Author Interview | in conversation with Lillah Lawson discussing her novel “Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree”.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

As you might already be aware of – due to recent global events, my fellow book bloggers and I are adjusting to our new normal too for book blogging. You’ll be seeing a lot of different interviews and guest features populating my blog off/on for the next while as a lot of the tours I wanted to participate on for reviews were shifted over to guest features due to the current crisis and the inability to get print copies out to reviewers and book bloggers.

I don’t mind – as I love hosting wicked good convos on Jorie Loves A Story! Plus, it gives me a chance to come up with some interesting questions to ask the authors and to root out some takeaways from their writings that I might not have otherwise thought to ask if I didn’t have the chance to think about their story’s premise without having a tangible copy in hand. Sometimes these conversations get quite insightful as I intuit out what I want to ask of the author.

In the conversation I was assembling for this author in particular, I was happily distracted by the fact we share so much in common – we have a lot of mutual interests you’ll see throughout the conversation whilst I enjoyed getting a bit hugged closer to how she’s built this world within the framework of the novel! She also disclosed a rather telling truth about ancestral research and the writerly process – how you can hold your ancestors closer to you if you seek to tell a story which they first inspired to be told. It is a crucial part of our human condition isn’t it? To find ways to draw agency out of our heritage and to find a way to augment the past into the present?

Of course it also gives new meaning to ‘living histories’ – as the stories are generally told aloud and passed down. However, if you ficitionalise your ancestral past you have a wicked good way of showcasing your ancestors but in a cleverly spun approach of having their lives inspire new lives in the lifestyles of your own characters! I truly enjoyed reading the responses to this interview and hope the joy of it inspires my readers, too.

Brew yourself a cuppa and hug close to the convo!

Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree
by Lillah Lawson

It’s an unusually warm autumn, 1929, and O.T. Lawrence is about as content as a cotton farmer can be in Five Forks, Georgia. Nothing—not poverty, drought, or even the boll weevi—can spoil the idyllic life he shares with his doting wife and children and his beloved twin brother Walt. Until illness and Black Tuesday take everything O.T. ever held dear in one fell swoop.

Grieving, drinking, and careening toward homelessness, O.T. is on the brink of ending it all when he receives an odd letter from a teenage acquaintance, the enigmatic Sivvy Hargrove, who is locked away in Milledgeville’s asylum for the insane. Traveling through desperate antebellum towns, O.T. and his daughter Ginny are determined to find Sivvy and discover her story.

Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree is a love story to Georgia and the spirit of its people—a story of family, unconditional love, poverty, injustice, and finding the strength inside to keep on going when all is lost.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Southern Lit

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781947548282

Published by Regal House Publishing

on 20th September, 2019

Published by: Regal House Publishing

Converse via: #SouthernFiction, #HistFic OR #HistoricalFiction

I love when writers creatively designate their interests – such as you’ve described on your homepage for your author’s website: wordspinner and self-proclaimed nerdgoth! I am seriously loving both – as I went a bit funkier on my Twitter profile to encapsulate my own interests. Though not many ask me about what being a typospherian is referencing!

I felt we were kindred spirits as soon as I read the very next paragraph about you write in multi-genres and do not put limits on yourself, your writings and/or the ways in which you’re labelled. I’ve been rebelling against labels since pre-school! What is something which surprises people about you as a writerly nerd who embraces Gothic style and History?

Lawson responds: Oh gosh, I don’t know! I’m pretty enthusiastic and open about all my passions and interests, so I’m not sure there’s much that would surprise anyone. Maybe because my interests often run kind of dark and gritty, people might be surprised to find that I really love feel-good ensemble sitcoms, like Parks & Rec, Schitt’s Creek and Golden Girls, that I love musicals, or that I’m an avid cyclist who loves getting out on the bike and riding around the neighborhood in chamois!

I hate labels, too. I also tend to rail against being “anti” just for the sake of it or the idea that if you’re a certain age you can no longer participate in fandoms or get excited about certain things. Especially in times like these; if you can find things that make you happy, I say go all in.

Now that you’ve mentioned being a typospherian, I’m reminded that I still need to find that perfect vintage typewriter for my office!

I found it intriguing how you’re currently working on a story which genre-bents Historical & Speculative Fiction whilst embraces the history of Goths – what first inspired this path and what did you love most about what you discovered whilst writing and/or researching the plot, setting and getting into the heads of your characters?

Lawson responds: I have to be totally honest and admit that my work on the Goth project has been sparse lately. I’ve been doing some research, but like many writers, I’m finding it hard to tackle huge, comprehensive projects right now. My focus is all over the place. I’ll get it written eventually!

