I’ll Know It When I Feel It: How a Spark becomes a Novel By Barbara Josselsohn

I’ll Know It When I Feel It:

How a Spark becomes a Novel

By Barbara Josselsohn

“I finally figured out how to arrange my two computer screens so I can see them both at the same time,” my husband tells me after wrestling with the layout of his desk for days. 

“We came up with a way to visit both Scotland and Iceland without paying a crazy high airfare,” my daughter proudly exclaims and goes on to relay the itinerary she’s created with her housemates. 

Our dog trainer conceives a strategy that will help our new rescue pup learn to trust strangers. My friend tells me that a lightbulb went off over her head, as she concocted a plan to inexpensively create centerpieces for a charity luncheon she’s hosting. 

The world is full of ideas, isn’t it? And people are pretty good at finding them, I’ve discovered. 

But how do you know when an idea becomes the idea – or even better, the best idea, the one you absolutely have to pursue?

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, as I count down the days until the launch of my newest novel, Secrets of the Italian Island. While it’s my sixth book, it’s my first venture into historical writing, as one of the key plot lines takes place on a remote Italian island in 1943. I always knew I wanted to write a story set during World War Two. But even now, with release day approaching, it’s hard for me to describe where my specific idea came from. 

I think it was a combination of intention, imagination, luck, and something I can only describe as intuition. 

In a nutshell, Secrets is about Mia, a 32-year-old researcher who is grieving the recent death of her grandmother, the woman who raised her all by herself. As Mia goes about cleaning and emptying her grandmother’s house, she comes upon an item that seems to implicate her grandmother in a long-ago crime. The discovery takes Mia to a private island in the Mediterranean, as she seeks to find out the truth and defend her grandmother’s legacy. Her grandmother had never told her about the magnificent, sixteenth-century castle where she spent one long summer under the Italian stars—or that she could be accused of doing something terrible in the darkest days of World War Two.

So where did the idea for this remote Italian island and these circumstances come from? 

I started to imagine this dual-timeline novel about eighteen months ago. I’d always wanted to use a European castle as a setting, so my editor—who is based in London—made some suggestions. Ultimately, through an internet search, I came upon the story of the Chateau de Costaérès, a stunning pink-granite castle on an island in the French region of Brittany. I learned that the original owner of the castle was a Polish inventor and mathematician who frequently hosted artists and writers working on their craft. Among his guests was a Polish author by the name of Henryk Sienkiewicz, who wrote his best-selling book, Quo Vadis, during a stay there. The book led to his winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905.

According to sources, the castle subsequently suffered damage at the hands of the Nazis in World War Two.

These tidbits fired my imagination, and suddenly I was devising all kinds of fictional possibilities. What if I wrote a novel about a castle that hosted the world’s greatest artists, inventors, and philosophers while World War 2 raged on? What if three sisters came onto the island in search of an invention they desperately needed? What if the castle came under attack and the sisters were separated? What if one of them made a mistake with long-reaching consequences?

And that’s when I felt it: a little spark, a tingle almost, that spread over my shoulders, followed by a blend of excitement mixed with calm assurance. I knew at that moment that this was an idea I could work with; an idea that I could use to explore what it means to be human; an idea I could believe in. 

And I began writing the story of Mia and her grandmother. 

To me, that sense of calm, of peace, is what I wait for when I’m beginning a new book. It’s as though my imagination is telling me that it’s okay to face that scary, blank page, because the path ahead is navigable. That’s not to say that the writing comes easily! No, there are always pitfalls and missteps, and I often start to wonder whether my idea is even workable. But at those moments when I feel doubt, I remind myself of that sweet calmness. And I move ahead once more. 

I felt that calmness when I started on Secrets. And here I am, just days away from sharing the story with the world! 

What do you think?? What does it feel like to you when you finally know you’ve got an idea with potential? Please comment – I’d love to know!

Barbara Josselsohn is thrilled to be launching a sweeping new historical series set off the coast of Italy during World War 2, with the first book, Secrets of the Italian Island, releasing on May 11^th. Her previous novels include The Lilac House, The Cranberry Inn, The Lily Garden, The Bluebell Girls, and The Last Dreamer. She teaches novel and creative writing at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, Westport Writers Workshop, and other venues. When she’s not writing, she enjoys ballet, yoga, reading, and spending time with her husband, three adult children, and new rescue pup named Albie. She is currently at work on the second book in the new series, which is scheduled for release later this year. Visit her online at www.BarbaraJosselsohn.com, @Barbara_Josselsohn_Author (Instagram) and @BarbaraJoss (Twitter)

SECRETS OF THE ITALIAN ISLAND, Barbara Josselsohn

Italy, 1943. A castle once full of love and laughter is left in ruins by the Nazis, as three sisters are torn apart by one terrible mistake…

New York, present day. Broken by the loss of her beloved grandmother Annalisa, who raised her all alone, Mia is shocked when she finds an old letter sent from Italy in her belongings. Annalisa never told Mia about the magnificent, vine-covered castle on Isola di Parissi where she spent one long summer under the Italian stars. Or that she was accused of something terrible in the darkest days of World War Two…

Arriving on the stunning Italian coast just a boat ride away from Parissi, Mia is devastated to find the island closed to visitors. Desperate to find out what her grandmother was hiding, she finds dark and brooding local guide Leo, who promises to help her sneak in.

As they explore the crumbling castle surrounded by lush olive groves, Mia begins to fall in love with passionate Leo and the beautiful country he calls home. And soon they find handwritten notes hidden in the walls, which confirm her grandmother’s heartbreaking story. Annalisa arrived on the island with her two sisters but was forced to abandon them when the Nazis invaded.

Mia soon realizes that the accusation against Annalisa might be true, and that Leo has his own reasons for wanting to dig up her family’s past. The terrible mistake Annalisa made tore apart the island community. Will it force Mia to leave Leo, and Italy, forever?

An epic, heart-wrenching tale based on the incredible true story of an island at war. Fans of Lucinda Riley, Fiona Valpy and Victoria Hislop will be utterly gripped.

BUY HERE

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing