Robin Farrar Maass
Author Interview - Robin Farrar Maass
Author of The Walled Garden
American grad student Lucy Silver arrives in England hoping to solve a longstanding literary mystery, write her dissertation, and finish her graduate studies in a blaze of academic glory. But as Lucy starts to piece together the correspondence between her late grandmother and Elizabeth Blackspear, the famous poet and garden writer who's the subject of Lucy's dissertation, she discovers puzzling coded references in the letters. And when an elderly aristocrat with a secret connection to Elizabeth offers Lucy access to a neglected walled garden on his estate, the mystery deepens.
As spring turns to summer in Bolton Lacey, Lucy finds herself fighting for access to vital documents in the Blackspear archives and trying not to fall in love with an attractive Scottish contractor. In the midst of this turmoil, she stumbles on a plot to destroy everything Elizabeth created. As she races against time to save the gardens, Lucy's search for the truth about Elizabeth's life leads her to a French convent and explosive evidence that will change her life and the lives of everyone around her, ultimately revealing a home--and an inheritance--more incredible than anything she could ever have imagined.
Author Interview - Robin Farrar Maass
Author I draw inspiration from: Just one? There are so many! I think the book that made me want to be a writer more than any other was Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers. I adore Gaudy Night’s Oxford in the 1930s setting and Sayers is such a literate, intelligent writer. I also love Barbara Pym and the way she uses small, carefully observed details to illustrate character. And I’ve loved Agatha Christie all my life. I feel like we’re all trying to solve the mysteries of our own lives—and her books satisfy my deep longing to believe that the mystery can ultimately be solved.
Author Interview - Robin Farrar Maass | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: It depends on the season. In the cool seasons, winter, fall, and—let’s be honest about Northwest weather—spring, I love to curl up on the couch by the fire with a cat on my lap and a pot of tea nearby. In summer (or whenever it’s warm enough), my favorite reading spot is in my lounge on the deck looking out at the garden—and a pot of tea (possibly iced) nearby!
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Lord Peter Wimsey in the Lord Peter mystery series by Dorothy L. Sayers. “A man with manners like that could twist the whole High Table round his little finger,” says a character in Gaudy Night within five minutes of meeting him. I’m always a sucker for an English aristocrat, especially one as well-read as Lord Peter. And he's sensitive too—like his whole generation, he was scarred and is still haunted by the horrors of WWI.
At their very first meeting (in Strong Poison), Lord Peter proposes to Harriet Vane (very unromantically, in her prison cell—she’s being tried for the murder of her lover), and though she refuses, she tells him that if anyone ever does marry him, it will be for the pure pleasure of hearing him talk “piffle.” Lord Peter’s particular kind of piffle is one I could listen to forever, and the longer we were stuck in the elevator together, the happier I’d be!
Author Interview - Robin Farrar Maass | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: That’s a hard one. Maybe in fifth grade when my poem about fall was “published” in our class newsletter. (“Pumpkins, orange as the moon / Red leaves falling / Is fall here so soon?”) I’ve had my nose stuck in a book since I first learned to read, and I really believe it was being a reader that made me want to be a writer.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Most of the time, paperbacks. I love how light and easy to carry they are. I also love beautiful cover art, and just the feel of a book in my hand. Though it’s great for traveling, I run hot and cold about my Kindle. I really do prefer turning pages to reading on a screen. The only problem with my love of real books is finding enough bookshelf space!
The last book I read: A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz. He’s such a good writer—pure pleasure for mystery fans.
Author Interview - Robin Farrar Maass | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Both! It depends on the day—or my mood. For speed and when the words are flowing well, computer. When editing drafts or playing around with words, definitely pen and paper. Sometimes, especially if I’m feeling restless or having a hard time concentrating, just the act of moving my hand across the page and watching my messy, sprawling handwriting appear helps to ground me in a way that nothing else can.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Lottie Wilkins from The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. I reread it (and watch the gorgeous movie) every April. The book captures the lives of four women, two middle-aged, one young, one old, who are all feeling dissatisfied with the tedious and/or self-sacrificing routines of their lives. Each longing in a different way for a fresh start, they agree to rent San Salvatore, an Italian castle, together for the month of April.
Lottie and her friend, Rose Arbuthnot, find themselves stuck in stultifying marriages, while the widowed Mrs. Fisher can’t understand why life and modern (1920s) people aren’t as satisfying as the eminent Victorians she once knew. And the young and beautiful Lady Caroline Dester is sick of her social whirl of clothes and parties, seeking a soul connection with a partner that her beauty almost seems to prevent her from finding.
I think I like Lottie so much because she appears very conventional at first, but she’s actually deeply intuitive and empathetic. Her ability to “see inside” people gradually allows her and her companions to break free from the beliefs and ideas holding them back from making the deep connections they long for. (A quick note: the movie definitely has a better ending than the book!)
Author Interview - Robin Farrar Maass | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Botanical painter. I'm a watercolorist and I love flowers. Or maybe an interior stylist—I also love dishes and vintage glassware and beautifully set tables.
Favorite decade in fashion history: It’s hard to choose! I love 1920s fashion—those loose, charming dresses and adorable shoes (as worn by the cast of Enchanted April—see above). But I also love those floaty white empire-waisted Regency gowns from the early 1800s Jane Austen era. Though I wonder what they did for sturdy shoes (and how they kept their feet from getting wet) while tramping romantically around the countryside. And could they really ever have been warm in those light little jackets? Not to mention the annoyance of having your skirts continually trailing in the mud . . .
Place I’d most like to travel: I’m fascinated by Prague. And Istanbul. My mother’s family is Dutch and I’ve never been to Amsterdam, so that’s on the list too.
My signature drink: A Kir Royale, or just a glass of Prosecco if I’m feeling lazy. :)
Favorite artist: Berthe Morisot. I love her soft, moody paintings of women and gardens, and the way she’s able to capture atmosphere with just a few brushstrokes. I also really like J.M.W. Turner, especially his watercolors, for many of the same reasons.
Number one on my bucket list: Going back to Venice. I was there for three days in 2001 as part of a watercolor painters’ group touring Italy, and I’ve been haunted by it ever since. I dream of going back and experiencing it with my husband.
Anything else you'd like to add: Thank you so much, Ashley, for giving me this opportunity, and for all the good work you’re doing to spread the word about authors and their books! As a debut author, I’ve been blown away by the warmth and support of the book lovers’ community, and I’m so grateful.
Find more from the author:
Twitter @robinfmaass
Instagram @robinfmaass
Author Bio: Robin Farrar Maass is a lifelong reader and writer who fell in love with England when she was twenty-two. She enjoys tending her messy wants-to-be-an English garden, painting watercolors, and traveling. She lives in Redmond, Washington with her husband and two highly opinionated Siamese cats. The Walled Garden is her first novel, and she's already at work on her next novel set in England.
