IndieView with Michael Rose, author of The Sorting Room

I drew much from my own experiences on the family farm, and from a part-time job working at an industrial laundry during my high school days. I didn’t pattern any of the full characters from real-life people, but I was inspired by the life story of a man I knew who was born in the late 1920s. 

Michael Rose – 1 December 2021

The Back Flap

In Prohibition-era New York City, Eunice Ritter, an indomitable ten-year-old girl, finds work in a sweat shop—an industrial laundry—after impairing her older brother with a blow to the head in a sibling tussle. When the diminutive girl first enters the sorting room, she encounters a giant: Gussie, the largest human being she has ever seen.

Gussie, a powerful, hard-working woman, soon becomes Eunice’s mentor and sole friend as she finds herself entrapped in the laundry’s sorting room by the Great Depression, sentenced to bring her low wages home to her alcoholic parents as penance for her childhood mistake. Then, on her sixteenth birthday, Eunice becomes pregnant and her drunken father demands that the culprit marry his daughter, trapping her anew—this time in a loveless marriage, along with a child she never wanted. Within a couple of years, Eunice makes a grave error and settles into a lonely life of drudgery that she views as her own doing. She spends decades in virtual solitude before her secret history is revealed to those from whom she has withheld her love.

An epic family saga, The Sorting Room is a captivating tale of a woman’s struggle and perseverance in faint hopes of reconciliation, if not redemption.

About the book

What is the book about?

An epic family saga, The Sorting Room is the captivating tale of Eunice Ritter, a girl coming of age during America’s Great Depression, who was born to uncaring alcoholic parents and destined for a life of low-wage toil—a difficult, lonely existence of scant choices. The novel, which spans decades, shows how hard work and the memory of a single friendship gave the indomitable Eunice the perseverance to pursue redemption and forgiveness for the grievous mistakes she made early in her life.

Kirkus noted the protagonist as a “remarkable hero.” I believe the following excerpt from the review captured an important essence of the novel.

“…affecting and unpredictable story, unsentimental and unflinching.”

When did you start writing the book?

In 2006, at the beginning of my first novelistic attempts, I created the character Eunice Ritter, our protagonist. I wrote in blissful ignorance without any training or editorial feedback. The result was a rambling 1,100-page monstrosity.

How long did it take you to write it?

I wrote four more novels before I showed any of my work to professionals, who provided the sobering feedback which stimulated me to pursue the craft in earnest. By 2013, I had returned to that first lengthy manuscript, harvested the story of Eunice, imagined a separate novel, and completed the draft of The Sorting Room under a different working title. I invested about three years completing the novel, and then moved on to spend four years on another project. In early 2020, after years of study and work to acquire a modest level of craft, I sent my dusty version of The Sorting Room out for manuscript review to determine if the story was worthy of a major rewriting effort. After receiving encouragement, I rewrote the entire book during the first months of Covid-19 lock down. All told, I estimate that I’ve invested five years of my writing life into creating The Sorting Room.

Where did you get the idea from?

I drew much from my own experiences on the family farm, and from a part-time job working at an industrial laundry during my high school days. I didn’t pattern any of the full characters from real-life people, but I was inspired by the life story of a man I knew who was born in the late 1920s. He resembled a Native American, although he had been born to an American woman of German ancestry, whose husband was of Swedish descent. Both of his parents were reputed alcoholics and rumors about the child’s paternity cited an affair. As a youngster, he was shipped off to live on his maternal grandfather’s farm. His story offered inspiration for a fabricated tale with fictional characters. Additionally, I had a work colleague who had lived on a reservation when he was a kid. His white father was a teacher at the elementary school. His mother was Latina, and he considered her and the members of the tribal community on the reservation to be of common ancestry. His family story was my introduction to the connective roots of indigenous people throughout our western hemisphere.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Yes, my greatest challenge, and, in the end, where I garnered an unexpected writer’s thrill, was deciding how to handle the transition from Part I to Part II. For a debut novelist, I took risky stylistic leaps with a bifurcation that included a decades-long time gap and dramatic shifts in points of view (POV). I’ve always been interested in people’s back stories, so I wanted to begin the novel with our protagonist Eunice persevering through her difficult childhood. When we exited Part I, her character was a very young adult under assault by established antagonists. Readers see that she was being forced into life-changing decisions, and then we turn the page to Part II, where we next encounter her as a grandmother.

I chose the time jump and POV shifts—an inextricable combination—to offer readers triangulation on the character of Eunice. Readers of Part I were informed about her character via her own POV. Decades later, after the bulk of her hard life had transpired, we see through the eyes of new characters, her daughter-in-law Marie and her one granddaughter Rita, who both strove to understand Eunice as an enigmatic semi-stranger. In the beginning of Part II, these characters’ perspectives do not align with the character we knew from the early chapters. As the second part progresses, readers observe these new characters decoding Eunice and, in the end, arriving themselves at a level of empathy recognizable by readers of Part I.

