Behind A Frenzy of Sparks by Kristin Fields

A FRENZY OF SPARKS was inspired by a true family event: I have an uncle who overdosed before his eighteenth birthday. Even though he died years before I was born, it was too painful for my family to talk about. I didn't know much about him, though I worried, growing up, that whatever had caused his addiction, was in me too, a fear that followed me until I was much older. 

Shortly after publishing my first novel, A LILY IN THE LIGHT, it hit me that this was the story I was meant to tell next – to finally uncover this unexplored history. 

For the first time, I spoke directly to my father about his childhood. We scheduled Saturday morning interviews, which he took very seriously. I had questions about his neighborhood, family, things he did for fun, local legends, the shops they visited, much of which shaped the novel’s setting, though at the time, it was less about historical accuracy and more about curiosity. It’s a special thing to imagine your parents as children. 

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Our first call lasted four hours. My father was close to Gia’s age at the time, but ultimately, A FRENZY OF SPARKS is fiction, told through the perspective of a girl on the cusp of adulthood. I borrowed from my own experience and frustration with the expectations projected on Italian American girls: do well in school, help your mother, grow up, get married, have children, maybe be a teacher. Those are all fine things to do, but I felt, from an early age, that I wanted something different. 

Gia is the closest character I’ve written to myself. She is young and naive, but fearlessly observant and intune to the moods of others. She feels a deep connection to nature and the natural world despite living so close to New York City, a fact that sets her apart from her family. More than anything, she wants to do good in a world that isn’t quite open to her yet. 

Years ago, I taught high school in Rockaway and moved to Howard Beach for a shorter commute. I lived off a canal that flooded when the tide was high at full moon. I used to watch the planes take off from JFK in the park where Gia and her cousins set off fireworks, but the funny thing is, my apartment was right around the block from the house my father grew up in. We joked that I must've been drawn there, but it never felt like a coincidence. It was part of the story, past and present and fiction, a dot on the journey to understand a past that shaped me, and prepared me to tell Gia’s story long before I knew it was in me.  

My father described reading A FRENZY OF SPARKS as the surprise of walking around the block and bumping into someone he hadn’t seen for a long time. Gia reminds him of me.

Infinite Stakes—Where Fact and Fiction Merge into ‘Faction’ by John Rhodes

The title of my novel Infinite Stakes comes from Winston Churchill’s description of the Battle of Britain in 1940 —“the odds were great; our margins small; the stakes infinite.”  In this battle, which lasted from July until September, 1940, Hitler’s Luftwaffe air force attempted to destroy the British RAF air force, so that Nazi Germany could invade England across the English Channel. 

Infinite Stakes is a sequel to my novel Breaking Point (also from a Churchill quotation) and describes the climatic day of the battle when Hitler sent hundreds of bombers against England to no avail, but suffered grievous losses.

I placed my imaginary protagonist, Eleanor, a 22-year-old mathematician, inside RAF Fighter Command Headquarters, where she observed the battle with Churchill and other commanders. The events of the day played out exactly as they did in history—the ‘facts’—but we see them through Eleanor’s eyes—the ‘fiction.’ She is a senior intelligence officer, a self-taught expert in fighter strategies and tactics; we see her explaining the battle to Churchill and his reactions.

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My purpose in all of this was to escape from a dry historical narrative and instead to offer a more dramatic ‘real time’ version of history, a more welcoming introduction to the subject matter. That gave me the wiggle room to tell the story, but it also created the obligation to be true and fair—for example, to put dialog in Churchill’s mouth that he really might have said.

I have an enormous respect for the women of that era. World War II was a pivot point in history: women entered it in their traditional domestic homemaker, caregiving mother, subordinated wife categories, and emerged as independent and self-supporting. Eleanor enters my novels thinking of herself as a failure, not as a brilliant mathematician holding her own in a male-dominated world: she sees herself as a failure because she is already 22 and has not yet found a suitable husband. But, as the story evolves, she too evolves, and emerges with the confidence and accomplishment of a ‘Rosie the Riveter:’ her own person.

