Spotlight On: Elodie Harper
We spoke to the wonderful Elodie Harper, whose novel The Wolf Den will be released May 13th.
Inspired by the women of the ancient city of Pompeii, you can pre-order Elodie’s book from Waterstones and Amazon.
The Lupanar in Pompeii is the only surviving brothel from the ancient world and the most (in)famous building at the site. My book The Wolf Den reimagines what life might have been like for the five women who worked there. It's an adventure told mainly through the central character Amara, as she struggles to win her freedom, meeting a host of colourful characters on her journey through Pompeiian society. It's the first in a trilogy and the title comes from the Latin word 'Lupanar' which translates both as brothel and wolf den.
Your novel reimagines a setting that is famous for its tragedy – were there any parts of your research that particularly surprised you?
The crucial aspect of writing about Pompeii for me was absolutely forgetting that the place was wiped out by an eruption. There are no doom laden references to Vesuvius lowering in my book, because nobody in 74AD even knew it WAS a volcano. In my research I was far more interested in the wealth of material which tells us about how the people in the town lived, rather than how they died.
What surprised me in my research was visiting the site and the museum at Naples and seeing just how much remains - beautiful frescos, daily objects from make-up boxes to glassware, mosaics and fountains. Walking down a Roman street, wandering into a two thousand year old house - this experience was unbelievably special for me. Though I was really taken aback by how much sexual imagery there is everywhere - carvings of penises in a bakery for instance - and also I was unprepared by just how evocative the brothel itself is, as a surviving space.
What has been a highlight of the publishing process so far, and what are you looking forward to?
Researching and writing the novel has been the best part. I think honestly, the actual publishing part of the process can be so unpredictable and nerve wracking (Will this sell? Will it be reviewed?) that it's really essential to get as much joy out of the creative process. That said, an absolute highlight was getting the news that Waterstones are publishing their own exclusive edition of the novel. This will include material I wrote on the real Lupanar, and what we know of the real women who worked there, and I'm just so thrilled I can share that with readers. Seeing the finished cover and getting a physical proof were also emotional moments.
What was your journey to gaining representation like, and what advice would you give to writers who are submitting to literary agents?
My journey was much shorter than I imagined. I sat on my MS for MONTHS, terrified it was rubbish, then I went on maternity leave, submitted it to my favourite agent (Juliet) and got a reply the same day. I was so shocked I think I was mostly silent on the phone, something that has never happened in my conversations with Juliet since.
I realise this makes me sound quite annoying, because I'm aware many brilliant writers get rejected by multiple agents before finding the right one, but my advice would still be to do lots of research. So find out who an agent represents, what they are looking for (that's the key info), and also - do they seem like someone you would get on with even if they weren't your agent? The writer/agent relationship is the most crucial one you will form in your career, it's so important that you pick somebody on the same wavelength. At Mushens Entertainment many of the writers end up becoming good friends with each other (I've found everyone AMAZINGLY supportive) and I think that's indicative of how Juliet, and the rest of the team here, work.
What are you working on at the moment? / What are you writing next?
I'm currently writing another novel set in Pompeii - The House with the Golden Door - which is the sequel to The Wolf Den. I can't really say more without giving away any spoilers!
