The following is an interview with award-winning journalist, critic, filmmaker, and author Marshall Fine regarding the upcoming release of the historical novel, Hemlock Lane, through Lake Union Publishing. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Fine about the creative process of bringing the story and characters to life on the page, what readers may take away from the story’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Hemlock Lane! What can you share with us about the premise of this compelling family drama?
Marshall Fine: Hemlock Lane looks at one eventful weekend in June 1967 in the life of the Levitsky family, when daughter Nora comes home for a visit after graduate school. Everyone in the family has a secret that would upset the family’s domineering matriarch Lillian, including Nora’s father Sol and the longtime family housekeeper Clara. It’s only a matter of time before the secrets come out and the drama begins.
BD: Your work has spanned creative mediums, from filmmaking to journalism and creative criticism. What do you find to be the most creatively engaging aspect of narrative storytelling in novel form, and how would you describe your creative process in bringing the story and characters to life on the page?
MF: To me, the most creatively engaging aspect is the surprise you feel when a character says something or does something you weren’t expecting, and the creative sparks that creates. As a journalist, I interviewed a lot of writers who talked about this phenomenon, and never really understood what they were talking about—until it happened to me. The first time was on my first novel, The Autumn of Ruth Winters, when a character said something I hadn’t anticipated—and it changed the entire trajectory of the novel. It happened again here, but I don’t want to give any spoilers away.
My process is to start with an outline of some sort: a starting point and an end point. Then I dive in: I start writing and trying to figure out how the characters get from one point to the next. I would offer that bringing the characters and story to life are what you do in the rewriting, once you’ve figured out what you’ve got in your first draft.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that Nora’s story may connect with and impact readers?
MF: I have to imagine this story will resonate with people who had difficult relationships with a parent of either gender, or who had an emotionally withholding parent. But I hope the message gets through: There’s always a reason for that kind of behavior. We never know what secret burden another person carries.
BD: What makes Lake Union Publishing the perfect home for Hemlock Lane?
MF: Let’s start with the fact that they like my books and want to publish them; that’s huge, right there, as any author will tell you. Writers are probably only second to actors in terms of dealing with rejection in their work. Lake Union understands who the potential readership for my books is and finds ways to let that audience know about them. I also have to say that my experience working with editors at Lake Union has made my writing better by forcing me to truly focus on things like tone and consistent point of view, to distill what I’m trying to say to its essence.
BD: Are there any projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
MF: I would hope people would check out my first novel, The Autumn of Ruth Winters, also from Lake Union Press. And, if you look, you can find the biographies I’ve written at various online bookstores.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Hemlock Lane and your other work?
MF: Head over to www.marshallfine.com for information on my novels, biographies, and assorted other work. Thanks for having me!
