Interview with Natalie R. Collins By: Elizabeth Ross
Typically, when looking for books to review, I tend to watch a select few publishing houses, and authors, simply because I enjoy dealing with that little circle. Natalie R. Collins is on a mailing list I subscribe to, and was happily posting her successes to the list over the past few months. When she finally said that her book was going to print, I asked for a review copy. Admittedly, I thought this could be a disappointing experience, as I've often been accused of being snobbish when it comes to the sort of writing I enjoy. Natalie's book surprised me, and at the last minute, I decided I just had to have an interview with her. Thankfully, she had the time in her busy schedule, and her answers were just as surprising - and laudable - as her book, Wives and Sisters.
ER: Your depictions of the Mormon Church community are harsh, especially in respect to illustrating the lack of responsible reactions to sexual predators. Is this a reflection of your real-life experiences in the church? What prompted you to choose this issue as an underlying thread in your novel?
NC: Unfortunately, these things occur inside the Mormon religion all the time. There exists a mentality of "protect the Church" rather than "protect the victim," and so things are hushed up and swept under the carpet. This is not always the case, of course, but without trained clergy it will continue to be an ongoing problem. With today's awareness of child sexual and physical abuse, it is less common than it used to be, but it is still happening. I would like to see stricter rules for bishops, who are usually doing the best they can under tough circumstances, but simply don't have the training to deal with the issues they are facing on a daily basis. After a grueling day at their OWN jobs, which can be anything, they are then expected to counsel their ward members. What does an insurance salesman know about domestic violence? Or sexual abuse? A handbook is not enough.
I chose to use this theme after hearing story after story of abuse that was covered up, always to the detriment of the victim, along with my own experience. Mine was not nearly as bad as some, but it affected me just the same. What happens in W&S is common in patriarchal, closed societies. Right now, they LDS Church is still working with a flawed system that needs to change.
ER: Novelists have various complaints about the process of writing. What was the most difficult part of the creation of Wives and Sisters? If you could do something differently in retrospect, what would it be, and how?
NC: It was personal, and that made it hard. Also, knowing that some people would not want to hear this story, or let this story be told, made it nervewracking, especially now that it is released. But as for the process of writing, I don't have any complaints about this book, and I wouldn't do anything differently. It has a strong, female heroine who learns to stand on her own two feet and live her life on her own terms. She refuses to back down when challenged. I would say I am having MORE issues with my next book, because W&S was so hard-hitting. Now I need to step back and do something different, and yet similar. It's a hard thing to master.
ER: You mentioned your family's lack of understanding about your need to write in your acknowledgments. Has that situation changed since your novel has been published? How? If not, do you feel that there is any goal you could reach that would cause more understanding on the home front?
NC: I think that people who don't write just don't understand writers, or what drives them. Especially when that writer is not making any money doing something that is so totally consuming. And if you are serious about writing, there are a LOT of years where that is the case. So, yes, that situation has changed. I have achieved something, they are seeing results, and they are a lot more supportive. Frankly, I can understand why they WEREN'T supportive. It's hard to get, when you don't live that life. It's a little bit like chasing a pipe dream. And a lot of people don't make it, and never make money at it. Frankly, if it's about the money, you better find another line of work, because it might never happen.
ER: An author's experience seeps through to the writing. What experiences did you draw on the most in the writing of this book?
NC: Oh, definitely, my life was the catalyst for this book. I grew up Mormon, questioned Priesthood authority from the day I was old enough to understand it, and had a lot of experiences along the way that are depicted in this book. It's NOT my story, really, but Alli is me, in many ways. I never understood why my salvation was dependant upon that of a man. I couldn't reconcile not being able to go to the Celestial Kingdom (the highest of God's Kingdoms, according to Mormon belief) unless I had a man there who could call my secret name and lead me through the veil. When I was six years old, I was held at gunpoint by a man who was never charged for the crime. Although he was apprehended, my parents were pressured to drop the charges. I've never forgotten that feeling of helplessness, that belief you are going to die. I was also influenced by the disappearance of Debra Kent, who is believed to have been abducted and murdered by Ted Bundy. Her brother went to the same junior high school I did, and I knew that her mother never turned off the porch light, always waiting for Debra to come home. Wives and Sisters is the story of many, many women and even men. Look at Mark Hacking. He set up his life on a pedestal of lies, and when that pedestal crumbled he resorted to murder. Mark Peterson in my book does the same thing. I believe that patriarchy creates many, many victims, both men and women alike.
ER: It's the question asked most of published authors, but what single piece of advice could you offer our readers about making it through the process of getting published?
NC: Oh, you absolutely must be persistent, thick-skinned and resilient. You must be willing to take criticism, and rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. I really believe that when a writer gets to a certain level, what I call a New York Level, getting published becomes a crap shoot. It means hitting the right editor, on the right day, with the right project. And if it doesn't mean enough to you to take those odds, and keep on working at it, then you shouldn't be writing. Because it isn't going to change soon. If anything, the market will get tighter and it will get harder. It took me six years and three projects to find a New York publisher. That is actually a rather SHORT journey. I really would also like to offer some advice about agents, because I've learned a lot about them. If an agent says to you, "I really love this project, but I just can't sell it," they are PROBABLY telling you the truth. Agents know editors. They know what editors like. If they can't sell your project, maybe they don't know an editor who will buy it. If an agent says to you, "I like this, but I just don't love it, so I can't sell it," they are telling the truth. The market is so tight, and it's so hard to sell, that they have to be incredibly enthused about your project to sell it.
However, this does not mean you should resort to a second rate or fee-charging agent. A bad agent is NOT better than no agent.