ABOUT WRITING “UNDER A RED SKY”

Q. Why do you use Haya as your name when in the book they called you Eva?
A. I chose to use my real Hebrew name as my author name in order to honor my parents and grandparents. In Romania, none of my friends used their Hebrew name, and my family hid my Jewish identity in order to protect me from anti-Semitism. In Israel, of course, everyone uses their Hebrew name! But even modern American Jews and most Jews living outside of Israel today only use their Hebrew name during ritual ceremonies at the synagogue. I believe this is one of the ways we grapple with identity, especially given the long history of exile and persecution Jews have endured. For me, rekindling the use of my Hebrew name is a spiritual choice. It also helps establish my individual identity as an author since my entire family is in the arts.

Q. How old where you when you left Romania?
A. I was ten and a half when we immigrated to Israel, and twelve and a half when I came to America.

Q. Did you speak Hebrew when you arrived in Israel?
A. No. I went to school there and had to learn Hebrew. Two years later, when we left for America, I was almost fluent in Hebrew, but I am now rusty for lack of practice.

Q. Did you speak any English when you came to America?
A. No. English is my third language. At the time when I came to New York, there was no “English as a Second Language” curriculum.

Q. How did you learn English?
A. I reread all the books that I had read and loved in Romanian, in English. Many had been originally written in English, such as Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” and I had read them in translation. I also watched a lot of afternoon television when I got home from school. I became a soap opera addict! But watching TV really did help me to learn English.

Q. You speak without any trace of accent, how do you account for that?
A. I have my father to thank for that. He was fluent in six languages, and he spoke all of them with almost no trace of an accent. Shortly after we arrived in New York, my father taped me reciting simple phrases and then coached me until I pronounced each and every word correctly. A few years later, he played back the tapes and I was horrified at the heavy foreign accent I had overcome! I wish I had that tape now, but it got lost in several moves.

Q. What was your inspiration for writing “Under a Red Sky”?
A. Initially it was my family. At first I was going to write a cookbook about eggs! Each egg recipe was going to have a related story about a different family member. As I wrote, each member of my family became alive for me once again, warts and all, and I soon realized that I was writing memoir, not a cookbook. I began to see with adult eyes the frightening life we led and the very real story of our life under Communism and subsequent escape emerged.

Q. How can you remember things that took place when you were so young?
A. I don’t know, but I do. Certain memories are imprinted in my mind and as I wrote many other memories resurfaced; the deeper I submerged myself into that time and place, the more I found. Ask yourself if you remember events that happened to you before you were ten, and I bet that you will come up with some vivid memories. However, there are also some blank spaces that I had to fill in. Memory, no matter what age you are, can be tricky. That’s why different people often recount a different version of the same event or story!

Q. How long did it take you to write “Under a Red Sky”?
A. The first half of the book took forever (five years!), because I was working long hours in advertising. The second half took only five months of intense writing.

Q. Was the writing cathartic?
A. Some of it was transformative. “Under a Red Sky” is a book about my family, and it was difficult to separate my emotions from the writing. However, writing is not therapy. It is my work. I love everything about it, including the research, the editing, the author readings, even the marketing! All of these elements are necessary to the ultimate success of a book.

Q. Why did you wait so long to write about your childhood in Romania?
A. There is no easy answer to that. I suppose, like many other immigrants, I wanted to put the past behind me. So much of it had been frightening and I was grateful for the chance to be an American and get on with my life as a free person. 

Q. What persuaded you to break your silence?
A. I don’t think I was persuaded. When I began to write, I wasn’t even aware that I was writing memoir! I was like a person who was recovering from amnesia. The memories emerged and I was compelled to put them to paper. 

Q. Do you think that “Under a Red Sky” is a particularly Jewish book?
A. Yes, and no. I think the subject matter will resonate with Jews the world over because at the center of the book are questions about Jewish identity. However, I believe that the book transcends religious affiliation since “Under a Red Sky” addresses issues of racial identity, prejudice, and human rights. These are universal themes. I think Americans will especially relate, because we are a nation of immigrants with our roots in many diverse cultures. In particular, African Americans, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans — any ethnic group that has had to struggle with racism and confront prejudice, I hope will appreciate this book.

