Fiction Scribe

Hello and welcome everyone.

Today we have a special interview and a first for Fiction Scribe. Today we are talking to Carole Schutter, the woman who wrote the book September Dawn which is based off the movie September Dawn.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Schutter. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.

I’m a romantic who has had the good fortune to live in romantic places. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii with its enormous diversity of culture filled me with stories from around the world and nurtured my love of history and the people who came before us. From there, I moved to Aspen, Colorado which is completely unique and different from almost any place on earth. Again, I experienced a world of glamour, excitement, and tragedy.

Now, at a time when most people are heading for retirement, I have finally jump-started the writing career I always dreamed of. Thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ, I became part of the 1.1% of all screenwriters that ever get a movie made. The book, by the same name, was based on the movie, “September Dawn.�

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

I “wrote� my first story at five years old. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a writer. But life got in the way.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your novel September Dawn. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

Based on an act Look Magazine calls one of the greatest crimes in America, “September Dawn� is the story of the daughter of a Christian pastor and the son of a Mormon Bishop who fall in love in an atmosphere of fear and hatred. The Mountain Meadow Massacre oddly enough occurred on September 11, 1857.

September Dawn started out at a movie. Could you tell us a bit about how you go about writing the novel version of a movie?

The screenplay worked as an outline for me, which was a good thing since I hate writing outlines. I’m the kind of writer who never knows what’s going to happen next because it just flows out of me. I’ve had people ask me what the ending is when I’m in the process of writing and I always say tell them I don’t know because I haven’t gotten to it yet. Writing the novel was quite different from writing the screenplay but equally as satisfying.

What kind of research did you do for this book? Was it hard to try to remain accurate for both the movie and for the actual event?

The facts surrounding the love story, the sermons and words of Brigham Young, Joseph Smith and many of the other historic figures were derived after tremendous research and cross-referencing with various sources. A lot of the evidence exists in the journals and confessions of various Mormans from a wife of Brigham Young to his chief assassin, the Danite Chief of Utah, Wild Bill Hickman. Then there are the confessions of John D. Lee, the only man executed for the crime.

We researched depositions, Congressional records, Presidential speeches, sermons preserved by the LDS church itself, newspaper stories, reports by Federal Court Judges, as well as documented and highly thought of history books by esteemed professors like Will Bagley who wrote, “Blood of the Prophets.� Because of the enormous amount of material available, the only difficulty was paring it down to the essentials and deciding what fit into the story. There was a lot of stuff we couldn’t put in because it would have otherwise turned out to be a five hour movie.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

I relate to several of the characters in different ways. I can feel the pain of Jonathan’s childhood, and the sorrow that leads him to idealize the woman he loves. I can relate to the agony of his trying to forgive the people he knew, loved, and respected who betrayed him so utterly. And I can relate to both he and Emily’s refusal to accept the religion they were raised in at face value. I know how it feels to question doctrine and the desire to make your own moral decisions. I can relate to love at first sight and the wonder and enthusiasm of it all.

What is your favourite part of the book?

Its hard to say. I suppose the end. When Jonathan’s daughter has a vision. I won’t spoil it for you, that’s all I have to say.

Are there any authors who have inspired you in your writing?

All the great historical novelists from Michener to Clavell to Follet inspired me from the first time I picked up historical novels. And some unknown authors did too when I was young. My first inspiration though, was Lang’s Fairytales.

What are you working on now?

I’ve optioned a romantic family movie about a historical character. She is a wonderful character and I write about her as a young girl and teenager. She is Granuaile O’Malley, otherwise known as the pirate queen of Ireland. She is my Pirate Princess. We hope to begin production sometime next year.

I am also redoing a historical family saga I started years ago called “The Ohana,� which means family in Hawaii. It covers three generations of three immigrant families to Hawaii. A Korean family, a Japanese family, and an Irish family. It is the story of how their lives merge against the backdrop of Hawaiian history, the Great Depression, World War II and the Vietnam War. Quite a project. Maybe someday it will become a mini-series, for now it is a novel.

What are your dreams for your writing?

I want to write movies and novels that inspire and move people. I am inspired by God, by life, and by injustice. My dream is to inspire others and to cause people to think.

If anyone finds enjoyment in what I write, or finds something profound that will change or better their life, or finds comfort, inspiration, or a kernal of knowledge that affects their thinking and/or world of feelings, then I have done what I was supposed to do and that is my dream for my writing.

When you’re not writing novels, what do you do? How do you find time to write?

I read inspirational Christian books and novels. I ski, I hike, I travel, I am very active. I write late at night. It is difficult for me to write well at any other time.

Do you have any advice for writers?

If you have a dream, persist, never give up. Too many people give up just before the miracle. Persistence is the only difference between many successful people and those who never achieve their dream.

Thank you very much for your time.

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If you liked this interview, check out my interview with dark fantasy author Jim Melvin