Launch: Margaret Cotton’s The Radiance of Grace
INTERVIEWED BY LESLIE S. LOWE
Margaret Cotton is an author and lifelong storyteller who writes books she longs to read—stories of compelling characters facing complex moral choices. Rooted in both scholarship and curiosity, her research began with a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant for Independent Study. Margaret spent years researching female activism in seventeenth-century New England—a topic which eventually became The Radiance of Grace.
How would you describe this book and its themes?
In 1635, abuse that was meant to reduce their influence instead empowered three Boston women’s resolve to challenge injustice and demand liberty to have direct relationships with God through prayer and inspiration.
What attracted you to writing historical fiction?
A random library selection, a successful application for a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, and my own creative curiosity all merged within several months. I discovered the 1636 emotional human drama of women who deserved to tell their own stories, so a historical novel was the best genre.
Why did you choose seventeenth-century Boston for your story setting? What inspired you to write about this period?
Boston is where these real characters lived; it is where these unique ingredients were added to our heritage. The facts chose the setting. Only about half of state curriculum standards for high school students include early colonial history. Thus, the roots of our First Amendment are mistakenly credited to revolution leadership. The story of women and men who envisioned and pursued the same liberties in 1636 is often lost.
The Radiance of Grace is your second book. How is it different from Raised!?
Raised! is a true account of a toddler who drowned and was declared dead by multiple doctors. Eight hours later, he was instantly restored to complete health. Interviews with parents, witnesses, doctors, and inspecting hospital records and other legal documents provided reliable verification. Those sources differed greatly from the research required for The Radiance of Grace, which included rare books, dozens of historical societies or libraries, and the Internet. The different situations also had a common thread that characters learned to trust God and persevered when the future was uncertain.
What are you working on now?
I am waiting for the next great story to find me!
Does any part of your own life experiences connect with any character or events in this story? What difficulty did you have in writing this one?
God has prevailed in my own painful trials, with peace within the unchangeable and blessings in necessary adjustments.
How do you think or hope readers will connect with Mary Dyer, Katherine Scott, and Anne Hutchinson?
I hope that the light and lively narratives of courtship, marriage, and motherhood create inspirational friends. Boston, 1633 to 1663, had unique hardships, but there were also the same trials modern families face. These women are little-known American heroes. I hope The Radiance of Grace encourages us to search for our commitment to community, our confidence in God, and the price we are willing to pay for a more just society and nation.
Is there a key historical event you found in researching that inspired you to write this story to portray a key message that’s relevant now?
At the church trial’s sentencing of Anne Hutchinson, as the pastor begins shouting that she is to be banished from God’s sight and counsel and handed over to Satan, a wealthy, beautiful young woman rises and walks forward to stand beside and hold Anne’s hand. What had happened to give Mary Dyer such devotion and courage? The answers are more powerful than I imagined. In Boston 1660, Quakers claiming a personal relationship with Christ was a hanging offense. Fortunately, the women’s story does not end there! They deny the shame and create change. Our history is stronger than our myths.
What key message do you want to share with the world through this story?
Originally, all I set out to do was share the story of three women who are not included in many American history classes. It is a strong and encouraging account that affirms the historical reality of women’s contributions to the founding visions and values of our nation. Anne Hutchinson is still remembered as a rebel, and Mary Dyer is rarely remembered at all. Today I see their story as a cautionary tale that suppressing, erasing, or censoring history weakens democracy.
What are your writing habits to stay motivated and inspired? Do you write daily or keep a certain schedule? What helps you to get through writer’s block?
I am interested in emotional stories that involve complex moral decisions by flawed real people. Writing for me is an act of surrendering, losing any sense of time for sometimes eight to ten hours. After extensive research, I consider and examine the connections of events over prayer, coffee, walks, and discussions with my husband. In a sunny chair, surrounded by dozens of pages of notes and books, I let the characters and events have time to speak. I listen.
Every author has a publishing journey. Tell me about yours.
Thrilled by discovering the complicated and true stories of these three women, they remained companions over decades. After the death of my brother and turning seventy-three, I realized I had better get doing what is important to get done. I pulled out the research from the NEH grant and began again. I chose to self-publish for personal reasons. The publishing and marketing worlds have changed, and I think readers are equally drawn to many formats.
What advice would you give to other aspiring historical writers?
If you must write, write. If it feels like something you must do, do it without expectations of rewards greater than your own satisfaction, which is priceless.
What is the last great book you read? Why?
The New Testament. And then All the Light We Cannot See, which made me more empathetic to all victims of wars and to the power of small gestures of beauty and love. The multiple characters and short chapters also influenced both books.
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