Q. Did you write “Under a Red Sky” for a YA audience?
A. I didn’t write for a specific audience. In fact, I wasn’t even sure that anyone would care enough to read the story of a little girl living under Communism. However, Leigh Feldman, my literary agent, loved the book and she felt that it was a natural for YA readers, and she was right. I am happy that young people are my primary audience because ultimately, that is how a book lives on and has lasting impact. However, I believe that ”Under a Red Sky” is a crossover book, meaning it can appeal to adults as well. I recently did an author reading at a retirement community, and the residents there loved it. They were all over seventy, and just as excited as a bunch of kids in high school! 

Q. Since much of the book is so personal, did you find it hard to edit?
A. I was lucky to work with Frances Foster, a wonderful editor, who has a lot of experience and amazing insight as to what belongs in a story, and what does not. She made it possible for me to make the story tighter and better, by gently asking the right questions, and by giving me lots of freedom to make my own choices. 

Q. How did you decide what belonged in the book and what did not, especially since you were dealing with memoir?
A. Editing is not easy. Writing is really the process of rewriting and whittling away at the unnecessary in order to reach a level of clarity. There’s a saying that recommends you murder your darlings since the author can’t possibly be objective about a piece of writing. As a writer, I know how hard it is to cut something that’s been written from the heart. But unless the paragraph or the chapter in question serves your story, it doesn’t belong. A lot of writing is just warm up, before a workout. In the long run, being discerning with extraneous prose proves to be a very good thing. Of course, you can always rework and save a cut piece for a later essay or short story. Nothing is wasted, because as you write, you learn. It just takes time, perseverance, and patience. 

Q. Are there other genres that you're interested in, or do you feel that you will continue to write memoir?
A. I can’t imagine any writer only writing memoir, but it does happen. I am very much interested in writing fiction — by that I mean primarily novels. I’ve also written short stories, and I find that they are indicative of the themes that are at the core of my writing.

Q. What’s next on the horizon for you?
A. Writing! This time it’s indeed fiction. I’m in the midst of researching and writing “Light Splashed,” a coming of age novel about a seventeen-year old boy, set in New York City. I also look forward to meeting many of the readers of “Under a Red Sky” in schools, bookstores, at book groups, and many other places where people care deeply about reading.

ON WRITING

Q. How did you become a writer?
A. I was born a writer. It just took me a long time to recognize it and accept it. I wrote advertising copy for many years before I realized that creative writing is my life’s work. 

Q. Do you think that one chooses to be a writer, or does the writing choose you?
A. Both. You might be born a writer, but if you do not choose to write, you’re wasting your time and your gift. There are people who say they’ve stumbled into writing by accident, but I don’t believe it. Writing is too intense an activity to stumble into. 

Q. Did your background as a copywriter in advertising help you?
A. Yes, very much so. Writing advertising copy is work for hire. Copywriters do not have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike. They are always on deadline, and if they blow it, they don’t stay in business long. I learned early on that writing is a discipline, like any other type of work. I’m sure that a dentist doesn’t always feel like drilling in a patient’s mouth, just like a lawyer is not always in the mood to deal with a grueling, complex case, but they both do it, because they are pros. Being a pro means you get the work done, and make your deadline, whether you feel inspired or not. 

Q. Do you follow a set routine when you write?
A. Having just referred to the discipline of writing, I wish I could tell you that I am more disciplined and rigorous. I get very grumpy when I haven’t written for a while, and begin to complain that I am caring for everyone else at the expense of my work. But in truth, I have no one to blame but myself. I am forever struggling to find the right balance between writing and living. I envy writers who write every day. I tend to carry a story within me for a long time. While a story is percolating, I do lots of other things (including procrastinate!): I read many other authors, I design and make necklaces, I garden and create flower arrangements. I take walks and yak on the phone. On a more serious note, I manage the elder care of several family members. I listen to my adult children and give them unwanted advice! Of course, I work on marketing, and promoting my book. And, even as recently as a month ago I was still doing the occasional freelance advertising project for extra income. This is a very fragmented existence, but writing is still at the very center of my life, and I realize that as things open up for me financially (my goal is to never have to do anything else but write books for a living) — I still have to deal with what I call the inside/outside problem. By that I mean I have to deal with the isolation of being a writer. This, however, is another topic altogether, so forgive me for digressing. 

