Interview & Contest With Danielle Trussoni

March 11, 2010 in Author Interviews

I’d like to welcome author Danielle Trussoni to Writings of a Wicked Book Addict, Danielle’s first fiction book Angelology  (out March 9) has gained a lot of attention (7 publishing houses vied for the publishing rights, while two motion picture companies bid for the movie rights) and I am pleased that she took the time to answer some questions for me! 

WLP: I’ve read that for research for Angelology you stayed in a convent, can you tell us what a normal day was like there?

DT: The daily life of the nuns at the convent that I visited was—as best as I could tell-very orderly, with the various duties of the convent divided between them. One thing that I became fascinated with during my stay there was the way that the sisters performed perpetual adoration. Sisters would pray before an exposed host in a chapel and then they would be replaced by new sisters each hour. This prayer has been going on for over one hundred years.

WLP: Why did you choose to make one of the lead characters a Nun?

DT: Evangeline is a 23 year old nun whose parents left her with the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. A convent seemed like the perfect place for Evangeline to be educated about angels while being sheltered from the world at large. There is seriousness about Evangeline that is also perfectly aligned with her role as a nun.

WLP: How did you research (other than staying at the convent) for angelology, especially the biblical mythology

DT: I spent a lot of time in the library, reading primary and secondary biblical texts. I think that my favorite way of doing research, however, was in looking at art that depicted angels—Fra Angelico, Raphael, Botticini. Renaissance painters created lovely images of angels.

WLP: Reading about Abigail Rockefeller had me googling to see if she was in fact a real person, how much of your book is rooted in fact?

DT: I was very interested in mixing reality with fiction so that the reader comes to fully believe in the world I’ve created. The supernatural elements of the story would not be at all interesting if the setting didn’t feel solid and tangible.

WLP:Can you tell us why you used Abigail Rockefeller in the book?

DT: First of all, I love Abigail Rockefeller’s achievements. She was an ardent collector of modern art, a philanthropist and a mother. Her social position gave her access to some interesting locations in New York City, and I knew that I would like to use some of those locations in the book. So bringing in a fictional Abigail Rockefeller was a way to include an interesting character and help develop plot simultaneously.

WLP: Angelology takes us to many different places in the world. Did you visit them all? Which was your favorite to visit?

DT: Yes, I’ve been to all the places that are used as locations in Angelology—Bulgaria, New York, Paris. I lived in Bulgaria for nearly 4 years and love it there. And of course I enjoyed visiting Paris. But there is something about New York City that is special.

WLP: You are currently living in the South of France writing the sequel to Angelology, can you tell us a bit about the sequel?

DT: The book I’m currently writing is called ANGELOPOLIS and it is a love story between Evangeline and Verlaine. There is an element of historical mystery and adventure to the story, but at the center of this novel you’ll find two beings who are trying to understand how to love each other.

I want to thank Danielle for taking the time to answer some questions for us. I found a really cool interview about her playlist for Angelology here.

Danielle’s publicist, Lindsay Prevette of  Viking Penguin, has offered to giveaway a signed hardback edition of Angelology here. 
 Just answer the following question: Vampires or Angels (why)?

Contest ends on Friday March 19 @ 11:59 EST

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