Author Q&A

In 2005, I had shoulder replacement surgery. I lost the use of my right arm for a number of months until it healed and I regained my strength. I couldn’t do most of my usual activities, but I could use my left hand to put my right hand on a keyboard. My fingers worked just fine. I’d

done a lot of writing over the years, but I’d never written any fiction. I decided to try it. When I did, Anne’s story was right there, waiting to be told.

I started reading about the Inuit and the Eskimos when I was a teenager. I’ve always been interested in transition characters—people like Jack who have to learn to live in two worlds. I thought these books were going to be about him, but—surprise!—I had no idea what the inner life of an Inuit man was like. I know a lot about older women, however.

I started the actual writing about twelve years ago. The first book took about two years, but you’re never really done with a book until someone takes it out of your hands.

I’m a woman “of a certain age.” I was born in 1941. I like to read, but I got tired of reading about 25-year-old women. It was as if life, romance, and love just stop at age 30 or 35. But I know many women my age who are doing interesting things, including falling in love. An older heroine seemed like a natural.

With each book I write, I learn more about Anne. Writing her is like making a friend. Bit by bit, over time, she reveals herself to me. I think the best thing about her is that she’s honorable. That honor forces her to be courageous. But being courageous doesn’t come naturally to her, and she pays a price for it. In addition, she’s passionate. She’s able to feel deeply and commit deeply. She’s far from perfect, though. As you get to know her, she’ll reveal that part of herself to you too.

Anne is really the person I wish I were. She finds her courage and she grows, and surprisingly, I think I’ve grown a little bit with her. I find that I often say to myself, “Anne wouldn’t be afraid of that.” I’ve made my mantra “Say yes to life.”

I haven’t met a man like Jack yet, but I live in hope! I didn’t consciously choose to imbue him with qualities. He revealed himself to me as I wrote. Sometimes I would write a section or even a chapter, and when I was finished, Jack would say to me, “No! I would never do that. I would never say that,” and out it went. I had to throw out the entire first chapter of the third book, Let Me Count the Ways . . . , because of that. It’s a strange process. I don’t understand it, but all the characters live in my head and sort of tell me what I should write.

What I most admire Jack for is his courage and his passion for Anne, for his family, for his teaching, and for science. Jack has lived close to nature most of his life. He understands about the realities of life and death. He focuses on the important things.

All five (so far) books about Anne and Jack are about the nature of love and the possibility of forgiveness. Those are the most important themes. And when I say “love,” I don’t just mean just sexual love. I also mean the kind of love Anne has for Carola and Ernesto, the feelings she has for René and Marcia, the yearning she has for family.

I think a second theme has to do with the innate dignity of the Inuit. They were not “lesser people” waiting for us to come along and bring them into the modern world. They had a rich society and culture and still do, but they’ve been through some hard times in order to maintain that. The same is true of many other cultures in America and around the world.

A third theme is the importance of the balance of nature. Jack speaks for me when he talks about what will happen if drilling is allowed on the North Slope. There are some things in life that just cost too much, and you and I will pay for them—probably sooner than later.

I have a master’s degree in cultural anthropology. I’ve always been interested in other cultures, especially those of people who live in marginal environments. My favorite book is Never in Anger by Jean L. Briggs, which I found in the library when I was in high school. Briggs lived with the Inuit for a year and wrote about a man somewhat like Jack. I spent years thinking about what it would be like for someone caught between two cultures, as he is, not really fitting well in either.

I don’t have an assistant. I enjoy research. My late husband and I used to go to second-hand stores to buy old National Geographics that had stories about the north. I have a huge scrapbook that I made from those. I also have a number of books on the Inuit. And I’ve put in many hours on the internet looking for technical details such as how long a sled is, how the Inuit carried water when they traveled, and the significance of the various tattoo designs. I really enjoy that kind of thing, so I can get lost for hours researching.

I’m just a tiny bit compulsive about writing and editing. Some might say I’m addicted. Usually the first thing I do in the morning is work for a couple of hours before I get dressed and eat breakfast. The amount of writing I do the rest of the day is dictated by what other responsibilities I have. And I don’t just work on the Anne and Jack books. Right now, I’m also working on my memoir, editing and fact checking a book for a friend, and working on the monthly book review column I write for a national magazine, the Mensa Bulletin. Before Covid, I also taught creative writing at a senior center. I still trade editing chores with a friend. We meet once a week (sometimes by phone) to go over what we’ve been writing. Unfortunately, this doesn’t leave much time for housework and such like.

When I’m doing it, I’m having fun. When I’m not doing, I thinking about it. Maybe obsession, maybe addiction—whatever, I like it.

Start writing. Everyone can develop as a writer, but not until you have something on paper that you can improve. All writers will tell you that the hardest part of writing is getting your behind in the chair in front of the keyboard.