Marie Benedict is one of my favorite historical fiction writers. I discovered her writing through The Other Einstein and have since read The Mystery of Mrs Christie, and more recently, Her Hidden Genius. It was a pleasure to be able to connect with an author that I look up to, so let’s get started!
Hi, Marie! Welcome to The Nerd Daily. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Thank YOU so much for inviting me — and for reading my work! Well, I confess to being a former lawyer; I worked as a commercial litigator in New York City for over a decade, but always knew it wasn’t what I was called to do. Eventually, I circled back to what I’d been passionate about since I was in middle school — the untold stories of history, particularly those about women. And now, I am fortunate enough to write novels that shine the light on fascinating women from the past who have left important legacies but about whom we know little.
I have learned about so many amazing women thanks to your books. How did you come to write about women from history?
Thank you so much!! Growing up, I never aspired to be a writer. I began instead as a voracious reader and avid user of the library, who had a wonderful aunt — who also happened to be an English professor and a rebellious nun — who was determined to expose me to the larger mysteries of the past and the different perspectives lurking in history. While she fed me a steady diet of phenomenal literature, it was Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon with its ground-breaking, female-centric telling of the famed Arthurian legends — in which the focus was on Arthur’s wife Guinevere and his sister Morgan le Fay — that really opened my eyes to the hidden world of women’s stories. I began asking myself how “history” is really fashioned, and I wondered why these women’s stories not part of the history I’d been told. I became fascinated with unearthing the unknown stories of women from the past
In Her Hidden Genius, Rosalind Franklin is a fearless scientist applying her knowledge to many fields in the sciences. What was the most challenging aspect of writing Her Hidden Genius?
The science!! I am not a scientist, so without a doubt, the most difficult aspect of writing HER HIDDEN GENIUS was getting a reasonable grasp not only on how the double helix structure of DNA was discovered by the scientific technique called X-ray crystallography but also the historical context of genetics and the early understanding of DNA. It presented significant difficulties but being able to tell the story of Rosalind Franklin was well worth it.
Her Hidden Genius comes at a time where RNA vaccines are a constant topic of discussion in households and social media. I enjoyed learning about Franklin’s discovery and thinking of how far we have come because of it. If you could meet Franklin today, what would you say to her?
I so appreciate your kind words. Oh, I have so many questions for Rosalind and things I’d want to tell her! First and foremost, I would like to thank her for the immense legacy she’s left for us — not only with her DNA discoveries but also, as you intimated, her research into RNA and vaccines, as they’ve has been crucial for understanding COVID and creating vaccines. Second, I would be curious how close my fictional Rosalind is to the real Rosalind, particularly her interior thoughts for which I used my imagination. Finally, I hope Rosalind might resolve questions around what she knew about the use of her research by Watson and Crick; she became good friends with Crick later in her life and had a professional relationship with Watson, and I wonder whether she knew and, if so, whether she simply forgave them. This last question was once I had to fictionalize in HER HIDDEN GENIUS.
What does your writing process look like? Do you research as you write or before you write?
The research is on-going throughout the drafting of a novel. I do a significant amount in advance to ensure the intrigue and modern issues of the woman’s life and the breadth of her legacy. Once I settle upon a particular historical woman, I then dive deep into the research for her world, exhausting whatever I can access in the way of original source material. At that point, I’ll then dig into both macro and micro details of her world — anything from political and cultural developments to the sorts of clothes worn in her time period and everything in between. But the research isn’t done then! As I write, there are always pieces of information I still need, and I always return to the sources.
All the women that you have written about inspire awe in their unique way. How do you choose the protagonists in your books? Were there any you always wanted to write about?
In terms of choosing a particular woman to serve as the hero of my novel, I do have a rubric of sorts. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to select a single women upon which to focus among the long, long list of women I keep? I’m looking for women who’ve made critical contributions upon which we rely in modern day but about whom we are largely unaware — and women who are struggling with very modern-day issues. There are so many women on that list I’d love to write about — that’s what propels me.
Turning to reading now, what are some books you love going back to?
Oh my goodness, while I’m always digging into new books, I do love to return to certain favorites, particularly when I’m looking for inspiration. Some of them are: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, The Hours by Michael Cunningham, Possession by A.S. Byatt, Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell, State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, Euphoria by Lily King, among them.
Do you read books that are similar in themes to the ones you write? What would you recommend readers to read if they loved your books?
I am drawn to historical fiction, although I admit that I can only read it when I’m not actively in the writing/creating part of my own process. There are so many incredible authors writing about historical women, and I can recommend the following (although there are so many more): Kate Quinn, Beatriz Williams, Lisa Wingate, Sue Monk Kidd, Pam Jenoff, Fiona Davis, Chanel Cleeton, Kristin Harmel, Patti Callahan, Lauren Willig, Kristina McMorris, Stephanie Dray, Renee Rosen, Erika Robuck, Natasha Lester, Jillian Cantor, just to name a few!
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I eagerly await your next book!
