HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: One
of my favorite author memories. It was…I forget what year. But I think PRIME
TIME had just come out. I was at…I forget what event. (Are your memories like this?) Anyway, several authors were there, talking
to booksellers and librarians about our new books. There was this woman in the
booth next to me, so you can imagine I heard her pitch over and over. I had no idea who she was--I couldn’t even see
her.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it.
I went around the barrier
between us and said something along the lines of “Whoever you are, LEMME SEE THAT BOOK!
Turned out it was Brunonia Barry, and the book that sounded so irresistible was THE LACE READER.
That was the beginning
of a beautiful friendship, and I am jumping up and down that she's here today
to tell us about her newest blockbuster!
And wow. You’re going to
say: LEMME SEE THAT BOOK!
HANK: So tell all. What was your
inspiration for THE FIFTH PETAL?
BRUNONIA BARRY: As someone whose family has been living here
since 1628, and who has both accused and accusers hanging from her family tree,
I suffer the same generational guilt that many Salemites are reminded of every
day by the tourists from all over the world who visit our city to explore its
dark history.
We
have a love/hate relationship with the tourists, our economy wouldn’t be
possible without them, but they serve as a constant reminder of our guilt.
Walking through town, especially at Halloween, when our population grows from
40,000 to 300,000, and seeing some of the strange goings-on, I sometimes wonder
if the whole thing could happen again. People are still accused and demonized
in many parts of the world, and fear of the “other,” has seldom been as rampant
even in our own country. I tried to consider what a modern day witch hunt might
look like in Salem.
HANK: Is this novel connected
to your other Salem novels, The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places?
BRUNONIA: Though they stand
alone, all of my novels are linked in some way. "The Fifth Petal" has
characters who appeared in my previous novels. They grow and change with time
as we all do, but they remain in place. And Salem, as well, changes as if it
were a character; it’s not the same place it was five years ago, or even last
year, which fascinates me. There are so many more stories to tell, so much more
history to explore that I find myself wishing I could
either write faster or live long enough to tell them all. Both characters and
place reveal themselves more fully as I go. They say we write in an
effort to understand. That’s very true for me.
HANK: Strong female characters
are at the core of your books. Certainly the history of Salem lends itself to
an exploration of female relationships and stories!
BRUNONIA: I don’t know if I
believe "the world breaks everyone” (to quote Hemingway), but I truly
believe that people become "strong at the broken places."
Stronger in fact. All of my best characters are strong, and all have been
broken in some way.
Rose,
though demonized, is probably the strongest. She believes her own perceptions,
though it has cost her dearly. And, with all that has happened to her, she is
still able to love. Abused as a child, Towner suffered a psychotic break in
"The Lace Reader,” but has healed herself though years of therapy,
and by giving back to those who were victimized in the same way. Callie is in
the process of healing by coming back to Salem to help Rose, and by discovering
who killed her mother and the other two young women nicknamed
the “Goddesses.” As is the case with many strong women, the bond between
them is unbreakable; they help and rely on each other as a source of their
strength.
Historically,
Salem has always been a center of feminine power: from the women who refused to
confess to witchcraft (though a confession would have saved their lives), to
those who helped win American independence, to the abolitionists, suffragists,
and the early champions of public education, strong women have played a huge
role. Even the sewing circles, who still meet in secret, are fiercely dedicated
to today’s most important social issues.
HANK:
Sewing circles?
BRUNONIA:
After the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, women in Massachusetts were forbidden to
gather in groups. That “law” remained in effect for a number of
years, and, as a result, Salem’s secret sewing circles began, with three of
them still in existence today. No one knows the identity of the groups'
members, as all are sworn to secrecy. Mostly, they are known only by their
charitable work. But, because of their secrecy, there is still some uneasiness
about the circles.
HANK: You did so much
research!
BRUNONIA: I’ve been obsessed by Celtic Mythology
since I lived in Ireland when I was in college. The
connection to the modern day Salem Wiccans and witches, many of whom
worship the Celtic pantheon, made this an easy fit for me. I knew a bit
about modern witchcraft, but not enough. With hundreds of practicing Pagans in
Salem, I have many consultants who help me with my research. But for this
book, I needed more, so I took a course put on by one
of our local covens called "Witchcraft 101." I’m not a
practicing witch by anyone’s standards, but the course helped me understand
their nature-based beliefs and practices far better than I did
before.
HANK: I was fascinated
by the sacred tree…tell me about that.
BRUNONIA:
Again, Celtic mythology was a big part of this, but sacred trees are part of
almost every religion, going back to the World-tree Yggdrasil and 3,000 BC
Babylonia, as well as to Mayan mythology, and even the tree of life in our Old
Testament. I read everything I could find on the subject,
from scholarly articles to Yeats’ studies of Irish mythology. A favorite source
was a book called “Trees of Inspiration, Sacred Trees and Bushes of
Ireland," by Christine Zucchelli. It’s a great guide with wonderful
photos.
Somewhere
in my studies, I came across the idea that wounds and imperfections on a
tree’s bark are somehow sacred, and I loved that idea. Also, while I
was writing the novel, Suzanne Simard’s research revealed that trees have
developed a communication system through their roots via their symbiotic
relationship with fungi. In this way, they are able to pass nutrients from one
tree to another, and to essentially help each other survive. The idea of
trees communicating fascinated me, and it immediately became a key part of
the novel.
HANK: And music?
BRUNONIA:
Music has always been an important part of my life and my writing. I have
been suffering from asthma since I was a child, and have explored
many healing modalities including acupuncture and massage along with
traditional medicine. Both therapists have used singing bowls in their
practice, and I have found them very helpful. I now use
them every day for meditation and to begin and end my writing day. I think
sound has a profound effect on the body. And music takes that to an even higher
level.
HANK: One last question--Have you always been so
connected to the...supernatural?
Well,
I was born in Salem and lived next to the woods in a neighboring town, where
our favorite pastime was telling ghost stories and scaring each other. And I’m
half Irish, with a family that claims to have a banshee, so I think it’s a
given.
How about you, Reds? Salem? Witchcraft? Celtic mythology? SO fascinating!
Let
us know your thoughts! I am on a plane
to California today...so I’ll pop in whenever I get wifi!
Brunonia Barry is the New York Times and international best selling author of The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. She was the first American author to win the International Women’s Fiction Festival’s Baccante Award and was a past recipient of Ragdale Artists’ Colony’s Strnad Fellowship as well as the winner of New England Book Festival’s award for Best Fiction and Amazon’s Best of the Month. Her reviews and articles on writing have appeared in The London Times and The Washington Post. Brunonia co-chairs the Salem Athenaeum’s Writers’ Committee. She lives in Salem with her husband Gary Ward and their dog, Angel.
