Jennifer Chiaverini
Author Interview - Jennifer Chiaverini
Author of Resistance Women, The Women’s March, and The Museum of Lost Quilts
About The Museum of Lost Quilts:
Summer Sullivan, the youngest founding member of Elm Creek Quilts, has spent the last two years pursuing a master’s degree in history at the University of Chicago. Her unexpected return home to the celebrated quilter’s retreat is met with delight but also concern from her mother, Gwen; her best friend, Sarah; master quilter Sylvia; and her other colleagues—and rightly so. Stymied by writer’s block, Summer hasn’t finished her thesis, and she can’t graduate until she does.
Elm Creek Manor offers respite while Summer struggles to meet her extended deadline. She finds welcome distraction in organizing an exhibit of antique quilts as a fundraiser to renovate Union Hall, the 1863 Greek Revival headquarters of the Waterford Historical Society. But Summer’s research uncovers startling facts about Waterford’s past, prompting unsettling questions about racism, economic injustice, and political corruption within their community, past and present.
As Summer’s work progresses, quilt lovers and history buffs praise the growing collection, but affronted local leaders demand that she remove all references to Waterford’s troubled history. As controversy threatens the exhibit’s success, Summer fears that her pursuit of the truth might cost the Waterford Historical Society their last chance to save Union Hall. Her only hope is to rally the quilting community to her cause.
The Museum of Lost Quilts is a warm and deeply moving story about the power of collective memory. With every fascinating quilt she studies, Summer finds her passion for history renewed—and discovers a promising new future for herself.
Author Interview - Jennifer Chiaverini
Author I draw inspiration from:
Mary Doria Russell. Her characterization, plotting, and ability to bring a time and place to life are amazing.
Author Interview - Jennifer Chiaverini | Author I draw inspiration from
Favorite place to read a book:
On a comfortable sofa in my living room.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Hermione Granger, because after a lovely conversation about books, she could apparate us out of there.
Author Interview - Jennifer Chiaverini | Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
From childhood, for as long as I can remember. Ever since I learned to read, I’ve wanted to share stories with other readers the way my favorite writers shared their stories with me.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback
The last book I read:
Independent People by Halldór Laxness
Author Interview - Jennifer Chiaverini | The last book I read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Elizabeth Bennett
Author Interview - Jennifer Chiaverini | Book character I think I’d be best friends with
If I wasn’t an author, I’d be a:
Librarian
Favorite era or decade in fashion history:
To admire on actors or to wear on a special occasion like a costume ball, I’d choose the Victorian era. For a style I’d have to wear every day, I’d pick the far more practical 1940s.
Place I’d most like to travel:
New Zealand
My signature drink:
English Breakfast tea with milk
Favorite artist:
Van Gogh
Number one on my bucket list:
I don’t really have a bucket list, but I hope to keep writing and traveling.
Find more from Jennifer Chiaverini:
Website: www.jenniferchiaverini.com
Facebook: @JenniferChiaveriniAuthor
Twitter: @jchiaverini
Instagram: JenniferChiaveriniAuthor
About Jennifer Chiaverini:
Author Interview - Jennifer Chiaverini
Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-three novels, including critically acclaimed historical fiction and the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series.
Her works of nonfiction include seven collections of quilt patterns and original designs featured in Country Woman, Quiltmaker, Quilt, and other magazines. She has also written for publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Writer’s Digest, and Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine.
In 2020, Jennifer was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association for her novel Resistance Women. In 2023, the WLA awarded her the honor of Notable Wisconsin Author for her significant contributions to the state’s literary heritage.
About her historical novels, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, “In addition to simply being fascinating stories, these novels go a long way in capturing the texture of life for women, rich and poor, black and white, in those perilous years.” Jennifer’s previous novel, Switchboard Soldiers, earned starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal. Publishers Weekly praised the novel as “Enchanting,” adding, “Chiaverini brings her singular characters to life, including real historical figures, as they become united in the quest to serve their country. Fans of historical fiction will be captivated.” Her most recent book, Canary Girls, was named an Amazon Editors’ Pick – Best Literature and Fiction for August 2023, and it inspired Library Journal to dub her the “historical fiction queen.”
Jennifer graduated from the University of Notre Dame and earned her MA English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. She, her husband, and their two sons call Madison, Wisconsin home.
