An interview with Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, and Sarah Sundin Authors of Where Treetops Glisten
Tricia
Goyer, Cara Putman and Sarah Sundin invite readers to turn back the clock to
days gone by as they listen to Bing Crosby sing of sleigh bells in the snow and
get to know the Turner family. Each of the three siblings is forging his or her
own path in his or her own love story filled with the wonder of Christmas. Hailing from the heart of America in Lafayette, Indiana, these
characters will never be the same as the reality of America’s involvement in World War II hits incredibly
close to home.
Q:
How did the three of you decide to collaborate on a collection of novellas
together?
Cara: I’d written in a couple of novella
collections and loved the collaborative aspects. Writing is often solitary, but
when you’re working on a collection with other writers, you have fun
opportunities to work together. I asked Sarah and Tricia if they’d like to work
together because I love their World War II stories, and I love their hearts. I
also thought this was a sneaky way to get to know them better. It’s so fun now to
have a book we’ve written together!
Tricia: The coolest thing about Cara
approaching me is that I highly respect both Cara and Sarah for their writing
abilities and their love of World War II. There aren’t many people I know who
enjoy both of these passions, just as I do, and it was easy to say YES!
Sarah: When Cara invited me to
participate, I was thrilled. We all liked the idea of using one family’s experience
over the course of the war to tie the stories together.
Sarah: In all three of the stories,
someone is overcoming grief or loss, and someone is dealing with regrets of the
past. Strong themes of healing and reconciliation and hope run through each
story. Giving is also a crucial element, which is appropriate for Christmas
stories!
Tricia: I also love the use of Christmas
songs from that era. The title, Where
Treetops Glisten, may be
very familiar to readers. Also each novella is named after a popular Christmas
tune from those years!
Q:
How did the three of you work together to make sure there was continuity
between the three novellas?
Sarah: We started in the brainstorming
phase, throwing out character and family ideas and making them mesh. Since I’m
the nerdy chart-maker of the trio, I made a timeline and a character chart we
could use for reference to keep details straight. Also, we bounced ideas off
each other throughout the writing process: “Who would Abigail have in her
wedding party?” “Does this sound like something Pete would do?” “What would
Merry be feeling at this time?” We shared our rough drafts to make sure the
details and personalities rang true. The collaboration was challenging since
our stories are more tightly connected than in most novella collections, but it
was a lot of fun.
Cara: Sarah is the spreadsheet queen.
Seriously! After our conference call, Sarah had character and timeline
spreadsheets ready for us. We stayed in contact and used those spreadsheets to
keep the details straight.
Tricia: There were also many e-mails
that flew back and forth with questions like, “What year was Pete born again?”
and “What was so-and-so doing in 1943?” It was fun figuring out this family and
these characters together. And then
once we figured out the information, Sarah put it in her spreadsheet!
Q:
Each one of the three siblings in the books has to chart his or her own path.
How is the love of their family a support system for them, even as they make
their own life decisions?
Sarah: Pete’s always seen himself as the
black sheep of the Turner family—but as a much-loved black sheep. His family
was there for him during his wild youth, and they’re there for him when he
returns from his combat tour drained of hope and joy. They offer wisdom and
humor and encouragement.
Cara: Abigail has keenly felt the
shortness and unpredictability of life. Because of it, she’s afraid to chase
her dreams or really dare to dream. Her family provides the support and
stability to try even when life is something she can’t safely manage.
Tricia: Meredith (Merry) is the
wanderer. She is the one who moved to Florida to attend nursing school as soon
as she graduated from high school. She’s the baby of the family, and she’s
always tried to prove herself. Yet as the years go by, and as Merry finds
herself serving as a nurse in Netherlands, she realizes the place she wants to
be the most is home—back with the family she loves.
Q:
The three novellas are all titled after a Christmas song that became popular
during World War II. Can you share a little of the history behind the songs and
how they became a part of the book?
Sarah: Since so many great Christmas
songs debuted during World War II (“White Christmas” in 1942, “I’ll Be Home for
Christmas” in 1943, and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in 1944), I’ve
often thought those songs would be a fun way to connect a novella collection, so
I suggested it to Cara and Tricia, and they liked it too.
Cara: I loved the idea of using the
Christmas carols to connect the stories. So many of those songs are a big part
of Christmas even today! But we still had to figure out the rest. Christmas
carols alone wouldn’t be enough for three stories to come to life. Once
we were all on board, we had a conference call to figure out the rest.
Tricia: I used my song title, “Have
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as
an inspiration for my character, too.
I have a friend named Merry who was born on Christmas…so I used that for my
novella! Meredith is nicknamed Merry, and her name plays into the story; that
song makes its way into the novella, too!
Q:
World War II was a tumultuous, uncertain time. Why pick that era as the
backdrop for a Christmas story?
Tricia: I love World War II, and I
always loved chatting with Sarah and Cara about World War II. Our purpose is to
remind readers of the importance of family, of home, and of togetherness. Even
in a time of war we can remain strong because of the love of God and the love
of those we serve.
Sarah: Because World War II was so
tumultuous, I think Christmas became more important. In the Christmas songs of
the era, you hear a wistful nostalgia for white Christmases, for home, for
mistletoe kisses, for merriness, for a time when your troubles would be out of
sight. The holiday reminded people of home and hearth— exactly
what they were fighting for.
Q:
What sparked your interest in this particular historical time period?
Cara: I love the way this particular
generation came together in a big way to fight a world size problem. Everybody
made sacrifices of even the most basic ‘needs’ like coffee and sugar. And everyone
did it. If you talk to members of this generation today, they still insist they
didn’t do anything special yet I think it was heroic.
Tricia: I first became interested in
World War II while traveling in Europe with two friends. We went to Mauthausen
concentration camp, and I was overwhelmed with the stories. I ended up
interviewing more than 100 World War II veterans, and then I
started writing World War II novels. It’s been a passion of mine ever since I
stepped in that concentration camp. I’ve written other genres, but deep in my
heart I’m thankful to be back writing about World War II!
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