AUTHOR INTERVIEW: MARLO SCHALESKY

Marlo, thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to visit with us. I’m going to start right in with the questions, as I’m sure people are eager to know more about you and your writing.

Growing up, what type of books did you read? What authors do you read now?
            I LOVED to read when I was a kid.  I still have all those books – rows and rows of horse books, including all the Black Stallion series and all of Margarite Henry’s horse books, the Narnian Chronicles, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, the Rescuers books, Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series, and just about anything else I could get my hands on.  My happiest days of school were when the scholastic book orders would come in.  I could hardly wait to crack open those new books and plunge into other worlds filled with adventure and surprise.

            These days, I still love to read, though I get less time at it than I used to.  Nowadays, I still pull those old kids’ books off the shelves and read them again and again, and I love Harry Potter and LaVyrle Spencer’s historicals.  I’m also enjoying stories from many of my fellow Christian authors like Francine Rivers, Rene Gutteridge, Angela Hunt, Randall Ingermanson, Cindy Martinusen, Tricia Goyer, and I could go on and on! 

What inspired you to write?
When I was thirteen years old, I wrote a poem on the bus on the way to school.  It was about an old tree, forlorn and desolate, standing alone in a field.  I read that poem at every recess, tweaked it, polished it, and for the first time, felt the thrill of how the written word can convey profound beauty.  That day, I fell in love with writing.

            Shortly after that, I told my mother (with all the angst of a newly-turned teenager), “I will just die if I don’t write!”  So naturally when I grew up I decided to get my degree in Chemistry.  And, oddly enough, I didn’t die.  I enjoyed chemistry.  But always that desire to write was with me, in the back of my mind, saying “Someday, someday.”

            Someday finally came.  I started writing articles for various magazines and putting out proposals for book projects.  I thought it would be easy to get my first book published, but alas, it took years of writing and honing my craft (6 years, in fact).  And more than that, it took giving up my dream entirely.  For me, I had to come to a place in my heart where I didn’t have to write to be content.  I had to let go of that strong desire born at thirteen years old and embrace God’s will for me whether that will included writing or not.  Only then, only when my dream had given way to God’s, was I offered a contract by Crossway Books for my first published book in 1999. 

What was your greatest challenge in writing your first novel?
            Selling it twice!  Cry Freedom, my first novel, was contracted by Tyndale two years before Crossway bought it.  I finished the book under contract, sent it in, and it was read and found acceptable.  Then Tyndale went through an editor change.  The new editor hated the book.  I made revisions, but he didn’t read the revised manuscript.  Instead, after a long and painful process, the book was canceled.  That hurt!  Two years later, that was the book that Crossway contracted, published, and raved about the writing.  But those two years were so hard, especially after coming after a number of other years of trying to get a contract.  I see now what God was doing in my life and heart, but that didn’t make the setback any easier at the time. 

On the average, how long does it take you to finish a manuscript, including the research?
            Usually nine months (like having a baby!).  Although Veil of Fire, which came out in May, took me a full year . . . probably because I had twins in the middle of writing it.  Sometimes life just intervenes like that.

Where were you and what were you doing when you got the call with the offer for your first novel? How did you react?
            When I was offered my first contract, I didn’t get a call.  I just got a letter in the mail – first asking for the full manuscript, and then awhile later, a contract arrived.  I remember thinking how odd it was.  I’d been trying so hard to get a contract, meeting with editors, going to conferences, hoping, praying, feeling desperate, until God broke me of all that.  I only sent a proposal to Crossway because an editor from another house suggested I try them.  I wasn’t expecting anything to come of it.  And then, the contract came.  It made me laugh.  Just like God to make me give up completely before he opened that door.

Have you had any forms of employment in the past that have prepared you for this writing career? If so, what were they, and how did they help you?
            Ha!  I was an organic chemist before I started writing – that’s a long cry from writing.  I also taught chemistry and math at our local high school . . . you know, the whole “left brain” thing.  Of course, the book I just finished (Beyond the Night – it comes out next May) has a main character who’s a chemist, so finally I’m using an itty bitty bit of my science background.

Who, if anyone, provided you with encouragement and support to succeed as an author?
            My husband has been wonderful with support and encouragement.  He’s my first reader for everything I write, watches the kids regularly to give me writing time, and continues to believe that God has asked me to do this writing thing, even when everything doesn’t go as I hope. 

            Other than that, Ken Petersen (who used to be at Tyndale and is now at Waterbrook-Multnomah) was the first editor to believe in me and my work.  My agent, Steve Laube, has been a great source of encouragement and support as well.

            And then, of course, there are my writing friends, like Tricia Goyer and Cindy Martinusen, who have been with me (and me with them) through the long process of trying to get published, hoping, dreaming, etc.  Back before any of us were published, we used to read each other’s manuscripts and give encouragement, critique, and advice. 

