Sloane Hall by Libby Sternberg
(Hardcover, Five Star, September 2010, ISBN: 9781594149177)
In 1920s Hollywood, young John Doyle learns the craft of cinematography when a stupid mistake costs him his job. On a tip, he heads to Sloane Hall, the estate of a famous silent screen actress, Pauline Sloane, where he lands a position as chauffeur. Sloane Hall first offers him peace as he enjoys the bounty of the luxurious home, then unrest as its beautiful namesake returns and starts preparing for her first talking picture. Despite his best efforts to resist, John falls hopelessly in love with his employer. His future brightens, however, when she appears to return his affection, leading to plans for a secret wedding—until other awful secrets intrude, leading to heartbreak and separation. A story of obsession and forgiveness, Sloane Hall was inspired by Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.
Is Sloane Hall just a retelling of Jane Eyre?
It’s not a point-by-point re-creation of Bronte’s classic romance. Rather, I wanted it to be a re-creation of the emotional journey found in Jane Eyre, with recognizable references to the original story line. I really hope readers are able to appreciate Sloane Hall as an homage to that brilliant piece of storytelling but aren’t disappointed when they come across a new story.
One of the major deviations from the original is the fact that Jane . . . is a John! Why did you decide to switch the gender of the protagonist?
I wanted the story to be fresh. I think any time you write a book like this, which clearly references a well-loved, well-read original, you struggle to keep it feeling new, as if it had never been told or written before. I’m a huge Jane Eyre fan. I’ve re-read the book countless times. I’ve watched numerous film versions of it. It’s the emotional journey of the book that has stayed with me more than the actual details. I wanted to recreate that journey. I didn’t think changing the time period or setting was enough to accomplish that.
Other than the gender switch, what other aspects deviate from the original?
Time and place are different, of course. I chose Hollywood in the 1920s because film stars make up a kind of American "gentry." And I chose the year film was making the shift from silent to sound to create a background tension that makes Pauline’s circumstances precarious. She’s about to make her first talking picture, a very stressful time for silent stars of that period, many of whose careers didn’t survive the change. And I will tell readers right now—there is no lunatic spouse in the attic!
That begs the question—what is in Sloane Hall’s attic?
Secrets! Actually, this was one of the most challenging—and most fun—aspects of writing this book, coming up with the awful secret, the climactic moment to parallel when Rochester reveals he’s married to insane Bertha. I kept asking myself: how did nineteenth century readers feel when reading that scene? Would their sensibilities about mental illness be the same as ours today? I think not. I believe today’s readers probably feel most sympathetic to Jane in that scene and are, perhaps, troubled by Rochester’s deception and the handling of his mentally-ill wife, even if they can spare a measure of sympathy for him, too. I wondered if the original readers, however, had much more sympathy for Rochester in that scene, and experienced, perhaps, an “eww” moment when contemplating his wife’s state. I wanted to recreate the feelings that nineteenth century readers might have had—equal measures of sympathy and disgust. I hope I succeeded.
The other very memorable moment in Jane Eyre is when Jane hears Rochester calling to her across the countryside. How do you handle that?
Since we’re dealing with film, I think most readers will guess that this scene involves one of Pauline’s movies. But perhaps not in a way readers might expect. So I’m hoping there’s still an element of surprise and appreciation here that makes this aspect fresh for the reader.
How else does the book differ from Jane?
I think John struggles with the idea of forgiveness much more than Jane did. John has a much, much harder time letting go of his resentments of those who had wronged him in the past. This resentment and simmering anger gets him into trouble and ultimately drives his transformation. He has to learn to conquer it before he can ultimately accept Pauline into his heart. And, of course, she has to conquer many inner demons as well. I think her struggles are a bit more “on stage” than Rochester’s were.
With all these differences, what is similar to the original?
Like Jane, John had a troubling youth. His “Lowood” was a reform school. Also like Jane, he’s a contrarian and a realist, especially about himself. He’s a gentle soul wanting to be loved and to return that love in full measure to someone worthy of it. He is also a deeply spiritual man, although not in any denominational sense. He’s an “outsider,” a loner, someone who grew to expect little from life except what he could bring to it. And, like Jane, he considers himself plain, certainly unable to compete with the dashing stars surrounding Pauline Sloane.
Are you a fan of retellings of famous stories? If so, what are your favorites?
A. Skillful retellings excite me because they make me feel as if I’m reaching across time and enjoying the story the way its original audience might have experienced it! I love the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, which is loosely based on The Odyssey, for that reason. I really enjoyed the 1995 film version of Richard III with Ian McKellen and Annette Bening, which is not a retelling but a resetting of that play in a completely unexpected way. I thoroughly enjoyed Alice Randall’s book The Wind Done Gone, a different take on the characters in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind. Each of these had me looking at the original stories and their characters with fresh eyes. It’s a thrilling sensation to feel in communion with the first audiences for these tales. I hope readers of Sloane Hall have that experience and feel connected to the first readers who fell in love with Jane Eyre.
The story of My Own Personal Soap Opera centers on the struggles of a daytime drama head writer. Did you ever write for soaps?
No, but I confess to wanting to at one point in my life. I thought it would be a great challenge--to work through the backstage drama and weave the onstage story threads into something appealing. I think soaps are magnificent works of storytelling.
How could you write about a head writer if you've never been one?"
Research! I read numerous books about soap operas--some memoirs of soap actors, some fiction written by soap stars and set in that world. But most valuable was help from Jean Passanante, the head writer at As the World Turns (sadly, now canceled). She patiently answered questions I sent to her. I cannot thank her enough for her generosity in giving me her time. I took liberties with the info she provided, but it helped ground me and the story.
