I stumbled on to Wendy Webb's writing quite by accident, but it was a happy accident to be sure. I thoroughly enjoyed her book
The Vanishing so much that I immediately bought her other two novels as well. Something she said in the back of
The Vanishing prompted me to contact her and set up this interview. It was a philosophy I share. She said,
"That's really what it's all about for me. With my novels, I'm not trying to define a generation, right any great wrongs, or change the way you think about the world or your places in it. I just want to craft a good story that will delight you, entertain you, grab you and not let go, and send some shivers up your spine along the way." Mission accomplished, Mrs. Webb.
If you'd like to read my review of
The Vanishing, head over to
See Spot Read. Go ahead, I'll wait. Back? Awesome. Without further ado, I give you Wendy Webb--
1. How old were you when you first knew you were a
writer?
Very
young. Two books influenced me in a powerful way when I was growing up, setting
me on my path. My grandmother read “Little Women” to me when I was about eight
years old. It was absolutely clear to me that I was, in fact, Jo March, the
dark-haired, headstrong sister. I identified with her so strongly that, since
Jo loved writing, apparently I did, too. That’s really how I looked at it. I
started excelling in writing at school and got more and more praise for my
essays, and I never had a moment of doubt about the fact that I’d be an author
someday. Jo got her book published. So would I. I don’t know what I’d be doing
with my life if Louisa May Alcott hadn’t written “Little Women,” but it
probably wouldn’t be this. Last fall, I visited her home, Orchard House, and
when I saw the desk by the window where Louisa dreamed up the book that would
chart the course of my life, I burst into tears. Everyone else on the tour
thought I was insane. But the guide didn’t. “You must be an author,” she said.
“We get that a lot.”
The
other book that turned my young mind toward writing was “A Wrinkle in Time” by
Madeline L’Engle. A librarian recommended it to me when I was thirteen. The
story didn’t have anything to do with writing — I already knew I was going to
be a writer. I just didn’t know what I wanted to write about, until I read that
book. It was magical and real and scary all at the same time, and when I
finished reading it, I knew I wanted to write books like that one.
2. I know you are currently the editor of the
Duluth-Superior magazine. How do you balance your editorial duties with fiction
writing and a family?
Actually,
the magazine closed last spring, but it was indeed a juggling act balancing my
magazine responsibilities and a book tour. I was traveling all over the country
for six months after “The Vanishing” came out, and I still had the same
deadlines. The Internet made everything easier, though. I could get everything
done on the road, but it was hectic at times.
I don’t write fiction when I’m on tour — too many distractions.
3. I think of your books as “modern gothic.” They
include all the elements of the classic gothic genre (woman in peril; large,
often isolated house; ghosts or some element of the supernatural; a romantic
interest; an older woman; a villain of the piece; and a mystery), but they’re
set in modern times. What genre do you consider your work and why?
When I
wrote my first book, “The Tale of Halcyon Crane,” I didn’t think at all about
genre. I just wrote the book that I wanted to read. It turns out it’s gothic,
and “modern gothic” is a good fit. Reviewers have started calling me the Queen
of the Northern Gothic, saying I invented a genre, because most gothics are set
in England or down South. Again, I didn’t set out to do that, I just wrote a
story set in the place that I know best.
4. Animals always seem to play a part in your
stories, mostly dogs. Why?
The dogs
in my stories are actually my dogs, Tika, Tundra and Molly, all giant Alaskan
Malamutes. They never knew each other in life (one 130-pound dog in the house
is enough!) but it has been really fun for me to put them together in my books,
especially all three of them in “The Vanishing.” I’ve always walked through the
world with a dog at my side and I can’t imagine life without them, so when I’m
dreaming up my stories, it’s natural to feature animals as characters.
5. I’ve read that, for you, the setting inspires
the story. How do you pick your settings?
I
stumble across them. “Halcyon Crane” was inspired by a trip I took to Mackinac
Island in Michigan, which a very haunted place, and a particular house you can
see from the ferry on your way there. The plot of “The Fate of Mercy Alban”
came to me when I was on a tour of Glensheen Mansion in Duluth, Minnesota. I
started thinking of how great it would be to have a summer party on Glensheen’s
magnificent veranda, and then I thought: “Ooo. What if somebody winds up dead
at that party?” And I was on my way.
6. The spiritualism age plays a part in The
Vanishing. Have you always been interested in spiritualism or did you have to
research it for the book? Either way, what do you find the most interesting
part of it?
I’ve
always been interested in it but I did research before I started writing. There
were a lot of charlatans at that time, but I believe there were, and are,
mediums and psychics who can indeed talk to the dead. I absolutely believe
there are spirits among us. I’ve traveled all over this country for readings,
and every single time, somebody tells me a ghost story that happened to them.
7. And, on a more personal note, what scares you?
Any silly phobias? Do you work your own fears into your fiction?
What
scares me most is not a spirit floating around the house late at night, but an
actual intruder in the house late at night. That said, though, I am also afraid
of the dark side of the occult. In “The Vanishing,” I have a Devil’s Toy Box
that unleashes a whole lot of bad stuff at Havenwood. I actually got one of
those for my birthday the year before I started writing that book. It was a
really pretty box, handmade by my brother, but before bringing it into my
house, I called a friend of mine who is an expert in the occult. She told me
that it was very dangerous and to destroy it. I did. Similarly, Ouija boards.
Never use one. You won’t be talking to who you think you’re talking to. I’m
researching demonology right now for an upcoming book, and I’m not sure if I’ll
be able to write it. That’s some scary, scary stuff.
8. What authors would you consider the biggest
influences on your writing?
You
already know about Louisa May Alcott and Madeline L’Engle, but modern authors
who influence me are M.J. Rose and Carol Goodman, both of whom write beautiful,
magical tales, and both of whom I’m proud to call friends.
9. Five favorite books?
Oh, boy.
This is a hard one.
Little
Women by Louisa May Alcott
A
Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
Rebecca
by Daphne du Maurier
The
Shell Seekers and its sequel, September by Rosamund Pilcher (people are always
surprised when I say that, but I love those books.)
Love in
the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
10. And last but not least, best piece of writing
advice you’ve ever received?
When I
wrote my first manuscript (which didn’t end up getting published) my agent kept
saying: “Show, don’t tell.” I couldn’t get the concept. I’d been a journalist
my whole career and we tell stories.
Then another author let me in on her trick. She said: “When you’re writing a
scene, imagine that you’re the director of a movie. Visualize everything in
that scene — where it’s happening, what the people are wearing, what they’re
doing. Hear what they’re saying. In a movie, if a character is angry, you
wouldn’t hear some narrator’s voice saying: “Jane is angry!” You’d see Jane
throw her coffee cup across the table and stomp out of the room, and you’d know
Jane was angry. Authors need to do the same thing with words. That’s showing,
not telling.”
Wendy's Bio:
Wendy Webb is the author of The Tale of Halcyon Crane, a gothic mystery set on an island in the Great Lakes. Her first novel, Halcyon was selected as an IndieNext Pick by IndieBound, the Independent Booksellers Association of America; as a Midwest Connections Pick by the Midwest Booksellers Association; and as a Great Lakes Great Reads Pick by the Great Lakes Booksellers Association.
Wendy is also a career journalist. She is at work on her next novel.
You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon:
www.wendykwebb.com
Twitter: @wendykwebb
Facebook: WendyWebbAuthor
Wendy's Novels:
♥Stacey
