Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Bridget Finnegan
Book Title: Odette’s: A Quality Men’s Club
Released: 03/15/21
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “Odette’s”?
Finnegan: Many things converged to inspire the story. There is an island near where I live that had a bridge to it until the ice took it out in 1855. There was a tavern on the island that was abandoned when the authorities decided not to replace the bridge. I love local history and thought that incident might be a good anchor for a novel. I also read some amazing non-fiction about the local area as well as the stories of a few exceptional women who—for a time at least—were able to escape slavery. I’ve listed the books below that were most influential.
J. Dennis Robinson. Mystery on the Isles of Shoals: Closing the Case on the Smuttynose Axe Murders of 1873. New York: Skyhorse, 2014.
Jeffrey Bolster. Cross-Grained and Wily Waters: A Guide to the Piscataqua Maritime Region. Portsmouth: Gundalow, 2002.
Erika Armstrong Dunbar. Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge. New York City: 37 Ink, 2017.
Henry Louis Gates Jr. The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America’s First Black Poet and Her Encounters With the Founding Fathers. Civitas Books, 2009
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
Finnegan: Often, I will change the character’s name at the last minute. Sarah and Jessamyn were both there from the beginning. I did an internet search for popular names of the era and really liked both of those. I try to maintain a good mix of first letters so I don’t end up with Debra, Doug, Deirdre, Dave and Delilah. Sometimes I’ll name streets and characters after people in the news. Whatever happens to be passing by my brain at that moment.
I especially had a lot of fun naming the sex workers of Odette’s. They were named by Odette. It was all about how to market them. Sometimes the names stuck. Other times not so much.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?
Finnegan: Odette’s is my first novel for grown ups. I have spent most of my career as a graphic designer/illustrator/animator. I did create three illustrated books prior to Odette’s but this is the first one that was all words. I am in my 50s and am so happy that I gave it a try. I love writing and can’t imagine my life without it.
I just kind of dove into the deep end. After MANY revisions I had a book.
If "Odette’s” were adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
Finnegan: What a fun question! I write very cinematically and often have people in mind. Many of them have aged out of the part at this point…
Here’s my list.
Someone like Hailey Steinfeld or perhaps Cobie Smulders would make a wonderful Jessamyn. Tessa Thompson for Sarah. Perhaps Letitia Wright for Alice. Christina Hendricks for Savannah. A young Eddie Redmayne for George. Richard Madden for Captain Bart.
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Finnegan: I tend to write in spurts so I can’t say that I have experienced writer’s block per se. I do such a variety of things that I am able to pick it up and be very productive. If I get to the point where I am writing every day, I am sure that will change.
I think it’s valuable to put your work down, let it simmer, and pick it up again later. That’s always works for me.
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Finnegan: Just keep writing! I loved Stephen King’s book, On Writing. His best advice: Don’t worry about everything else. Just keep writing.
What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?
Finnegan: I read just about everything! Some recent books that I read and loved were Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See. Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale. I seem to be in WW2 territory these days. I also read a lot of non-fiction. I am nearly through with William Manchester’s The Glory and the Dream, which is a MUST READ for anyone setting a book in America between 1930 and 1970. He gives lots of details on dress, pop culture and, of course, politics. Plus, he was a terrific writer.
What are you working on next?
Finnegan: I'm working on a comic mystery set in Portsmouth, NH in the 1980s. I thought it would be fun to write a book set in an era that many of my contemporaries remember well. Portsmouth was a fun place in the 80s. Lots of bars, music and an emerging foodie scene.
It starts with a Portsmouth party girl waking up the morning after Halloween with a dead clown in her bed. What could go wrong?
Learn More About the Author and Odette’s:
https://www.facebook.com/bridget.finnegan
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here or on Kindle Unlimited
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