Here’s my typical writing routine:
I am always, always!!! happiest when I am writing, and I wish I could tell you that I do it every single day, but it’s just not the case. However, once I am into what I refer to as the belly of a story, I am as rigorous as an athlete in training. I get up early around 5:00 AM and I’m at my desk by 6:30. I work until around 11:00, when I take a short break and have a snack. I get back to work and often skip lunch, until late afternoon (usually around 3:00PM), when I suddenly realize that I’m hungry and have not been out all day. After a light lunch and an occasional short walk, I print out what I’ve written, and make notes on the ms. By then, it is early evening and my husband is home from work. We have dinner and spend some time together. I almost never watch TV during the week, so if I’m feeling industrious, after dinner I start to input my editorial notes into the computer. Sometimes I work until my eyes literally begin to close at the computer. This does not make for a happy spouse, so generally, I try to save inputting my edits after several days of writing, when I’ve accumulated enough pages. I am always refining my workflow, and my goal is to write every day, no matter what else is happening in my life. I often feel that I need an assistant to take care of all the other aspects of my life, but that is a luxury I cannot afford. Luckily, my husband often shops and makes dinner. He is extremely supportive because he knows that writing, at least for me, is like running a marathon. 

Q. What do you do to get away from writing?
A. I never get away from writing, and I don’t ever try to! Even when I am deeply engaged in other activities, there is a part of me that takes notes. I have enough story ideas to last me the rest of my life, and new ones find me almost every day. Of course, I have to choose which ones to pursue. 

Q. How do you decide which story to pursue, to write your next book about?
A. I write the story that I am most passionate about, the one that refuses to go away. The one I’ve been dreaming about and have been living with for a long time. I get obsessed with everything about it; the characters, the plot, even the research fascinates me. The story takes on a life and breath of its own, it leads me, and I am just recording it until I am done writing it. Sometimes I have more than one story in my head, but the one that feels most urgent, gets written first. 

Q. Where do you get your ideas?
A. I don’t really know. I find the entire creative process somewhat mysterious, and I don’t like to mess with it. I believe that when you are a writer, the stories find you, since writers are by nature curious and receptive people. Stories are everywhere, because LIFE is interesting! Sometimes, it is just a snippet of an overheard conversation. Other times, it is a visual. An image I have seen imprints itself on my mind and starts to grow. Or, a person engages my imagination enough to transform into a character in a story. There are times when the story is plot driven, and the characters emerge later. There seems to be no hard rule about how a story evolves, but I am deeply grateful when it does.  The essential thing is to be aware when a story is staring you in the face. You must recognize it, and show up at your desk to write it! 

Q. Is there a difference between being a storyteller and being a writer?
A. Absolutely. All writers are storytellers, but not all storytellers are writers! A storyteller is like a standup comedian. He or she has to deliver the story orally and entertain the audience. A writer, however, has to accomplish the same task with words on paper. It is much harder, because when you write you do not have the use of body language, gestures, or the sound and tone of your voice. I tend to be longwinded when I speak, but I am extremely precise when I write. Writing is a much more focused activity than oral story telling. You cannot afford to meander, because you will lose your reader. So you better write that story in an interesting, engaging way that gets the reader to turn the page. 

Q. We often talk about the woman's voice in literature, and you wrote “Under a Red Sky” in a young girl’s voice. Do you feel most comfortable writing first person, and if yes, are you more drawn to female characters, rather than male?
This whole business about “voice” is very disconcerting, because too often it pigeonholes writers into a certain style, or genre. I believe that a writer should write in whatever “voice” serves the story best. My original draft for “Under a Red Sky” was written from the adult point of view, looking back. About a third of the way through, I realized that it would be far more powerful if this were written first person, present tense (for immediacy and impact) in the young girl’s voice. I went back and rewrote the entire third of the book and completed it that way.

The novel I’m currently working on, is written in the voice of a teenage boy, so to answer your question, I believe that writers transcend gender. I also want to make the distinction between the voice of the character, and the writer’s voice. Much has been made about a writer’s voice, and it is indeed true that all great writers have a discernible voice that is exclusively theirs. However, it is my belief that we do not need to find that voice; it is already there. A writer must simply allow his or her voice to come through. 

Q. If you had one word of advice for an aspiring writer, what would that be?
A. That’s a tough one! I have many words of advice for other writers in my blog, Raising the Roof on Writing, which is posted on my website (www.hayaleahmolnar.com). Writing is such a solitary activity that we owe each other to share information that might be of help. But if I had only one thing to say, here it is: 

No matter what age you are, no matter what anyone else says about your writing, good or bad, do not lose faith or confidence in yourself — just keep writing! Keep writing until God retires you. Good luck to you, bless you, and bless the hard but marvelous road you have chosen to take.