My desire was to replicate experiences we all might recognize. Most often we have heard a cryptic back story of someone, while not knowing the internal story they’ve told themselves. A back story told by others is limited. A life lived can be shown as action and remembered as such by the protagonist of that life. If thus shown, it comes replete with the emotions of the person and is recalled in their own voice. It is their version of their story. My hope was to first empower the reader with the protagonist’s internal narrative, and then juxtapose that with the perceptions of characters who’ve only heard bits and pieces—some accurate, many not—from other people. I then worked to show the deepening understanding of and appreciation for a character whose reticence might be akin to a skittish animal wary of strangers. For Eunice, those strangers were in her own extended family.

What came easily?

Dedicating the time to ponder, plot, research, write, edit, and rewrite. Never during my working life in business had I enjoyed the journey. Writing is hard work, yet I’m drawn to it without resistance. After retiring from a business career, it’s been a gift to exert effort in pursuit of a long-held dream. There’s much to be said for delayed gratification if, one day, that gratification arrives.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

When it comes to inventing characters and their stories, my scale tips to the side of imagination. I do not tread near roman à clef, French for a novel with a key, a story overlaid with a façade of fiction. That said, I do borrow experiences and events from the real world, both from research and from my memories of people that I’ve known throughout my own life.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

In 1946, Wallace Stegner established the creative writing program at Stanford University. He lived and wrote in the town of Los Altos Hills, where I made my home for many years while working in Silicon Valley. His characters are flawed, as are we all. I find that, for me, his writing often hits straight to the gut.

When I retired from business, I sought the craft of novelist. Our figurative hearts are young when starting such fresh adventures. I read many instructional books about writing. Stegner’s book On Teaching and Writing Fiction (2002) was a particular gift to me as a late-to-the-party writing student. He wrote to and of the young would-be novelist. Stegner admonished instructors to remember that “these are young hearts you are treading on.” Welcomed words for an aged enthusiast, a student of creative writing, whose young heart beats within an old body.

Do you have a target reader?

I strive to create competent literary fiction. From my scant market research, that genre represents a mere six percent of the new fiction published each year. That’s a small slice of all new novels published, especially compared to romance, the genre that dominates the market with about seventy percent of the new fiction offerings. I don’t focus on commercial fiction, whether reading or imagining. So, I’d say my target reader enjoys literary fiction, and possesses a tolerance for gut-wrenching stories and characters who are flawed.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I slide into a new writing project without guard rails. Once I’m triggered by an idea, I’ll wallow in the joy of imagining without chastising myself to get to daily word production goals. Putting in the time at the keyboard is not a problem for me. However, I first give myself the freedom to play, take random notes, research to sate my curiosity, reject ideas, and jump around during the conceptualization of a full novel. Maybe this is due to writing being the only work journey I’ve enjoyed. In my business career, reaching the destination, the goal, had been an overriding obsession.

Once I’ve had my fun, hand scratched countless notes, met the characters I want to travel with, and drawn a perimeter around the targeted story, then I commence what I think most would see as the writing process. I will often write a scene that I know will be in the novel somewhere, somehow. That traction leads to acceleration and gets me to cruising speed. I will persevere through a scene or chapter until I’m exhausted and need some distance from those words. I then reward myself by drafting a new scene. When I’ve got the rough draft, I go to the beginning and edit to the end. Rinse and repeat. I enjoy this path although I’ve read many successful authors who view this technique with horror. I understand, but I’m not into torturing myself with discipline that turns back on me. If I need a break, I take one, but I seldom step away from the project at hand. If I want to work on a section out of sequence, I do so. But for the most part, I start at the beginning and work through the manuscript to the end because that’s enjoyable. Rinse and repeat, over and over, until I’ve determined it’s time to send the draft to a trusted professional for a manuscript review to see if I’ve missed important developmental edits. Then, I move on to securing the eyes and craft of a professional copyeditor.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I start outlining with a writing tool called Scrivener, which has wonderful features for layout, character briefs, and thought collection. I use the tool to set up chapter folders with wordy headings so I can see what each is supposed to accomplish. Under each chapter, I’ll structure folders for scenes; and under each scene, sub-folders where I collect new thoughts as I start writing the actual scene. From there, I’ll consolidate the writing and delete superfluous subfolders. I create a spreadsheet once I’ve a rough idea of my chapter layout. The spreadsheet tracks word count, so I can see on one page the balance inside the manuscript.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

