Q&A with Marcia Butler

 

 

Marcia Butler is the author of the new novel Dear Virginia, Wait for Me. Her other books include Oslo, Maine. She is a former professional oboist, and she lives in New Mexico.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Dear Virginia, Wait for Me, and how did you create your character Peppa?

 

A: As with all of my novels I do not figure plot ahead of time. This began out of pure instinct with the first novel, and I have continued on with the practice.

 

Though, because I tend to start each writing day with the thought, who the heck are these people and why on earth are they doing what they’re doing, I live in a perpetual state of not knowing.

 

And the reason I continue to submit myself to this daily discomfort is that the solutions, clarifications—the path forward—always, always, eventually appears.

 

I believe this happens because I allow my imagination and unconscious to work hand and hand, driving the bus here and there, and ultimately landing at the exact spot it was meant to be. Character-building develops in the same way—weaving in and out, and alongside, the ever shifting plot.

 

And with each novel I write, I like to challenge myself by using POV in a new way. For Dear Virginia, it was single narrative with close third person POV.

 

The initial spark for Peppa Ryan came from a session with my shrink. I was complaining that I was talking to myself incessantly, both silently and at times out loud. (SO embarrassing.)

 

How to stop it? He assured me that, except when sleeping, the human mind is active in this way 100 percent of the time but that most people don’t pay much attention. Well, it was driving me crazy. Yet I found the notion interesting and decided to incorporate this aspect of the human condition into Peppa.

 

So in the beginning the only thing I knew for sure about her was that that she heard a voice in her head, and that her perceptions of herself and her abilities were incorrect. The particulars of these premises changed along the way as the plot solidified.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Peppa and the Virginia Woolf in her head?

 

A: As I mentioned, Peppa has always been aware of a voice in her head. In fact, it’s a mental illness that she’s inherited from her mother. At a young age, Peppa discovers the novels of Virginia Woolf and becomes a devotee, she becomes convinced that this voice she hears is Virginia’s.

 

But unlike Peppa’s mom, who suffers deeply from malevolent voices that typically cause people to act out in ways that are dangerous to themselves, Virginia is altogether different. Hers is a thoroughly benevolent inner voice, popping up when Peppa needs advice or encouragement, and even to offer a warning.

 

So Peppa believes that her “relationship” with Virginia is real and that Virginia is, in fact, the only trustworthy “friend” she has.

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The title, Dear Virginia, Wait For Me, is also the title of a pivotal chapter in the book. Peppa finds herself at a crisis point where, in order to escape her current predicament, she decides to allow fate to lead her toward a solution.

 

It is in this chapter that she feels closer to Virginia than at any other time. And in a way, Peppa seems to want to enmesh herself into the very idea of Virginia—a female voyager ahead of her time who forged a brave and creative life in spite of considerable obstacles.

 

In this chapter, although she believes that she’s been deceived by everyone around her, Peppa is eerily calm because Virginia is there, waiting for her.

 

Q: The writer Joan Silber said of the book, “Dear Virginia, Wait for Me is an original, poignant, and, yes, playful novel that deals with mental health, hidden supports, and the joys of love and abiding friendship.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Ms. Silber’s kind praise perfectly captures the oppositional aspects of my book. Because in spite of Peppa’s challenges, humor abounds and unlikely friendships are forged.

 

Her new boss and his boyfriend expose her to a world bigger and brighter than the cloistered Irish enclave of Queens in which she grew up. Even the Irish plumber, who she is determined to crush, seems to give Peppa all the leeway she needs to be herself.

 

This is a story filled with complex souls who truly mean well, and want only to bestow the kindness upon Peppa that she deserves but cannot give to herself.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: At the very end of two of my novels, Pickle’s Progress and Dear Virginia, Wait For Me, a child is born. My current work in progress brings these two babies together, but as 20-somethings.

 

The novel is still nascent, so at the moment the only thing I know for sure is that I mean to use the present-day New York City art scene as a backdrop. I’ve been an art enthusiast since the ‘70s when I attended music conservatory.

 

I was lucky enough to have four years of art history instruction taught by a curator of a Museum in Vienna who’d fled to the States just before the war. It was through her that I caught the bug and I’ve been looking at art, quite obsessively, ever since.

 

And it’ll be so much fun to re-immerse myself in both the old masters and the current art stars, and, to see where it will lead.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Marcia Butler.