In addition to books, you write articles and are a regular columnist for Power for Living, you run an engineering firm and a construction consulting firm. How do you balance all of that with your family life?
            It ain’t easy!  In fact, I find it takes wisdom on a day to day basis.  But one thing helps, and that is, I know that God won’t ask me to do what’s not possible to do.  So, if He has called me to be a mom, wife, business owner, and writer (as He has done!), then there must be a way to do it all well.  So, I find that I need both careful scheduling (of alone writing time, time working with each of my kids individually, hubby time, etc.) and also the flexibility to listen to God’s promptings about how each day needs to go. 

            As for specifics, I try to set aside three or more chunks of time during the week to focus on first-draft writing (not editing, emails, etc. – those things I squeeze into odd times during the day).  For that type of creative writing, I have to be by myself.  So, a couple times a week, I take my 4 year old to school at 12:30 pm, then go to Starbucks and write until I have to pick up my both my 4 and 7 year olds from school at 3.  Meanwhile, my husband brings his computer home and watches the twins while trying to work.  It’s not ideal, but it gives me some much needed time off to focus on my story.  I also try to take a few hours a night or two a week, where I get off alone and write.  I usually go just before the girls’ bedtime so my husband doesn’t have too much time when he’s needing to take care of everyone himself (though he’s quite able, it’s just hard with so many little ones!).  Also, when I get close to deadline, I often write on Saturday mornings when my husband can watch and play with the girls.  This gives him some time to play with them alone, and is fun for all of them. 

            Also, I find that I’m a better mom and wife if I have some time “off-duty,” time when I’m not responsible for changing diapers, doing laundry, answering questions, being mom-on-call.  I need times away to keep me sane.  To catch my breath.  Other moms go shopping with friends, talk on the phone, maybe go to a movie during those times.  I write.  For me, it’s rejuvenating.   

I’d like to talk about your latest book, Veil of Fire. As it centers on thegreat Minnesota firestorm of 1894, how did you find and research this horrific event?
            People often ask where I get my ideas for my books.  My answer?  You never know!  For Veil of Fire, the idea was birthed at my favorite Mexican restaurant in the mission town of San Juan Bautista.  There I was, sitting with my family, nibbling chips and salsa, when a wedding party came by.  The bridesmaids were dressed in beautiful turn-of-the-century style gowns.  As they passed, my mother-in-law began to tell me of the dresses that her great grandmother, who lived in Hinckley, used to sew for the rich ladies in Minneapolis and St. Paul.  From there, came the story of the great Hinckley fire and the rebuilding that this woman, my husband’s great-great-grandmother, was a part of.  And finally, I heard the tale of the mystery figure in the hills, a person burned beyond recognition.  A person never identified, living as a hermit until one day he just disappeared. 

            At that moment, the first inklings of the story that would become Veil of Fire were born in my heart.  Who was the hermit in the hills?  What happened to him?  And how would I solve the mystery if I could?  As I pondered those questions, I knew that I had to write the hermit’s story.  Had to explore what it would be like to lose everything, even your identity.  Had to hear the hermit’s voice in my mind, and hear the story for myself.   

            So, the writing of the book became for me a process of discovery, as I hope it will be for my readers.  I hope that as the mystery of the hermit drew me, so too it will draw others to this story of how fire can change you, take from you, and in the end, may just set you free.

            As for the research for Veil of Fire, that was particularly fascinating not only because of its link to my personal family history, but also because of the incredible first-person accounts of the fire that were written by people who were actually there.  These stories are compiled into a book written entirely by survivors who recount their personal experience of living through the firestorm that swept through their town.  I read about a man whose hat lifted from his head and exploded above him as he ran through wind and fire.  I read about another whose horse raced beside the Eastern Minnesota train as fire billowed around him.  The horse swerved into the smoke, and the man was never seen again.  I read about a boy racing down the tracks, falling, and surviving as the fire roared over him.  I read about fire on the surface of the Grindstone River, darkness broken only by bursts of flame, the St. Paul and Duluth engine backing up to Skunk Lake through blinding heat and smoke.  I read about a train trestle disintegrating into flame moments after a train passed, about Jane Tew praying on that train, and the brakemen who saved them all. 

            Those eyewitness accounts, as well as information gathered about the fire from other sources, created the realistic feel of the fire and its aftermath in Veil of Fire.  Plus, you can be sure that if something seems almost beyond belief in Veil of Fire, it will be drawn from an actual account that came directly from the research, so amazing were the real stories of the fire on that day!

Can you tell us a little more about the historical background for Veil of Fire?
            On September 1, 1894, one of the worst fires in history ravaged east central Minnesota.  It was the first firestorm (a combination of intense fire and cyclonic wind to create the “storm” effect) in Minnesota history, destroying six towns, including Hinckley.  Descending on the towns like a red demon, the fire consumed 400 square miles, killing 418 people in four hours.  The maelstrom of flames caught the townspeople unaware.  Five hundred were saved on the train to Duluth, with a bridge disintegrating into the fire only minutes after the train passed.  Another hundred were saved in the gravel pit, where they desperately poured water on each other to keep their clothes from catching fire in the intense heat.  A few others were saved in potato patches, water barrels, and by sheer grace. 

