~ A Fall of Marigolds ~
Some authors tell stories, and then other authors pluck you right up by the heart and drop you straight into the middle of their stories.
Susan Meissner is a plucker.
Today I’m participating in a blog tour for a new book by award-winning
novelist Susan Meissner who’s here to talk about her newest
book from Penguin NAL. A Fall of
Marigolds is a part historical novel, part contemporary novel set on Ellis
Island in 1911 and in Manhattan
a hundred years later. And HEY - make SURE you read to the end of the post so that you
can find out how to get in on a drawing for a fabulous gift basket that
includes a $100 Visa gift card!! What what!! :)
Susan
Meissner is a friend of mine (I'm soooo honored to say that!!) and the multi-published author of fifteen books, including The Shape of Mercy, named one of the 100
Best Novels in 2008 by Publishers Weekly and the ECPA’s Fiction Book of the
Year. She is also a speaker and writing workshop leader with a background in
community journalism. She and her husband make their home in Southern
California .
Susan, tell us where the idea for A Fall of Marigolds came from.
I’ve long been a history junkie, especially with regard to historical events
that involve ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. A couple years
ago I viewed a documentary by author and filmmaker Lorie Conway called Forgotten Ellis Island; a hauntingly
poignant exposé on the section of
What is the story about, in a nutshell?
The book is about two women who never meet as they are separated by a
century. One woman, Taryn, is a 9/11 widow and single mother who is about to
mark the tenth anniversary of her husband’s passing. The other is a nurse,
Clara, who witnessed the tragic death of the man she loved in the Triangle
Shirtwaist Fire in Manhattan in 1911.In her sorrow, Clara imposes on herself an
exile of sorts; she takes a post at the hospital on Ellis Island so that she
can hover in an in-between place while she wrestles with her grief. She meets
an immigrant who wears the scarf of the wife he lost crossing the Why a scarf of marigolds? What is their significance?
Marigolds aren’t like most other flowers. They aren’t beautiful and fragrant. You don’t see them in bridal bouquets or prom corsages or funeral sprays. They don’t come in gentle colors like pink and lavender and baby blue. Marigolds are hearty, pungent and brassy. They are able to bloom in the autumn months, well past the point when many other flowers can’t. In that respect, I see marigolds as being symbolic of the strength of the human spirit to risk loving again after loss. Because, face it. We live in a messy world. Yet it’s the only one we’ve got. We either love here or we don’t. The title of the book has a sort of double-meaning. Both the historical and contemporary story take place primarily in the autumn. Secondarily, when Clara sees the scarf for the first time, dangling from an immigrant’s shoulders as he enters the hospital building, she sees the floral pattern in the threads, notes how similar they are to the flames she saw in the fire that changed everything for her, and she describes the cascading blooms woven into the scarf as “a fall of marigolds.”
Your last few novels have had historical components interwoven within a contemporary story. Why do you prefer that kind of story construction?
I think living in
Are you working on anything new at the moment?
My next book is set entirely in England , mostly
during The London Blitz. My main character starts out as a young, aspiring
bridal gown designer evacuated to the countryside with her seven-year-old
sister in the summer of 1940. Though only fifteen, Emmy is on the eve of being made
an apprentice to a renowned costumer and she resents her single mother’s
decision to send her away. She sneaks back to London
– with her sister in tow – several months later but the two become separated
when the Luftwaffe begins its terrible and deadly attack on the East End on the first night of the Blitz. War has a way
of separating from us what we most value, and often shows how little we
realized that value. I have always found the evacuation of London ’s children to the countryside – some
for the entire duration of the war – utterly compelling. How hard it must have
been for those parents and their children. I went on a research trip to the
U.K. in the fall of 2013 and I spoke with many individuals who were children
during the war; some were separated from their parents, some were bombed out of
their homes, some slept night after night in underground Tube stations, some
watched in fascination as children from the city came to their towns and
villages to live with them. This book explores issues of loss and longing, but
also the bonds of sisters, and always, the power of love.
Where can readers connect with you?
You can find me at www.susanmeissner.com and on Facebook
at my Author page, Susan .Meissner, and on Twitter at SusanMeissner. I blog at
susanmeissner.com. I also send out a newsletter via email four times a year.
You can sign up for it on my website. I love connecting with readers! You are
the reason I write.
As part of the release of
A Fall of Marigolds and this blog tour, Susan is giving to one lucky winner a
gift basket that includes a $100 Visa gift card, a copy of the book, the DVD
Forgotten Ellis Island, and a beautiful re-purposed infinity scarf patterned in
marigolds and made from a vintage Indian sari.
To be eligible, just leave a
comment here between today and midnight Eastern on Friday, February 21.
Additionally, there will
be one winner of a signed copy of A Fall of Marigolds from among those who
comment on this blog. Just leave a comment by Friday, Feb. 21 and you’re in the
running for the grand prize as well as a signed copy of the book.
Hooray! :)
How exciting! This sounds like an awesome giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for having me here today on your beautiful blog, Betsy...
ReplyDeleteI agree--this is a wonderful book. I have been recommending it to everyone!
ReplyDeleteI love her books and their covers!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very touching book. I've always been curious about Ellis Island. It sounds like such a nice place (the name, I mean), but when you read about it, much of what you read is anything but "nice."
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Susan Meissner's writings very much. My very absolute favorite is the two-Jane story and Lucy should have a follow-up! She was sturdy-steady and a dear friend in Lady in Waiting. My ancestors came through Ellis Island. I am second-generation American born. I would love to win A Fall of Marigolds and your prize basket gifts! Thank you. Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net
ReplyDeleteI Hope I Win!!!
Sounds intriguing
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
And the winner of the signed copy from Susan is.....Ashley!!! :) Send me your mailing address, girl, ASAP to betsystamant@yahoo.com The big raffle will be done soon through the publisher and if any of you win from this blog then I will be sure to let you know :) Thanks for playing!!!
ReplyDeleteSounds very interesting! This is definitely going on my to-read list. =) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete