From a Q & A with Sarah Jio about her new novel,
The Violets of March:
There are multiple characters in this book across different time periods. How do you go about constructing so many fully fleshed-out characters? What aspects of character are most important to you?
What it boils down to, for me, is immersing myself in the characters as I write—really trying to hear their voices and think about what choices they would make, versus what choices I would make. What helps me, also, is thinking about people in my life who may remind me, a little, of my characters (not that any of the characters in Violets are modeled after real people, because that isn't so). But, the strong and memorable characteristics of people in my life definitely play a role in character-development in my fiction work. For example, the bit about Bee enjoying her usual breakfast of sourdough toast with softened butter and whipped honey—this was borrowed from my late grandmother, herself an artist. I've found that paying attention to the traits, quirks and habits of those around you can help create realistic and loveable characters on the page.
So much of The Violets of March is about true love and fate. Where do you stand personally on these topics? Do you see parts of yourself in Emily?
While my own life and story does not mirror Emily's in the slightest—I'm happily married with three young sons—I've always been curious about others who haven't been so lucky in love, others who may be looking back on their life and wondering about their first love, like...[read on]
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more about The Violets of March.
--Marshal Zeringue