Just as the people in a ‘faction’ book must act and think like the ‘real’ people really did, the situations and places and things around them must also be authentic. I have a fighter pilot in a Spitfire; his ability to maneuver is limited to the technical specifications of Spitfires which are no better than the aircraft he is fighting. In ‘faction’ he must make the best of what he’s got; in ‘fiction’ his aircraft could suddenly be more powerful and in ‘fantasy’ he could swap his Spitfire for an F-16.

I sometimes wonder if docudramas and other ways of playing with facts help or hinder our understanding of people and events. Some people in 1938 really thought that Martians were invading New Jersey as they listened to Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds radio program, and some people today believe that Queen Elizabeth really did say the things she is given to say in The Crown.

On balance I would rather that people have heard of the Battle of Britain than not; if my ‘faction’ introduces them to this fascinating and important piece of history, so be it.

About the Author

John Rhodes is the Author of Breaking Point and Infinite Stakes; Remy is just a good ole boy who appears as the character ‘Charlie’

COVID and Your Mortality by Dr. Jeff Spiess

In the time it takes you to read this article, some fifty-five people in the United States will die, six of them from COVID-19. The experience of living in the midst of a pandemic provides many lessons, one of which is that each of us is vulnerable to infection, illness, even death. Precautions to minimize our danger and flatten the epidemiological curve are effective but do not eliminate risk in a society that thrives on interaction. People, some of them prominent personages, who ignored or rejected the recommendations have gotten infected and some have died, demonstrating that even the hubris of exceptionalism crumbles in the face of the onslaught.

This experience in twenty-first century America, while unprecedented to most of us, is hardly unique in human history. Consider, for a moment, fifteenth century Europe, a time of international political upheaval produced by the Hundred Years’ War, and of the continent-wide pandemic of the Black Death. People searched for someone or some group to blame for the devastation; they took the few hygienic precautions they understood, and combined them with magical and mystical protections and remedies, but mostly they lived in fear as these unpredictable forces killed them in droves. During this era of confusion and chaos an anonymous treatise appeared entitled Ars Moriendi, the Art of Dying. Part of this pamphlet’s message was, unsurprisingly for the time, that people should focus on the afterlife, cultivate their religious devotion, and adhere to the teachings and practices of the church. But Ars Moriendi also introduced a revolutionary idea, that of dying well, that is, with peace, ease, and dignity, and taught that if we desire to have a good death, whenever it comes, we must actively plan for it.

So, what does it take to prepare to die well? Simply, it requires personal affirmation of the fact of mortality, our own individual death, an acceptance that involves the intellect, emotions, and spirit. The rational part of our selves acquiesces most easily to accomplish the “I should get this done” list: formulating an estate plan, executing advance directive documents, and planning body disposition and even memorial services. So, use this opportunity to review (or execute if you’ve never completed them) your advance directives; there is some state-to-state variability, but every jurisdiction in the United States recognizes the two essential documents, the living will and durable power of attorney for health care.

Your living will is a statement to your physicians outlining what kinds of medical care you would choose or not desire if you are in an irreversible coma or terminally ill and unable to speak for yourself. Typically, people with a living will say that do not want aggressive life support measures like resuscitation, breathing machines, and tube feedings, and do request comfort measures, though yours could instruct exactly the opposite if those are your wishes.

Since the living will comes into effect only under specific circumstances, you also need a durable power of attorney for health care, in which you appoint someone you trust to speak for you in medical matters if you cannot speak for yourself. Make sure the person you name will likely be available and willing to act on your behalf and be sure to talk openly with that person about your values so they can choose best for you. The job of a health care surrogate is to speak for you, not to do what they think they would want.

