Ask the Author: Ellen Marie Wiseman
Answered Questions (15)
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Thank you so much!!
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Thank you, Jamie! I hope you win, unfortunately I don't pick the winners!
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Hello Virginia, Thanks so much for carrying and hand selling THE LOST GIRLS OF WILLOWBROOK in your store! I'm so glad you love it, and I'm beyond grateful for your support! To answer your question, yes, I'm working on my seventh book now. It's about eugenics in America. Thank you again for your amazing support!!
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Hi, Thanks so much for reading THE LOST GIRLS OF WILLOWBROOK, I'm happy to hear you're enjoying it! To answer your question, the use of words such as “idiot”, “moron”, “retarded”, “feeble-minded”, “crippled”, and “colored” in the book were used as historically accurate terms to represent the era in which the story takes place. Thanks, again!
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Hi Nora-adrienne, Thanks so much for the question. As an author who writes about social injustices of the past and who has previously written about state institutions, (WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND) I was first drawn to Willowbrook by the rumors and urban legends surrounding it, some of which turned out to be true and made it into the story in ways that even surprised me. But the more I learned about the institution itself, the more I realized that “life” inside was far more complex than I imagined, and the more my sympathy for those who lived and worked there grew. I hadn't heard much about it before I started my research and I think it's important for people to learn about what happened there. I'm so sorry your family member spent part of her life in that place.
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Thank you so much, Sherry!! Right now I'm working on my 6th book, which is set in Willowbrook State School on Staten Island!
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Thank you! I'm glad COAL RIVER arrived safe and sound. I hope you enjoy it!
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Hi Shari, I'm so glad you discovered my work!! Thank you for reading my stories and thank you for your kind words. My fifth novel, THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR, comes out on August 4th. I hope you'll let me know what you think of the rest of my books! Thanks again!! :)
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Hi Lori, So sorry you haven't received THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR yet! Unfortunately with everything locked down in NYC, my publisher can't get to the books in their offices. But rest assured, they will mail them out as soon as they're able to get to them. I hope you'll let me know what you think of THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR when it finally arrives. And thanks so much for entering! Stay safe!
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Hi Mere, I've read many books that have touched me deeply in some way, so it would be hard to pick just one. But I have to say that reading Salem's Lot by Stephen King when I was a teenager taught me the power of words and made me want to become a writer, so I that one changed my life! As far as reading for inspiration, I like to read just about everything!
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Hello, Thanks for the question. And a thousand thanks for reading and recommending THE PLUM TREE and WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND to your friends! Word of mouth is so important for authors. Currently I'm working on my fourth novel, but I'm happy to tell you that my third novel, COAL RIVER, comes out November 24th and is available for pre-order now. You should be able to find it on Goodreads too. I hope you'll check it out!
Ellen Marie Wiseman
I'm currently working on a depression era story about a young albino whose mother keeps her hidden in the attic, then sells her to a circus sideshow.
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Hearing from and meeting readers!
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Hi Jenny, Thanks for the question! What inspires me to pick the topics for my novels is when I unearth those parts of history we weren't taught in school. And I love writing about normal everyday people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. THE PLUM TREE is loosely based on my mother's childhood and tells the story of a working-class German family during WWII. I was inspired to write WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND after reading about 425 suitcases that were discovered in the attic of a shuttered asylum, left there by patients who checked into the institution but never checked out. For COAL RIVER, when I learned about the young boys who worked in the coal mines under extremely dangerous conditions, I knew it was a story that needed to be told.
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Hi Mere, Thanks for the questions! While working on THE PLUM TREE, I spent four years switching between long periods of research and writing the novel. For my second and third novels, WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND and COAL RIVER, my process was a little different. I had to research as I wrote because I was working on a relatively short deadline. As far as choosing setting/characters/plots, I like to unearth those parts of history we weren't taught in school, and I love writing about normal everyday people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. THE PLUM TREE is loosely based on my mother's childhood and tells the story of a working-class German family during WWII. I was inspired to write WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND after reading about 425 suitcases that were discovered in the attic of a shuttered asylum, left there by patients who checked into the institution but never checked out. For COAL RIVER, when I learned about the young boys who worked in the coal mines under extremely dangerous conditions, I knew it was a story that needed to be told. I hope that answers your questions! Thanks again!
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