David O. Stewart is the author of several works of history, including Madison’s Gift: Five Partnerships That Built America, which have been awarded the Washington Writing Award and the Society of the Cincinnati History Prize.His latest new novel is The Wilson Deception.
From Stewart's Q & A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: What are some of the most common perceptions and misperceptions about Woodrow Wilson?Learn more about the book and author at David O. Stewart's website and blog.
A: Wilson was a highly idealistic and moralistic person, the son of a Presbyterian preacher who loved to sing hymns. Surviving photographs tend to emphasize the grim, somewhat constipated side of his character.
But he also was a vigorous fellow who liked women a lot and relished telling bad jokes and reciting limericks. I tried to convey a more complex picture of him.
Q: When you mix historical figures and fictional creations, how much do you stick to the actual facts?
A: The basic events of history, the basic traits of historical figures – I respect all of those. In The Wilson Deception, the sequence of the peace negotiations provides the timeframe for the story and I follow it very closely.
The assassination attempt on French Premier Georges Clemenceau, the death of British diplomat Mark Sykes (architect of the Sykes-Picot agreement carving up the Middle East), and President Wilson’s health crises are...[read on]
My Book, The Movie: The Wilson Deception.
Writers Read: David O. Stewart.
The Page 69 Test: The Wilson Deception.
--Marshal Zeringue