Interview of Eleanor Sullo

By

Erin Fox

Welcome Ellie! It's good to see another new face here at Wings. I look forward to getting to know a little bit more about you.

ERIN: Ellie, your bio mentions an ‘exceptional’ husband. Would you care to expand on what makes him so exceptional? (This is a romance novel, after all! :-)

ELLIE: My husband is exceptional in many ways, and without him there would be no MOONRAKERS. We discovered the setting in Devon, England on a vacation in 1994. We went back together to do research in the region the following summer, and he has made life so much easier for me as I continued researching with him at my side. His support has gone far in helping me believe in my ability to put the book together. Somehow just by caring he lends credence to that old saw about love giving one roots and wings!

ERIN: The setting for your book sounds fascinating. The name, Chambercombe Manor, alone is enough to evoke all sorts of interesting images. Can you tell us more about it?

ELLIE: Get me on this subject and be prepared for a long chat! Seriously, Chambercombe (combe means green valley leading up from the sea between the hills, and I think chamber refers to the rooms of a house, so it’s meant to describe a house in a picturesque green valley) is an actual 11^th century house kept in trust as part of British Heritage sites in England. We discovered it by accident on a vacation and have been back many times, intrigued by its secret room, its priests’ hole, and reputed haunting. Something about its beautiful but tragic history gnawed at me, and I knew I had to tell its mysterious story--my way. It’s set a short distance from the sea, with high overhanging cliffs that are spectacular, and a bit forbidding, near the quaint seaside village of Ilfracombe in Devon.

I’m particularly excited about being invited there by the trustees to do a signing of MOONRAKERS at a special event for the Manor!

ERIN: Did you have to do much research for this novel? If so what resources were the most helpful? And did you have any surprises?

ELLIE: Parts of MOONRAKERS take place in the early 17^th century and involve pirating, so right away I had tons to learn about pirating and that era in western England. Most of the novel is set in Victorian times, however, so I spent months reading up on that era, visiting costume and rail museums, and many, many tourist locations in southern and western England. Reading ancient texts like the Doomsday Book and others in local libraries such as in Barnstaple was a lot of fun, but mind- boggling. Every thing is so old, so rich in history in Europe--we North Americans just don’t get it!

I also had to trace the history of psychic phenomenon and the development of it as a para-science in 19^th century England. I’ve always had an open mind about unusual spirit-happenings, and had already collected a few volumes on ghosts for the fun of reading them. My surprise came at how much attention was paid to ghosts, other worldly spirits, and ESP in Victorian times by the most creditable of institutions, such as Cambridge University!

ERIN: I know this is a common question, but it is always an interesting one. What inspired the initial idea for the novel?

ELLIE: I’d have to go with intuition here--my intuition that as I stood on the 800 year old floorboards, and walked through the hallowed old rooms of this house, there were stories to be told that could move and teach us so much. Although my story is fiction, it is based on the one well-known legend of the house that has been written up before, a twisted tale so bizarre it deserved to be retold, and in such a way that a deep love between two people--my hero and heroine--could somehow overcome it.

ERIN: How do you write? Do you plot carefully before you begin? Or do you let your characters lead you as they may?

ELLIE: Although currently I outline and use the Hero’s Journey of Christopher Vogler, et al, when developing my plots, MOONRAKERS told itself to me to a certain degree. I inherited the legend, the setting, and the need to make sense of it for our modern sensibilities. From there I created the characters who could give it voice, and then, half-outlining, half-just writing from one scene to the next, it happened. I told it in first person in the first draft, much easier for me to do as I get to know my characters really well that way. Later I shifted to third person.

ERIN: What is your favorite thing in the world to do... besides writing, that is?

ELLIE: I’m a mad gardener and impassioned cook, so when I can combine those two great loves and create a wonderful celebration of homegrown food and flowers for a family get-together, I’m at my happiest. And that exceptional husband of mine helps me through every phase, never complaining about being second chef!

ERIN: Have you always been a writer? Did you always know you would write a novel? Or was it a dream that you only realized later in life?

ELLIE: Writing the Great American Novel has always been a dream. From four years old on I told stories to grandparents and cousins with equal glee, and by six I was taking out stacks of fairy tales from the library--as many as I could carry at once. For some years my teaching (English in high school and college) and spiritual work in parishes, as well as family tending, took precedence. But when one day I paused in my church work and dashed off a short story at my typewriter during coffee break, I knew I was still hooked and could avoid full-time writing no longer. I soon quit the day job and leaped in feet first--that was over 12 years ago and I’m going strong.

ERIN: What are some of your favorite traits or characteristics that manifested in both the hero and the heroine of this novel?

ELLIE: Olivia’s zest for life, her fearlessness and willingness to reach out to others tirelessly makes her the kind of woman I’d love to be. And maybe am, about five minutes of every day! Harrison’s ability to analyze, to see the details that most of us overlook, and his gentler nature under the gruff-gargoyle appearance intrigue me. He’s not your typical Alpha hero, but there’s a protective and courageous heart in that cool exterior!

ERIN: What do you like to read? Who are some of your favorite authors?

ELLIE: In the classics I’m a D.H. Lawrence-Jane Austen-and-George Eliot kind of girl. The English novel could feed me forever. But I do get wrapped up in the love stories and family dramas/serious issues of today, as done by people like Sue Miller, Lindsay Chase, Mary Jo Putney, Tom Wolfe.

ERIN: Are you working on something else? And if so, do you plan to publish again soon?

ELLIE: I have another book coming out almost simultaneously from Treble Heart Books, a contemporary romance called THE EMERALD EYE. It starts with an explosion in a New York skyscraper, inspired by the ‘93 attack on the World Trade Center, and was bought a few days after 9-11, so I feel terribly connected to that tragedy in my small way. I also have a family spiritual memoir under contract with a relgious publisher for next year, and a whole series of food-and-love stories I’m marketing even now-some completed, some in proposal stage, but all things I love to work on. In between I do a food-and-faith column for a newspaper in the area, and keep in my hand with non-fiction articles. They’re great for working out tired, or unused, writing muscles.

Thank you, Ellie. It sounds like your pen is rich and multi-faceted. We're looking forward to sampling all that rich history in the pages of MOONRAKERS!