On Inspiration: Interview with Gian Sardar

Gian Sardar is my guest this month. She was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father is from Kurdistan of Iraq, and her mother is Belgian American and from Minnesota. She studied creative writing at Loyola Marymount University, is the author of the novels Take What You Can Carry and You Were Here, and is the coauthor of the memoir Psychic Junkie. Gian’s work has appeared in the New York Times and Confrontation Magazine and on Salon.com, among other places. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, son, and insane dog, and she enjoys gardening, cooking, and other forms of procrastination.

You can connect with Gian via her website, Facebook and Instagram.

Gian’s latest release is When the World Goes Quiet which is available on Amazon, Bookshop and Barnes & Noble. All Gian’s books can be found on her website or Amazon page.

As always, I’m intrigued by an author’s inspiration and journey. Gian was kind enough to drop by to answer my questions.

What or who inspired you to first write? Which authors have influenced you?

I don’t think one person inspired me to write, but certainly my mother inspired my love of reading. She used to say that when I was little I wouldn’t fall asleep in my crib until all my favorite books were beside me.  In terms of authors, Mona Simpson was one of the first authors who truly inspired me. From there, I gravitate to authors who tend to be a bit poetic with their language…authors like Anthony Doerr or Lauren Groff.

What is the inspiration for your current book? Is there a particular theme you wished to explore?

I love ancestry and exploring my family’s past. Take What You Can Carry was inspired by my father’s life growing up in Kurdistan of Iraq, and my latest novel, When the World Goes Quiet, was inspired by my mother’s family in Belgium, during World War I. Whereas with my father I grew up hearing his stories (directly from him) and so knew his world very well, my family’s life in Belgium was further in the past, which involved much more research and exploration. So much of this novel was an excuse to try and know and imagine the world they lived in. In addition to being drawn to my own family’s history, and what they might have faced, I have always been interested in WW1, just in general terms.

The Great War was truly horrific, and one thing I gravitated towards was the fact that you had neighbors and neighboring countries that were suddenly turned against each other, and in many cases they weren’t sure why. By the end of the war there were soldiers and civilians who all understood they’d been dragged into a war that had nothing to do with them, and I gravitated towards this uncertainty and confusion. People tend to want the world to be composed of good guys and bad guys, and right and wrong, but this just isn’t the case. World War 1 was an interesting arena for me to explore the theme of life existing in a gray area, and how uncomfortable people are with that fact.

What period of history particularly inspires or interests you? Why?

Pretty much all of history interests me, but in addition to what I said about WW1, I must say I am also drawn to places/countries/locations. It often happens that while trying to research a place that I will find time periods in which that place was especially challenged, and that’s interesting to me.

What resources do you use to research your book?  How long did it take to finish the novel?

I will read just about every book I can get my hands on – both fiction and nonfiction, as well as watch documentaries, visit places (even if long plane rides are involved!) and do tours, and of course spend countless hours on-line trying to find appropriate websites and material. I even tend to buy a Sears Roebuck catalogue if the time I’m writing about takes place when the catalogue existed, or a LIFE Magazine just to look at ads. With this last novel, the research itself took about 6 months, and writing took longer because I started over twice. I think from the first word of the first draft to when I had a complete draft (that I was happy with) took about 2 years.

What do you do if stuck for a word or a phrase?

I will read, walk around the house, or if it’s just a matter of finding a word I like to refer to a Notes document on my phone where I collect words I’d like to use.

Is there anything unusual or even quirky that you would like to share about your writing?

I tend to write best when accompanied by almonds? :) Delicious smelling candles and rain also helps. Lol.

Do you use a program like Scrivener to create your novel? Do you ever write in long hand?

Everything I do is in Word.

Is there a particular photo or piece of art that strikes a chord with you? Why?

There are many many photos and artworks that strike a chord with me, so I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I am a very visual person so both art and photography are important to me. I more recently was drawn to trench art and art that came out of WW1 because of my latest book, but also the art that I was writing about (the Fauves and art from about 1905-1920) all really resonated with me. My book mentions several pieces, all which were very carefully chosen and perfect for the story. There is a “main” painting, which my character is promised if she completes a harrowing task, and that painting is Landscape Near Antwerp by Georges Braques. The painting is an escape for my character, as well as a promise, and teaches her that her world doesn’t need to be the one others see.

What advice would you give an aspiring author? Write what you want to read.

Your tastes will not be for everyone, but that also means it’s impossible to make everyone happy. What one person loves is the exact thing someone else will mention they hated – so try to just stay true to your own interests and style and you’ll find your people. Also try to trust. That’s a big one for me. Trust that you will find the heart of the story, that you will figure out a plot point, that you will make it better. First drafts are always hard and not always great, so trust that it’s part of the process and keep going.

Tell us about your next book.

I don’t want to say too much without jinxing it, but this one takes place in 1933 and in Los Angeles, so for once I don’t have to get on a plane for research, which certainly makes things easier!

In the final days of World War I, an aspiring artist’s courageous journey is just beginning in a powerful novel about love, danger, and survival by the author of Take What You Can Carry.

It’s 1918 in German-occupied Bruges, Belgium. With luck, Evelien will make it to the end of the war and be given what she was promised: a prized painting in exchange for safeguarding her employer’s possessions. Until then, Evelien knows to keep her head down and stay out of trouble. But life never goes to plan, especially in war.

A member of the resistance approaches Evelien: steal a list of names hidden in her employer’s home. In return, she’ll get a letter from her long-missing husband, Emiel. She’d lost hope of Emiel’s survival, but the promised letter puts her certainty of his death in question. Evelien begins her mission and soon forms a friendship with a soldier who is struggling with the devastating demands of battle. Their shared passion for art deepens the bond, and Evelien faces a heart-wrenching truth: she longs for Emiel’s safe return…but not necessarily to her.

As the final days of the war loom closer, Evelien has never been in more danger. And should she survive the war’s bitter end, what choices will she make for a life beyond liberation?

Thanks so much for sharing your inspiration and the links to your family’s own history, Gian. All the best with your wonderful new novel.

When the World Goes Quiet is available on Amazon, Bookshop and Barnes & Noble.

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