Finnian Burnett

Welcome to the 5 Questions Series. Each week, I’ll ask five questions of some of my favorite authors, editors, publishers, and other industry professionals. This week, I’m talking with Kate MacIntosh.

Welcome, Kate! You have a new book coming out in December. Can you tell me all about it?

It’s nice of you to ask me about my book because even if you hadn’t, I likely would have found some way to casually slip it into the conversation.
My novel, The Champagne Letters, is a dual timeline story. Half of the book is based on the real-life woman, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, who founded the premier champagne house Veuve Clicquot. Vueve means widow, at that time in history the only way a woman could run/own a business in France was if her husband had passed away. Barbe-Nicole dealt with business competitors, the Napoleonic wars, motherhood, and the occasional pirate.
The other half of the book tells the tale of Natalie, who after her divorce runs off to Paris. When she’s checking into her boutique hotel there’s some confusion and she’s mistaken for a widow. As a result, she learns about the great champagne widows of France and their struggles. She finds a book of letters from Barbe-Nicole and uses the advice within to begin her new life. And she’s going to need that advice, because it will turn out not every aspect of her French vacation goes according to plan.
It’s a book about learning to trust yourself, the power in starting over, and telling your own story before someone else does it for you. And it’s also about wine, art, and amazing food. It is France after all.

The main character running off to France sounds so specific. What was the inspiration for that?

A few years ago, my marriage blew up. It was right before my 50th birthday and our 25th wedding anniversary. He clearly gets extra points for timing. We had already booked, and pre-paid, for a big anniversary trip to France. Unexpectedly, I’d lost the person I thought was my best friend, my home, and half the belongings we’d spent our lives collecting. I was sure as hell not going to lose that trip. So, I went without him. Unlike the character in my book who ends up in several adventures, including one with a dashing Frenchmen, I spent a lot of time walking around Paris and eating my body weight in cheese. But I left that trip with an idea for a novel and the reminder that I’m a capable and strong person.

Historical fiction takes so much research. Is that your jam? Do you over-research and then wish you could put in everything you know?

Saying I enjoy research sounds better than: “Are you one of those weirdos who goes down research rabbit holes and likes to spout off random facts you’ve learned?” There were details I found fascinating and tried to squish into the corner of chapters where my wise editor would suggest that perhaps…just perhaps….we didn’t need quite so much detail. Someday there will be a question on the evolution of pockets in women’s clothing and I’ll be ready.
I’ve always been a bit of a history nerd and have read historical novels for years, but never thought I could write one. I was afraid that I would get things wrong, which of course would result in some type of official public shaming, possibly with overly ripe vegetables being hurled at me. One of the lessons I’ve learned in the past couple of years is that not doing things because I’m afraid I may fail, or others may not like what I do, is a huge mistake. This is the one great and glorious life I’m going to get, the only one. There aren’t do overs. This is the story I wanted to tell. If I didn’t because I was afraid to get it wrong, then no one would hear it. I did the best I could with the research and if I discover that I made mistakes (let’s just go ahead and say I almost certainly did somewhere) then I’ll apologize and keep moving forward.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a new novel, also a dual timeline story based in part on another real woman in history. I’ve become obsessed by these women that may have been forgotten and whose stories have been shuffled aside. It’s a story that looks at early photography in the late 1800’s, what it means to be beautiful, and the importance of art.
My office is currently buried under stacks of index cards, research books with various tabs sticking out, and empty mugs of half consumed tea. I’m still in the stage where I wander around my condo mumbling to myself, but I have high hopes it will shape into something.

What do you do to unwind when you’re not working?

Some people have an inner child. I have an inner 80-year-old. I love all the Golden Girl activities- reading of course, watercolour painting, grumbling at the TV as if people on there can hear me, enjoying a nice glass of wine, and watching the occasional period drama on PBS, or trashy reality show on TLC. It is a mystery how I can love both any Lucy Worsley historical documentary and Below Deck scandals of various yacht crews. What can I say? I am a complex woman. I’m fortunate enough to have an amazing group of friends and when in doubt, spending time with them is always a good thing.

Bonus question: Have you ever taken a picture of a weird bird?

It’s not the bird that is weird, it’s me. This is where I admit I am a weird crow lady. I started giving dog kibble to a local crow a few years ago. Now he brings me various gifts, including gum wrappers, some aquarium gravel, an empty Tim Hortons bag, and a broken rhinestone barrette. So far, no luck scoring diamonds or hard cash, but it’s a work in progress. I call my crow Edgar as a homage to Edgar Allen Poe. Once I was walking along, and Edgar hopped along behind me. A small kid watched very interested and then asked if I was a witch. Hell yes.

(Ed. Note. I am in love with Edgar.)