Interview with Author Siri Mitchell

Siri Mitchell graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she has lived all over the world, including in Paris and Tokyo. Siri enjoys observing and learning from different cultures. She is fluent in French and loves sushi.

But she is also a member of a strange breed of people called novelists. When they’re listening to a sermon and taking notes, chances are, they’ve just had a great idea for a plot or a dialogue. If they nod in response to a really profound statement, they’re probably thinking, “Yes. Right. That’s exactly what my character needs to hear.” When they edit their manuscripts, they laugh at the funny parts. And cry at the sad parts. Sometimes they even talk to their characters.

So true, Siri!



Siri's latest release A Constant Heart is the first of three standalone historical titles that will be released by Bethany House Publishers. This book is set in Queen Elizabeth's court in a world where beauty is a curse, friendship is bought and sold, and true love is the unpardonable sin. Each of the three books is set in a time period when women’s lives were endangered by the fashions they wore. The fashion element in A Constant Heart is the toxic lead-based paste the women used to paint their faces.

Tell us a bit about yourself, your writing, and your publishing journey.

My name is Swedish for Sarah. I was named for one of my mother’s childhood friends and got an early jump on writing because everyone was always asking me how to spell my name. For the record, it rhymes with ‘weary’…which is what I usually am at the end of my first drafts. Weary of everything: the story, the characters, the words, the themes, the computer monitor. That said, I’d much rather write than vacuum or iron. And I actually like ironing, so that’s saying a lot! I began writing in 1994. Ten years later, I was offered my first contract.

What is the greatest historical novel you’ve ever read and why?

I would have to say Irving Stone’s bio novels and James Michener’s epic historical sagas. They’re the first true historicals I can remember reading and they made history so vivid that I fell in love with the past. Michener especially always seemed to bring his stories into the present so that I could see how the past impacted the future.

Did you have any experiences that prompted your love of fiction and historical fiction in particular?

Yes. Living on the east coast during the bicentennial. We went to reenactments at Valley Forge, I saw ‘Benjamin Franklin’ walking around the mall in Philadelphia. I visited Williamsburg and got to see history in living, breathing action. And in that era, there was Little House on the Prairie to look forward to every Monday night!

How much time does it take to research your stories – what balance would you say there is between research and actual writing?

I usually read broadly about the time period before I write so that I have a good historical foundation. I like to read several biographies on women in the era to be able to depict their lives accurately. I’ve also been finding more and more digitized primary documents on the internet. In terms of balancing research and writing, there is never balance; there is only compromise! I will never know enough about any time period to depict it accurately. People earn PhDs in history and they still debate very basic questions. I try never to write for the one reader who will call me out on a small detail. I write for all the thousands of other readers who simply want to immerse themselves in story.



Describe for us, if you will, your writing style, as in plotter vs. seat of the pants, and do you put more time into developing characters or plot or are they equal?

I sit pretty squarely on the seat of my pants. I’m surprised they haven’t worn out by now. I know I have a story if the characters start speaking to me. And if I have a beginning, ending, and several scenes in the middle, then I have enough to start writing. I’ve been doing scene cards lately, but only because my editors like synopses with some sort of identifiable crisis and resolution in terms of plot. Scene cards help me put together a cohesive narrative and let me see where there are holes in my logic or plot. I’ve always organized my manuscripts by calendar (i.e. months or years) rather than by structural outline. I’ll list what happens in each month and/or year (holidays, seasonal chores, events of historical importance) and then page break between months and that’s the ‘outline’ I start with. I have to admit that while I concentrate on character development, my editors help enormously with plot.

Was there a person who inspired you to write?

Come back tomorrow for the answer and part two of Siri's interview. And don't forget to leave a comment to enter the drawing to win a copy of Siri's book A Constant Heart.

And look for Siri's next book, Love's Pursuit, a Puritan novel coming in June 2009!