Suzanne Feldman
Author Interview - Suzanne Feldman
Author of Sisters of the Great War
Inspired by real women, this powerful novel tells the story of two unconventional American sisters who volunteer at the front during World War I
August 1914. While Europe enters a brutal conflict unlike any waged before, the Duncan household in Baltimore, Maryland, is the setting for a different struggle. Ruth and Elise Duncan long to escape the roles that society, and their controlling father, demand they play. Together, the sisters volunteer for the war effort—Ruth as a nurse, Elise as a driver.
Stationed at a makeshift hospital in Ypres, Belgium, Ruth soon confronts war’s harshest lesson: not everyone can be saved. Rising above the appalling conditions, she seizes an opportunity to realize her dream to practice medicine as a doctor. Elise, an accomplished mechanic, finds purpose and an unexpected kinship within the all-female Ambulance Corps. Through bombings, heartache and loss, Ruth and Elise cherish an independence rarely granted to women, unaware that their greatest challenges are still to come.
Author Interview - Suzanne Feldman
Author I draw inspiration from: I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Louise Erdrich, and Toni Morrison, to name a few. I love Marquez's magical realism, especially in 100 Years of Solitude. I'm learning Spanish so I can read it in the original! I love the poetry in the language that both Morrison and Erdrich are so amazingly good at. Of course I read other writers, but these three are my top choices for inspiration.
Author Interview - Suzanne Feldman | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: We have a teal-green loveseat in out sea-green living room, and I love sitting there, by the window, with my dog in her bed by my feet.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: That's a tough one. I think I'd rather be stuck in an elevator with a book!
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I've been telling stories since before I could read or write, so I would say I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be an author AND an artist. I remember quite clearly standing on a tiny chair in pre-school, telling my classmates about the Three Billy Goats Gruff. I remember their faces, looking up at me, listening, and I knew I was where I was meant to be.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Paperback!
The last book I read: Ninth Street Women, which is about the forgotten female artists in the fifties and sixties in NYC. Written by Mary Gabriel
Author Interview - Suzanne Feldman | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: COMPUTER! I can't get stuff down fast enough with pen and paper. Funny thing is, though--I'm a two-finger typist!
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: After spending four years with Ruth and Elise, the characters in Sisters of the Great War, I feel like we're eternal besties!
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: An art teacher in high school--and, surprise! That's what I was doing for a living for almost 30 years. I retired in 2016 and now I'm writing full time.
Favorite decade in fashion history: Weirdly, I like the Medieval period. Clothing was simple and serviceable. Nothing too fancy or extraneous. Which is pretty much how I dress--not in Medieval garb! I prefer jeans and a tie-dye T-shirt :)
Place I’d most like to travel: I really want to go to Spain. I love the language and the food. I've never been there, and with COVID, I don't know when we'll go, but it's on The List!
My signature drink: I do enjoy a Gin and Tonic.
Favorite artist: I would have to say Cezanne. He's so thoughtful, and his work is so interesting when you know even a little bit about what he painted and why.
Number one on my bucket list: Going back to Europe and travelling for a month!
Anything else you'd like to add: On November 6, we're having My Big Fat Book Release Party on Zoom! Everyone is welcome! Friend me on Facebook, and get the link!
Find more from the author:
facebook - Suzanne Feldman Author
Twitter - @FeldmanAuthor -or- Suzanne21702
Instagram - SuzanneFeldmanAuthor
website - SuzanneFeldman.net
Author Bio: Suzanne Feldman graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1981 and received a Masters in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University in 2004. Her novel Absalom’s Daughters (Holt, 2016) received a starred review in Kirkus. Her short story The Witch Bottle (Gargoyle Magazine 2016) was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She received a Nebula Award in 2001 for her short fiction and the Editors Prize for fiction in 2005 at The Missouri Review. She has had stories published in Narrative Magazine, including The Lapedo Child which was selected as one of the year’s best (2013). She was a finalist for the Bakeless Prize in 2005. She attended the Sewanee Writers Conference as a Walter E. Dakin Fellow in 2019.
