Natalie Anna Jacobsen is the author of the new novel Ghost Train. Also a journalist and marketer, she lives in Washington, D.C.
Q: What inspired you to write Ghost Train, and how did you create your character Maru?
A: While studying Japanese history and media at the University of Oregon I came across a collection of folklore that was emerging from the tumultuous Meiji Era -- Japan's own Industrial Revolution and modernization period.
This transformative time is often considered the country's most important, as it moved them from the feudal reign of nearly 300 years, into an imperial nation that rapidly westernized and became a global power in a matter of years, leading right up into the World Wars.
During their own import of foreign technologies and ideals, society experienced an existential crisis in some ways as they saw massive cultural shifts happening day-by-day. I harken it to our own collective experience with the dawn of the Information Age with the ushering in of computers and globalization.
During the Meiji Era, the country saw huge changes and made great strides every year; and without the ability to rapidly share information, citizens were often left in the dark and confused over what was going on, and why.
This led to a resurgence in folklore to help reconcile lack of understanding or information. Folklore and ghost stories explained the unexplainable, and answered for the strange noises and ways the world seemed to evolve.
In the middle of it all, I envisioned what it would've been like to be an ordinary citizen living through those transformations. Most historical documents I read recounted the lives of the nobles, as it is largely typical in surviving history.
But I wanted to put the reader behind the eyes of someone also coming-of-age, and witnessing these changes. Maru--her name means "full circle" in Japanese--took shape. I needed someone to experience love, joy, grief, pain, curiosity, hope, confusion (and a bit of delusion), fear and anxiety through these pivotal moments in Japanese history.
I devoured books from the Meiji Era, read diaries, and then wove her emotions together with folklore -- and thus, Ghost Train had its bones and flesh.
Q: The writer Shirley Miller Kamada said of the book, “A work of fiction--and in some respects other-worldly--this book is solidly based on research of Japan's history and folklore, as well as the author's personal experience of living in Japan.” What do you think of that description, and how did you research the book?
A: It took years to research and write Ghost Train. I did not take this self-assigned work lightly.
Even when I was just starting to write Ghost Train as a college student, I knew I wasn't ready yet. I didn't have the skillset as a writer nor as someone who was fully knowledgeable of the subject matter.
As mentioned in my previous response, I had been inspired by my studies in Japanese literature and how folklore was so effortlessly woven into their stories. Though I had a strong vision for the novel, there were too many gaps in the content and plot, and I knew I needed time and a bigger toolbox to do it justice.
After graduating, I spent years in Japan as a writer and working different jobs in TV, education, music and photography, from Hokkaido to Kyoto.
All of these experiences introduced me to so many incredible people, who taught me something new about the culture, their history, outlook and ways of life. Without those firsthand interactions and witness of events and the culture in motion, Ghost Train could not have happened.
So many of Kyoto's streets since Japan's medieval (Edo or prior) eras have been preserved; walking through their streets can feel like time-traveling. Many of their festivals have continued traditions for hundreds, if not a thousand, years.
Much of the historical research was done through reading of firsthand accounts, government documents, even student theses. I think all together I wound up reading about 3,000 documents; I saved my list of citations, just like I do in my journalistic work.
I also interviewed subject matter experts and historians to get clarity on some events that I was trying to describe or accurately portray. It was a group effort, and I am glad that I held off on writing Ghost Train until I had done my homework properly.
I am grateful it seems to have paid off, with authors Shirley Miller Kamada, Jake Adelstein, and Robert Whiting all commending Ghost Train for its details and accuracy. I'm really proud of this effort, and am thankful to all who have supported and lent their own family history and knowledge to the book!
Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: I always knew how it would end. And actually...the ending of Ghost Train isn't the real end. When I first wrote the story, it was three times as long -- that's right, it was written as a trilogy! My hope is that, if sales go well for this first book, I will have the opportunity to publish its two sequels, so readers can enjoy the ending I envisioned all along.
Now, I think most authors will say they had to make some changes along the way; and that's true for me, too. Between the three novels, I did have to move some scenes around that would make Ghost Train more of a standalone, just in case the sequels don't move forward.
One of the things that got moved was a wedding scene for Maru's friend Ai, and some extra scenes with Maru's Oba-san (grandma). Those would both appear in book two; so those parts aren't gone forever.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: In all of my writing endeavors, I love to share information. So first and foremost, I hope readers come away having learned something new about Japan, Japanese history, or folklore.
To go a step further, I hope readers use Ghost Train (and other historical fictions set in places outside of where they live) as a vehicle to go elsewhere and travel (without an expensive plane ticket!) to gain a broader perspective on world history and their place in it.
We each have a story to tell, and so do billions around the world. I love historical fiction, both reading and writing it, as they remind me we aren't alone in our experiences.
All cultures and societies have gone through drastic changes and reckoned with their identity -- the more ideas and stories we exchange with one another, the stronger our bond and greater our humanity will be.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Right now -- surviving! Launching this debut novel has occupied most of my spare time outside of work, so I haven't had a great deal of opportunities to work on new creative endeavors lately. But I'm hoping to change that soon!
I'd love to devote some energy to refining the two sequels to Ghost Train, and exploring publishing options for them. From what I've heard from some early readers so far, they'd also love to see more from Maru and Kitsune.
These two sequels have not been edited nearly as much as Ghost Train, so I would need to put some significant work into both of those before they are ready! It's been years since I first wrote the story, but I'm ready to go back to Japan.
Outside of Japan, I do have another story in mind that I'm halfway through -- a contemporary fiction story on the recent, historic wildfires in Oregon. It's shaping up to be a thriller that explores complicated family dynamics and follows one character who fights to change laws in the wake of the disaster after tragedy strikes. There's more to come!
I still do freelance work in journalism occasionally; I'm working on a few pieces around AI that I'm shopping around right now too.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: For updates on my works in progress, publications, blog, guest articles and more, readers are invited to subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://www.najacobsen.com/newsletter-subscribe -- this is the best way to stay in touch with me outside of social media, and be the first to know about events, collaborations, and more.
I'm looking forward to joining book clubs and engage with more readers and authors in the near future, and invite you to reach out!
Thank you so much for having me :)
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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