Interview with Genevieve Graham - author of 'The Secret Keeper'
Interview with Genevieve Graham - author of 'The Secret Keeper'
Novel release date: April 2, 2024
Link to my review
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INYERVIEW
Welcome, Genevieve! Please provide a short description of The Secret Keeper.
WW2 is affecting everyone, and when all the boys they knew signed up, twin sisters Dash and Dot did as well, but for completely different reasons: Dash the adventurer and skilled mechanic with a passion for flying planes is determined to do her duty somehow. Dot, the bookworm, linguist, and lover of puzzles is simply terrified to be left behind, but it is through training with the Womens Royal Canadian Navy Services that she finds her true strengths and the courage to step forward for the first time in her life. But with success comes a trial unlike any Dot has faced before: having attained a top secret position as a codebreaker, she must sign an oath to keep everything in her life secret from everyone ā including Dash. When a personal tragedy strikes, she is unable to explain her unthinkable absence, and the sisters are at odds for the first time in their lives. But the war continues, and so must they. Dash joins the Air Transport Auxiliary, ferrying replacement planes, supplies, pilots, and troops all over England. Dot is promoted to a spy school and will fight battles through her headphones and Morse code. Then suddenly, someone very close to her disappears, and she must use all her secret skills to find them before itās too late.
What inspired the story?
I would love to tell you about the moment of inspiration that led to the creation of āThe Secret Keeperā, but the truth is I was bombarded by inspirations again and again. Just when I thought I had figured out the story, another amazing fact struck me. It all began with a video I came across about Canadian women in WW2, which introduced me to the Listeners, women across the country listening in on enemy Morse code messages, translating them, then sending them to codebreakers. Aha! I can write a book about that, I thought ā¦ then I came across another video, this time about Canadian women flying planes in the war with the Air Transport Auxiliary, ferrying replacement aircraft, troops, supplies, and more across Europe. This led to my fixation on watching videos of warplanes (especially Hurricanes and Spitfires) roaring across the skies. Fantastic! With that kind of information behind me, I knew what my characters would do in the book, becauseābut wait! Who was this Elsie MacGill and the Canadian Car Foundry, a factory building Hurricanes and run mostly by women? And what? A spy school in Ontario?
What was your greatest fact discovery during the research stage of your novel that deeply moved or inspired you?
So, so many things! When I am putting a book together, I know the event or time period, the characters and relationships, and a general plot, but I fill in the blanks as I go. I knew nothing about the Wrensā basic training, the Listeners, Camp X, CanCar, the ATA ā¦ so many amazing parts of the war that I never knew before! Like I have with every one of my books, I have to ask why we donāt know all those things already.
I think the most impactful fact I came across was the Oath of Secrecy. I couldnāt imagine signing a form and officially swearing to lie to everyone in my life for the next forty years. And yet, so many courageous women did sign, and they stuck to their oaths.
Please describe twins Dot and Dashātheir personalities and unique skills.
Dot and Dash are inseparable and yet they are nothing alike. Dot is the quiet sister, the introverted genius whose interests lie in solving codes and mysteries, reading books, and working on crossword puzzles with her father. She loves her family above all else, and feels safe in their midstāespecially with Dash, who is quite happy to let Dot hide in her shadow. Vivacious, beautiful, and adventurous, Dash wants nothing to do with schoolwork or puzzles, though she does enjoy figuring out engines and fixing them up. She loves her family, but she wants to get out and experience the real world. Even if that means leaving her dear sister behind.
What obstacles, if any, did you encounter during the writing of The Secret Keeper and how did you overcome them?
I would say that any obstacles came from sorting through all the incredible research and writing just one story ā there was so much to write about!
Do you have a favourite scene and/or character in The Secret Keeper? If so, which one/who and why?
Iām not going to specify, because I donāt want to give anything away, but I will admit to being a romantic. Look for the love scenes, and youāll find my heart.
Name a few ways women became involved in helping to win the war?
WW2 was the first war in which Canadian women were able to join the military, thereby āfreeing a man to serveā. I read somewhere that over seven million women worldwideāincluding over a million Canadian womenāworked full time for the war effort, in addition to raising families and taking care of their homes. They covered almost every job the men had held before the war, from factory workers to butchers, drivers to typists ā they even worked in the logging industry, where they were known as ālumberjillsā.
What is your favourite and least favourite part of the writing process? Are you a plotter, pantser or combination of both?
I love everything about the writing process, from the research and endless rabbit holes to creating the characters and walking beside them as they lead their lives. But I have to admit that plot is not my strength. I am a pantser who wishes she could be at least a bit of a plotter. Writing historical fiction, I know significant historical dates and places and all that, so I do have a framework to work within, but I have never been organized in any aspect of my life before, so Iām not surprised that this is how I write. I absolutely love writing the opening of a book, but when I get to the mid-point, I freeze. It can feel like I just jumped off a cliff and thereās nothing below me, or it can feel like Iāve come to an impossible knot that needs untangling. Fortunately, I am familiar with this uncomfortable pattern, and I know I will move past it eventually. I just have to sit back and wait for the characters to lead me out of it, and they always do.
When you first began your writing career, what was your greatest dream and do you feel you have achieved it?
When I first began my writing career, I had no idea it might turn into a career. I wrote because I was fascinated by the process, and I loved following my charactersā lives. I started submitting chapters to a writersā page online, and when the feedback was encouraging, my dream got a little braver. I wanted to see my books on the shelves of a bookstore. And yes, I can say I have achieved that! I love to walk into a store, tell the person behind the desk who I am, then watch them carry out a stack of my books for me to sign!
Name your top three favourite novels of 2023 that you would recommend and what is special about them.
āSomeday Iāll Find Youā by C.C. Humphreys. Absolutely incredible WW2 story written with passion and intelligence. The author knows warplanes and weapons as intimately as he knows a perfect love story. I would be happy to read this book over and over ā in fact, I already have.
āThe Secret Book of Flora Leeā by Patti Callahan Henry. Another beautifully written WW2 story, this time with a dual timeline, a sense of magic, and a mystery we long to see solved.
āThe Black Crescentā by Jane Johnson. A fascinating journey through one manās extraordinary life in Morocco, his adventures and self-discoveries, and the irresistible cat by his side. A unique, captivating tale about a place completely foreign to me. The story held me spellbound throughout.
Do you have another project in the works and can you share a little bit about it?
I am constantly writing, but the project I am working on right now is still too new to share!
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