Local Author Profile:

Barbara Bérot

profiled by Aimee LaBrie

What began as a fictional rendering of Barbara Bérot’s five month European journey in 1972 has developed into a book series that spans across Scotland and into the French Pyrénées Mountains. Bérot’s self-published and critically-acclaimed debut novel, When Europa Rode the Bull, is a novel about love, commitment, and passion that traverses two continents. Its success inspired Bérot to embark on the sequel, the recently published Lies & Liberation: The Rape of Europa. And she is not finished with her characters yet. Already in the works is a third book in Bérot’s intriguing and complicated series.

Q: What are the biggest challenges in writing novels that you will be developing into sequels?
The biggest problem with writing sequels is keeping your story straight; I have newfound respect for pathological liars and wonder how they manage it day by day. But in fact, the characters are so real to me it’s relatively easy to imagine their lives and convoluted relationships. And no, I don’t map out their story, I simply try to make them as multidimensional as possible and then follow their lead, although it sometimes takes me into murky waters. And that’s where we’ve gone with the second novel; I’m afraid I’ve disturbed some fans who where hoping for a tidy, more comfortable ending with this one.

Q: Place is very important in your fiction. How does setting/location enhance the plot for you?
Place is as important to me as character. St. Andrews, for example, is to me a living organism, vibrant and alive with history and culture and personality. Effectively communicating that to the reader—capturing its essence—was essential to the story, because I needed the reader to fall in love with the town just as Annie did. And this is one of the things that people tell me they most enjoy about my writing: that intense experience of place.

Q: Where and when do you do most of your writing?
I’m fortunate enough to have an office in our 200-year-old farmhouse, with views of the pond and garden, and I can only really write when there is no one else in the house. After 25 years as an R.N. working in big city hospitals, I have retired, so I’m able to devote as much time as I like to writing. That said, I still struggle with distractions, and there are never enough hours in the day.

Q: The Philadelphia Inquirer has written that your work is lightly veiled autobiography. Is this true? If so, to what extent is your writing based on experience and how much of it do you invent?
When you read about Annie’s life in the seventies and her journey to Scotland , you’re essentially reading about me as a young woman. But everything beyond that time is fiction, and writing that bit—the fiction—was worlds easier, because some of the memories from my youth were exceedingly difficult to revisit.

Q: What advice can you offer beginning writers who are struggling with their work?
Get feedback from someone you respect who knows good writing, and get involved with the many writing workshops and courses available in the area. And never, ever skimp on the editing; it’s in many ways the most crucial part of the whole process. I remember what James Rahn, the director of the Rittenhouse Writer’s Group, told me when I finished my first draft: “Congratulations. Now the hard work begins.”

Q: Who are some of your favorite authors and how do they influence your writing?
I stand in awe of Flannery O’Connor’s stories; what an incredible talent she was! The social commentary in Dickens’ works combined with his gift for creating unforgettable characters makes him one of my favorites, and I enjoy the brooding, existential musings of Camus. I can also admit unashamedly how much I loved du Maurier’s Rebecca: dead from beginning to end but deliciously present in each and every detail. Of course, whenever I need a shot of excellent dialogue and exquisite use of the English language, there’s no one like Jane Austen.

Q: Your work is not only emotionally powerful, but it also contains detailed historical details as well as intertwining many classical elements. How much research do you have to do to write one of your novels?
Although I write fiction, I do research, because I like to be as accurate as possible with the details. I think that making the effort enhances the fiction, and my character Andrew—with his ancient, aristocratic lineage—demands the ring of truth.

Q: Can you give readers any hints as to what the novel will be about?
I have introduced a new character: Valentina. She intrigues me, because I think she will be the key to unraveling some mysteries. I am also bringing back a much-loved character from the first book. This is the fun part, the time when the story unfolds, when I wake up in the morning excited to see where the characters will lead me today. And as I think of it now, this is likely why I need to be alone when I’m writing; it’s such special experience, it’s almost as though I don’t want to share it with anyone—at least, not yet.

Aimee LaBrie's stories have been published in many literary journals. She recently received the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction, which will publish her short story collection in December. Aimee serves on the Philadelphia Stories Planning & Development Board.