The Enlightenment Show Interview with Mary Anna Evans

Welcome to The Enlightenment Show, Mary Anna! I’m so excited to have you joining us to talk about your upcoming book, The Physicists’ Daughter.

                ·       Can you give the readers a brief synopsis on what The Physicists’ Daughter is about?

The Physicists’ Daughter is about a young woman, Justine Byrne, working in a Rosie the-Riveter-style factory job during WWII. She has been alone in the world since she was seventeen, when her parents, both physicists, were killed in an automobile accident. While they lived, they taught her many things that women were not expected to know in 1944. She’s familiar with quantum physics and higher mathematics. She can weld. She can build and use a crystal radio set. Because of her unusual skills, she can see that her boss at the factory is lying to her. She and her colleagues are not building what they’re told they’re building. She can also see that someone is trying to sabotage their work. Justine can trust nobody. On her own, she’s going to have to find a way to stay alive long enough to stop a saboteur who could change the outcome of a world war.

             ·       You hold a Bachelor of Science in engineering physics and a Master of Science in chemical engineering, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. How has science and creativity expanded your horizons to understanding the mysteries within the world, yourself, and history?

 It’s obvious from the title that my physics degree contributes to my ability to write The Physicists’ Daughter, but it has actually always been a help to me in writing fiction. You come away from a science education with an engrained sense of cause-and-effect that is incredibly useful in developing logical plots. You ask yourself questions that help you build the plot piece by piece: “If this happens, then what happens next? Then, as a result, what happens after that?” This methodical mindset helps me build structures that will support my wildest flights of creative fantasy.

 As for how science and creativity have expanded my horizons, well…I don’t really see them as separate things. Science is an incredibly creative endeavor. Scientists, engineers, and mathematicians often describe problems as having “elegant” solutions, so there is an aesthetic quality to those fields that isn’t always perceived by others. The scientific process requires you to come up with an idea and then test it to see if it’s true, and the testing is worth nothing without the idea. Conversely, an idea will not result in a  book if I don’t sit down and methodically plan its execution.

           ·       Justine is a strong heroine who searches for answers and fights for what she believes in. Where did you draw from to create her character? What are things that you’re personally fighting for?

I’ve been fortunate to never have to make my way alone in the world. Justine’s character emerged when I wondered what it would have been like to lose my loving, supportive parents before I was ready to go out into the world alone. Would I have been strong enough to find a way to survive and even thrive, while still remaining true to my ideals of being kind and supportive to others? I created Justine as a way to explore that question.

What am I fighting for? Lots of things, but I think the thing that’s most pertinent to this conversation is related to my work as a university professor. I work with young people preparing to go out into a scary world. I try to equip them with writing skills and critical thinking skills, and I try to do it in a supportive and loving way. There’s a lot of me in the character of Gloria, Justine’s godmother, who has taken that role in the lives of Justine and of her students.

         ·        Did you experience any moments of creative sabotage as you were writing The Physicists’ Daughters? What did you do to shift the creative energy?

Well, there’s nobody in my life who sabotages my work, and I know this is not true for everybody, so that’s a blessing. The realities of life, however? The day job, the need to do laundry, the need to take care of my physical self? Those things do interfere with my creative work, although I’m not sure I’d call them “sabotage.”

Like anyone working in the arts, I can sabotage myself. I always become convinced halfway through a book that it’s terrible and that nobody will want to read it. However, I know that I’ve felt this way and then gone on to finish books that now make me very proud. I’ve learned to trust the process.

          ·       What are some things you love most about Justine?

Her capacity for love.

Her loyalty.

Her willingness to be true to herself, even if it means she’s out of step with the people around her.

Her courage.

          ·       What kind of research did you do to bring in the history of WWII in your story? Did you know anyone who took part in the war during that time?

