AN INTERVIEW WITH RITA GERLACH
This month, Rita Gerlach is here for a visit. Rita has three previously published historical novels, and is the editor of Stepping Stones Magazine, an online website focused on writing, marketing and promotion for writers.
Welcome, Rita. I’m pleased to be interviewing you about your newest historical novel.
Thank you, Deborah. I am honored to be here.
In your bio, you describe the town where you live. I know, in part, your story takes place in that town. But does this historical town inspire your writing in other ways?
Actually, Frederick, Maryland was partly the setting in a previous set of companion novels --- Thorns In Eden and The Everlasting Mountains. When the town was established in 1745, it was called ‘Fredericktowne’ and was the last settlement going west toward the Allegheny Mountains in Maryland. These books are no longer in print, but I am hoping someday to have them reissued.
‘Surrender the Wind’ begins with a setting in Virginia along the Potomac, then transverses to England. It is a short drive for me to reach the banks of the river and see the lush green hills of Virginia on the opposite shore. This area has always been inspiring to me. You can feel the history. It’s in every boulder, ever stone that sits in the muddy banks. A sandy trail winds above the shore on the Maryland side, where there had been a canal, and it isn’t hard to imagine the canal boats easing through the water, people on horseback, wagons, or the Civil War troops marching on their way to Gettysburg. Near Harpers Ferry, the remains of the bridge the Union soldiers blew up are still there.
As for my town of Frederick --- downtown is lavish with old Victorian Mansions and houses, 18th century brick row houses, churches and shops. It is an inspiring place that still holds true to its history, from pre-Revolutionary days to the present. Frances Scott Key, the composer of The Star Spangled Banner, Barbara Fritchy, Revolutionary War soldiers and officers, the fallen of the Battle for the Monocacy during the Civil War are resting in Mt. Olivet Cemetery. When I walk downtown, it’s like stepping back in time. So, yes. It is inspiring to me in various ways. It helps me visualize the way people lived in the past and imagine life either at a slower pace, or fraught with a daily struggle to survive during times of war and Indian uprisings.
One of your favorite movies is Pride & Prejudice. Which version do you like best?
By far, I like the BBC version best. It stays so true to the story. Colin Firth portrays Darcy exactly how I imagine him to be. Prideful, yet tortured.
How long have you been writing, Rita?
Well, the first short story I ever wrote was when I was eleven. But there was a long lapse of time before I seriously picked up the pen. This was in 1989. Twenty years seems like a very long time, but I’m not one for giving up something I love. I set priorities, and was not able to write every day. I was raising two boys, running a household, being a wife, and then I homeschooled my youngest boy through high school. Now that my gents are young men, I have a lot of time to devote to writing.
How did you develop the idea for Surrender the Wind?
That’s a great question. It was something that developed over time, as I wrote the novel. But initially, this thought popped into my mind one day. What if an American patriot of the Revolution inherited his grandfather’s estate in England after the War? I was intrigued by the idea and began exploring this as the premise for the novel. Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 rang loud and clear.
I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.
Does the title have any significance?
Yes, it has great significance. Wind represents the struggles, the trials, the hardships each of us face. . .as do the characters in the story. When we experience pain, grief, and rejection, surrendering all to Him who is able to help us through it is the only way to find peace and healing.
Please share with us a little about Surrender the Wind.
After a harrowing escape from the British, patriot Seth Braxton finds his father dead at Yorktown. Now battle scarred and grieving, he endeavors to settle down for a peaceful life along the shores of the Potomac by restoring the land his father loved.
Thinking he will forever stay in the secluded wilderness, he receives a message that he has inherited his grandfather's estate in faraway England. Seth is torn between the land he's fought for and the prospect of reuniting with his sister, Caroline, who was a motherless child at the onset of the Revolution, taken to England in order to spare her the horrors of war.
With no intention of making his stay at Ten Width permanent, he journeys to England to do his duty. When he arrives, he finds his sister in the throes of grief after being told her young son has died of a fever. In the midst of so much tragedy, he meets Juleah, the daughter of an eccentric landed gentleman. Her independent spirit and gentle soul steal his heart, and she becomes his wife and lady of the manor, enraging the man who once sought her hand and hoped Ten Width would be his own.
From the Virginia wilderness, to the dark halls of an isolated English estate, Seth inherits more than a crumbling ancestral home. He uncovers a sinister plot that leads to murder, abduction, and betrayal --- an ominous mix that threatens to destroy his new life and new love.
Do you model your characters after real people?
I have in previous novels, but for Surrender the Wind, each character is modeled from my own imagination. I do have to give some credit to my husband Paul. His hilarious impersonations of two characters helped me to bring them to life. One is a pirate whose days of roving are long over, and the other a gluttonous constable of considerably poor reputation.
Rita, what can we expect from you next?
Thank you for asking. I am nearly finished the next book. You can expect much of it will be from the female character’s point of view. Adultery, betrayal, and blackmail will challenge the main characters of Darcy Morgan and Ethan Brennan. But keep in mind light dispels darkness. You can expect love will triumph over all these, in a stirring tale of fidelity and forgiveness.
Where can readers find you on the internet?
My website is:
http://ritagerlach.com/
I write ‘InSpire’, a blog about the musings of a historical fiction writer.
http://inspire-writer.blogspot.com/
And ‘Stepping Stones Magazine for Writers and Readers’:
http://steppingstonesforwriters.blogspot.com/
I am also on Facebook and Goodreads a social networking site for readers.
Last question. I’ve read that Nora Roberts is your cousin. Are there any other writing relatives, making it a family trait?
None that are published authors. My grandmother liked to write, and I have a poem she wrote to her son when he was a prisoner of war during WWII. It all comes down, I believe, to my Irish / Scottish heritage. The Irish and the Scots are renowned for their storytelling. I don’t doubt that if I delve into my family tree, I’d find a few that were giving to the art.
Thanks so much for chatting with us, today, Rita, and I wish you many blessings in all your endeavors.
Thank you, Deborah. It was a pleasure.
To win an autographed copy of Surrender the Wind, just use my contact form and type “drawing” in the comments box. The deadline to enter is August 24th. I have several copies to give away, so tell all your friends and family to sign up! The winners will be announced on next month’s homepage.
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