian fiction. Thanks so much for sharing your perspective.
Becky
Barb and Rebecca, thank you for coming by and contributing!
Post a Comment