In addition, many states allow durable and portable physician orders that are particularly beneficial to those with serious or terminal illness. The most common of these is the portable Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, that is in effect wherever you are (at least in that state), directing caregivers including EMTs to not initiate CPR when your heart stops, but to allow you to die peacefully. Several states expand this idea with the Physician Orders on Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST), dictating your choices in several other scenarios. Your doctor or other health care provider is the best resource to investigate and enact these options if they are available in your state.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has added significant complexity to making end-of-life preparations. Dying of COVID-19 in a hospital or other health care facility means, at least for the next several months, that you will be alone, with visitors severely limited. But if you choose to remain at home, you need to know who will take care of you, who is willing to accept the risk of becoming infected themselves. Hospice agencies are tremendous resources for assistance here, particularly with education, medications, supplies including protective equipment, and some hands-on ministrations, but the bulk of the day to day, hour to hour care usually falls to family members. My wife and I, for example, have decided that if either of us gets seriously ill with COVID, we will avoid going to the hospital, stay home, and enroll in hospice, and we each have committed to care for each other should that happen.

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Sorting through these issues raised by COVID-19 evokes the deeper levels of facing and accepting our mortality. Our bodies can experience pain, decline, and cessation of function, our minds can observe and plan and assess, but it is our emotions and our spirits that face the implications of our dying. It is a person, not just a body and a brain, who suffers and dies, and only that entire being can experience relief and healing. These require emotional openness, personal grieving, and spiritual exploration.

This whole person encounter with death is neither difficult nor exclusive. It does not require specialized skills or secret knowledge. I wrote the book Dying with Ease as a roadmap through the unfamiliar and often frightening world of dying, especially as it happens in the twenty-first century United States: with data and information, advice and guidance, and opportunities for emotional and spiritual encounters as we face this ultimate human experience.

Dying is probably the most important thing you will ever do, and you only get one chance to do it well. After you are gone, others will talk about you, and a good deal of their conversation will be description and even evaluation of your ending. Most of this will be clichés in attempt to assuage their own fear of death, but these memories are part of the legacy that you will leave. Here is the big print message of COVID-19, of Ars Moriendi, even of the biologic circle of life: Since you are alive, you will die. And, since you are alive, you have an opportunity to make your dying dignified, peaceful, and, yes, easy. 

Dr. Jeff Spiess is the author of Dying with Ease: A Compassionate Guide for Making Wiser End-of-Life Decisions. He has spent his medical career with people facing serious illness and death, first as an oncologist, then as a hospice physician. He has lectured extensively and has been recognized as a leader in the field of end-of-life care. He has observed, through extensive clinical experience and innumerable conversations with the dying and those caring for and about them, the burden of unnecessary or avoidable suffering and distress engendered by the American tendency to avoid facing death as an inevitable personal reality. His medical practice and writing are informed by his interest in philosophy and theology, and he finds additional insights in depictions of dying in literature, including sacred texts, music, and popular culture. His writing provides information and inspiration, challenging readers to honestly encounter their own mortality to both die better and live more fully.

Q&A with Jane Gilmartin, author of The Mirror Man

What made you write this novel?

I love characters that are almost but not quite human. My favorite Star Trek characters are always ones like Spock, Data, and the Doctor from Voyager. Clones, to me, are about as almost human as you can get. Some of my favorite science fiction stories deal with clones. But there are so many good ones already out there I didn’t feel like I had anything to add, and I never really set out to try.

But I was reading something a few years ago that posed a straightforward and fascinating question: What would it be like to meet your own clone? The article I was reading left it at that, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I knew it might be interesting to write a clone story that focused not on the clone, but on the human, who had been cloned. I thought that presented a whole new set of ideas and issues within the topic. It sort of turns the whole thing around when you look at it from that human perspective. What would it feel like to see yourself replaced in your own life? There is something so creepy and sad about that idea. Also, though, I saw something hopeful. I think it brings up the possibility of making a change in your life or seeing the opportunity for a second chance, which is always a good thing to explore. Those are some ideas I tried to keep in mind as I was writing The Mirror Man.

Medical thrillers are all the rage. Why, do you think?

I think there is something intrinsically threatening about so-called Big Pharma – especially right now. In the midst of a global pandemic, the world is waiting for a viable vaccine to fix it, but there’s this nagging doubt that maybe it’s being rushed. We have government agencies relaxing rules on testing protocol, funding research with budgets the size of planetary systems, and all these drug companies racing to be the one that comes charging in on the white stallion to save the world. But poll after poll in the news says the public won’t feel safe getting vaccinated right off the bat, even if it means getting back to normal. And there are more people in the world today that don’t trust mandated vaccines to begin with – not even for the tried and tested ones for polio or mumps. 

