Author Interview: James Conroyd Martin

 

Today, I am delighted to welcome award-winning historical novelist James Conroyd Martin for a chat about his acclaimed Poland Trilogy—Push Not the River, Against a Crimson Sky, and The Warsaw Conspiracy. Inspired by the real diary of Countess Anna Maria Berezowska, the trilogy brings to life one of the most dramatic and often overlooked chapters of Polish history. Join us as James discusses the inspiration behind the novels, the remarkable true story at their heart, and the research that helped transform a forgotten diary into an unforgettable historical saga.

But first, let's check out The Poland Trilogy.

Publication Date: 11th January 2017
Publisher: Hussar Quill Press
Print Length: 1576 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

An epic family saga inspired by the diary of an orphaned girl who navigates deceptive relatives, elusive love, arranged marriage, and political danger in a nation that stands at the abyss.

A 2018 Gold Medal IPPI Winner, Best E-book Box Set

2020 First Place Chanticleer Award for Series

Immerse yourself now in this riveting family saga and ride a true whirlwind of fascinating historical fiction! Based on the diary of a Polish countess who lived through the rise and fall of the Third of May Constitution years, 1791-94, PUSH NOT THE RIVER paints a vivid picture of a tumultuous and unforgettable metamorphosis of a nation--and of Anna, a proud and resilient woman. AGAINST A CRIMSON SKY continues Anna's saga as Napoleon comes calling, implying independence from her neighbors would follow if only Polish lancers would accompany him on his fateful 1812 march into Russia. Anna's family fights valiantly to hold on to a tenuous happiness, their country, and their very lives. Set against the November Rising (1830-31), THE WARSAW CONSPIRACY depicts partitioned Poland's daring challenge to the Russian Empire. Brilliantly illustrating the psyche of a people determined to reclaim independence in the face of monumental odds, the story features Anna's sons and their fates in love and war.

The Poland Trilogy was inspired by the diary of Countess Anna Maria Berezowska. What was it about her story that first captured your imagination and convinced you it needed to be shared with a wider audience?

As a young man, I moved to Hollywood in order to study screenwriting. Among my new friends in California was John Stelnicki, who asked me to read the diary of his ancestor, Countess Anna Berezowska. I read it to be polite but found it fascinating, and I already saw a parallel to Gone with the Wind. I continued taking classes, but her story haunted me and I signed a contract with John a year later.

The trilogy spans some of the most turbulent decades in Polish history, from the Third of May Constitution to the Napoleonic Wars and the November Rising. What drew you to this particular period of Poland's past? 

Push Not the River ends at the same point the diary ended. I had not intended a series, but St. Martin's Press wanted a sequel. I had been working on a novel about Empress Theodora, so I put that aside and studied the next big Polish historical periods—the Napoleonic era and the Cadets' Uprising against Russia. St. Martin's purchased the second book, Against a Crimson Sky, based on an outline written in a week (not that I kept to the outline).  

    

Anna's personal journey unfolds against the backdrop of a nation fighting for survival. How did you balance the intimate story of one family with the sweeping political events shaping their world? 

That was easy. In the first book, from Anna's father being involved with the beginning of the first democratic constitution to Anna and Zofia's fleeing across a burning bridge as the Russians bore down, the real characters were often at the heart of politics taking place in Warsaw. I kept them at the heart of events for the next two books.

Many readers may be unfamiliar with this chapter of Polish history. What aspects of Poland's struggle for independence did you most hope to bring to light through these novels? 

At the end of Push Not the River, Poland was completely wiped of the map of Europe. In reality, Poland did not exist from 1795 to the end of WWII, 1918, when it was restored—123 years later. These years of which I wrote were ignored by James Michener when he published Poland. One of the themes I hoped to resonate with the trilogy was the magnificent resiliency of the Polish people. Despite having their nation's sovereignty overturned for more than a century, they held on to their language, customs, history—and hope!    