As I mentioned above, I enjoy editing from the beginning. I work to limit the polishing work until I’ve got a rough draft of the entire novel. For the most part, once I’ve got a solid start to a particular section, I’ll edit it until I have a scene or chapter that’s close, yet I feel would benefit from some time and distance. When in the middle of a chapter or a scene, I’ll go over my words dozens of times. Before all is done, I’ll complete several major revisions of the entire manuscript from end to end.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Yes. I didn’t study literature at university and have never taken a creative writing class. I eschew exercises, although I wouldn’t argue against their efficacy. I’ve commissioned teachers/editors over the years who’ve taught me craft by our working together on my words. I’ve acquired a modest level of writing craft, but, as with my career in business, I will always solicit another set of eyes to review my words. Developmental editing and copyediting are, in my case, professional services required to finalize any project. As I worked to internalize the reasons for the pros’ edits, my writing improved. I wouldn’t consider publishing any words that have not benefited from these requisite skills that I do not possess. My goal is to eliminate the gravest errors, limit the work of editors, and become a better writer with every project.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Whenever I read or write, I usually sit in relative silence, or listen to instrumental pieces. I find that whenever I’m reading, the lyrics from background music worm inside my head and I can’t concentrate on the printed words before me. It’s impossible when I’m trying to find words for my own pages.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Not since I tried years ago and heard crickets. That was understandable given my lack of craft and naivete about the publishing industry.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

When, in 2019, I thought I finally had some work worthy of consideration, I decided to give the traditional approach another go. Since I knew few writers and realized I was not plugged into any writing communities, I attended the 2020 San Francisco Writers Conference in January, right before the Covid-19 lockdown. At the conference I confronted a few new sobering realities. I paid a fee to talk to a couple of agents, and I attended the agent breakout sessions. It was not encouraging given my lack of platform, age, background, education, much less my chosen genre of literary fiction, which represents about six percent of the new fiction published and sold each year. Then, I listened to Brooke Warner’s keynote speech about the industry and the new hybrid publishing models. I was intrigued and approached her to see if she’d take me on as a coaching client. Brooke read some of my words, accepted me as a client, and became my coach, editor, and publisher. As a retired businessperson with years of exposure to various business models and the evolution of varied market segments and technologies, I was drawn to the professional services model at the core of her hybrid offering.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

One of the professional services offered by Warner is book cover design. It was a collaborative process that yielded a cover with which I’m delighted.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I hired a publicist. Again, I find the professional services model very familiar. I’m still working to improve my writing craft. I’m thankful for the professionals with other skill sets that are so impactful in an end-to-end publishing endeavor. I’m not interested in replicating their skill set myself. I think it might well be the biggest challenge for indies. We writers all want to write. By enlisting compensatory skills, I’m relying on the pros who’ve already navigated inside this space.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

I believe writers can be stymied by the imposter syndrome or at least a simple sense that other writers are more brilliant, better educated people. Many are. Don’t fret about being the smartest, you’re not. You are a living human with a long history of experience. You already know enough to free yourself to create. Work then to become a better writer. Here’s a quote from a brilliant writer, clarifying what he had said about another author; one who happened to have changed the game for all of us. Both are favorites of mine and I agree with the sentiment expressed.

“I didn’t say Hemmingway was smarter than I was. I just said he was a better writer.”   Norman Mailer

Sticking to the man who changed the game, I recently read the short collection Ernest Hemmingway on Writing that had been culled from Hemmingway’s personal letters. The following quote reminds writers to seek help, don’t bog down, and, after suffering all the challenges and anguish of publishing, get back to the work you love.

                “Having books published is very destructive to writing.”   Ernest Hemmingway

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up on our small family dairy farm in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, noted with affection and misplaced pride by locals as “The Snow Belt.” It’s an area that gets more snow per annum than Buffalo.

Where do you live now?

San Francisco, California.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I’m a flawed person who draws from personal failure more than my good fortune and success. I delayed gratification with respects to writing as I thought it not a profession that would pay the bills. When I semi-retired from business, I began my pursuit of craft. I had no idea how long and challenging the journey would be. That said, it’s the first time in my working life that I’ve enjoyed the journey rather than simply driving hard toward any given destination. I write without worry if the result will sell. I do hope to be read, of course, but I’m not focused on commercial success. I’d be happy with a few strangers finding enjoyment in my words.

What are you working on now?

I have another completed novel which has been copyedited by the same skilled woman who copyedited The Sorting Room. I anticipate publishing that second novel in about a year after this debut. The working title is His Imagination About Her Past. It’s the story of an American woman, Coty Fine, a freelance photographer, who, as the book opens, is escaping Hanoi, Vietnam on the back of a truck during the French exit in 1954. In the opening scene, as she mounts the flatbed of the truck, which is idling before a crowd gathered in front of a convent, Coty meets her traveling companion, a young French priest who is about her own age. As they depart, she takes a photograph of a beautiful Vietnamese nun whose eyes are locked on the priest’s. The novel spans the remainder of Coty’s life and includes a mystery that dates from the moment she took the photograph of the nun.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of The Sorting Room from Amazon US or Amazon UK.