People don’t trust that these huge companies truly have the public’s best interest at heart. I think that really became more evident when pharmaceutical companies began advertising drugs on television and pushing people to “ask your doctor or pharmacist if (insert drug here) is right for you.” I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t want to suggest a drug to my doctor as though it were a brand of cookie that looked good on TV. I’d much rather my doctor had a more educated idea on what medicine I ought to be taking. 

So, I think medical thrillers are big right now because people are pretty easily convinced that an industry that seems motivated more by profit and less by altruistic science just might have the capacity for evil. For a lot of people, that distrust is already there.

What are your thoughts about cloning?

I find the concept of cloning to be fascinating. The thought of having a clone – someone who could say, clean the bathrooms for me, make dinner, go to a meeting in my place – is sort of tempting. But there are all these sinister elements about cloning, and a whole lot of ethical questions, too, that are a lot more serious. What if we created clones for harvesting body parts in the event that we got sick or injured? What if we used them to fight our wars or for bomb disposal and other dangerous endeavors in our place? Would the auto industry begin using clones instead of test dummies for crash test data? Presumably, a clone would feel every bit as real and human as the host it sprang from, but would it be? Would clones have the same rights and privileges of personhood if they were mere copies? Would they be entitled to such rights and privileges? And if they didn’t get them – what then? Would they organize and rise up against us? 

There is a lot to consider about human cloning and I only touched briefly on these questions in The Mirror Man, but I think we – as a society and as a species – ought to start thinking about it.

How did you research this novel?

Because the main focus of The Mirror Man is more the psychological changes of the protagonist as he watches his clone, it isn’t a book that’s especially science laden. That being said, the science (even though most is invented) had to be believable and plausible and so, is based on real science.

For the cloning aspect in the story I researched the way cloning is currently done in mammals – via cell transfer and embryotic implantation. But I also needed to identify ways in which scientists might grow a human clone quickly, so it would reach a full, adult maturation rate in about 48 hours. I read a lot about Human Growth Hormone (HGH) in the pituitary gland of our brains and its effect on how our bodies grow. The research was intriguing and sent me down so many rabbit holes dealing with the role this hormone plays in cell repair, muscle mass, weight gain, and even life expectancy. The articles I saved and the notes I took might well come in handy for a future novel.

I also did some research for Meld, the invented drug in the story. I wanted to create a drug that – if two people took it together – could offer a literal glimpse into someone else’s mind but one that could also be used to transfer brain patterns and consciousness from the main character into the clone. In the novel, the drug is used in a myriad of ways – not only to copy a mind, but also as a promising medical tool and as an illegal recreational drug with dire consequences. For Meld I researched the areas of the human brain such a drug might act upon – especially our aptly titled mirror neurons which are responsible for making us yawn when we see someone else yawn. (If yours are especially active, you might have yawned at the very thought of that. If so – sorry!)

Do you believe human cloning is possible?

As the lead scientist in The Mirror Man likes to point out, “the science exists.” 

Human cloning is absolutely possible. We are already so adept at cloning animals that there are actual companies out there whose entire business model is built on cloning our dogs and cats. And people do that more often than you’d imagine. Did you know Barbara Streisand has had something like five clones of her favorite dog? It’s true. And we all know the story of Dolly, the sheep with the dubious distinction of being the very first mammal to be successfully cloned in 1996. From dogs and cats and sheep it isn’t a giant leap to cloning humans. Essentially, the science is the same. What’s stopping us (thankfully) isn’t the feasibility, but the ethical and moral dilemmas associated with human cloning.

While many countries have passed laws that prohibit human cloning, the US currently has no such legislation (although some states do). Congress has proposed many bills to that effect, but none have been enacted into actual law. The reason for that is partly because things like medical stem cell research overlap the science of cloning. But there are reams of material written on the ethical implications of human cloning from agencies including the World Health Organization, and there are ongoing congressional discussions to agree at least on some level of regulation. But at the moment, in the US, human cloning is both scientifically possible and essentially legal. That’s just a tiny bit terrifying.

