Interview with Beneath A Marble Sky author John Shors

John Shors
www.beneathamarblesky.com/
Publisher: Penguin Group

Heather: Why the story of the Taj Mahal? I've been lucky enough to spend a great deal of time in Asia and have been powerfully influenced by its history, as well as the sights, sounds, smells, and customs found today in that part of the world. For a decade I've wanted to write a novel set somewhere in Asia but waited to find the right story-or rather to have the right story find me.

John: In 1999, my wife and I were traveling in India and of course made it a point to visit the Taj Mahal. We arrived at the mausoleum as soon as it opened to the public and were the first people there that day. Walking within its chambers, hearing our voices echo in the same manner as voices did hundreds of years ago, and touching its sculpted walls was an overwhelming experience. Seeing the wonder of the Taj Mahal, and understanding that a man built it for his wife-a woman he cherished above all else in life-was uniquely inspiring. Indian poets have been writing about this love story for centuries. And yet, not many people in the West know the tale. I realized that I had to tell it. Quite honestly, I was amazed and delighted to discover upon my return to America that no one in the West had ever fictionalized the story.

Heather: What impressed you most during your research?

John: The period that I wrote about was so advanced when it came to the arts. Poets and painters and architects were celebrated on a very profound level. The Taj Mahal blends elements of the greatest of such artists together into one wondrous sight. Thousands of hours of thought went into the design of the Taj Mahal, and generations of visitors have benefitted from the brilliance and vision of those who created this monument. There's nothing quite like the Taj Mahal. It was designed to celebrate love, and it succeeds in doing so like nothing else I've ever seen.

Heather: What was your inspiration?

John: Well, again my personal experience of visiting the Taj Mahal inspired me to write Beneath a Marble Sky. So also did the fact that no one in the West had ever fictionalized the story. The story behind the Taj Mahal's creation is one of the great love stories the world has ever known, and yet until Beneath a Marble Sky came out, very few Westerners knew of this story. I felt blessed to know the story and I wanted to share this blessing with others.

Heather: One wouldn't think a thirty-something American male would want to tell a love story, especially in the voice of a princess; yet you did so perfectly. Did you have trouble doing so?

John: Let's just say that writing in the first person as a 17th-century Hindustani princess wasn't completely natural to me. Additionally, not only did I need to write convincingly as a woman from another place and another time, but I had to re-create the way in which Hindustanis spoke in general. Upon reading memoirs from that time, I quickly realized that the manner in which people spoke was much more formal than how people converse today. I wanted to capture some of this formality without getting carried away.

So, a great deal of work went into Jahanara's voice, as well as the other voices within Beneath a Marble Sky. I edited my novel fifty-six times. This number did not always sit well with my wife, as I was forever editing at night or during a much-needed vacation! However, I think that all of these edits allowed me to create consistent, unique voices within my novel.

Heather: How much truth is there to the tale?

John: Beneath a Marble Sky is a nice blend of fact and fiction. For the most part, my novel is based on fact. For instance, I depicted the royal family quite accurately. And I depicted the creation of the Taj Mahal and the civil war accurately. I did take two fairly significant liberties with Jahanara's character. However, besides these liberties, my novel is really rather true to fact. The events that I describe in Beneath a Marble Sky were so compelling (in real life, that is) that I really didn't need to fabricate much of anything.

Heather: How did you hook up with Penguin Group? Did you have an agent before the book was accepted?

John: Yes, my agent sold the rights to Penguin, and I've been blessed to work with some wonderful people at Penguin.

Heather: I hear there is a movie in the works. Can you talk about that?

John: Sure. Eriq LaSalle (Dr. Benton on "ER") liked Beneath a Marble Sky enough that he hopped on a plane and flew to India. Eriq's production company, Humble Journey Films, bought the film rights to Beneath a Marble Sky, and is developing my novel into a major motion picture. Fun stuff for a first-time novelist.

Heather: What's next for John Shors?

John: Right now I'm still heavily involved with promoting Beneath a Marble Sky. Beyond that, I've started thinking about my next novel. I have several ideas in mind, and now it's time to talk with my agent and my editor to figure out what novel makes the most sense. I am really looking forward to working on my next novel. It's been too long since I've written.

Heather: Your outreach to readers through book clubs is a fantastic promotional idea. How did this come about? Do you plan to continue?

John: I grew up reading several books a week, and always wanted to connect with authors on a personal level, but never really had the ability to do so. And so I promised myself that if I were ever able to get a novel published that I would go to great lengths to give readers a new experience. In the back of the Penguin version of Beneath a Marble Sky, I wrote a letter that invited readers to invite me to their book clubs. I included my email address (shors@aol.com). My program has been a huge hit. During the past six months, I've chatted with 300 book clubs. I've spoken with groups in the U.S., Canada, and even Africa. My program has gotten a lot of media attention, and was even featured on The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. My goal is to chat with 1,000 book clubs, and I'll reach this goal by summer's end.

Heather: Did you learn anything about yourself while writing this book? About women?

John: Yes, I learned many things about myself while writing Beneath a Marble Sky. I learned that my stubborness can sometimes be a good thing, as the publishing industry is so hard to break into! I learned that my belief in myself and in my novel paid off. And yes, I learned a great deal about women. For five years I put myself in Jahanara's shoes, and thought as I imagined her thinking. Many, many women have told me that they found Jahanara to be extremely believable, and I'm always delighted to hear this. It's about the best compliment I can get.

Heather: Anything else you'd like to add?

John: I'm very, very grateful for readers' support, and I'll do my best to continue to earn that support.


Biography:
Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, I now live in Boulder, Colorado. After graduating from Colorado College, I lived in Japan for several years. I managed to save up enough money in Japan to travel all over Asia, and finally returned to America. I then became a newspaper reporter and later a public relations professional. Beneath a Marble Sky is my first novel.
Books: Beneath A Marble Sky