We chat with debut author Anna Rasche about The Stone Witch of Florence, which follows a young woman who draws on the ancient magic of gemstones to investigate a series of shocking crimes in the city.
Hi, Anna! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m a gemologist & jewelry historian, which means I study old jewelry to determine its age and value. I ended up in this career by way of studying archaeology in college (ask me about digging large holes and then lifting rocks out of them!). I live in Brooklyn, NY with my husband and daughter and two cats.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve always loved reading, particularly historical stuff, whether a novel or non-fiction. For a long time I co-ran a history lecture series in Brooklyn where we would give silly talks in bars. This is probably when I realized I could be a decent storyteller. Later in grad school, I’d be writing these academic papers and get feedback that my writing was “delightfully breezy, but most prefer a more sober approach.” Not me! I like breezy. It was a nudge towards writing fiction.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Oh man. Probably, like, Go Dog Go? I remember wanting to be at that dog party!
- The one that made you want to become an author: There was no one “aha” moment, but The Alienist by Caleb Carr had a big impact in terms of the types of stories I gravitate towards: gothic with amazing historical settings.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Lately it is Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Your debut novel, The Stone Witch of Florence, is out October 8th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Magic. Gemstones. Medieval. Plague. Mystery.
What can readers expect?
They can expect a unique and surprising historical fiction with a bit of magic, a bit of mystery, lots of dark humor, and a really vibrant medieval setting. The story follows Ginevra, who must use the ancient magic of stones to catch a relic thief during the Black Death. But, even though it takes place in a very dark time, there are strong themes of optimism, friendship, and resilience.
Where did the inspiration for The Stone Witch of Florence come from?
I was doing research for a paper in grad school (probably one that was deemed “too breezy”) about all the different ways precious red coral was used in Renaissance Italy. I came across a number medieval lapidary manuscripts—books that recorded the magical and medicinal properties of gemstones. They might say, for, example, that an amethyst under the tongue prevents drunkenness, or that emeralds can cure diseases of the eye. At the time these manuscripts were written, many believed these powers were real. I thought that this would be a super interesting setting for a novel—a medieval world where everything was true to life except for this one small difference: the stones’ powers actually worked!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I love the relationship between Ginevra and Lucia, so any scenes where they are exploring their friendship, where they are figuring things out together, were a delight to work on. I also had a lot of fun writing Becchino, the gravedigger. At first glance, he’s pretty appalling, both physically and morally, but then you realize he might have one of the healthiest outlooks of all the characters.
Can you tell us a bit about your research process?
I did a lot of research at the front end, and anything I found that might be an interesting plot point I made a note of, even if I wasn’t sure how or if it would fit in the final story. I did this initial work in NYC libraries and museums and just, on the internet. I tried to focus as much as I could on primary sources—first hand accounts of the plague, women writing about their lives, descriptions of saints feast days, medical texts, and things like this. I tried to stop reading general histories after the year 1348, when my book takes place. As the narrator, I wanted to limit my foresight of what the future held—I wanted to know only what my characters knew as they were living it.
I was also super lucky and was able to spend a few months in Italy doing research in person. I went to Florence and other places that are important to the book, so I could get a sense of the geography, and discover all the little details you can’t learn from a book. One place that was a real highlight was the Palazzo Davanzati, a house museum in Florence that still has some 14th century interiors (albeit much restored). My protagonist, Ginevra, stays in the home of an abandoned noblewoman, and the Palazzo Davanzati was a huge inspiration.
Lastly, I read a lot of medieval literature like The Decameron and many old Italian folk tales to get a flavor of how people actually spoke to each other, and what types of stories would’ve appealed to people who actually lived in the 14th century.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It has been long, but incredibly rewarding! I first had the idea for Stone Witch back in 2014. Along the way there was a lot of revising, a lot of rejection, and quite a bit of imposter syndrome. For me it felt like landing an agent was the biggest hurdle. But once I signed with my agent, I just cannot heap enough praise upon her and her team for all the work they do. We did a lot of revising together before they felt the book was ready to submit to publishers, and this took about a year (mostly b/c I was also working a 9-to-5). But it paid off, because once the manuscript was out with publishers we were lucky to have a number of serious offers almost immediately. I remember the day I accepted the offer from Park Row—my daughter was just a few months old and I was home on parental leave. We didn’t have a babysitter so we couldn’t go out for champagne or whatever. My husband and I just walked our baby around the park for awhile going “holy sh***!” And then went home and ordered a staggering amount of Chinese takeout.
What’s next?
I’m working on book #2! It’s still very early days, but I will say it is set in NYC during the Gilded Age and will also feature a mysterious gemstone.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Recently I have really loved Nicked by M.T. Anderson—it’s another medieval story about the heist to steal St. Nicholas’s relics and it’s hilarious. Del Sandeen’s This Cursed House was also great if anyone’s looking for a spooky October read. I’m v. excited to get my hands on Katy Haye’s new book, Saltwater, and also, as somebody who obsessively watched Frontier House on PBS, I’m super intrigued by Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.