I’ve never spoken to anyone who served in their military about their WWII, but that’s not actually what this book is about. It’s about the women who stayed behind, and I have known women who did that. They worked in jobs like business and nursing, and they spoke of feeling valued and needed. One of them admitted to bitterness over losing her independence when she left her job after the war in order to marry. I think we underestimate the relationship between those women’s experiences and their daughters’ later activism in the Women’s Movement. Actually, the women of the WWII generation participated in that movement, as well, but they’re sometimes forgotten in favor of the younger women who were often the face of it.

•  What unsolved mystery would you like to explore and understand more about?

If I’d stayed in physics, I’d have liked to do research in an area like nuclear fusion, which has the potential to address the climate crisis and help us shake our addiction to fossil fuels. My master’s thesis involved work on burning coal more cleanly as a means of addressing the acid rain problem, so I’ve always had an interest in environmental issues.

•            Do you know how to weld? If you could weld, what would you choose to work on and why?

No, I don’t know how to weld, but my father did. He bought a couple of used welding machines when I was a small child and I remember being around (at a safe distance) when he used them. I remember the rods and the bright, bright electrical arc, and that helped me write the scenes where Justine welds. He welded some things for the house—some andirons, some gates to screen the fireplace, and a decorative support for the mailbox—and I think I’d do some projects like that because my husband and I would see and use them on a daily basis.

            INNER CHILD SEGMENT

•              What scent would you prefer to smell most?

I once read that the scent of mother’s milk includes a note of vanilla. I also once read that, though the formula of Coca-Cola is secret, it includes a note of vanilla, unlike other cola drinks. I greatly prefer Coke to Pepsi and other colas, so it must be the vanilla flavor that speaks to me. I find it fascinating that vanilla comes from the seed pods of an orchid. I mean…who looked at that flower and thought, “I bet if we extract the flavor from those pods with alcohol, it will transform the world of ice cream!” For all these reasons, even though I adore chocolate, I’m going to have to go for vanilla as my favorite scent.

•                     What was a mystery you tried to solve as a kid or teen?

The woods behind our house were a kind of archaeological site. There were arrowheads and there were pits where I believe the flint for those arrowheads were mined. There were remnants of the logging operation that cleared the area of virgin pines in the early twentieth century. There was an old house site, complete with an abandoned trash pit. My mother had a gift for finding flint tools and old bottles and such, but I, alas, did not. I gave this gift to my archaeologist character Faye Longchamp and then I wrote thirteen books about her.

                 ·       Did you enjoy science as a kid? What was your favorite thing about it?

I did! I’ve just always been curious about how things work, and that’s what science is all about.

                ·       What’s the oddest food combo that you’ve liked and tried, or just tried?

My father made this thing he called “Snacky-whacks.” He’d smear saltines with peanut butter, top them with marshmallows, and then toast his creations. The combination of the smoky sweetness of the toasted marshmallows, the salty crunch of the saltines, and the sweet, salty, earthy flavor of the warm peanut butter is unbeatable!

                ·       What advice can you share with our readers about living a joyful life?

Pay attention. I have a terrible habit of concentrating on abstract goals, like writing my books, and forgetting to look up at the stars or down at the grass or across the table at my loved ones. But my books are better when I notice the world and put it into my stories, and everything in my life is better when I’m happy. The stars, the grass, and the people I love make me happy.

               ·       Where can the readers connect with you? Where can they find your book?

Website: Maryannaevans.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryAnnaEvansAuthor

Twitter: @maryannaevans

Instagram: maryannaevans

You can find my books wherever books are sold, including:

https://bookshop.org/books/the-physicists-daughter/9781464215551

https://www.amazon.com/Physicists-Daughter-Mary-Anna-Evans/dp/1464215553/

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-physicists-daughter-mary-anna-evans/1140035236

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Physicists-Daughter-Audiobook/B09VCW21968\

Thank you so much for being with us, Mary Anna. Congratulations on the release of The Physicists’ Daughter!! It’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know you.