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It’s A Book Thing Presents: An Interview with Melissa Kaplan, author of The Girl Who Tried to Change History

Author’s Bio: Melissa Kaplan lives in Washington, DC, where she works in congressional advocacy on food security and hunger issues.  She studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, earning a master’s degree in Comparative Politics with a focus on Europe.  She has been a passionate student of history her entire life, particularly the World War II era, which helped inspire her to write this book.  Melissa is also an avid traveler who has visited over forty countries, enjoys yoga and barre classes, and is currently working on her second novel.   

Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you to write your book? 

Melissa Kaplan: I’ve always been fascinated by history, particularly the World War Two era.  I started reading historical fiction novels set during the war when I was twelve, and it’s always been my favorite era and genre of book.  I dreamed of writing my own WW2 novel for many years, but it wasn’t until I came up with the idea specific to this story—a young woman from the modern era who travels back in time to attempt to change the history she’s spent a lifetime studying—that I knew I had an idea I could take forward.  And I also lived in London for a year during graduate school, which deepened my interest in and appreciation of the city’s wartime struggles. 

DL: What was the best writing advice you’ve ever been given? 

MK: I don’t know if it counts as advice I was given exactly, but one of the most important lessons I learned about writing comes from Julia Cameron, whose books on creativity and the writing process have helped me tremendously over the years. Basically, Julia says that you can’t wait for inspiration to strike and then begin writing. You need to show up regularly at the page and see what comes out, and eventually that will prime the pump for your story to emerge.  She talks about hearing the story you want to write in your head and thinking in terms of “getting it all down” rather than “thinking it all up.” It took me a long time to understand and appreciate that advice, but over the past few years, I really have come to see what she meant. 

DL: If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and why? 

MK: As someone who loves travel but

 isn’t a fan of long-haul flights (and the expense they involve), I wish more than anything that I had the power to instantly teleport myself anywhere in the world.  I’d spend every weekend on a beach in Bali and have dinner in Paris every evening, if it were that easy to get there!  I sincerely hope scientists are hard at work on this very important technology as we speak. 

DL: If you were hosting a dinner party which three authors would be your dream guests and why? 

MK: I love this question! I think I’d have to say F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Margaret Atwood.  I think there would be a lively conversation between the three of them as I just sat back in awe listening to them describe how they wrote some of my favorite literature of all time.  (And I feel like Atwood would be able to keep Hemingway in check). 

DL: What tips would you give to aspiring writers? 

MK: First of all, believe in yourself, and that you have valuable stories to tell.  Don’t make excuses.  If you want to write, don’t wait.  Set aside some time every day, week, month, whatever works for you, and just start jotting your ideas down on paper.  Make writing a regular habit and keep practicing and learning as you go.  Don’t give up if success doesn’t come right away.  

Even if you never become a bestselling author, the simple practice of writing is so profound and valuable; it’s helped me through some of the most difficult times of my life.  Just getting your words on the page is such an achievement, and if you’re willing to put the time in to create something, I believe it will reward you immensely. 

DL: What are three books you’ll never part with? 

MK: The Winds of War by Herman Wouk, The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, and Atonement by Ian McEwan.  Years ago, I bought a copy of The Winds of War in a used bookshop in Florida that was actually run by Ernest Hemingway’s granddaughter! I was in awe and told her what a fan I am of her grandfather’s work, and she knocked a dollar off the book’s price for me, which was very nice.  Unfortunately, I read that book to shreds and had to replace it with a newer copy, which still saddens me to this day. 

DL: What’s your favorite line from a book? 

MK: I feel like this is like being asked to choose my favorite child…there are so many lines that I love!  But I’ll go with this quote from The Great Gatsby: 

“…for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.” 

DL: What are three fun facts about yourself? 

MK: My three fun facts are:

  1. I’ve traveled to 42 countries.
  2. I can tell you the best place to get hot chocolate in any city I’ve ever been to.
  3. I’ve had the same best friend since I was one—and she’s a professional photographer who took my book’s author photo! 

DL: Would you like to share an excerpt from The Girl Who Tried to Change History?

MK: Sure, here you go:   

            Professor Sheffield had been a fixture around Oxford University for several decades before retiring fifteen years ago, and many of his former students had turned out in the rain today to send him off on his final journey. Most of them knew little about his personal life, however, and were taken aback by one line in the obituary in particular:

“He is predeceased by his father, Randall Sheffield, his mother, Jane Dalton Sheffield, his brother, Anthony Sheffield, and his wife, Vivienne Sheffield.”

“Wife?” many of the attendees asked in puzzlement, turning to one another. “I never met his wife, did you?”

“No, never. He never spoke of her either. Wonder how long ago she died?” For no one could ever remember any middle-aged woman in sensible English tweed joining Andrew at faculty receptions or Christmas parties. He had always been a bit of a recluse, his private life shrouded in secrecy. For all the accomplishments of his impressive long life noted in the obituary, the man himself had been an enigma to most of them. 

Most, but not all. There was one person present on that cold, gray day who knew the full story. 

            Towards the back of the crowd of mourners was a young girl, probably in her late twenties, with blond hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in funereal black, and her bearing was solemn and restrained. She had tears in her eyes, but she did not let them fall. She was probably a former student or some distant relative—if asked, she would have claimed to be a grandniece. Yet she watched the casket being lowered into the ground with a strange intensity, and the heartbroken eyes of a young widow. 

           Few people at the service noticed her presence, which seemed to be how she wanted it. Before the minister had finished intoning his remarks, she left the cemetery, walking quickly and not looking back. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” No need to stay longer once those words had been uttered.

           Vivienne Sheffield had been through all this before. 

Note: I’m currently working on my second novel.  It’s an alternate history of the life of a very famous couple and what it might have been like if one event in their lives had turned out differently. I can’t share much more than that right now, but I can say I’m about 200 pages in and am absolutely loving writing this story!  I hope readers will enjoy it as well.

DL: Where can readers learn more about you and purchase your book(s)?

MK: Readers can find out more information here:  

DL: Thanks so much for being here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy getting to know you and your work.

MK: Thank you! 



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