A Roundtable Interview with
KAREN MERCURY
Interviewed by Sylvia Cochran
Q: It is fascinating to read
historic fiction about a time, place, and
society that is not as "well traveled" as the lives and times of the
British, French, or Spanish royal courts of the centuries. What inspired
you to take this road less traveled?
A: I've been studying African precolonial history for about 25 years. I've
traveled extensively in Africa too, so it's like 'what came first, the
chicken or the egg?' I was actually obsessed with Africa from about the
age
of 2, when I named my stuffed Steiff monkey after an African explorer, Mungo
Park. Everyone said, "How cute, you named him Monkey!" And I
remember
getting angry and thinking, "No, it's Mungo! Those idiots! Can't they
spell?"
As for The Hinterlands, I collect African art, and read the story of the
Benin Expedition in one of my art books. I could not believe that this
ancient civilization with such advanced bronze artwork [and human sacrifice]
had existed so recently--essentially, only 100 years ago. I looked around,
and incredibly nobody else had ever fictionalized this amazing story.
Q: The main characters of "The Hinterlands" are well-defined and
developed;
yet it appears that you gave equal attention to the cast of secondary
characters. The reader almost feels as thought s/he "knows" Evin
Jordan or
Mateus; how were you able to develop these characters to completely while
preventing them from stealing the spotlight or taking over the story?
A: I really do feel like I know Evin and Mateus. I literally do know
Mateus. Mateus was based on a high school friend, this crazed, ferocious
short guy ("but not a dwarf! Dwarves haunt lonely places and seize
passers-by!" "That just about sums up your existence") who did
things like
shave his hair into a mohawk before it became popular, just to do
anthropology experiments on his fellow classmates and see their reactions.
He's been popping up in my writing ever since in different guises. Evin I
based on The Edge--yup, the guitarist for U2, since I based the hero Brendan
Donivan on Bono! I've long idolized Bono for his work in Africa and he
made
a perfect romantic historical hero. He just stepped right into the role of
Alabaman riverboat captain turned leopard hunter.
Sometimes it helps to not be too familiar with the people you're basing the
characters on, I've found. All of my close friends and boyfriends/husbands
have made terrible characters. I don't know why this is. Maybe
because
then the characters are free to develop on their own without the constraints
of what you "know to be true."
Q: The sensual romance scenes in your novel are beautifully written and
evidence a level of class that for many writers is a precarious edge to
traverse. Some have toppled and their erotic scenes are borderline vulgar,
yet yours are nothing less than beautiful. How were you able to maintain
this quality in all of your romantic scenes?
A: Thank you! That's such a compliment. When I first tried to
publish, I
sought out other authors I felt were similar to me. I knew I was always
going to "have to" write explicit love scenes, because that's just me,
having raised myself on Henry Miller. As a pre-teen, I used to snarf the
Miller volumes from my mother's bookshelf, of course reading the
unexpurgated scenes. Before long, I realized it was pretty good writing,
and read a bit before and a bit after the "good parts," and pretty
soon I
figured "Oh, hell, let's just read the whole book." So I
developed this
seeming dichotomy that you could have high-quality literary writing and
explicit sex.
To this day, I think it's a dichotomy that still exists. I had a hard time
finding other authors who were as steamy as me, yet who I could still
respect to tell a good story. I first found Susan Johnson, who definitely
gets into good historical detail, yet some of her love scenes seemed a bit
much. I remember there was one that took place in the Old West (Montana, I
want to say) where the couple was role-playing with the heroine pretending
to be a schoolgirl. That seemed anachronistic to me. Then I found
Bertrice
Small and Thea Devine, but they sometimes go over the top for my level of
steam, too, with vulgar terminology. There seemed to be a huge vacant gap
between these authors and the next fairly tame level.
Then I found Robin Schone! I adore her! She's the first author who I feel
combines a great story with high-quality writing and very hot yet tasteful
sex. When is her next book coming out? :)
Then you get the other extreme, a literary novel like "Cold Mountain"
that
is extremely beautiful, almost prose poetry, yet they "shut the door"
when
the couple finally starts kissing. That was a big letdown. :) I have that
big problem with most historical fiction that is fairly tame, because I
really want to read about the steamy relationships between historical
figures. To me, that's a huge part of history-always has been, always will
be. There seems to be that conventional wisdom that you cannot have both
qualities. I think you can.
Q: Have you considered turning "The Hinterlands" into the first of a
series
featuring more of the characters as well as the surrounding history of the
Niger Delta waterways?
A: Although Medallion has indicated they'd welcome that, I have one big
block against it. There's a big dramatic arc when a couple first meets.
To
me that's the intriguing part. The suspense, the buildup, the tension,
teasing, flirtation. That's perhaps why I always put the big love scene so
far back in the book--because for me, it's all downhill from there, although
then I can concentrate on historical storytelling, so in a way it's a
relief. But I personally don't care to see where a couple goes from there.
I never read further in the Gabaldon "Outlander" series, for instance,
though I thought it was outstanding.
Your other option is having someone die, so the other can continue on and
find someone new. What, kill my hero? My publisher won't stand for
it,
because her husband's on the cover as the hero! :)
Q: For all the aspiring historic fiction writers, what is your number one
piece of advice?
A: I hate to say it, but it's study. Study hard. Read, read, read.
Read
actual historical documents from the time period you're writing about, so
you can get the flow of the lingo down. I also always take some fiction
from the same time period and place to get the cadence of slang. You have
to be a slave to your slang dictionary and your OED because there's nothing
worse than anachronisms. For years, I stood up at night beneath a 60-watt
bulb highlighting all the slang words in the dictionary that were applicable
to the year I was writing about. I found it very soothing before sleep!
Every year I spend thousands on research books. To me, there's nothing
more
exciting than finding an old first edition (or, hell, 8th edition!) research
book at a reasonable price. I can never rest till it comes in the mail!
Also, make everyone around you realize you're serious about your writing.
I
know that most people will still open your door to tell you that "American
Idol" is on TV. Tell them to shut up and go away. Acting crazy
sometimes
helps. "Check out this Portuguese dude in 1668! He hung sheep
on the
masthead and-" You wouldn't believe how fast they shut the door then!
Teachers in the old days used to say, "Write what you know." Now
I know
it's "Write what you can imagine."
Q: Did "The Hinterlands" simply "flow" from your pen, or did
you encounter
some writer's block or dead ends along the way?
A: The book flowed so fast from my fingers I didn't have time to write it
all down, and I type 110 words per minute. The characters were all
clamoring to be heard.
I'm one of those strange writers who believes that the characters really
exist in another plane, because all I have to do is sit down and get quiet
for about 30 seconds, and instantly I can hear what they're saying, and see
what they're doing. I just had to leave the people in my WIP, due to
deadlines and surgery, hanging out in the Abyssinian highlands gathering
wild herbs for about three months. When I was finally able to check back
in
with them, I found that two guys who had loathed each other had suddenly
bonded, and were treating each other with back-slapping jocosity! Imagine
my surprise, so I just followed them from there.
I don't believe in writer's block. It's a craft and a lifestyle, and all
you have to do is sit down and be quiet, and it'll come to you. Wear
earplugs!
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