INTRODUCTION:
Mary Alice Monroe’s first historical novel, Where the Rivers Merge, is quite different from the other twenty-nine books she has written. She still focuses on endangered species, but this time her greater focus is on awareness for conservation and protection of our natural resources. Because Mary Alice also likes to educate us while we are entertained, in this book we learn about conservation easements, the delicate ecology of the ACE Basin, and facts about the various flora and fauna that inhabit the area.
I was most fortunate to sit next to her at the book launch and luncheon hosted by The South Carolina Environmental Law Project in Bluffton, South Carolina, the day after her book debuted in Charleston. I have read almost every book she has ever written, and I read this one five times because I just couldn’t get enough of it. Since it is part of a duology, I had a zillion questions but she only gave up one secret about book two. Shall I tell you or make you wait?
INTERVIEW:
Mary Ellen Thompson: Where the Rivers Merge is the first part of a story, have you finished writing the second book?
Mary Alice Monroe: I’m deep into it but taking a pause from writing because of the book tour. I’m remembering the details of the story in my heart and mind and will dive back in when I’m back home this summer.
MET: Is part two taking you in any unexpected directions?
MAM: My original vision for the story was one big novel, so I’m moving forward with the novel I had constructed from the beginning but it is a story told as a duology. Unlike a series, Where the Rivers Merge ends at point one. And Book 2—The Rivers End—opens at where point one ended and continues to flow, much like a river.
Mary Ellen Thompson
MET: How do you like writing such a different kind of book from all your others, and do you envision that will be a direction you will pursue in the future?
MAM: The well of inspiration for me remains the same: the natural world. For the last twenty years I was inspired by a species. My new novel in many ways is broader and more complex as I look at our natural resources globally and locally. But like all my novels, the story is built around a woman’s life. This is a family saga about love, heartbreak, joy, life and death, and legacy.
This is my first historical novel and I’m enchanted with other ideas. We will see what the future holds.
MET: Since the Marsh Tacky is a breed of horse that is not well known outside of the Lowcountry, I love the way you incorporate them into your story and educate your reader about them. Have you ever ridden one?
MAM: I’ve been around the Marsh Tacky and I love this beguiling horse, but I don’t ride horses. I’ve always been intrigued by this South Carolina breed, but its continuance has been threatened. I applaud the Marsh Tacky Association for their efforts to increase the population of this very special breed.
MET: What was your inspiration for Covey’s name?
MAM: The word “covey” describes a group of birds. When I heard it I knew it was the perfect name for a girl who tended to wounded birds.
MET: Why did Sloane even allow Eliza to play with Covey on the plantation given her social mores?
Mary Alice Monroe
MAM: Back in the early 20th century it was not uncommon for white and black children to play together, especially in rural areas. As they grew older, the social and racial distinctions restricted friendships. My character Eliza was a head-strong girl who saw the world without prejudice. Her challenge in this story was how to maintain a friendship with Covey in light of the Jim Crow era restrictions.
MET: You wrote this about Eliza driving up to Mayfield: “I always believed the essence of a house was captured from the moment one crossed the property entrance. The choice of gate, driveway, trees, plants, flowers, the sunlight, the shade— all were as intrinsic to a house’s presence as the architecture.”
What was your inspiration for this description of Mayfield’s driveway?
MAM: Mayfield is a fictional location inspired by Bonny Hall Plantation in Yemassee, South Carolina. My job as a novelist is to bring my readers into the storyworld and I hope I succeeded.
MET: (What happened with Tripp and Lesesne?? I promise not to tell!)
MAM: (Tripp and Lesesne: You’ll have to read Book 2)
MET: What are some of the unique ways in which you name your characters?
MAM: I always look for a meaning for the characters’ names, or a source of inspiration. For Eliza, I was inspired by the historical figure Eliza Pinckney. At the age of sixteen, her father put her in charge of running three plantations. And she is responsible for the boom of indigo in South Carolina. I also looked at Charleston’s historical families for character names such as Heyward and Middleton, Chalmers and Rivers and Lessene. In the story, brother Heyward liked to tease his brother Lesesne saying he was “less” than him.
MET: Let’s talk about birds. Why are there so many references to birds?
MAM: The setting of this story, the ACE Basin, is a rich ecosystem that is home to diverse populations of wildlife, including birds. I wanted to make this landscape come alive for readers, and so it made sense to weave in this diversity of species throughout the book. In particular, with my character Covey her interest in birds reflected my own interest in birds and my experience volunteering at the Birds of Prey Center.
MET: What is the one question you’ve been waiting for someone to ask you about this story, that has not yet been asked?
MAM: No one has asked me what was the biggest surprise in writing this novel.
The biggest surprise in writing Where the Rivers Merge was how the voices of Eliza and Covey sprang to life, and it surprised me how easily the words flowed true. In retrospect, I think this happened because I had enjoyed writing for children of this age through my middle grade book series, The Islanders. And that childlike voice was still in my heart and mind.
MET: Mary Alice, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me and answer all my questions, well, not all my questions! I’m going to go ahead and dispense the tidbit you shared: book two begins with a dead body; and I think I know who it is. (To all of you who read the book – leave a comment on the bottom of this page telling me who you think it is and we’ll see if we are right.)
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