Do you watch any soaps yourself?
Yes, and I am not ashamed to admit it. I watch Days of Our Lives when I get the chance. I used to be a fan of Another World (now off the air). Fans of that show will notice that my protagonist's name is Frankie--Frankie was a popular character on AW.
Soaps use some really unbelievable plots, though. How can you take them seriously?
But that's where the talent of the soap writers shines through -- in the incredible stories! Days once featured a story involving possession by the devil and exorcism. I was glued to that story. Even as I chuckled at how preposterous it was, I wanted to know what would happen. That's because of the writers' skill.
How would you define that skill?
I think it's knowing your characters really well and letting any story -- no matter how preposterous -- grow out of the characterization. Somehow, the writers at Days managed to take this characterization of a beloved heroine, Marlena, and start shifting her in small, but believable ways, until voila, they'd arrived at their possession story. It was a tour-de-force!
So you think about the writing when you watch soaps?
Yes, I started viewing them that way years ago. I'd marvel over a plot and wonder if it was driven by something going on backstage -- an actor getting ready to leave the show, for example. I'd think "that must be a real challenge, to incorporate all those factors and still write a good tale."
In My Own Personal Soap Opera, your heroine, Frankie, is torn between two men--one the hunky leading man, and the other an older, but dashing executive. Was that inspired by a soap plot?
A hero/heroine torn between two possible lovers is a staple of many stories--not just on soaps!
This book, like your previous one, is humorous women's fiction, or romantic comedy. Where's the comedy spring from in this one?
Same as the last one -- a crazy situation (a story involving a jewel thief on the show is being imitated in real life) and how the characters deal with that. . . and other crazy situations that spring up along the way. It's like a snowball building, one thing leading to another until the denouement.
How does this book differ from your previous one?
In my previous book, Fire Me!, the action took place in one day, making the pace a bit frenetic. The situation, too, was probably a bit more incredible --a woman trying to get the pink slip so she'd be laid off from her job. While the plot in My Own Personal Soap Opera has many wild moments, it's a different kind of roller coaster ride. It takes place over several weeks, and the humorous situations are probably less slapstick (although there are a few of those!).
Do you have any favorite parts?
Hmm . . . maybe when Frankie is forced to face the press during a news conference about the jewel thief, and she says "Art doesn't rob people. People rob people."
What inspired you to write Fire Me?
A dear friend couldn't decide whether to stay at her job or move on to something else. We started joking about how she could just start messing up her work and the boss would let her go, thus ending her torment over whether to stay. This got me to thinking: what if a woman deliberately tried to get laid off, knowing her future was secure and she wouldn't be damaged by her actions?
Is writing comedy hard?
Yes...and no! LOL! Sometimes it can be amazingly easy -- when the characters and situation just lead to something that tickles your own funny bone. Then you can't wait to get it down on paper. There are other times, though, where you know how funny something would be if readers could actually see the action, but describing it takes some skill as you struggle not to "overtalk" it, thus losing its punch. I've rewritten a single line many times struggling to find the funniest way to put something.
Is FIRE ME only about the laughs?
No, like most good comedies, it has a deeper, more "human" story to it. It's not about yucking it up at the workplace. It's about pursuing one's dreams and how so many things can get in the way of that pursuit. At the end of the novel, the protagonist has to make a big decision about the direction of her life.
How hard is it to write mysteries for teens? What sorts of challenges does it present?
Teen mysteries always deal with an amateur sleuth -- because your protagonist is a teen. So you're dealing with all the challenges of writing amateur sleuths -- how do they come upon the mystery, why do they get involved in trying to solve it instead of running to the authorities, and how do they end up solving it.
On top of those challenges, you also have the problem of a teen's limited access to and even understanding of certain clues. A teen, for example, might not know how to trace an embezzlement scheme or a tax fraud.
What kind of character is Bianca Balducci?
Bianca is an average teen -- I know that's a cliche, but by average, I mean a reasonably well-adjusted girl who worries about all the things a fifteen-year-old would worry about. She's bright, but doesn't always know it. She's cute, but doesn't believe it. And she's compassionate and loves her family, even if she sometimes hides it. She lives in a household where her single Mom goes to church, where she herself goes to a parochial school, and where her friends include well-to-do and middle-class kids.
I wanted to create a character that teen girls could relate to, that has them nodding their heads in recognition. One of the absolute best compliments I received on this series was when a teen wrote something like this to me: how'd you know how much time I spend thinking about my hair?
When I was younger, I read the Trixie Belden mysteries and they helped turn me on to reading for pleasure, not just for school work. I wanted to create a heroine like that -- flawed, likable, smart, cute.
Are there plans for more Bianca books?
Not at the moment, but that could change.
The Case Against My Brother is your only historical. Why'd you venture outside of contemporary tales?
For two reasons -- first, I have wanted to be published in historical fiction for quite some time. I love losing myself in a different time period. And I'm happy to say that I will have an adult historical novel coming out in 2010 that I hope will also appeal to my young adult readers -- more on that in another Q & A!
But secondly, and just as importantly, I wanted to tell the story of the anti-Catholic school campaign of the 1920s because I think it holds so many lessons that are relevant to today...on bigotry and on current school policy. I wanted to write a story that would make the reader think: what if school policy had not been co-opted by a xenophobic, nativist movement?
I felt this story very strongly because I'd been involved in education reform efforts in Vermont and knew from that experience how hard it is to jostle free people's pre-conceived notions about an "institution" like public schooling.
I also wanted to write a book from a male point of view. Case's protagonist is a teen boy. I hope it pulls in some male readers. I found it difficult to find good fiction for my boys when they were younger.
