Julie Gerstenblatt on Daughters of Nantucket

Julie Gerstenblatt discusses the first pages of her debut novel, Daughters of Nantucket, how her agent encouraged her omniscient-voiced prologue, her use of repetition to prepare the reader for the “great fire” which becomes the ticking clock of the book, the pleasures of dramatic irony, and how authors might best represent points of view that are unlike their own in terms of race, sexuality, class, and time period.Gerstenblatt’s first pages can be found here.Help local bookstores and our authors by buying this book on Bookshop.Click here for the audio/video version of this interview.The above link will be available for 48 hours. Missed it? The podcast version is always available, both here and on your favorite podcast platform.Julie Gerstenblatt holds a doctorate in education in Curriculum and Instruction from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post, Grown&Flown, and Cognoscenti, among others. When not writing, Julie is a college essay coach, as well as a producer and on-air host for A Mighty Blaze. A native New Yorker, Julie now lives in coastal Rhode Island with her family and one very smart poodle. Daughters of Nantucket is her first novel. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com