Like a lot of my historical stuff, it was first inspired by my genealogy research. I’ve been researching my family tree for years and I followed one particular line all the way back to fourteenth century France. Obviously we’re getting into speculative territory here; there’s no way that kind of family tree could be accurate or confirmed, but I found it fascinating that this particular line just kept going and going…it claimed we were related to several royal lines, Melusine herself, as well as the Merovingians and Goths! I’d love all that to be true, but I mean, c’mon – someone was getting creative. But it got me thinking…who actually were these people? As someone interested in the modern goth community/aesthetic I wanted to explore the parallels between this ancient group of Europeans and sort of tie goth culture into it.

I can see we also would have similar Spotify accounts – we dabble in different genres of music and we have the tendency of listening to styles of music others might find interesting for girls in the 21st Century! I have loved the early 20th Century since before the 21st even began and when it comes to Americana and Folk, I’ve always been a ready fan as much as I had a penchant for Outlaw Country and Bluegrass.

Though I regularly listen to channels similar in vein to hos.com (Hearts of Space) which are providing ambient soundscapes. Whilst I regularly listen to heaps of Indie artists and bands across genres though folk and rock are top favourites. When it comes to writing – do you find a particular soundscape matches your writings or do you switch what you’re listening to per story or character to channel your thoughts in a way that matches where your imagination is leading you?

Lawson responds:  I make playlists for every book and/or writing project I tackle. It helps me get into a good headspace. I try to choose songs that either come from the period I’m writing about, or just fit into that genre or “vibe”. I definitely switch it up with everything I write. For my upcoming novel “dead rockstar”, my playlist was a lot of Type O Negative and Bauhaus and David Bowie. For my 1960’s novel, you can imagine it was a good deal of The Zombies, The Hollies, The Doors, and so on.

You’d like the playlist for Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree, I think. Much of it is from an earlier time period, but a lot of the artists – Leadbelly, Robert Johnson, and of course the early Hank Williams and Johnny Cash stuff – gave birth to what we’ve come to know as “outlaw country”. I also put a ton of old-timey jazz and bluegrass on there, because why not? I love old music. I own an entire collection of Jazz Age-era records and an old Victrola and I drive my family crazy, just playing those old 78s and wishing I had a time machine. I want to dance in the living room with Sivvy and O.T.

I have to ask – what are your favourite bakes? And what kind of baker are you? Experimental (where you move between traditional bakes and/or sampling healthier options (ie. vegan, GF, etc), traditional, hybrid (where you pull from different resources make them your own) or a mood baker where you bake when you feel inspired?

Lawson responds: Like everybody else in the world, I love the Great British Baking Show. I definitely like to play around with vegan and gluten free baking, though I could stand to brush up on my skills more. Gluten free baking is very tricky. I’m very much a mood baker. I tend to bake a lot for occasions, such as birthdays and celebrations, and also if I’m feeling sad and want a pick-me-up. My favorite things to bake are good old southern biscuits, chocolate chip cookies, and cakes. I’m more of a rustic style baker; you won’t see anything super fancy or show stopping in my kitchen.

A fellow ancestral sleuth, eh? Have you ever used what you’ve discovered in ancestry as a lead-in for a story or a character? I’ve been contemplating doing this myself as I research my origins alongside Mum and it just percolates a natural tendency to want to create something out of what is uncovered.

Lawson responds: I do more often than not. I’m just fascinated by my family stories, both on my Dad and my Mom’s side (and I’ve even drawn inspiration from a few of my husband’s ancestors). I’m just obsessed with the past. I think my religions degree was a mistake; I should have gone into history.

Monarchs has a number of characters that were heavily inspired by my real ancestors and relatives, including the characters of Sivvy and O.T. (the two main characters), Julie-Anne, Misrus Maybelle, Nona-Lee, Robert Gum, the Singing Cook (who was based on my brother-in-law who tragically died very young), and many others. It’s a way to keep them alive, for me.

What first drew you into this part of Georgia history and curate the layering effect of not just to represent the history of what was happening during the Great Depression but to turn introspective and reflect how those tides of change were impacting a particular family who was going through a different crisis altogether?

Lawson responds: I’m interested in all aspects of Georgia History but I’m especially drawn to the Great Depression because it has so many parallels to the times we’re living in now. If you look back at the issues people were facing in those days, it is a stark picture of what life could become for us now with just a tip of the domino. It’s interesting to me to see how life for those in poverty was already this precarious balancing act, just trying to stay above water, and a few little events by some bankers in far-off New York drowned them all. We think of these events in the abstract, but there were very real families who lost everything, who suffered and died as a consequence of these actions. I was inspired by other Georgia writers like Erskine Caldwell, Lillian Smith and Flannery o’Connor who wrote in stark terms about families and how they interact with each other in times of hardship.

