Sharon Struth is the author of two novels, “The Hourglass” and the recently released “Share the Moon.”
Both mystery and romance, “Share the Moon” follows Sophie Shaw and Duncan Jamieson, whose paths re-cross as adults when both pursue purchase of the same vineyard. Sophie is on the verge of signing a contract when Duncan undercuts her with a counteroffer that hinges on the approval of a zoning change. Though the two are drawn to each other, bribery rumors make Sophie wary of Duncan, and she researches him, uncovering secrets that threaten their ability to trust each other.
Struth, who pens her novels at her Bethel home, recently shared the very local source of inspiration for her novel, what she is working on now, and more goodies about her writing life and what she loves about Bethel.
Congratulations on the release of your second novel, “Share the Moon”! Please tell us about the inspiration behind it.
Thank you! Share the Moon was inspired by many wonderful afternoons traveling the Connecticut Wine Trail with my husband. As we visited vineyards from the Northwestern corner of the state to locations on the Long Island Sound, the journey became about more than sampling the latest cabernet franc or ice wine. We began to see how every town had its own story to tell. Like the tasted samples at each winery, every town we stopped in had its own flavor. The Vineyard owners were friendly and liked to talk about more than their grapes. They enjoy sharing things about life in the town where they work and live.
From the process perspective, how do you blend romance and mystery, both of which are integrated in “Share the Moon”?
I guess I see life as multi-faceted, and it seems impossible for me to write a story that only travels down one track. My stories always begin about the characters--everyone has a story, something that drives them to get out of bed every day and impacts their choices. So I set out to make real life people facing both ordinary and extraordinary problems.
Your female protagonist, Sophie Shaw, does a bit of sleuthing in the story. What kind of research or preparation do you do to immerse yourself in the realities of your character’s experiences?
I’ve often wished I’d set out in my youth to study journalism, so creating a character that does this for a living was fun. I’m a believer in “old-school” journalism. These days we get too much editorial and sensationalized news—although the blurred lines kind of interest me. I tried to keep Sophie’s research as “real” as possible; thinking how I’d maneuver around the small town where I live if I needed to get this same information. If you know people in town offices and don’t mind being a little pushy, there is a lot of information out there. The conflict for Sophie in doing this is that she finds herself crossing those blurred journalist lines of integrity.
Harvest Moon, second in the series is scheduled to come out later in 2015. Here’s the book’s tagline: With every small act of faith comes a second chance… The story centers on a visitor from the past and the importance of putting faith in others. Bella Luna is due out in 2016. It’s currently in outline form, but the story will be about Isabella Luna, who lands in the small town of the series. I expected this book to contain some mystical elements, but I don’t want to give anything away.
What’s the best writing advice you have received?
That writing is rewriting. Not even those bestselling, famous authors product quality work in one pass. More often, it’s many. One of my favorite writer comments about this comes from this portion of an interview with Ernest Hemmingway in the Paris Review.
INTERVIEWER: How much rewriting do you do?
HEMINGWAY: It depends. I rewrote the ending to Farewell to Arms, the last page of it, thirty-nine times before I was satisfied.
INTERVIEWER: Was there some technical problem there? What was it that had stumped you?
HEMINGWAY: Getting the words right.
What books or authors do you read for literary inspiration?
I’m a huge fan of Jodi Piccoult. She weaves the viewpoints and lives of her characters beautifully, plus her writing-style inspires me. I have also always admired Hemmingway’s direct style of prose, so simple on the surface but so filled with meaning.
What’s one of your favorite things about Bethel and Connecticut? Anywhere you recommend for a visit?
I can only pick one? But, I’m totally in love with my town! A visit to Bethel should include a trip to our historic downtown, along Greenwood Avenue. At the very beginning of the stretch is the Sycamore Restaurant, a real 1950’s drive-in place to eat. In fact, they still have car service and Saturday night’s people show up out of nowhere with their antique cars and hang out. Then as you continue along the route there are many stores, a bronze statue of hometown hero P.T. Barnum and the infamous PT Barnum Square. What I love about Connecticut is the state’s natural and varied beauty…pretty spectacular for being the third smallest state in the nation.