I am thrilled to interview fellow writer and University of Montana graduate Sherry Jones today. I first heard about her in 2008 when I read an article called “Attaque terroriste contre un livre” in the French news magazine Nouvel Observateur. In her novel The Jewel of Medina, Sherry wrote about A’isha, the youngest wife of the Prophet Muhammad. Though her book has become a bestseller in several countries, she and her publisher were the target of intimidation. Today Sherry talks about her road to publication; her life as a writer, journalist, and mother; and her new book.
You studied at the University of Montana. What took you there?
Twenty-seven years of procrastination! I was valedictorian of my high school class and always expected to earn my college degree, but I landed my first full-time newspaper reporting job when I was 18 and a freshman, in 1979, and it took me until 2006 to graduate. I was working at the Missoulian then, and fortunate that UM has such a terrific English and Creative Writing department.
You currently live in Spokane. What keeps you there?
I moved here in 2007 to be with my daughter, then 13, who wanted to live close to her Spokane friends and her father. I couldn’t imagine leaving Spokane until she graduates from high school in 2012. And this is such a wonderful community! I’ve made so many creative, smart, talented, loving friends in just a short time, and the people here really support my writing career even though I’m just a “transplant.”
You are both a novelist and a journalist. Can you talk about the different writing styles?
Journalism is great training for a would-be author. In news writing, there is no room for “writer’s block.” It’s a luxury one cannot afford if you’re going to meet your daily deadlines! And you learn to write every day, and to organize your thoughts as you write. Also, the prose must be simple and lean, because most readers have only a short time to spend with your copy and so you want to keep their eye moving across the page. So there’s not much introspection going on, or metaphor, or even description. And of course, in journalism it’s very important to verify every single fact — a skill which comes in very handy in writing historical fiction.
When I wrote “The Jewel of Medina,” I consciously chose a style different from my journalism writing. I wanted to convey the poetry of the Arabic language, which I had studied at UM, and of seventh-century Arabia, when people invented verses on the spot. A’isha, the protagonist, was a poet, according to legend — she is said to have been able to recite more than 1,000 poems! So I had a lot of fun writing in the poetic voice for which she is now known, and which readers say is one of their favorite aspects of the book.
How did you first get interested in A’isha?
I became interested in finding out more about women’s oppression in Islamic countries. The books I found at the public library mentioned that the Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam, supported a harem of 12 wives and concubines, and that A’isha, his youngest and most beloved wife, grew up to lead troops in the first Islamic civil war. I wondered how a woman brought up by the founder of a religion associated with misogyny could have become so empowered. I discovered her wit, courage, mischievous nature, jealousy, and love for her husband, and knew I had to write about her. I also discovered, by the way, that Muhammad was quite the feminist for his time, and that, while he lived, women in the Islamic community had many more rights than women in the surrounding countries, such as Persia and the Byzantine Empire. Muslim women were the envy of women in other cultures because of their empowerment.
Can you tell us about your path to publication?
I made mistakes. The first one was sending out my novel in first-draft form, when it was not nearly ready for publication. I had rejections from agents, one of whom, Natasha Kern, had been referred to me by a writer friend. Her detailed letter — written as a courtesy to my friend — made me realize that I had no idea how to write a novel. So I hired a freelance editor in New York, Daniel Zitin, who did a great critique. I learned as much from his 20 single-spaced pages as I could have learned in any creative-writing program, perhaps more. I took my book apart and spent six months rewriting it. Then I sent the revised manuscript to a second editor, who said it needed more sensual detail. I inserted descriptions of their homes, clothing, the weather, the landcape, the foods they ate, etc — this was very difficult for me. I complained to a writer friend and he said, “This is why I write screenplays, ha ha!” When I finished, I asked Ms. Kern if she would take another look. To my astonishment, she agreed. I also went to agentquery.com, an excellent website for authors seeking an agent, and began submitting to them, 10 per week. I had interest from several agents when Natasha called and offered to represent me. What a thrill that day was for me!!!
I felt as if I were walking in a dream when Ballantine Books offered a $100,000 advance for “The Jewel of Medina” and its sequel, “The Sword of Medina.” I called a friend and said, “Random House.” Next thing, we were both squealing “Random House! Random House!” into the phone. The editorial team there was very excited about “Jewel,” and had arranged an eight-city book tour for me as well as the sale of my book with the Book of the Month Club, etc. They lined up publishers for me in six foreign countries, including Italy, Spain, and Serbia, where my books have hit the best-seller lists.
Then, on the eve of publication, a professor of Middle Eastern Studies read an advance reading copy and alerted Random House that my book would certainly incite terrorist attacks against the publisher and its employees. Executives there ultimately decided to “indefinitely postpone” publication, so I cancelled my contract with Ballantine. Later a Wall Street Journal reporter wrote about this regrettable turn of events and quoted the professor as saying my book is “soft-core porn.” The anger this irresponsible — and untrue — comment fomented in the Muslim community worldwide caused my British publisher’s home office to be attacked (he cancelled publication of my books after that) and my Serbian publisher to receive threats.
Now, “The Jewel of Medina” has been published in twenty languages and banned in Malaysia. We don’t have a Middle Eastern publisher but I am seeking an Arabic translator so that we can make it available for readers of Arabic. “The Sword of Medina” has been or will be published in about fifteen languages, as well. And I have a contract with Gallery, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for my upcoming novel about four sisters in 13th-century Provence who became queens of France, England, Germany, and Sicily. I’m also hopeful that we’ll get my books out in paperback in the U.S. soon.
What advice would you give to struggling writers?
A writer writes! So many “writers” want to have written a book, but don’t want to sit down and write. If this is you, maybe you should be doing something else. Sorry, but I truly believe in living a passionate life. If you are passionate about writing, you will write. If you are not writing, consider what you truly do feel passionate about, and do that instead.
If you are writing, take heart, as I did, in John Gardner’s assertion that if you write something good, then someone will publish it. If you feel lost, consider hiring a freelance editor, as I did. But mostly, I say, keep writing, and keep reading! And make sure to selfishly guard your time for both.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
“Pick one age and stay that way, and you’ll never grow old.”
“Never marry a man hoping you’ll change him.”
“Be the subject of your life, not the object.”
“Follow your bliss.” (This, from Joseph Campbell, wasn’t offered to me directly, but it has hugely influenced my choices for my life.)
What books are on your nightstand?
“Great House” by Nicole Krauss. I couldn’t wait to read more by her; I absolutely loved “The History of Love.” She has an amazing talent for voice.
“King Henry III and the Lord Edward,” by F.M. Powicke, a history of England during the reign of Henry III, who married one of the queens in my new novel, Eleanor of Provence.
“Wolf Hall,” by Hilary Mantel. I loved this gargantuan book; to me, it exemplifies historical fiction’s power to thrust us into another time and place yet teach us something about ourselves. The first book I ever read that had this effect on me was Thackeray’s “Vanity Fair,” which still awes me with its acute insights into human nature. *Sigh* How little we humans have evolved!
What’s next?
Traveling to Egypt this winter with my beloved to research “Four Sisters, All Queens” (the working title of the novel I’m writing.) Going to France, England, Scotland, and Germany in spring 2011 for more of the same. My finished manuscript will go to Gallery soon after. And then, who knows? I have so many ideas and only 50 more years left for writing.
To learn more about Sherry, please visit her website,http://authorsherryjones.com, or find her on Red Room, the writer’s community, at http://www.redroom.com.
