Delia Sherman and The Freedom Maze

In December, I had the pleasure of reading The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman. Published by Small Beer Press of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet fame, The Freedom Maze is the story of a young teenager who goes back in time only to discover that she is considered a different race in 1860. As someone who is currently writing a novel set during the U.S. Civil War, I was more than a little impressed by Ms. Sherman’s ability to describe plantation life in the antebellum South. I interviewed Ms. Sherman via email and posted the results to the Potomac Review blog in early February. Ms. Sherman was a delight to interview and to chat with via email. Among other things, she said that she had worked on The Freedom Maze for 18 years. Keep your fingers crossed that my Civil War novel does not take that long! People always say that writing is a lonely profession, but interviewing authors for the Potomac Review really helps me connect with other writers and, I hope, learn something useful or at least entertaining. The day before Ms. Sherman’s interview posted, Locus Online put The Freedom Maze on their 2011 Recommended Reading List. And three days after, Science Fiction Writers of America advertised Ms. Sherman’s Potomac Review interview as part of a “Quick Update” blog. I was in a bit of a swoon. What a nice slice of Ms. Sherman’s good news to be part of!