My Writing Process: Jeannée Sacken

Early on in my career as a photojournalist, I ventured into the Honduran mountains to document the life and work of a young Mayan mother. After a fruitless couple of hours, I called a break. Turning from the mother, I caught sight of her ten-year-old daughter, Suyapa, in the shadowy corner of their two-room, mud-brick home. Her hands stained with RIT dye from coloring cornhusks, she was clutching the corn dolls she’d made to sell at the market. I took the shot—a one-off—my fingers tingling with the certainty I’d captured something special. Later, my fixer explained that the family would use the money Suyapa earned to pay for her brother’s education. It turned out that although school was “free” in Honduras, families must pay for uniforms and books. At best, poor families can afford to send only their eldest son to school. 

My photograph of Mayan Girl with Corn Dolls is one of my favorites. It marks the beginning of my including the lives and work of children in my documentary photography. The image also largely inspired Behind the Lens, the first novel in the Annie Hawkins series as well as Double Exposure, the second novel, published on September 27, 2022. My own experience as a photographer compelled me to make my main character a photojournalist, one who is known for an iconic image and who is deeply committed to the education of girls and women. And hence, the seeds for my first novel were planted.

While on assignment in Afghanistan, seasoned war photojournalist, Annie Hawkins Green, captures an image of a feisty young Afghan girl writing a warning in the sand. That simple action incites a Taliban ambush that leaves Annie’s military escort dead and the girl dying in her arms. Although Annie escapes, she is haunted by the memory. Her photograph of the girl graces the cover of Time and wins the Pulitzer Prize, but Annie blames herself for the deaths. When she returns to Afghanistan to teach a photography workshop at the secondary school for girls run by her expat best friend, Darya Faludi, her nightmares from her last time in-country come roaring back with a vengeance. But are they just dreams? The unshakeable feeling of a grim, watchful presence makes Annie think otherwise.

In Double Exposure, Annie returns to Afghanistan to cover peace talks between the government and the Taliban. Taking a side trip to the village of Wad Qol to deliver funds to rebuild the girls’ school destroyed in Behind the Lens, she discovers that not everyone wants the new school. Sabotage delays construction, and when a worker ends up dead, it’s clear the militants are to blame. It’s also obvious that they know exactly where Annie is.

Creating a character like Annie Hawkins, who is a photojournalist in conflict zones, has allowed me to explore a variety of themes: the grueling experiences journalists endure when covering wars; the possibly exploitive moments when a photographer captures an image of an unwary person; the difficult choices women have to make between marriage and motherhood and the pursuit of a career that has them constantly in dangerous situations; and the deeply complex friendships, personal and professional, on which women thrive.

Far from a heroic character, Annie is deeply flawed. Although she’s intrepid and resourceful—far more so than I—she’s also racked with mom-guilt and plagued by PTSD. She’s not always sure what’s real and what is a figment of her increasingly paranoid imagination. And despite her passionate love for U.S. Navy SEAL Captain Finn Cerelli, she cuts him no slack when he tells her not to return to Afghanistan, to stay out of harm’s way. Indeed, in Double Exposure, Annie’s determination to do her job no matter the danger poses a serious threat to their relationship.

Many readers assume that Annie is me. Although it’s not the case, I take that as a compliment. But I must point out that Behind the Lens and Double Exposure are fiction. Well, mostly fiction. My photography and my red hair have both found their way into the novels. Some of my experiences have as well: being evacuated by helicopter out of a dangerous situation, escaping a fire that burned my lodge to the ground, and teaching girls who are desperate for an education. But that is the job of a novelist: fictionalizing autobiographical bits into the story.

My goal in writing these two novels has been to blur the lines between fiction and nonfiction, to create an immediate and authentic experience for readers. I want readers to feel that they are in Afghanistan and to discover the struggles of women and girls in a patriarchal society where many still are not allowed to learn to read or write, to have their own names, or to make their own life decisions. Violating any of these strictures could well result in an honor killing by male family members.

To achieve this goal has definitely proved challenging. I’ve never been to Afghanistan, and I am not Muslim. So, in addition to what sometimes seemed like unending research, I had my novels thoroughly vetted. To that end, I met with members of Masjid Al-Huda in South Milwaukee. I also worked with Heba Elkobaitry, a remarkable cultural and sensitivity reader, to correct and refine my portrayal of Islam and Afghanistan. To ensure the authenticity of military scenes in the novels, I consulted retired members of the U.S. Navy. Although the words and the story are my creation, I am exceedingly grateful for the contributions of so many others.

Like my photograph of Suyapa—a one-off image captured in a far-away place in the middle of another project—Behind the Lens was conceived as a one-off, stand-alone novel. However, the story and the characters proved too complex and so, I wrote the second novel in the series—Double Exposure. And yes, I am currently working on the third book in the Annie Hawkins series.

Reviews:

For Behind the Lens:

“A gripping Afghan tale starring a strong hero wielding a camera.” Kirkus Reviews

“A powerful, heartbreaking story of an American woman seeking redemption after exploiting a photographic moment in an Afghan village. Jeannée Sacken’s artistic gaze is unflinching as Annie Hawkins’ tale plays out against the perilous background of the war in Afghanistan.”—Shauna Singh Baldwin, author of What the Body Remembers, The Tiger Claw, and The Selector of Souls

For Double Exposure:

“A fast-paced, unpredictable, heart-stopping story. Sacken’s prose is brilliant.”—Patricia Sands, author of the best-selling Love in Provence series

“With smart narration, nuance characters, and thought-provoking situations reminiscent of Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, Sacken brilliantly explores the story of Annie Hawkins . . .”—Maggie Smith, author of Truth and Other Lies

“A superfly crafted and thrilling sequel with enough twists and turns to keep you riveted right up to the tension-filled finale. Jeannée Sacken captures the beauty of Afghanistan through the eyes and lens of Annie Hawkins—always with a tough, yet tender touch.”—Debra Thomas, Sarton Award winner of Luz

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A former English professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, Jeannée Sacken is now a photojournalist who travels the world, documenting the lives of women and children. She also photographs wildlife and is deeply committed to the conservation of endangered species. When not traveling, she lives with her husband and three cats in Shorewood, Wisconsin, where she’s hard at work on the next novel in the award-winning Annie Hawkins series. Follow Jeannée at jeanneesacken.com.

 

DOUBLE EXPOSURE

November 2015-Seasoned war photojournalist Annie Hawkins returns home after an assignment to find her life falling apart. She’s under investigation for an incident that happened six months earlier in Afghanistan. Her best friend’s daughter, Seema, is still missing, apparently with her Taliban boyfriend. Her daughter Mel and friends are busy fundraising to rebuild the Wad Qol Secondary School for Girls and expect Annie to deliver the money. To make matters worse, she has a major argument with the love of her life, Finn Cerelli, and they’re no longer speaking.

When Annie returns to Afghanistan to cover peace talks between the government and the Taliban, she takes a side trip to Wad Qol, where she discovers that not everyone wants the new school. Sabotage delays construction, and when a worker ends up dead, it’s clear the militants are to blame. It’s also obvious that they know exactly where Annie is.

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