Q&A with Michael Callahan

 

 

 

Michael Callahan is the author of the new novel The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard. His other books include the novel Searching for Grace Kelly. He lives in Los Angeles.

 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard, and how did you create your characters Mercy and Kit?

 

A: It’s a crazy story, and speaks to the randomness that can accompany developing a narrative.

 

Since 2015 I have been part of the Martha’s Vineyard Writers Residency, a writing colony where authors come to work on their books and build community with other writers.

 

I was there finishing my second novel in 2016 when, strolling around, I thought, I should write a book about here. Ideas began rolling around in my head. Two nights later I literally sat up in bed in the middle of the night, struck with a plot, and I knew if I didn’t write it down right then I would lose it. So I got out of bed, sat at the desk, and began the outline for what would become the story of Mercy and Kit.

 

Eagle-eyed readers have noticed that the main characters’ names are an homage to The Witch of Blackbird Pond, which I read when I was 11 and which changed my life.

 

Q: Much of the novel is set on Martha’s Vineyard—how important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: It’s everything. I always, always start with the setting first, which is unusual, I think. Most writers start with the characters. But I always start with where, because if it isn’t a place I want to spend time, that I want to explore, I can’t write a story about it.

 

I always pick places with history and a touch of intrigue and glamour. God bless those authors who can write about suburban Cincinnati and make it utterly compelling—I do not have that skill.

 

Q: The writer Louis Bayard said of the book, “Michael Callahan’s The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard grabs from the first line and doesn’t let go until the last. This delicious mystery will be a particular treat for fans (guilty!) of vintage Hollywood and Nancy Drew.” What do you think of that description?

A: It's really interesting that you flagged that blurb, specifically, because when Louis first sent it to me I was a bit mixed about it. It’s lovely, of course, but I wondered whether the Nancy Drew reference might make the book seem unserious.

 

But the truth is that I adored Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys growing up—those books opened up a whole world of adventure and possibility for me, and I was hardly alone. There’s a reason why they’re still in print, and why they’ve been a life and literary influence on so many people.

 

In many ways my novel is sort of a grown-up Nancy Drew story—Nancy is even a small plot point—in that it’s a romantic mystery that, I hope, gallops along with twists and turns until it climaxes with a satisfying finish. There are worse comparisons.

 

Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: I spent a lot of time on Martha’s Vineyard, obviously, and was blessed to have had the help of some local historians and researchers who really got what I was trying to do and pointed me to incredible archival materials.

 

Of my three novels this one took the longest to write, in part because it was split between the past and present, which was tricky in terms of pacing, and also because the research into 1959 Martha’s Vineyard was exhaustive, and I wanted to be sure I really had the details down.

 

I think what surprised me the most was how sleepy the island was back then—today it has this patina of glamour from the celebrities and presidents who own places there, but back in 1959 it was really just this quiet little seashore resort that was mostly a weekend place for Bostonians. The one constant is that the island has always held a particular, unique kind of New England charm, then and now.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have just begun research for a new book, this one set in Beverly Hills in 1957. I moved to Los Angeles in 2021, so it seemed logical to set a book here, where I could research the time period easily.

 

I have a general plot sketched out, but now comes the hard part: figuring out how all of these pieces fit together into one big picture. But the research has been really fun. My God, the clothes! It’s a kick to be able to go back in time and rotate through these fizzy worlds.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Michael Callahan.