This afternoon, we are sitting down with the lovely Elaine Stock. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did!
You write historical women’s fiction. Have you always been interested in history?
First, thank you, Deonna, for hosting me in the Authors Helping Authors Interview Series. I truly appreciate it. Yes! I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, until I was fifteen, and I visited the Brooklyn Museum so often that I like to say I lived there. While the museum is primarily a paradise for art collections (I even took drawing lessons there), I loved any exhibits that transported me back in time. For example, the museum featured fabulous life-size diorama “rooms,” where you could catch a glimpse of what life was like through the eyes of a child playing in his bedroom. The clothing, toys, and room décor were incredibly authentic! In other words, it inspired me to view past eras from the perspective of someone living during those times. Looking back, I see this place as having shaped my young writer’s mind.
What does your research process look like when you write one of the books in your
most recent trilogy?
I am a huge Seat-of-the-Pants writer. Years ago, whenever I tried to outline my stories before starting to write, I became bored with the process and never finished the story.
What changed for me was learning to let go of controlling the narrative, showing up at my keyboard, and taking dictation from my characters. Connecting this to my research, I start each story with some writing to see where it leads me. Often, the characters and settings guide me in ways I didn’t expect. In other words, I conduct research as I progress. The benefits: It’s enjoyable, never feels stale, and each new discovery often uncovers another crucial piece of information. The drawback: It can be time-consuming to double-check my facts to ensure accuracy. I also maintain extensive files for each novel, with each file containing my research.
How old were you when you first started writing?
My earliest memory is of winning a writing contest in third grade. LOL, don’t ask me the topic because that part is foggy. Throughout junior and senior high, I dabbled in writing in different formats, including poetry, short stories, and stories for children. Can you tell that I was gifted a typewriter (yes, I was a child in the pre-computer world) at an early age and somehow decided that magnificent machine would make me an author?
If you could meet any of the characters in your most recent novel, whom would it be
and why? What would you say to him/her?
My upcoming 2025 novel from Black Rose Writing is The Last Secret Kept, which
releases April 24th and is now on Pre-sale. Like my other novels released since 2022, it
blends historical elements with women’s fiction. While I love all my characters, I would
enjoy walking and chatting with Gina, a young woman who has recently married.
Although I can connect more with the older female characters, I admire Gina’s
determination to stand up to nonsense from others despite the emotional pain they
inflict on her. She’s courageous, independent, and has a surprising sense of humor
when least expected. I’d ask her for advice on handling memories when the bad times
try to overshadow the good ones.
What has helped or hindered you most when writing a novel?
Staying true to myself and what I want to convey to readers has helped me the most. It
took me a while to realize that attempting to write a novel that accommodates every
whim of the current market is chasing one’s fruitless because market demands change
constantly. What’s hot one day is a no-thanks the next. The very best thing I can do is
try to tell a great story, wave the magic wand of hard work when it comes to editing, and
accept that instead of trying to please everyone, I try to make the story special enough
to please a few. Of course, it is always nice when these readers recommend one of my
novels.
Tell us a little about your upcoming novel, The Last Secret Kept, to be released on
April 24, 2025.
Fanny may be a small-town defense attorney in upstate New York alongside Lake
Ontario, but it’s 1961 with growing opportunities for women. She’s not about to listen to
naysayers who encourage her to marry and to stay at home and raise a family. Fanny
meets Gina, whose husband Kenny is pinned by society as a lesser man because of his
limited intelligence. When Kenny is accused of murder, Fanny takes on the case. Gina
hopes for her grandmother’s support, but a hidden act of betrayal during the WWII years when Gina and her grandmother lived in Berlin, Germany, threatens to unsettle Gina
and destabilize the case Fanny is building on behalf of Kenny.
Set against the backdrop of the construction of the Berlin Wall, The Last Secret Kept
explores the beauty of individualism while demolishing the invisible walls built between
ourselves and our loved ones.
Do you have a favorite novel you’ve written and why?
It’s incredibly difficult to choose a favorite among my book babies! However, if I had to
select the ones that have made me smile or cry the most, they would be (in order of
publishing date): Her Good Girl, We Shall Not Shatter, Our Daughters’ Last Hope, and
The Last Secret Kept.
What is the best way to find you on the web and keep up with you via social media?
Website: https://elainestock.com
Free Substack Newsletter: https://elainestock.substack.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorElaineStock
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elainestocklovestowrite/
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/elainestock.bsky.social
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/ElaineStock
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elaine-stock
Amazon: amazon.com/author/elainestock