TBR [to be read], a semi-regular, invitation-only interview series with authors of newly released/forthcoming, interesting books.
Give us your elevator pitch: what’s your book about in 2-3 sentences?
Which character did you most enjoy creating? Why? And which
character gave you the most trouble, and why?
Rory Chase enthralled and confounded me. Early on, she disguised
herself and tried to join a Yankee infantry regiment. After her identity was
discovered, Rory became a Union spy. By late 1864, Confederate spies had
targeted the U.S.S. Michigan and planned to bombard Cleveland, Buffalo
and other cities on the eve of the presidential election. To stop them, Rory
must find the courage to not only follow orders but know when to break the rule,
too.
Also, I enjoyed writing about the rebel spies – John Yates
Beall and Bennet Burley They are based on real-life people. Beall crossed paths
with John Wilkes Booth, while Burley was a soldier of fortune from Scotland.
When the war ended, he got away and became a foreign correspondent for The
Daily Telegraph in London.
To stop the rebels, Rory needs the help of the wait staff at
the Cataract House hotel, once a key stop on the Underground Railroad. That
this sinister plot takes place in the shadow of Niagara Falls, one of the most
captivating places in the world, was good fun to write.
Tell us a bit about the highs and lows of your book’s
road to publication.
On the road to publication, the novel was “orphaned” twice,
meaning that my editors left for positions at other publishing houses. In the
end, though, it worked out. Each of the three editors – Dean Smith, Michael
McGandy and Mahinder Kingra – brought
distinctive reactions and insightful comments. It was up to me to incorporate
their suggestions into the novel.
What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?
Remember that rejection and failure are not the same. To me,
rejection is a temporary setback. It may really, really sting, but how you
react to it is up to you. In comparison, failure means that you’ve moved on.
Turned the page. And that may be what’s needed at the time. Still, the final
choice is yours, and there’s something empowering about that. At least to me.
My first novel, CASTRO’S CURVEBALL, was rejected 33 times
before it found a home with the Ballantine imprint at Random House. During that
process, time and again, I saw ways to improve the story. Even when editors or
agents ultimately turned it down, I believed I was making progress and was game
to try again.
My favorite writing advice is “write until something
surprises you.” What surprised you in the writing of this book?
By ingratiating
herself to the rebel spies, trying to win them over, Rory risked losing her
purpose, even herself as well. In the end, Rory was faced with a difficult
decision – Join ‘Em, Leave ‘Em, or Take ‘Em Down. I didn’t start with that
template, but eventually I realized that some of my favorite stories follow a
similar organization, including THE GREAT GATSBY, THE HANDMAID’S TALE and THE
OUTSIDERS.
How did you find the title of your book?
Gregg Wilhelm, a longtime friend, and director of the George
Mason writing program, suggested it. A play off Niagara Falls. Then I took it a
step further. Late in the novel, Beall and Burley, the rebel spies, discuss how
the world will be different if they capture the Union warship. How the
Confederacy could become a separate nation, with statues to Robert E. Lee and
Stonewall Jackson throughout the land, even perhaps erected in the shadow of
Niagara Falls.
I wrote much of this book after moving to Charlottesville,
Virginia, where era statues and views of our nation’s past can be contentious
issues. Walking through town, you’re reminded of the Lost Cause of the
Confederacy and how it still casts a long shadow.
Inquiring foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any
food/s associated with your book?
The Cataract House
hotel was known for its fine food. Served family style in an expansive dining
room with crystal chandeliers, the fare included roast beef, baked white fish,
salad, roasted potatoes, succotash, along with a dessert trolly wheeled to your
table. A new restaurant recently opened on the American side of the Falls based
on an 1859 menu from the Cataract House.
Also, the Bourbon Old Fashioned was all the rage during the
1860s. That allowed me to have Rory Chase partake of the cocktail during a
pivotal scene.
Bourbon Old
Fashioned (Several of my characters love the cocktail. I do, too.)
From Liquor.com (https://www.liquor.com/recipes/bourbon-old-fashioned/)
1 teaspoon sugar
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 teaspoon water
2 ounces bourbon
Add the sugar and bitters into a mixing glass, then add the
water, and stir until the sugar is nearly dissolved. Fill the mixing glass with
ice, add the bourbon, and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass
over one large ice cube.
*****
READ MORE ABOUT THIS AUTHOR: www.timwendel.com
ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR OWN TBR STACK:
https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501774881/rebel-falls/#bookTabs=1
READ AN EXCERPT FROM THIS BOOK:
https://www.timwendel.com/works.htm