Ask the Author: Joseph Zsuffa

“I will only answer questions if they pertain to my book.” Joseph Zsuffa

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Joseph Zsuffa In the 1960s, while doing research for a novel of mine, I came across a book about Elizabeth Báthory. She was famous, or rather infamous, for allegedly killing young women in order to bathe in their blood so as to maintain her beauty. I was immediately struck by the absurdity of the accusation. I began researching her story, which inevitably involved that of her relatives--the Báthory dynasty, one of the most fascinating aristocratic families of Europe. The result of my research contradicted the legend about Elizabeth. With my history-changing biography I wanted to reach a wide audience, so I decided to write her life story as a novel, not as a work of nonfiction. That way I could also provide a more colorful portrayal of a turbulent historical period, which is little known to American readers.

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