Francine Falk-Allen is the author of the new novel A Wolff in the Family. Her other books include Not a Poster Child. She lives in San Rafael, California.
Q: A Wolff in the Family was based on a true story--what did you see as the right balance between fiction and history as you wrote the book?
A: I did my best to follow a chronology based on both documented family history and census records, so that I knew where people had to have been.
This drove some of the plot, indicating where some of the characters must have or could have met, and with whom they lived…which brought up the question of why they were there, rather than living at home with their spouse or parents.
I then made up those scenarios and conversations, how people met or what the reasons were for their being away from home. In some cases, I knew the reasons, so I only had to give the characters motivation and express that. It was helpful to have structure, like a skeleton for the story.
Additionally, I did a lot of research on colloquialisms, salaries, fashions, household appliances, cost of housing, even cosmetics, and what items would have cost, so I knew what the family could have afforded to have in their home and what they could not at different points in the story. These details lend authenticity to the scenes, even though this is not a documentary.
I do feel it’s a reasonable account of the story, even if my suppositions are off the mark. Who’s to know? The characters are all long gone. Some of their children (my cousins) may have different perspectives… but my version still made a good story!
Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: I didn’t want to use the family’s real surname, which was of Germanic origin and started with “W.” So I did the easy thing, I looked up German surnames beginning with W. When I saw Wolff, I thought, oh, yeah, that’s perfect (for a number of reasons which readers will discover; I won’t divulge what “Wolff” signifies for me here).
My editor, my beta readers and I were brainstorming on how to use the name in the title, or come up with a different title altogether, such as something with revenge or vindication in it.
Then a woman in my writing group said, “I keep thinking of a line in the Harry Potter books: ‘I think there’s a witch in the family.’” I immediately knew that was it: A Wolff in the Family. I was grateful to my friend and sent her an Amazon gift card!
Q: The writer Jude Berman said of the novel, “Francine Falk-Allen weaves a complex story of light and dark, of human failings compounded by the oppressive gender roles in traditional families.” What do you think of that description?
A: I think Jude’s description is astute and evocative, especially for early 20th century family (and female) life. I appreciated her nuanced endorsement very much.
Q: Can you say more about how you researched the book? What did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: As mentioned above, I researched salaries in old federal wages records, old train schedules and routes, prices of clothing or appliances and divorce or marriage announcements in old newspapers or pricing records I found online; death records (I even used the name of the real doctor who attended one of the character’s illness and death), and names of pastors active in the churches they attended.
I read a Wallace Stegner book, which I found to be a snooze, but it did tell me that cities in Utah at that time were actually fairly sophisticated; they were not backwoods spots in the road, and there were one or two figures of speech I learned and used from his writing.
I looked up what songs were popular, because I knew my mother loved to sing, and I learned after I finished the book that they’d had a piano. The list of details goes on and on in that fashion.
I had one very surprising discovery when I looked up the census records on a boarding house where my grandfather stayed when he was on rail runs. I knew the name of the matron there because an aunt had given it to me.
I went further and did a search on the address listed in Wyoming and found that the house still existed! It was for sale and there were pictures of both the inside and outside.
Knowing where he lived and the relative opulence of the house, the several stories, the polished wood interior banister, the large corner lot with its foliage, compared to the older, small cottage in Ogden on a small lot (which I’d seen as a child) where my grandmother was raising his dozen children gave me another plot point.
Grandpa was living a double life, more comfortable when he was not at home. I emphasized that and created more story around it. Finding that set of photos was a goldmine!
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Have to chuckle a little about this. Right now I am solely working on interviews and articles centered, like this one, on promoting A Wolff in the Family.
In a slightly related anecdote, I asked a favorite author to read my book and give me an endorsement, knowing it was a long shot. She wrote back, “I wish I could, but I don’t have time to read!” I learned that she was also in the process of promoting a new book.
So that’s what authors do when a new book is coming out; their writing tends to be promotional… which is still creative and fun!
What I intend to work on when the dust settles, after the book is firmly launched and I get through the holiday season with all that that entails, I want to start a series of short stories about my ancestors on my dad’s side, beginning with the four Allen brothers who emigrated from Ireland to the US in 1793. I know a little about that story, too!
I am not claiming that I’ll write a book about them, because… well, I’m 76 and would like to do more socializing and traveling and reading at this time in my life, and my husband kind of wants my book production phase to be over! We’ll see…
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I hope that people will enjoy A Wolff in the Family, tell their friends about it, and possibly give it good reviews on Goodreads or the voracious Amazon. Writing it was truly a labor of love, and even if I may have idealized my grandmother “Naomi’s” personality, I hope that I did the story justice.
I also hope people will think about all the questions the book raises (there’s a reader’s guide in the back for book clubs and people who just want suggestions for some pithy questions to discuss with friends).
And I hope that readers will not be shy about delving into family stories and secrets from their own ancestors. History is such a rich mentor, especially when it relates to our heritage.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
No comments:
Post a Comment