Your path to publication was a remarkable journey in itself, involving years of perseverance before Push Not the River finally found its audience. How did that experience shape you as a writer?

It did take a good long while, but the diary stayed with me. I knew the story would get out. I can remember, upon visiting Warsaw and walking across the bridge from its suburb to the city center—the bridge Anna and Zofia had to navigate to escape death. The hair at the nape of my neck and on my arms stood on end. I had an electric connection to the past, as if I felt them there with me. As a writer, when I returned to my Theodora manuscript, I realized the thrill of making other historical persons live again, so to speak.

Anna's story continues across generations, eventually focusing on her sons and their own challenges in The Warsaw Conspiracy. What interested you most about exploring the legacy of one family's choices across several decades? 

It was fascinating to have my early characters grow older and new ones grow up facing new hopes and challenges. It was fun, too, to bring them in contact with the important personages of the day. Napoleon and his Polish mistress Countess Marie Walewska left such an impression on me that I tapped them for their own novel: Napoleon's Shadow Wife. 

Historical fiction often requires extensive research, but your source material included a real diary. How did you approach transforming historical records into a compelling work of fiction? 

Initially, the diary's owner John Stelnicki and I planned to edit the diary as non-fiction. It didn’t take long for me to realize Anna assumed anyone reading it contemporaneously would be aware of the history. Not so in another time and place, so history needed to be folded in. Sometimes, too, characters needed a rounding out, or even an exit. For the sequels, there was the library and bookstores, then Amazon and the internet. But by then, the characters talked to me and their stories deepened.   

The trilogy has received significant recognition, including an IPPY Gold Medal and a Chanticleer Award. What has the response from readers, particularly those with connections to Polish history, meant to you? 

The connection from the Polish community has been amazing. Soft and hardcovers are given as gifts at birthdays and Christmas. I've been asked to sign them to families, so they can be passed down to the next generation. I speak at culture clubs, fairs, and book clubs. I've had folks tell me they learned something about themselves and their history from a passage in one of the books. One woman wondered all her life why she and others in her family had almond-shaped eyes. In one of my books, she learned that Tatars have a historical place in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth history, and some Poles might retain their subtle facial features like almond-shaped eyes.

    

 Looking back on Push Not the River, Against a Crimson Sky, and The Warsaw Conspiracy, what do you hope readers take away from Anna's extraordinary journey and Poland's enduring fight to preserve its identity? 

My wish is to bring her story to life, and with it, the story of a nation that refused to die, saved itself despite impossible odds, and came to triumph. Like Anna.

   

I'd like to thank James for taking the time to chat with me today and for sharing the fascinating story behind The Poland Trilogy. It has been a pleasure learning more about the real-life inspiration for these novels, the challenges of bringing Poland's history to life, and the enduring legacy of Countess Anna Maria Berezowska's extraordinary story. I wish James every success with the trilogy and with all his future writing, and I hope readers enjoy discovering Anna's unforgettable journey for themselves.

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James Conroyd Martin

James Conroyd Martin is a writer of Irish and Norwegian descent who has been working on his Poland trilogy for many years. It began with Push Not the River, a novelization of a real countess’ diary of her experiences in the 1790s, during the rise and fall of Poland’s Third of May Constitution years. The family saga continued with Against a Crimson Sky and concludes with The Warsaw Conspiracy.

The Polish translations of the first two books, Nie ponaglaj rzeki & Pod purpurowym niebem, became bestsellers in Poland. The translation of The Warsaw Conspiracy, Warszawski spisek,has just been released.

The most recent book set in Poland is tentatively titled The Boy Who Wanted Wings, a story of the Polish hussars at the Battle of Vienna, the first 9-11.

In the meantime Martin has published a ghost story, Hologram: A Haunting, set in Hammond, Indiana.

He is hard at work on a novel set in sixth century Greece.

Martin has retired from teaching in Chicago and now lives and writes in Portland, Oregon. He holds degrees from St. Ambrose and DePaul Universities.

Website

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