Talk about the meaning of identity in your book

It didn’t take me long to understand that what I was really doing with The Mirror Man was writing a story about self-identity. It’s a topic that finds its way into a lot of what I write and is strangely compelling to me. My favorite line from David Bowie’s song “Changes” is this:

I turn myself to face me, but I never caught a glimpse of how the others must see the faker

I find that idea fascinating. We all have this idea of who we are, and how we come across to other people, but it’s probably not the truth. The way we see ourselves is muddled with all these filters and little lies. We are all, in a sense, just fakers. I wanted to explore that concept, so I came up with a way to put a character in a situation where he literally had to turn and face himself – to see himself exactly as everyone else sees him -- from the outside. Cloning seemed an obvious choice for a science fiction writer. 

In the novel, my character, Jeremiah is largely locked in this laboratory/apartment and made to watch his clone on a TV monitor for four hours a day. Even though he’s typically seeing mundane things – the clone interacting with his family and co-workers – the experience is difficult and eye-opening for him. While he has to admit that his double is every bit identical to him, he begins to despise who he’s watching. It makes him question fundamental things about his own identity.

Meanwhile, we have this illegal street use of a drug called Meld that allows people to see themselves through someone else’s eyes and it leads to a rash of suicides. It’s another way of looking at what the main character is going through, but the result is basically the same: It isn’t easy to face the truth of who you are

There are a lot of figurative and literal mirrors in my novel. Jeremiah is often looking at his own reflection as he grapples with questions about his life. He spends quite a bit of time creating an avatar of himself for a video game. And, obviously, his clone is sort of the ultimate reflection. But he never fully understands what he’s seeing until he’s forced to face himself. And I had to bring him to that point in a very literal way. Hopefully, the novel will leave readers asking some interesting questions about their own identity.

Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America by Hilary Levey Friedman

I wrote Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America, a book that uses beauty pageants to show how American femininity has changed over the centuries, because I thought it was a book I was uniquely positioned to author. I’m a sociologist and professor at Brown University, where one of my students became Miss America 2018. I’m a feminist who is President of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women. And, I’m the daughter of Miss America 1970. In other words, I have literally lived the complications of the American beauty pageant.

Still, writing this book was by far the hardest thing I have ever done.

First, there was the practical issue that many women writers of a certain age struggle with: finding time to write when you have young kids in the house. My sons were five and seven while I was writing the bulk of Here She Is, so finding time to think, let alone write, for longer than an hour or so at a time was a challenge. 

I solved this problem in a few ways. As soon as the boys went to bed around 8 pm, I would immediately close the door of my home office and work until 11 pm when I’d collapse into bed. But when crunch time hit and the kids were out of the house at school or summer camp (remember those days?!) I’d rush home, take off my bra (seriously, this was a crucial step for me!), and feverishly write until it was time to pick them up. When I truly needed silence and zero distractions, I escaped to the library; my favorite place to edit is in the Reading Room at the John Hay Library on Brown’s campus.

But what really got me across the finish line for the final draft was checking into a local hotel for three nights to write a Preface and finish edits. I highly recommend this as a way to eliminate all distractions. Key for me was being at a hotel with room service so I literally didn’t have to walk out the door.

The Preface of Here She Is was a special challenge for me because it was so personal. It meant reckoning with my own views of beauty, how I see myself, and my relationship with my mom. I’m proud of the final product, but I had to dig deep to get there…

No doubt my status as the daughter of a Miss America helped open doors for me during the research process. I definitely have my own academic accomplishments, but my crown-adjacent status made a difference when it came to attending pageants in person and securing interviews.

I find the research aspect of book-writing more enjoyable than the writing, whether personal subject matter or not, which I know isn’t true for everyone. I love finding a document, getting access to a treasure trove of historical items, or securing and completing an interview with someone. Each stage gives me such a thrill and new ideas. I am probably guilty of over-researching with both primary and secondary sources (reading a few books for just a few sentences in the final product, or collecting lots of data for a few paragraphs).

