Sandra Wagner-Wright Interview Published on: 01, Dec 2023

I finished high school in the Pacific Northwest and completed my B.A. degree in history at the University of Washington.

Like many children I enjoyed the lights and excitement of Christmas. I also shook the packages under the tree and tried to guess what they contained. Sometimes, I guessed correctly. ;)

I read lots of historical fiction during middle and high school – it was more interesting than dry textbooks. ;) I remember reading Jean Plaidy’s (pen name: Eleanor Alice Hibbert) series on the Tudors. I read the entire Hornblower series by C. S. Forester. I also remember To Kill a Mockingbird. Those are the books that presently come to mind, though there were many more.

As a young person I became a voracious reader, because I didn’t like sports. I preferred reading about real people who were able to overcome adversity, which was a natural avenue into academic history and historical fiction.

I am an academically trained historian and love to immerse myself in research. I do a deep dive into records, diaries, journals, letters, and contemporary publications relating to my key figures. I also immerse myself in available fashion choices, foods, etiquette, furniture, art, architecture, technology — anything and everything that affects my primary characters.

For example, yesterday I stopped writing a scene to check how my 18th century characters would wish family members a successful sea journey.

During the 1990s I was on sabbatical in the greater Boston area and visited the Peabody Essex Museum and the Phillips Library where I discovered correspondence written by the Crowninshield women. I was intrigued and started a research file that lived at the top of my closet for years.

When Covid lockdown began, I was between projects, so I pulled down the box, did more research and began putting together my stories about the Crowninshield family.

Last spring I made a research trip to the Phillips Library in Rowley MA specifically to do a deep dive in the Crowninshield documents.

I research primary and secondary material relating to my characters, both directly and indirectly (for example, foods the individual probably consumed). This process gives me insight into their personalities and ambitions which in turn brings out their humanity. Basic human aspirations haven’t changed much through the centuries.

I follow the process outlined in answer to the previous question. Although Mary Derby Crowninshield did not leave a direct written record for me to peruse, the basic outlines of her life are not difficult to trace. Birth and death dates relating to her nuclear and birth family give an outline of life experiences of love and loss.

For example, Mary’s sister Sarah died in 1774 at a time of uncertainty when tensions between Britain and her American colonies were rising. It’s not clear what specifically led to Sarah’s death, but research into medical practices at the time gave me several options. From these clues, I constructed that part of the story.

The most important element is to be true to the individual I’m writing about. As I’ve mentioned, this requires going further into the culture of the time and making educated suppositions. I would never knowingly have a subject doing something out of character.

The Salem witch trials occurred between early 1692 and mid-1693. In 1702 Massachusetts Bay Colony declared the trials unlawful. In 2022 the last accused woman was officially exonerated. Many books and articles, both fiction and non-fiction, including Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible have been written on these events.

My subject families don’t appear in a meaningful way until the early 18th century. And, during the course of that century, there was a shift away from the strict Calvinism associated with the witch trials to a more Unitarian approach to religion.

During my research into primary documents, I saw no references from my subjects to this period of Salem history.

I add as much historical detail to the story as I can to evoke the historical atmosphere without burdening the reader with too much information.

Despite dramatic changes in material culture over time, human aspirations and concerns have not changed much. We still need food, shelter, and security. We still fall victim to the hazards of disease, war, and greed. We look for love and connection through our families and communities. These themes fuel our ambitions and behaviors.

Most historical figures remain unknown unless a historian writes a popular biography such as David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize winning John Adams. Likewise, few people gave much thought to Thomas More until Hilary Mantel introduced readers to her Booker Prize winning trilogy of his life. Both Adams and More were prominent players in their time. This was also true of the Derby and Crowninshield families who were well-known in New England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, before dropping out of view.

The Crowninshield and Derby families left a significant amount of written documents which have been preserved by the Peabody Essex Museum. The story grew from those documents.

Historical fiction is a broad genre. I write historical fiction that is rooted in research and documentary evidence. I hope my readers gain a new understanding of the historic figures they may be meeting for the first time. I hope my writing helps their appreciation for history come alive. And I hope my readers enjoy the story I’ve written.

I’m presently writing the second volume of my Salem Stories series. The focus shifts to the emerging generation that came of age in the 1790s.

I anticipate a total of four books in the series, which will take the members of the Crowninshield family into the 1830s. As the books develop, information will be available on my website https://www.sandrawagnerwright.com

I’m not sure when I became aware of AllAuthor, but this is the first time I’ve utilized the ProMembership. I appreciate the additional exposure for my books and enjoy the mock-up banners.