Michael Oren: On the Joys of Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone
Award-winning author Michael Oren discusses the surprises in writing his new historical fiction novel, Swann’s War.
Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren is the winner of both the Los Angeles Times History Book of the Year Award and the National Jewish Book Award (both for Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East), as well as a celebrated historian and diplomat. Find him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
In this post, Michael discusses the surprises in writing his new historical fiction novel, Swann’s War, his advice for other writers, and more!
Name: Michael Oren
Literary agent: Patrick Walsh
Book title: Swann’s War
Publisher: Dzanc
Release date: October 25, 2022
Genre/category: Historic Fiction/Murder Mystery
Previous titles: The Origins of the Second Arab-Israeli War; Six Days of War; Power, Faith, and Fantasy; Ally; Sand Devil; Reunion; The Night Archer and Other Stories; To All Who Call in Truth.
Elevator pitch for the book: On a Maritime island at the height of World War II, Police Captain Mary Beth Swann must overcome prejudice, misogyny, and loneliness to find a brutal serial killer. Swann’s War is a story of heroism, persistence, and passion as well as page-turning suspense.
IndieBound | Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]
What prompted you to write this book?
The idea was ripening in my mind for 20 years, and the time for blossoming had simply arrived.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
A year and a half. Though the ending changed slightly along with some of the characters, the idea remained unaltered.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Pleasantly, I learned that my editors could guide me to making my novel more plausible, my characters more clearly drawn, and the ending more of a cliff-hanger.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I was surprised by the ease—indeed the joy—of getting out of my comfort zone¸ of creating an imaginary island in a part of the country in which I never lived, in a time well before I was born, and with characters I’ve never met.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
A riveting read, a literary experience, and hero that people will both identify with and love.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Fear not the outside of the box; that’s where the greatest creativity lies.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
