Launch: Maren Halvorsen’s The Bailiff’s Wife
INTERVIEW BY KATHERINE KIRKPATRICK
Maren Halvorsen is a historian, and a former college lecturer and administrator. She has written for Chiron Review, October Hill Magazine, and Tidepools Magazine. She is currently working on a novel about Margaret of Anjou and the Wars of the Roses.
How would you describe The Bailiff’s Wife and its themes in a few sentences?
A body is discovered in a shallow grave outside a mid-17th-century English village, and a widow arrives in town claiming it to be the body of her husband. The story revolves around her efforts to recover his fortune and bring the murderer to justice. Though thwarted by fearful and suspicious villagers, Sarah finds allies in a local Quaker gentlewoman and an Anglican priest. The story reveals both the traditional hierarchy of village society and how women can utilize a different kind of power to achieve justice.
The opening scene in which the village priest exhumes Nathaniel Kidd’s body is riveting. How did you hear the story?
While researching my dissertation on 17th-century Quakerism at the University of Washington, I came across a remarkable broadside in a microfilm collection. The widow’s commitment to finding her missing husband was described in positive, almost heroic terms. In the end, my story bears little resemblance to the historical record, but I like to think that the spirit of that widow lives on in the figure of Sarah Kidd.
What kinds of research did you do for the novel?
My dissertation was on Isaac Penington the Younger, a leading theologian of the Quaker movement at that time. His wife, Mary Penington, interests me even more. Mary spent her life as a seeker, with an open mind and spirit. Her memoirs are fascinating. I liked her blend of a practical nature with a curious spirit. So, I made her, alongside Sarah Kidd, the central character of my novel: Frances Bright, a Quaker gentlewoman and healer.
What challenges did you face in your writing process? What encouraged you to keep going?
In 2004, I had just completed and defended my dissertation, and I was so ready for another project. I had always hoped to become a fiction writer, but I had a family and a very demanding full-time job as a teacher and administrator, so there were long periods (months, a year) when I put the project aside. I struggled to find quality time to work. Then I moved to a new house where I had a study and could shut the door. Also, I began to devote vacation time to the novel. Some of my fondest memories are of sitting on the shore of the Arkansas River in Colorado, writing, while my husband fly-fished upriver. I finished my first draft there. Best vacation ever.
Over the years, I took writing classes and workshops with Maria Semple, Charles Baxter, and Becky Mandelbaum, who taught me a lot about story and character. I submitted my initial chapter to the Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association literary competition in 2021 and was a finalist in the historical novel category. That, and the very useful and encouraging critiques I received from PNWA volunteers, motivated me to finish the novel.
Sarah Kidd’s outbursts add much drama to the story. Do you have any techniques to share about getting to know your characters and bringing them to life?
I draw from people I’ve known in my life and combine that with an awareness of the historical context, and how the world Sarah came from made her who she is. At times, I had to force myself to let go of the “real” person in favor of a character that was compelling in her own right.
I don’t write up biographies or personality sketches for my characters. I let them, at least some of the time, take the lead. It’s interesting how this can shape a novel. In my first draft of Bailiff’s Wife, Frances’ daughter Jane was a relatively minor character in the background. Goaded on by Sarah Kidd, she continued to grow and grow. I felt like my two characters were conspiring against me!
The novel is told from a range of perspectives. Discuss this literary choice.
The story, in this first iteration, began with Frances Bright. As I began to imagine and develop the story, Frances’s community and her world fleshed out the story. To show Sarah Kidd from both Frances’ and priest Arthur Brunskill’s points of view, as well as from her own, deepens and expands Sarah’s character. We begin to understand her actions and perhaps feel sympathy for her.
What life experiences have shaped your writing the most?
Growing up in a household with three sisters, I have always been fascinated by women’s relationships and the complexities of family dynamics. Additionally, having been raised in a generation influenced by Gloria Steinem and Ms. Magazine, I am drawn to stories of women’s independence and resilience.
You mentioned that you’re writing a novel about Margaret of Anjou. Tell us about the project.
Margaret was a woman of extraordinary ability. Raised to be a traditional wife and queen, she found herself in a situation where she had to step forward and lead. I am interested in that transformation. My first chapter has reached the finals in the PNWA annual writing competition.
What is the best writing advice you have to share?
When writing a historical novel, I believe that you can’t just tackle the research and then the writing: the two must be simultaneous if any progress is going to be made. Read widely about your subject, but do not become so immersed in the research that you never get around to writing. Trust your instincts, plunge in, and get some words on the page. Revise later and be ruthless with the “delete” key. A good editor (and a good relationship with that editor) can be a miracle-worker.
What is the last great book you read?
I recently discovered The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard. This sprawling, multi-generational epic has well-drawn characters and solid plotting. Her attention to the plight of women in a world built for men resonates with me and my own writing.
Thank you for the opportunity to talk about The Bailiff’s Wife!
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