Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with AE Wasserman
Book Title: 1887 The Day they turned Off the Water
Released: 10/04/22
Genre: Historical Fiction Novella
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “1887 The Day they turned Off the Water”?
Wasserman: Sally was such a favorite secondary character with readers of the full novel 1886 Ties That Bind, that they wanted to know what happens to her next. So this novella is the “spin-off” tale from one of the main books of The Langsford Mysteries.
While not the direct inspiration for 1887 The Day They Turned Off the Water, there are some influences from my personal life that informed me as I wrote. Here are three.
A few years ago, we had a horse ranch in the California Sierra Mountains. We irrigated our pastures with water from a ditch that had been hand-dug through the granite rocks with pick axes and shovels back in 1895. That’s when I first learned about ditches and weirs and their early importance here.
There on our mountain ranch we also discovered granite boulders with bedrock mortars where the indigenous people, the Yokut, had pounded acorns into meal for centuries. We hear about tribes like the Apache, and many others, but not the California tribes. I was living where they had once lived. Fascinated, I researched them for my own edification.
Finally, I’d written an article a few years ago, “The Lake That Isn’t There” about the great Tulare Lake that was so important to the area. It was a massive body of water—the largest one west of the Mississippi Rivers. It no longer exists today.
All this information—about the ditches, the Yokuts, the lake—sat silent within me over the years, but as I wrote this novella, everything reemerged. All these elements blended together to shape Sally’s world. The result was 1887 The Day They Turned Off the Water.
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
Wasserman: Sally was simply a perfect name for a California ranch gal who “packs a pistol in her purse,” as she was originally described in the novel, 1886 Ties That Bind, the second book in The Langsford Mysteries. Sally is spunky, stubborn, and sassy.
Some sources I use to find popular names from a past era are both old city directories and old newspaper articles—all available on the internet. Original research usually supplies me with good choices.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?
Wasserman:
About me:
· I live in the Los Padres National Forest, in the transverse mountain range of California.
· I hike or snowshoe with my Border Collie muse, Topper, during the day.
· I write at night.
About my books:
· In The Langsford Mysteries, the even years of the book titles are the main novels.
· The odd years are the spin-off novellas.
If "1887 The Day they turned Off the Water" was adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
Wasserman: That’s what a casting director is for, so I don’t even attempt this.
Readers have their own visions of what each character looks like. I wouldn’t want to disturb those images they have in their heads by suggesting any actors. I have my own concepts as well from the basic descriptions I write as I shape both the personality of a character and the physical appearance in words. There is a magical joy for readers to flesh out a character in their own imaginations as they live in the story.
I remember Sue Grafton being asked this once and her basic response was that she didn’t want anyone making a movie of her books because she didn’t want to have everyone’s image of her main character, Kinsey, disrupted. I totally understand that.
BUT that said, (and here I chuckle)—for enough money, if someone wants to make a movie or TV series of The Langsford Mysteries, then I’m all for it. Anything in my life that isn’t breathing is for sale—at the right price. *wink*
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Wasserman: I suppose I’m fortunate in that I rarely have a writer’s block. My problem is that I still have six more books to write—no shortage of material and thoughts and ideas. Sometimes ideas of one book interrupt my writing of another. And there are times, although I know what to write, I just don’t feel like it. That’s when I head out the door, hiking boots on, backpack strapped on, and whistle to Topper. We head off to the top of a 9000 foot mountain. It’s there that ideas and plot lines and characters just flow. I carry a waterproof pad of paper with a pencil in my backpack and jot things down as I go.
I love to claim that Topper “herds” my words and ideas. Certainly seems so. He’s also, as my “print model” for my ads, sells a lot of books for me. So I guess he herds readers, too. Known fact: he’s internationally popular: “Topper The Muse” on both FB and Instagram.
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Wasserman: Write. Just write. Keep writing. Someone once said that the first million words are practice. Not sure we know who that “someone” is, but it is sound advice. Write. Oh, and if you want to self-publish, never ever, EVER, type “The End,” then immediately click “publish.” Never. Go through the process with beta readers. Editors. Do rewrites. More rewrites. So, yeah. Write. Write it again. Then again. Write.
What is your favorite genre, book, and/or author?
Wasserman: I have learned to avoid having “favorites.” What was a favorite a decade ago may not have held up and may no longer fall into that category. Plus it’s very personal, a favorite. I’ve headed toward someone else’s “favorite” author or movie or book before, only to be disappointed. Favorite is whatever resonates within a person at a particular time. I must admit, I do love the classics and I reread them frequently. Of course, one can’t go wrong with Shakespeare, either.
What are you working on next?
Wasserman: As I’ve mentioned, I have six more books planned.
The next one in The Langsford Mysteries is already in draft form. That’s one.
Both my editor and my publishing consultant have fallen in love with Sally. They, as well as readers, have asked for more of her, so I’ve sketched out a “Sally Trilogy” of novellas that pick up from the end of this book. Of course, the main villain also continues, as do a few other bad dudes of the time. It’s so often shocking and cringe-worthy, the facts historical research digs up. Great fodder for these stories and many of which need to be told. So that’s three more.
I’m also working with an Irish historian in what will be a two-part epic, based on a true story. A 14-year old lad is kidnapped from an Irish harbor by American Colonial sailors. When the ship docks back in Philadelphia, he escapes his captors and runs—right into the American Revolution. And now two more.
That’s a total of six more books, so I’m going to be busy for a good while. Just not today, though. Don’t feel like writing.
Instead, time to hike. Ready, Topper? Let’s go!
Learn More About the Author and “1887 The Day they turned Off the Water”:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100027584516511
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authoraewasserman/?hl=en
Twitter https://twitter.com/AEWasserman/
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