Katherine Howe, the author of Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, was adventurous enough to do our first Author Interview for Wonders & Marvels.
My favorite quote from the interview: “It’s unfair to accuse people of being crazy just because they happened to live in the past.”
Absolutely. The study of past lives demands a deep level of respect as well as a willingness to enter into a world that may not be at all like our own. It means trying to understand and inhabit the cultural, political, and economic logic of the time–as well as its inconsistencies.
It means listening to the dominant, as well as the silenced, voices. And to do this requires patience, aptitude for meticulous research, and a willingness to share with others (both inside and outside academe) the things that we have seen in our journeys to the past.
What are your thoughts about all of this?
Looking forward to your comments on this first interview. And as Katherine said, she would love to respond to any questions you might have. We’ll forward them to her without delay.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
What a wonderful idea to have podcasts of author interviews!
Katherine, your novel sounds very interesting, and I can't wait to read it. I'm sure many graduate students have dreamt of writing a novel while they were studying for their qualifying exams, but it's amazing that you actually managed to accomplish such an impressive goal. I was wondering if you would share your insights about the writing process and how you managed to work on the novel while also teaching and being a graduate student. Your insights will help those of us who are working on our dissertations!
i have only read ” the lost book of salem” but i loved it so much it isn’t funny=) keep going and good luck with all of your future.
blessed be
Katherine, please help me with a problem I faced in the first pages of the book. The house had been closed for years. There was no electricity. Connie turned on the faucet an brown water ran out.
WHERE DID THE WATER COME FROM? There was no electricity to run a pump. Surely there was no city water. Why did the pipes not freeze and burst if there was water in them during the cold Massachusetts winters?
I AM MYSTIFIED AS TO HOW AN OLD HOUSE COULD PRODUCE WATER AFTER SO MANY YEARS. Even in the Piedmont area of NC frozen pipes are a problem in the winter without heat in a home. How could the pipes remain thawed and the water run without electricity in the old house.
The book is fascinating and well-written–if you can get past the water faucet in the kitchen!!!!!!!!!!
I was very much in tune with Connie’s mother, Grace. I love her free spirit. She would just give Connie little snipets of info which would allow her to find her own way, but she was also protective. I can relate. Awesome novel…. I am hooked on your future books already! Keep them coming…..
Just opened your book, and have begun to read.
When my great-grandmother married my great-grandfather it united three Salem families.
On the paternal side — Samuel Marsh humanely protested for John Proctor – to no avail.
Maternal: Great-grandmother’s line includes Thomas Dorman who accused Sarah Wilds and the poor woman met her death on gallows hill, and, uncle – Increase Mather.
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your comments, and for taking the time to read Physick Book. And thank you, Holly, for inviting me to join the conversation here at Wonders and Marvels!
Delia, the truth of the matter is, for a long while there I talked more about the book I was writing than I actually spent writing it. Teaching gobbled up a huge amount of time, and I went through a whole fellowship application process unsuccessfully while researching for Physick Book. One reason I spent so much time on the novel was to soothe myself of the frustrations with my academic work. The only useful advice I can give is that it is important to *demand* time for your own work. Use an egg timer when grading. Give lectures that are adequate rather than awesome. Be selfish with your time. Otherwise, it will just get frittered away.
Jake, I’m so glad you found the book. Are you in the UK or in Australia?
Anita, my editor asked the same question about the plumbing. Luckily, on that very day we had our plumber (John, who specializes in old houses) visiting our 18th C house. So I bopped downstairs and asked him if it was possible, in theory, for a nonelectrified house in New England to be winterized, and then have the water turn on again after twenty years, without the pipes freezing. “It’s possible,” he said. “It’s not likely.” That was good enough for me. Bear in mind also that the house doesn’t exactly occupy a real space: when we enter the garden we can tell by the multiple strange plants that something is amiss, but in an interesting way.
Helen, what a wonderful family history! Thank you for sharing it with us. I hope that you enjoy Physick Book.
If you all want to keep up with me, I will mention that I am on Facebook, as Katherine Howe, and on Twitter as katherinebhowe. Happy reading!
KH
Holly great interview; you do not need to be Terry Gross you are a wonderful as you!
Katherine, thank you for doing this podcast interview. I had heard buzz about your book and after listening to you I am putting it on my list of must reads.
Good luck with everything. I am still struggling with college at the young age of 45 so I can relate to your stress. Now if I could only channel mine….
hi Katherine: I’m an avid reader and your book has been most enjoyable. It is been a long time since I rapidly consumed such an interesting read. My hat is off to you . You know how to spin a yarn. Thank you. Tony