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At the end of the day, all the research and writing and editing hours are worth it when I get emails or messages from readers remarking that they did indeed learn something new by reading something I have written. This matters to me because I know how precious time is and I want a reader to feel like they acquired some facts! It also is gratifying to know that by reading something I wrote someone starts thinking about an aspect of the world in a new way, especially by making unexpected connections (for example, I get this a lot when I point out that suffragist and pageant sashes are connected). This is especially gratifying when someone makes connections to their own lives. In the case of Here She Is and beauty pageants, I hope readers will see that this activity really is a complicated activity for women, at times good and at times bad, but rarely straightforward no matter the age or era. 

Ultimately, my wish is that a reader will find a kernel of their own unique story to tell by reading Here She Is, or anything else I’ve written. I know that telling that story can be hard, but also that, in the end, it is worth it.

About the Author

Hilary Levey Friedman is the author of Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America. She is a sociologist at Brown University, where she has taught a popular course titled "Beauty Pageants in American Society." She is a leading researcher in pageantry, merging her mother's past experiences as Miss America 1970 with her interests as a glitz- and glamour-loving sometime pageant judge, and a mentor to Miss America 2018. Friedman also serves as the president of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women. Her first book, Playing to Win, focused on children's competitive afterschool activities. For more information, please visit https://hilaryleveyfriedman.com and follow the author on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Q&A with Jillian Cantor, The Code For Love and Heartbreak

What inspired this specific retelling of Emma? 

My kids have both been on robotics teams for years, and I’ve spent a lot of time watching their competitions and being in awe of how brilliant and innovative these middle and high school students are in STEM. I got the idea to write about a girl who is an amazing coder but not so great with people and then I realized it could be a really fun Emma retelling if I had her create a matchmaking app! 

What’s your favorite Jane Austen book and adaptation?

Emma has always been my favorite Jane Austen book and I love the movie Clueless. But I think my favorite Jane Austen adaptation in novel form is Bridget Jones’ Diary as a (loose) retelling of Pride and Prejudice. 

What was the most challenging part to write in this book?

Well, I honestly didn’t know much about coding going in and unlike Emma, math was not my best subject in high school. Luckily my husband is a software engineer and he helped me with all the coding details in the book.

The other challenge was – and this was the first time I ever wrote a retelling – figuring out how to stay true to the original but also make the story and plot fresh in its own updated way.  

What was your most favorite part and why?

I’m trying not to give spoilers, so I’ll just describe it vaguely, but my favorite scene is the one near the end of the book when George animates something just for Emma! 

What's a typical writing day for you?

This answer has changed a bit in the last six months. Usually I’d drop my kids off at school around 8 AM and write or do something writing related until it was time to pick them up around 3, with a break for lunch and to exercise during the day. But now that my kids are home doing online school and I don’t have to physically go anywhere most days, my schedule is a little more fluid. Recently I’ve been writing more in the afternoons and evenings. I’ve been finding my most creative times are in those hours when I would normally be driving around for school pickups and activities.

Where do you like writing and why? Favorite snacks and/or beverages?

My favorite place to write is at my kitchen table with a cup (or 3!) of coffee. I also have an office in my home with a very, very messy desk that I like to write at, especially if it’s a time of day when I need to close the door or get away from other things (or people) in the house. Aside from coffee, popcorn is always a favorite snack. I’ve recently gotten obsessed with dried mango, too. 

What was your last 5-star read and why?

I just finished Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein and loved it! It’s a rom com (about gymnasts) with well-developed characters – my favorite kind of book. 

How would your main character fare with a stay-at-home order?

I actually think Emma would handle it much better than I have. She’s super savvy with technology and would be great with Facetiming George and Jane and communicating for coding club with Discord and Zoom, and she’d be really good at navigating the tech challenges of online school. Plus she’s an introvert, so I think she’d be okay with staying at home. 

 Is there anything you can tell us about the book that is not a spoiler and not on the blurb? Something you'd like to share with us?

Even though Emma and I don’t have much in common in terms of interests (I stopped math in high school before calculus!), I was, like Emma a musician in high school. I played the clarinet (not piano) but was really involved in a lot of musical activities, and weekly lessons, and I even participated in the same competition Emma does in the book.