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- Author interview - |
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 Interview with Jane E. Hartman, ND, PhD, DIHom, DHM, an award-winning writer and ordained minister who holds graduate degrees in health sciences, naturopathy, homeopathy and anthropology. A former college professor, she has written fourteen books including Radionics & Radiesthesia, Cougar Woman, and Shamanism for the New Age. She presently lives in Placitas, New Mexico. This interview is reprinted with permission from Aquarian Systems Publishers.Feature arranged by Bev Walton-Porter. We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Dr. Hartman to discuss her latest, a perfect summer read entitled Hatchet Harbor (Aquarian, September 1999). Your new book Hatchet Harbor seems to be a different genre for you. Is this your first piece of fiction that takes place in Maine? What was your inspiration for writing this story? Yes, Hatchet Harbor is my first piece of fiction that takes place in Maine. I lived in Maine for more than 30 summers. I also lived in Maine for at least three full years. The inspiration for writing this book comes from observing Maine people. I like them - they are solid and hardworking folks. Another reason for writing about Maine is my love of the wildlife and the rugged beauty of its coastline. What is this fictional piece all about? It's a fun-filled Maine coast adventure. There's an old-fashioned love story - vivid descriptions of nature, wild life and the ecology - and a plea for saving the environment. As you read about each character's history and involvement, you'll begin to understand the mistrust that is brewing in this little fishing village. Love of nature collides with human greed as locals and 'summer people' take sides in a brewing environmental conflict. Hatchet Harbor takes place in the 1970s. Is there a particular reason why you chose this setting in time? It was in the 70's that an explosion of real estate began happening in Maine. The long time summer residents began seriously looking at Maine with a fondness of sorts. Why not live here year round? The older folks decided to retire there. And then young couples were looking to get away from the city life and raise their families in a more rural setting. I also just happen to like the 70's and decided that this would be a good setting for my story. Your book contains beautiful descriptions of wildlife in Arizona, as well as in Africa in other locales. How did you manage to weave these locales into a book that takes place in small town New England? And for what reason? I've been to all those places. The environmental issue helped in weaving all of these locales together. I wanted my lead characters to show a breath and width of knowledge about environmental issues that were taking place globally. It was important for me to give depth especially to the leading character, Ab Parks. The story portrays Ab as an educated man. He was born and raised in Maine, yet he chose a college outside of Maine and went out into the world for further research and work. In the story he has returned to his hometown and is a lobster fisherman. But as the story unfolds we find that he's much more than that. Hatchet Harbor is also a love story. Did you base the main characters on people you know? The main characters in Hatchet Harbor are a figment of my imagination. The characters are built on years of observation. I take a little bit from one person I may have seen or met from my distant or near present past and mix it with other people's behavior patterns and style. It's great fun to come up with a fictional living, breathing and believable character - an author gets to decide on so many details. For instance, I chose the name Luise for the female main character's name simply because I liked it. Your characters are very believable and diverse. Do you identify yourself with any of them? Who's your favorite character in Hatchet Harbor? I like all of the characters in my book for different reasons. I suppose if I was to become friends with - or take on an identity with one of them - it might be with Lila. She travels all over the world filming, forever in pursuit of unspoiled landscapes and wild animals in their natural habitat. It sounds like such an ideal life. Who is your main audience for Hatchet Harbor? What would you hope for its readers - environmentalists or simply readers who want a good adventure? My main audience would be simply all adults. It's a fun read and that's what I hope readers will get from it. I want them to finish the story, smile - and feel that they've had an enjoyable read. Do you have a new book coming out soon? Tell us a little about your writing process. I'm working on several ideas - I always am. One which may surface is another book on radionics, and there may be another Indian story coming up. I'm also writing another piece of fiction. I begin work each day around 6:00 a.m. I have a studio upstairs in my house and my desk faces the majestic peaks of the Sandias. This is where I sit, think and write. I take a break around noontime for a bite to eat and then my dog, Babe, and I go out for a nice long walk. I'm back to work again in the afternoon. It can take me several years to write a book. It's because I often write more than one book at a time. I'll put one down and perhaps not come back to it until months later. There is one book, The Cougar Woman, that I wrote straight through in just four weeks. I had previously done a lot of research on Indians, but in a way, it was purely psychic - it just spilled out. This interview is reprinted with courtesy of Aquarian Systems Publishers. |
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