I’m drawn to the area of Five Forks, Athens, Georgia and other surrounding areas of Georgia because it’s where I’m from, and because it’s my grandparents’ “place”. They were both raised in the areas where I write about, so they both feel like “home” to me.

It felt to me the circumstances Sivvy was going through is what first sparked a renewed state of mind for OT – especially as her letter was the invitation he used to travel to her with his daughter Ginny. How did this journey they started out to undertake affect Ginny? I was curious how old Ginny was at this point and how she reacted to her father’s choice to go to Sivvy.

Lawson responds: So many people have asked me about Ginny. It almost makes me want to revisit her (don’t tempt me!). Ginny is that every-girl, you know? She’s the sometimes-forgotten girl, growing up, almost a woman, doing the brunt of the work, the childcare, that every eldest daughter finds herself saddled with. She bears the burden of the family on her back and her own hopes, dreams, desires, tend to fall by the wayside, are dismissed as  “girlish daydreams”. I think when she sees what Sivvy’s life has been like, she becomes adamant that she’s not going to fade into the fabric of her family and become another faceless woman with unrealized dreams. She’s going to do what she wants to do.

One of the characters I felt might be underscored and removed a bit from the main sequencing was OT’s wife – can you share a bit about her own journey whilst her husband and daughter are trying to resolve Sivvy’s situation?

Lawson responds: Losing Betty Lou is definitely a catalyst for what becomes O.T.’s “journey”. In part, the dream of her, finally obtaining that dream and then losing it, is what teaches O.T. the valuable lessons he needs to learn, about what’s important and what isn’t.

But she isn’t just a foil, just a character who suffers so the protagonist can grow. She’s an amazing person in her own right; she’s strong, she’s got good morals, she loves fiercely and right from the very beginning of the story, she teaches O.T. so much about doing what’s right, about holding people to high standards. He wouldn’t be the good person he is without Betty Lou. And I don’t believe he would have been able to find love again, to believe that love could even exist, if Betty Lou had not come before. I like to think her spirit smiles over them all.

A well-timed novel for today’s world – what is the main takeaway you’re hoping today’s reader will see through your novel to leave an impact of thought about what is currently changing the way life is being lived now?

Lawson responds: I would hope that it reminds people that prejudices and hate don’t further your cause in life, that you’ll never get ahead by stepping on someone else, and that you can get through most struggles, even the really hard ones, if you cling to family (blood or chosen) and keep your hope alive. Cynicism serves no purpose.

Whilst your not researching and writing your stories what uplifts your soul the most?

Lawson responds:  Driving in the car alone, blasting music as loud as it’ll go. I also love reading, hiking, cycling, baking, watching historical documentaries and shopping at thrift stores.

What I loved most about this conversation is how it was a meeting of the minds and how writers can truly give us a wicked good ‘first look’ into their stories simply by the questions we elect to ask of them on their behalf! I loved how I felt closer to her characters throughout this conversation and how her writerly life took on this adventure of seeking the story, the character and the setting which truly lifted her writerly soul. Such a wicked good conversation, all round! I felt blessed I could host this during the tour to celebrate the novel.

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NOTE: Similar to blog tours wherein I feature book reviews, book spotlights (with or without extracts), book announcements (or Cover Reveals) – I may elect to feature an author, editor, narrator, publisher or other creative person connected to the book, audiobook, Indie film project or otherwise creative publishing medium being featured wherein the supplemental content on my blog is never compensated monetarily nor am I ever obligated to feature this kind of content. I provide (98.5%) of all questions and guest topics regularly featured on Jorie Loves A Story. I receive direct responses back to those enquiries by publicists, literary agents, authors, blog tour companies, etc of whom I am working with to bring these supplemental features and showcases to my blog. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them: I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. Whenever there is a conflict of connection I do disclose those connections per post and disclose the connection as it applies.

{SOURCES: Book cover for “Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of Lillah Lawson, the tour host badge and HFVBTs badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Conversations with the Bookish banner and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2020.

I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life

I LOVE hosting author interviews – gives me a chance to discover pieces of a story's heart prior to #amreading – Lillah Lawson kindly gave in-depth answers to my enquiries about her #HistFic novel "Monarchs Under the Sassafras" (#SouthernLit)

📖💜https://t.co/plDKxGmpp1 pic.twitter.com/WaIJTDcaxn

— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) May 19, 2020

Comments via Twitter:

Thanks for putting me on the #blogtour – such a pleasure for me to host #HistoricalFiction authors – you've introduced me to so many lovely novelists & their stories over the past 7 years – it truly is incredible!☺️ Plus I love when you host #IndiePub & #selfpub🙌@RH_Initiative

— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) May 19, 2020