Ask the Author: Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
Answered Questions (8)
Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
Hi Mary! Yes, indeed. The Sarah and Gerald cited in the novel are the Murphys, who, as you know, provided the inspiration for the characters of Dick and Nicole Diver in Tender Is The Night. The Murphys lived in a fabled Hamptons mansion, set on over six hundred acres, called The Dunes, and were a core element of the Hamptons society in which Serena Lyons lived.
In fact, the vast majority of names mentioned in the party scenes and applied to certain characters - The Wiborgs, Halseys, Cooks, Astors, Adams, etc - were culled from the research I undertook into the Hamptons of that era, including Serena Lyons herself. The house that inspired the book was used in the 1930s by one Mrs. Edward Lyon (as you also know, Serena is married to Captain Edward Lyons), to host a Friday gathering called The Leisure Hour Supper Club. By citing real people, I wanted to convey an air of authenticity to the story, so that the reader truly feels as if they are attending a party in the Hamptons on the evening of September 21st, 1938.
In fact, the vast majority of names mentioned in the party scenes and applied to certain characters - The Wiborgs, Halseys, Cooks, Astors, Adams, etc - were culled from the research I undertook into the Hamptons of that era, including Serena Lyons herself. The house that inspired the book was used in the 1930s by one Mrs. Edward Lyon (as you also know, Serena is married to Captain Edward Lyons), to host a Friday gathering called The Leisure Hour Supper Club. By citing real people, I wanted to convey an air of authenticity to the story, so that the reader truly feels as if they are attending a party in the Hamptons on the evening of September 21st, 1938.
Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
Thank you Mallory, this is a great question!
When I write, I am always governed by a quote from Anais Nin: "We don't see people as they are, we see them as we are." I think it is a very powerful insight into human psychology. For me in my novels, everything is about perception and what interests me most are not the things being said, but why they are being said; the interior lives of the characters.
To this end, I am particularly drawn to the duality between their public and private faces, mostly because I am fascinated to see how their - often, morally ambiguous - actions are perceived by readers. Many of my central characters are divisive in terms of the emotions they elicit, which is entirely deliberate. I seek to present all of my characters 'in the round,' to present every facet of their personality as far as it can be known, offset by their actions, so that the reader can determine - without authorial interference - their intent and judge them accordingly. This is actually part of the pleasure of creating these characters for me: as they are so complex, they challenge me as much as the reader, so I feel a shared kinship with my audience in wrestling with their moral dilemmas.
When I write, I am always governed by a quote from Anais Nin: "We don't see people as they are, we see them as we are." I think it is a very powerful insight into human psychology. For me in my novels, everything is about perception and what interests me most are not the things being said, but why they are being said; the interior lives of the characters.
To this end, I am particularly drawn to the duality between their public and private faces, mostly because I am fascinated to see how their - often, morally ambiguous - actions are perceived by readers. Many of my central characters are divisive in terms of the emotions they elicit, which is entirely deliberate. I seek to present all of my characters 'in the round,' to present every facet of their personality as far as it can be known, offset by their actions, so that the reader can determine - without authorial interference - their intent and judge them accordingly. This is actually part of the pleasure of creating these characters for me: as they are so complex, they challenge me as much as the reader, so I feel a shared kinship with my audience in wrestling with their moral dilemmas.
Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
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Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
For any author, there can be no greater pleasure than hearing from readers. I think one of the wonderful things about social media is that authors are able to move out of their self-imposed exile and truly connect with the people who make writing worthwhile: readers.
I am an avid reader myself, so to know that I have pleased anyone with my writing, who shares in my passion, is so special to me. Moreover, I take reader opinions very seriously. Not simply when they are praiseworthy of one of my novels, but also when they are critical. Something I learned as a literary editor is that writing should be an ongoing learning process and authors should always remain open to criticism, despite how difficult it can be to hear. Only in this way can an author improve. Fundamentally, I value my readers highly as I'm very much of the opinion that you can tell an awful lot about someone by the books they like. I feel that I've kindled some wonderful friendships on sites like Goodreads, which have proven very rewarding - and helpful to my work.
I am an avid reader myself, so to know that I have pleased anyone with my writing, who shares in my passion, is so special to me. Moreover, I take reader opinions very seriously. Not simply when they are praiseworthy of one of my novels, but also when they are critical. Something I learned as a literary editor is that writing should be an ongoing learning process and authors should always remain open to criticism, despite how difficult it can be to hear. Only in this way can an author improve. Fundamentally, I value my readers highly as I'm very much of the opinion that you can tell an awful lot about someone by the books they like. I feel that I've kindled some wonderful friendships on sites like Goodreads, which have proven very rewarding - and helpful to my work.
Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
My advice probably mirrors that of all other authors: never give up. Having worked as literary editor at Random House and the BBC, however, I am intimately acquainted with the reality of how difficult it is for any author to gain a foothold in the industry: from securing an agent to having an editor pay attention to a submission to ultimately being published.
The reality is that most editors will only ever read the first fifty pages of any submission, due to time constraints. People are probably unaware of how arduous the editorial role is: we often read late into the night, juggle multiple projects, contribute second opinions on our colleagues' submissions under consideration, proofread cover design and copy, write up sales sheets for all titles to be presented at the quarterly seasonal sales meetings, liaise daily with publishers, agents,and the advertising, art and marketing departments. We also have to keep abreast of all of the latest works of fiction or non-fiction that have been published. At the end of the day, there is very little time to read a submission in full unless it truly arrests our interest. So, the best piece of advice I can give is to ensure that by the time of submission, your first fifty pages are as arresting as they can possibly be. Everything else in terms of the narrative must also be in place, but if you find an editor who will read deeper than fifty pages, you have achieved a home run.
