Kristen Loesch: On the Generosity of the Writing Community
Author Kristen Loesch discusses the process of writing her debut novel, The Last Russian Doll.
Kristen Loesch grew up in San Francisco. She holds a BA in history as well as a master’s degree in Slavonic studies from the University of Cambridge. Her debut historical novel, The Last Russian Doll, was short-listed for the Caledonia Novel Award and long-listed for the Bath Novel Award, under a different title. It is published or forthcoming in 10 countries. After a decade living in Europe, she now resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and children. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.
In this post, Kristen discusses the process of writing her debut novel, The Last Russian Doll, her advice for writers, and more!
Name: Kristen Loesch
Literary agent: Stéphanie Abou
Book title: The Last Russian Doll
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: March 14, 2023
Genre/category: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Elevator pitch for the book: In 1991, a young woman returns to her homeland of Soviet Russia to solve a murder and ends up unraveling the devastating history of her family. She starts out with nothing but a single key.
What prompted you to write this book?
Although I left my PhD program (in Slavonic Studies) halfway through, there was a part of me that still longed to write about Russia. This was many years ago, but maybe I already knew I had to put that energy somewhere! Writing fiction was my childhood dream, but it took a while for the self-belief to catch up.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I wrote the first draft in 2017-18. I would say that there were three main stages of making changes: 1., between that first draft and signing with my agent, which is when the main plot as it exists now was developed; 2., working on the manuscript with my agent, which is when it became a more coherent and polished whole; and 3., working with Jen Monroe, my amazing editor at Berkley, which is when certain aspects and perspectives were fleshed out, others were streamlined, and I feel I really got to the heart of the novel, in particular the love story.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Because this is my debut, a lot of things feel unnerving and unfamiliar, but there have been some truly lovely surprises on the way. One is the profound generosity of other, more established authors, whether it takes the form of writing a blurb or responding on social media or sharing their wisdom generally. Another surprise was the realization that my book would have an entire team behind it from now on. Their enthusiasm and belief in the story have been incredible.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Definitely! A big one was how the characters took over. On the very first draft, the author is in control (for better or worse), but over time the characters begin to resist your maneuvering and to shape the narrative for themselves. What happens next is almost like a game of tug of war! There’s a certain strange, heavy feeling when you realize that you can’t do as you’d hoped or intended, and you have to go back, or go deeper, into the story to discover what is right for that character at that moment.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope that readers will be swept away. I believe that every historical novel is like a small and self-contained world of its own in which the reader can live for however many hours, and I would love for the feeling of immersion to be complete and overpowering. Because this story contains a significant, underlying mystery, I also hope that readers get a sense of satisfaction at the end, of promises fulfilled.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Focus on what you can control. For example: The progress of your current project; how you choose to spend your time, both online and off; finding joy in the writing itself; trying new things and taking risks to challenge yourself as a writer. Everything else, the more you can let it slip by, the steadier and more peaceful your day-to-day experience as a writer will be.
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.
