Mitzi Zilka is an acclaimed historical fiction author whose works range from novels, screenplays, and television pilots to movie trailers and short stories. Recently, in the Fall of 2017, she released the audio recording “A Jazz Life: My Encounter With Miles Davis” which aired numerous times on NPR. She is currently hard at work on her next novel Young Heroes which is slated for release in 2023. Interviewers have been able to gain insight into Mitzi’s artistic process as she takes them through a journey of what it takes to create an unforgettable story. From getting inspired by a character or theme to showcasing meticulous research, Mitzi is devoted to ensuring that each piece has its own unique voice and message. With great enthusiasm, Mitzi is eager to continue the conversation with her latest work Young Heroes. Interviewers will have ample opportunity to discuss this exciting new story and her journey as an author when it’s released in 2023.
Mitzi Zilka is a sought-after historical fiction author who has created many unforgettable works of art ranging from novels, screenplays and television pilots to movie trailers and short stories. Interviewers have gained valuable insight into her creative process and are eagerly awaiting the release of her latest novel Young Heroes in 2023. With great enthusiasm, we discussed this upcoming work with interviewers around the world.
What is the PRIMARY benefit, above all others, that your potential reader will gain from reading this book? Water Fire Steam reveals life’s struggle in the 1880s during the industrial revolution, transforming a mining and logging boom town into modernity. Rolla, a civil engineer educated at Cornell University, dreamed of making a difference in the burgeoning country of America. Unfortunately, his naivety had him believing that people would play by the rules and shoulder their responsibility. It was hard lesson. Buy Now on Amazon
If you had to compare this book to any other book out there, which book would it be? Any book that takes a historical event and builds a fictional story around the people who experienced it, such as Jess Walters’ Cold Millions, could be compared. Being able to empathize and understand what was at stake and how people navigated that time’s plights and prevailing attitudes provides the reader with a clearer perspective. What I find fascinating is which attitudes of yesterday have changed and which persist today. What do those attitudes say about today’s society and the evolution humans are slowly charting?
Hundreds of thousands of books come out every year. Why should someone buy THIS book? To my knowledge, there has never been a book devoted to the Great Fire of Spokane or a fictional account of the people it impacted. Likewise, a book has never laid out the city’s decisions before the fire or its rebuilding efforts afterward.
Who is your target audience? Anyone who loves historical fiction, particularly stories of the late nineteen century, would enjoy this novel. Told from a man’s point of view, it leans toward the male audience, but Sadie’s journey speaks to women of today, the fight for independence and an equal voice. The book contains very little profanity, and the sexual scenes are not explicit, making them appropriate for middle school readers up mature adults. Geographically, people of New York and the western United States would appreciate this story.
Did your environment or upbringing play a major role in your writing and did you use it to your advantage? I was born in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and, as a kid, took many car trips to the outer reaches of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Northern California. With nine children in tow, my parents took us hiking on the many trails, particularly in the Columbia Gorge and the great waterways of the PNW. My father was a Merchant Marine in World War II and shared his love of live water. Consequently, my memories are colored by a deep love of the area and its people. The smell of moist moss growing on trees and rocks, the pine-scented air, and the abundance of new air created from the forests will forever be in my olfactory. Its presence is undeniable, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
So many families are reluctant to talk about the hardships of their lives. My own grandmother bristled whenever the story of the great fire of 1889 was brought up. I sometimes wonder if scapegoating has become a part of our family psyche.
Tell us your most rewarding experience since publishing your work? I researched the story for five years; and in that time developed a connection with my great-grandfather and mother (Rolla and Sadie Jones) that I didn’t have before. Going in, I wasn’t sure if Rolla was innocent, but the more I read and pieced the details together, the truth revealed itself. Family archives can be a rich source of storytelling. I took one thread, followed it, and it turned into a full-blown narrative that has changed me forever. I know better where and whom I came from and am thankful for it. You can order a DNA report, but it is a very different set of facts when you begin excavating your family stories.
How would you describe your writing style? I write to illustrate a scene, to bring the page alive with careful language choices and sensory details, but most of all, to explore the character’s inner life. That, to me, is the writer’s primary job. Writers that can do that fill me with awe.
Are your characters pure fiction, or did you draw from people you know? My characters are pure fiction. They pop into my head and I write them in. Sometimes I imagine what they might look like, an actor, or someone I know, but I stay away from writing living characters. However, I try to put myself in their shoes by imagining how someone of that age, gender, education, and challenges might feel. I often check in with people of that demographic to see if I am on the right track. I want to be honest and genuine. No stereotypes are allowed.
Are you more of a character artist or a plot-driven writer? It’s a mix, but the real inspiration comes from the protagonist. A character can be very demanding, and I try to listen closely.
What do you hope to accomplish with your book other than selling it? I challenged myself to write a novel that was good enough for people to want to read, and that story could launch a writing career. Writer’s to me are powerful, insightful people. They reflect our world in a way that changes us or opens our minds and hearts. They feel significant ownership in storytelling demanding them to share. I’ve seen myself as a writer for most of my life, but was too timid to claim it. This book is me showing up for my dream.
How can our readers get in touch with you?
https://www.instagram.com/zilkamitzi/#
mitzizilka@mitzizilka – twitter
Water Fire Steam
The year is 1884. Rolla Alan Jones, an ambitious dreamer fresh out of an East Coast engineering school, is commissioned to design and build the first water system in Spokane Falls, Washington, a booming town of twenty-thousand. He is everyone’s golden boy for five years until the city burns down on August 4, 1889. The once-celebrated engineer is scapegoated for the catastrophe alleging his system yielded inadequate water pressure. Asked to resign, betrayed by his friends, shunned by the community, and abandoned by his pregnant wife and three-year-old son, Rolla must find the strength to reinvent himself or return to New York as an abject failure. Based on a true story, Water Fire Steam is a story of forgiveness and redemption for anyone who has ever had to claw their way back from an unwarranted accusation.
“The initial inebriation snuck up on me with a tickle. Light as a gossamer of steam, I floated about the room, hearing music from every direction. Giddiness suddenly pounced in like a puppy at play. The world was right once more—everything moving in a dandy direction. Laughter bubbled up in me as I moved around the house. Shrieks, whoops, howls, hisses—hysterical laughter flooded in from voices outside my head. They laughed at me. I cackled back. They laughed more. I tee-heed. Everything sounded uproarious until the whisper of Sadie’s ghostly voice fell over me.”
Where can our readers purchase your book? Where ever fine books are sold including: Ingram Spark, Buy Now on Amazon, Apple Books and independent booksellers.
NorthBank Books, Books on Broadway, Auntie’s Books, Annie Bloom’s Books, Jan’s Paperbacks, Waucona Books, Powell’s Books, Klindt’s Books, Barnes & Noble, and Fork Vancouver Library systems.