            After the fire, the townspeople rebuilt their town, but in the midst of rebuilding, a rumor began of a hermit in the hills - a person severely burned, disfigured beyond recognition.  The identity of this person was never determined, and it remains to this day a mystery, a myth, a shadowed figure whispered about in tales passed from grandparents to grandchildren.  Who was this monster in the hills?

            And out of that tragedy, out of that mystery, Veil of Fire was born. 

What takeaway points do you hope your readers pull from Veil of Fire?
            Once, when we were children, we believed in miracles.  The impossible was only a prayer away.  Fairy tales were real, and dreams were free.  Where did we lose the ability to trust?  When did we stop daring to believe?  What happened to us? 

            Life happened.  Failure, discouragement, pain, loss.  Somewhere, somehow, life burns us all.  And we realize that this life we live is not the one we once dreamed.  The realities of life scar us.  Doubts rise.  Fear whispers that hope is gone.  And what was once a simple faith can fail in the face of that fear. 

            In the midst of life’s disillusionment, choices appear.  Do we retreat?  Hide our hurts far from probing eyes?  Do we embrace bitterness and cynicism?  Do we use deceit to try to obtain our goals?  Do we give up, give in, forget that we ever dared to dream? 

            Or is it possible to reach the high places of faith in the low valleys of life’s reality?  Can we still live a life of bold faith, of fierce hope, when fairy tales don’t come true?  How do we live this life that God has given us when it’s not the life we dreamed?

            These are the questions I wanted to explore in Veil of Fire.  These are the questions which underlie each character’s journey in the aftermath of the great fire of 1894.

            So, for those burned by life, for those who carry scars that cannot be seen, for those who have retreated for fear of more pain, this story is for you, this journey from the hidden places of pain to a new hope in the unhidden truth of Christ’s love. 

How did the story touch you personally?
            For me, Veil of Fire was very much a way to explore what God has been doing in my own life.  Through all the characters, but particularly through the hermit in the hills, I was able to delve into the deep places of God’s truth for me.  Through the hermit, I asked my questions, aired my doubts, and sought for my own understanding.  For example, just as the hermit questions God’s love, believes “I am Esau, unchosen, unloved,” so I too have struggled with those same feelings, doubts, and questions.  I, too, have cried out to God, “Why don’t you love me?”  For the hermit, it was a question born out of fire, abuse, and disfigurement.  For me, it was a question that came out of failure, infertility, and miscarriage.  So, in many ways, the hermit’s questions were my own, the answers mine, the external scars reflections of my internal ones, and in turn, I think, symbols of the scars of us all.

            In writing Veil of Fire, God has shown me that my life, too, is a story that He is telling.  And since the best stories have conflict, disappointments, and plenty of action, I shouldn’t be surprised when my life takes a turn and my faith is challenged once again. 

            And yet, my sorrow matters to God, my tears are counted by him as precious.  He does not leave me alone in my hurt.  He touches me, he heals me, he creates beauty from the ashes of my pain. 

            So, because of Veil of Fire, I’m learning to walk through the fires in my own life.  And to dig deeper – not to answer the question of why but the question of who – who is God really, who am I, and who is he making me to be?  Those are the questions that matter.  Those are the things that help me to face my own fires, accept my own scars. 

            And that is my hope for my readers as well – that this book will touch them, change them, and leave them breathless with the depth and wonder of God’s love, even in the firestorms of life.

What book project can we expect from you after Veil of Fire? Can you give us a sneak peek of the storyline?
            After Veil of Fire, I’m writing 3 contemporary novels for Waterbrook-Multnomah.  All of them are “Love Stories with a Twist!,” a new type of story that I think will knock readers’ socks off.
            The first, Beyond the Night, releases in May 2008.  With groovy 70’s trivia and a whopper of an ending twist, this one was as fun to write as it will be to read.  Here’s a blurb about it:
            They say love is blind.  This time, they’re right.
                        A poignant love story  . . .
                                    A shocking twist . . .
                                                Come, experience a love that will not die.
Nicolas Sparks (The Notebook) meets M. Night Shymalan (The Sixth Sense) in this moving story of two people trying to find love in the dark.  A woman going blind, a man who loves her but can’t tell her so, a car crash, a hospital room, and an ending that has to be experienced to be believed. Watch for it next May!

This last question is just a fun one to give readers a glimpse into your personality. What is the one thing you always have in your refrigerator?
            Milk!  Lots and lots of milk.  I’ve got 4 little girls (ages 7, 4, and twins at 2) and they drink loads of milk.  Good thing Costco sells it in bulk.

There will be a drawing for a free copy of Veil of Fire.To enter, please leave a comment about this interview in my guestbook. The deadline to enter is Saturday, October 20th, 6:00 PM EST. The winner will be announced on my home page October 25th.

Thank you again, Marlo, for spending time with us. God bless and all the best with Veil of Fire and all of your future writing.

Thanks, Deborah!  And if readers would like to find out more about me and my books, I encourage them to check out my website at www.marloschalesky.com and my blog at www.marloschalesky.blogspot.com.  On Mondays, I try to post information about new Christian novels, and on Wednesdays I post something helpful and thought-provoking (and hopefully insightful!) about living in the wonder of Christ’s love.