Sonora   

By Jenni L. Walsh

(Harper Collins Focus)

Author Interview by Diane Slocum

In this novel, based faithfully on Sonora Webster Carver’s memoir, Sonora was living with her mother and siblings in Georgia in the 1920s, working as a bookkeeper, when her mother showed her an intriguing ad. It involved diving and horses, two of her loves, but didn’t explain how they were connected. Once she saw the performance of a woman diving on horseback from a forty-foot tower, she knew she had to do it, too. From then on, nothing would stop her from diving, not even a disabling accident. Though she didn’t want it, romance also worked its way into Sonora’s life in the person of Al Carver, the boss” son.

AUTHORLINK: How did you learn about Sonora Webster Carver and get interested in writing about her?

WALSH: As someone who grew up local to the Steel Pier in New Jersey where Sonora performed, she’s a name I’ve long known. It also helps that growing up I watched the film Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken more times than I can count. I’ve always been in awe of Sonora’s fortitude and bravery.

AUTHORLINK: I read that Sonora was not happy with the movie. I can understand why. I only saw the teaser, but even with that it was obvious that they must have taken a lot of liberties with the truth. What did you do to give a more accurate portrayal of Sonora’s life?

WALSH: The (real) Sonora has been quoted as saying, “The only thing true in it was that I rode diving horses, I went blind, and I continued to ride for another 11 years.” However, I recently had the honor to connect with Gabrielle Anwar, who played Sonora in the film. Gabrielle relayed to me how she had the opportunity to meet Sonora in real life. And Sonora was thrilled with Gabrielle’s representation of her. It’s no wonder why. Gabrielle’s performance was iconic. I’d like to think (and hope) that Sonora would also be happy with how I portrayed her. I tried to stick to Sonora’s memoir as closely as possible. My goal wasn’t to change the story, but to bring it to an even larger audience through novelization.

AUTHORLINK: Many aspects of a person’s life are not recorded anywhere. How did you deal with her more personal story where you didn’t have resources?

WALSH: It starts with getting to know a character. In many cases, I’m fortunate that my leading lady has written a memoir. That was the case with Sonora. Reading A Girl And Five Brave Horses was instrumental in writing my novel. In fact, I retyped every single word of it to become more intimate with Sonora’s thoughts and experiences. This helps tremendously when there is that moment where I need to fill in the gaps or make a presumption about how/what happened in the real Sonora’s life.

AUTHORLINK: Where did you learn about some of the techniques of horse diving? Including the question of the safety of the horses?

WALSH: Sonora spent ample time discussing techniques and horse safety in her memoir. I was so lucky to have this original source to learn and pull from!

AUTHORLINK: Were there some places where you did deviate from the known facts?

 

WALSH: I tried my hardest not to deviate. There were moments that Sonora mentioned in her memoir that I wanted to give more precedence or weight. In those instances, I used creative license to further bring it to life. There were also a few times where the timeline caused me confusion and I was forced to make a few guesses! But that’s okay, this allows me to my unique spin on things to make the story my own!

AUTHORLINK: Would you like to see your novel made into a movie to help set the story straight?

WALSH: Hollywood’s latest trend appears to be turning feature films into television series. It’d be incredibly cool to adapt my novel into a television series, going into greater depth than what was possible in the two-hour film. How can we make a Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken tv show inspired by my book happen?!

AUTHORLINK: I was always curious about her name – Sonora. It seemed unusual for someone in Georgia in those days to have a name from Spanish. Out here in California, it wouldn’t have seemed out of place, especially since we have a goldrush town by that name. Then you learned her parents named her Nora.  When did you know? Do you have any idea how she came to be Sonora?

WALSH: I actually have no clue where Sonora came from! Maybe it was a show-business decision? A stage name? That seems logical to me. I didn’t learn from a relative of Sonora that her birth name was Nora until I was completely finished writing, editing, proofreading—and unable to make any additional changes. But I am tickled to know that I’d already given Sonora the nickname of Nora in my book!

AUTHORLINK: How do you think readers benefit from reading about people like Sonora and Arnette in addition to just enjoying a good story?

WALSH: I believe that reading stories about real women can add more oomph to a story. It’s not just a character I’ve dreamed up, it’s a character who has actually lived it—and thrived. It can be quite relatable.

AUTHORLINK: What are you working on next?

WALSH: I am currently in the late stages of wrapping up my next novel called Death Was Not on the Guest List. I’m very excited about it. It happens to be my first murder mystery—yet is still inspired by real women. The quick pitch: What if the real women, Ginevra King and Edith Cummings, who inspired Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby find themselves at the heart of a murder mystery?

About the author: Jenni L. Walsh is an award-winning author of 15 books, many of them inspired by actual events and people. Among her historical novels are Unsinkable which includes Violet Jessup who survived not only the sinking of the Titanic, but two other shipwrecks, and A Betting Woman, the story of “Madame Moustache”, a California gold rush era vingt-et-un (twenty-one) dealer. Walsh graduated from Villanove University and is a member of Tall Poppy writers. She lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband and children.