Interview with Alison Littman, Author of Radio Underground @alimcshpiel #interview
Alison Littman lives
in San Francisco where she’s a
writer by day and standup comedian by night. A former journalist in New
Mexico, she covered politics and education while also
contributing articles on John F. Kennedy and The Beatles to various specialty
magazines. Her feature stories focus on listening to rock 'n' roll behind the
Iron Curtain and Cold War politics. Radio
Underground is her first novel.
Website Address: https://www.readalisonlittman.com/
Twitter Address: https://twitter.com/AliMcShpiel
Q: Welcome to The Writer's
Life! Now that your book has been
published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the
beginning? When did you come up with the
idea to write your book?
Radio
Underground came
to me by chance many years ago when I was combing through archives at the
Hoover Institution for my college thesis. I found a stack of letters written by
people in Hungary who were secretly listening to rock ‘n’ roll during the Cold
War. As I did more digging, I learned they were writing to a DJ who played The
Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other popular bands on the illicit Radio Free
Europe. For a long time, I couldn’t get their voices out of my head, like
Titanilla, who wrote:
….There are thousands of us who live only in sleep—who act, speak,
applaud because we have to. When we utter YES, our hearts drum NO. Can this
partial assimilation end up in a complete one? This is our question. In our
childhood we were looking for beauty and for the realization of human ideals,
and what remains today? A hesitant search for existence and a life under the
compulsion of permanent lying. We can go forward only in the middle of the
road…
-Titanilla
10 December 1964
Radio Free Europe Archives, Hoover
Institution, Stanford University
I knew after reading these letters I
wanted to find a way to share them with the world. Many
of them were written by young people who used code names, which would be read
aloud by the DJ as he played the songs they requested. I endeavored to capture both the
pain these young people and their families felt and the optimism some were
still able to maintain. They believed in something better. Except, it wasn’t
necessarily the West or capitalism they believed in. It was that expression
could set them free, and they would pursue that to no end, both through their
words and in the music to which they listened.
Q: How hard was it to write a
book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make
the journey easier for other writers?
Writing
historical fiction is challenging in that you can’t exactly go live in the time
period you’re writing on. For those wanting to base their work on a different
time period or place (past, future or alternate reality), I think it’s
important to remember not every detail of that world needs to be discussed.
While some summary will be needed, I would recommend revealing your world
through how your characters interact with it. For example, in Radio Underground, Eszter has to sneak out at night in order to deliver intelligence
to her Radio Free Europe contacts. Through her passing buildings and slipping
along side streets, I was able to touch upon the historical moment by showing:
the secret police headquarters where they tortured people in prisons below; the
Zis-110, the government’s vehicle of choice, sometimes used to snatch people in
the middle of the night from their homes; and the fact that no one is out on
the street because there is a curfew. All of these points indicate important
details about the time period, but are presented in a way that shows us who
Eszter is – a covert journalist risking her life to convey intelligence to her
contacts.
Q: Who is your publisher and how
did you find them or did you self-publish?
My
publisher is the indie press, Last Syllable Books. I met Selene, the publisher
and founder of Last Syllable, at a writer’s conference five years ago and have
since revised, developed and edited Radio
Underground with her until it was ready for publication. For any writers
out there, I would say publishing, like anything, is networking. Conferences,
writing residencies and similar programs can connect you directly or via a
personal recommendation to the agents and publishers who may be interested in
your work.
Q: Is there anything that
surprised you about getting your first book published?
I
was surprised at how many logistics were involved in getting a book to market.
Since my publisher involved me in a lot of the process, I have learned about
things like barcodes, ISBNs, offset printing, wholesale distribution and other
details and processes that I just wouldn’t ever know existed.
Q: What other books are you
working on and when will they be published?
I’m
currently working on a book that takes place in San
Francisco a few months after a fog has lifted from the
city. This isn’t just your normal fog, it is one that has had disastrous
effects on certain populations and society will be forever changed. It’s in the
very nascent stages so I don’t want to say too much more – but stay tuned!
Q: What’s one fact about your
book that would surprise people?
That
the U.S. used
rock ‘n’ roll to persuade people in Eastern Europe to
ditch their communist ties and support capitalism.
Q: Finally, what message are you
trying to get across with your book?
I
would like people to explore a couple of questions when they think about my
book.
I’m
curious about the responsibility we have to report unbiased news. In Radio Underground the characters are
caught up in creating news that will serve their political agendas or the “good
of the people.” Are there situations where we are justified in shaping news if
it is for the betterment of society? And how far can or should we go?
Another
question I have is about the lengths and limits of love. I would like to
believe love can conquer all, however we are always encountering these major
outside forces that seem to challenge our ability to stay connected to one
another—and in Radio Underground’s
case—the fate of an entire country was in flux as a family started to crumble.
Are there times when we should put something else before our loved ones? Is
there some sort of greater purpose in life than the very ties that bind us? Or
not?
Q: Thank you again for this
interview! Do you have any final words?
I’m so excited to hear what readers take away from Radio Underground. I hope it offers a glimpse into a time period that captures their imagination and isn’t frequently covered in the historical fiction of today.
I’m so excited to hear what readers take away from Radio Underground. I hope it offers a glimpse into a time period that captures their imagination and isn’t frequently covered in the historical fiction of today.
About the Book:
Title: RADIO UNDERGROUND
Author: Alison Littman
Publisher: Last Syllable Books
Pages: 354
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author: Alison Littman
Publisher: Last Syllable Books
Pages: 354
Genre: Historical Fiction
BOOK BLURB:
After years of suffering under the communist regime in Cold War Hungary, Eszter Turján—fanatical underground journalist—would
sacrifice anything, and anyone, to see the government fall. When she
manipulates news broadcasts on Radio Free Europe, she ignites a vicious
revolution, commits a calamitous murder, and is dragged away screaming to a
secret underground prison.
Her daughter Dora, then a teenager, cowers in her
bedroom as the secret police arrest her mother. Haunted and hurt, Dora
vows to work against everything Eszter believes in. But, it’s not that simple.
After nine years, Dora meets a strapping young fan of Radio
Free Europe and is unwittingly drawn back into Eszter’s circle.
She finds her mother, driven mad by years of torture, is headed for
death.
On the brink of losing Eszter again, Dora must decide if she
should risk her life to save the mother who discarded her—or leave it to fate.
“A propulsive read and a timely reminder that maintaining
our humanity requires courage as much as love.”- Kim van Alkemade, New York Times best-selling author
of Orphan #8 and Bachelor Girl
“Littman’s debut novel is a delectable blend of history and
heartstrings, sure to please the palates of literature lovers everywhere.”-
Selene Castrovilla, award-winning author of Melt and Luna
Rising
5 out of 5 star review from Readers’ Favorite
“Radio Underground reads like a movie…A
revolutionary tale written with style.”- Readers’ Favorite
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