The reality is that most editors will only ever read the first fifty pages of any submission, due to time constraints. People are probably unaware of how arduous the editorial role is: we often read late into the night, juggle multiple projects, contribute second opinions on our colleagues' submissions under consideration, proofread cover design and copy, write up sales sheets for all titles to be presented at the quarterly seasonal sales meetings, liaise daily with publishers, agents,and the advertising, art and marketing departments. We also have to keep abreast of all of the latest works of fiction or non-fiction that have been published. At the end of the day, there is very little time to read a submission in full unless it truly arrests our interest. So, the best piece of advice I can give is to ensure that by the time of submission, your first fifty pages are as arresting as they can possibly be. Everything else in terms of the narrative must also be in place, but if you find an editor who will read deeper than fifty pages, you have achieved a home run.
Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
Fortunately, I have never suffered acutely from writer's block to the point where I couldn't work at all. I am usually so driven toward the goal of realizing or finishing a draft, having prevaricated over the thought of starting it for as long as I can, that I am continuously under pressure to finish it! A fear of failure and of missed opportunities/letting people down is always a great motivational incentive. I actually think I deliberately delay writing drafts in order to push myself to the point of no return. Over the course of three novels, I have found that I work best under pressure.
For me the mental process of devising a novel takes months, even years, so by the time I do come to write everything down, I know where I want to take the story. That said, I do hit stumbling blocks and have been known to stare at a blank page for hours trying to fathom how to evolve the narrative. I won't leave my desk, however, until I have written something, even a sentence. Yet, sometimes I do give up and go out for a walk, or take a few days off. Then the horrifying reality of having lost time, compounded with a much needed rest, spurs me on to finish what I have started. I am probably far too hard on myself, but this approach has served me well so far!
For me the mental process of devising a novel takes months, even years, so by the time I do come to write everything down, I know where I want to take the story. That said, I do hit stumbling blocks and have been known to stare at a blank page for hours trying to fathom how to evolve the narrative. I won't leave my desk, however, until I have written something, even a sentence. Yet, sometimes I do give up and go out for a walk, or take a few days off. Then the horrifying reality of having lost time, compounded with a much needed rest, spurs me on to finish what I have started. I am probably far too hard on myself, but this approach has served me well so far!
Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
Thank you, Jules! One of the prevailing themes of The Westampton Leisure Hour and Supper Club is the question society hostess, Serena Lyons, asks of all her guests over the thirty years of her parties as she tries to resolve the mystery behind the disappearance of her lost love, Kit Peel: What have been the five best moments of your life?
As you've read the book, you will know that this question comes to have special significance for many of Serena's guests gathered at her last party, all of whom are making decisions and choices that will determine their fates, as The Great Hurricane of 1938 approaches the East End of Long Island, unbeknownst to them, over the course of five minutes.
Without giving too much away, you will also know that some guests can recall the five best moments of their lives; some have more than five; some have less; some have none at all; some will confide them in anyone who will listen and some prefer to keep them to themselves, considering them too sacred to share and subject to other people's opinions.
I am of the latter category. What I can tell you is that one of the five best moments of my life is included on the final page of the novel. It is also one of the few lines of the story that I never changed from the moment I wrote it, to the last edit I undertook. One of the great joys in writing The Westhampton Leisure Hour and Supper Club is that I was able to include it and that my most cherished and defining moment will live on forever in the text.
As you've read the book, you will know that this question comes to have special significance for many of Serena's guests gathered at her last party, all of whom are making decisions and choices that will determine their fates, as The Great Hurricane of 1938 approaches the East End of Long Island, unbeknownst to them, over the course of five minutes.
Without giving too much away, you will also know that some guests can recall the five best moments of their lives; some have more than five; some have less; some have none at all; some will confide them in anyone who will listen and some prefer to keep them to themselves, considering them too sacred to share and subject to other people's opinions.
I am of the latter category. What I can tell you is that one of the five best moments of my life is included on the final page of the novel. It is also one of the few lines of the story that I never changed from the moment I wrote it, to the last edit I undertook. One of the great joys in writing The Westhampton Leisure Hour and Supper Club is that I was able to include it and that my most cherished and defining moment will live on forever in the text.
Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
The character of Serena Lyons, the fabled society hostess and central character of The Westhampton Leisure Hour and Supper Club, was inspired by my love of a house in Remsenburg, NY, on South Country Road, known as the Capt. Rogers House—which has always struck me, to quote Edith Wharton, as the “prettiest house in America.”
While researching some of the history of the hamlet—the “first Hampton” as it is perceived on the East End of Long Island —I came across a snippet of information about a real-life resident of Remsenburg, one Mrs. Edward Lyon, who in the 1930s used the house—an exquisite 18th century Greek Revival structure—to host a supper club every Friday evening known as The Leisure Hour Supper Club.
From there, I began to think of hostesses and parties and last parties and why someone would wish to entertain people. The Serena Lyons of the novel lives a rather more exalted existence in a fictitious Georgian mansion called La Doucette, inspired by some of the fabled mansions of The Hamptons, which I have imposed where the house in question sits, at the top of Shore Road overlooking the Moriches Bay.
While researching some of the history of the hamlet—the “first Hampton” as it is perceived on the East End of Long Island —I came across a snippet of information about a real-life resident of Remsenburg, one Mrs. Edward Lyon, who in the 1930s used the house—an exquisite 18th century Greek Revival structure—to host a supper club every Friday evening known as The Leisure Hour Supper Club.
From there, I began to think of hostesses and parties and last parties and why someone would wish to entertain people. The Serena Lyons of the novel lives a rather more exalted existence in a fictitious Georgian mansion called La Doucette, inspired by some of the fabled mansions of The Hamptons, which I have imposed where the house in question sits, at the top of Shore Road overlooking the Moriches Bay.
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