Author Interview – Meg Hamand – Diamonds In Auschwitz

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, Meg Hamand discusses Diamonds In Auschwitz which illuminates love and hope amid unimaginable darkness, through the lens of a hidden diamond ring in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Written by JJ Barnes

www.jjbarnes.co.uk

I interviewed Meg Hamand about her life and career, the inspiration behind her new book, Diamonds In Auschwitz, and her creative writing process.

Tell me a bit about who you are.

I’m Meg Hamand. I’m a Hoosier (Indiana girl) through and through – graduated from Indiana State University, married my high school sweetheart, and (besides a short jaunt in Illinois) lived in northern Indiana my whole life. We have a 13-year-old daughter who is equally passionate about art/musical theatre and robotics, who keeps me very busy. 

When did you first WANT to write a book?

I’ve always wanted to write a book. My undergrad degree is in English and Creative Writing. When I was 10 years old, I started writing a memoir (in a Lisa Frank stickered notebook) about when I had my appendix taken out. It wasn’t very good. Not a lot has changed since then, except now my writing notebook has Hamilton stickers on it.

When did you take a step to start writing?

Before working on Diamonds in Auschwitz, I started to seriously get back into writing with a (hopefully, funny) mom blog called The Mom Fail. It was a lot of fun to write, as well as a great way to remember the funny and crazy things my daughter did when she was younger. I had to set the blog aside though when the idea for Diamonds in Auschwitz came to me. Since I have a fulltime day job, I didn’t have time to work on the blog and start a novel. 

How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?

I worked on writing Diamonds in Auschwitz for about a year and a half. Then the publishing journey (with a few missteps from a first-time writer) took another two and a half years. 

Focusing on your latest release. What made you want to write Diamonds In Auschwitz?

The idea for Diamonds in Auschwitz hit me like a bolt of lightning. I had read a nonfiction book that mentioned a woman had held on to her family heirloom ring through the Nazi occupation and her time in the Jewish ghetto. Determined that the Nazis wouldn’t get it, she dropped it into the mud as she entered the gates of Auschwitz. That image stuck with me. How would finding that ring – something so beautiful, yet useless inside a death camp – change your life? Could it wake you up? Give you hope? And how did it get there? What did someone have to do to hold onto all that time? Immediately, the characters Rachael and Hanna were created. 

What were your biggest challenges with writing Diamonds In Auschwitz?

My biggest challenge was self-doubt. There were so many times when I was frustrated with my own work – convinced I wasn’t doing the story or the characters justice. As I did more research, added more real events, introduced true people into the story, I stressed that the story wasn’t worthy of them. I wanted to create something that would help these people live on forever, but it’s so hard to see if your work is going to do that when you’re deep into it. 

Who or what inspired you when creating your Protagonist?

I was inspired by so many women who lived and died in Auschwitz and Terezin. During my research, I learned about Friedl Dicker-Brandeis. I just had to include her in my book so people could learn about her courageous story. When writing the little girl, Chaya, I was inspired by my daughter. Chaya is naturally playful, curious, imaginative – all the wonderful qualitied in my daughter. There are scenes where Chaya makes up little games in Auschwitz. Those games are heavily inspired by things I’ve watched my daughter do. 

Who or what inspired you when creating your Antagonist?

When writing World War II fiction, there’s no shortage of horror stories to read about Nazi atrocities. All the terrible things that happened to my characters at the hands (whether directly or indirectly) of the Nazis was based on research. I also read a lot about the citizens of Prague when Reinhard Heydrich governed the city. He worked hard to turn the people against the Jews by making their life better. In my novel, I wanted to show how that could affect long friendships between a Christian and a Jew during that time. 

What is the inciting incident of Diamonds In Auschwitz?

The story centers around the diamond ring. In chapter one, Rachael finds it in the mud as she’s working her shift in Auschwitz. Seeing something beautiful in such an awful place, plus the defiance of just picking it up and keeping it, wakes her up, jolts her out of the depression stupor she had been in since losing her family. In chapter two, Samual sees the ring (same ring, about two years prior) in a jewelry shop window in Prague. He realizes he needs it to propose to Hanna. It brings them together just as the Nazis are taking over the city. 

What is the main conflict of Diamonds In Auschwitz?

The main conflict of the book – physically – is survival. How do these people survive World War II, the Jewish ghetto, Auschwitz, the brutality of the Nazis? More importantly, though, the internal conflict is the idea – if no one knows I ever existed, did I? Rachael struggles with this the most, as her family has been lost to her before the novel even starts. She wants to die but worries that if she does, no one will ever remember the names of her family members. That’s a fate worse than death. Hanna and Samual say over and over “They can’t kill all of us.” I chose those words carefully, because even if the Nazis killed them, if something lived on (their memory, their artwork, anything), so would the people. 

Did you plot Diamonds In Auschwitz in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?

I’m definitely an outliner when it comes to writing. That doesn’t mean that the story didn’t take me down different paths or that research didn’t open up new ideas, but for the most part, I had everything outlined. I constantly went back to my original plot lines, updated them, moved things around, and then went back to writing. Since I can’t focus on writing as a full-time job, I really need an outline to keep me on track. 

Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did Diamonds In Auschwitz need?

I am eternally grateful to the editing team at Greenleaf Book Group! After writing the first draft of Diamonds in Auschwitz, I knew it wasn’t perfect. I knew it needed work. But I didn’t know where or how. When I worked through developmental edits, it was clear that too much of my story was taking place in Rachael’s head. The next draft (basically what you’re reading in the book) took a lot of those “off screen” scenes and made them front and center. For that, I had to add new characters for Rachael to interact with. My editorial team also gave me the confidence to change the ending a little bit. The ending in the book was what I had always wanted, but I wasn’t sure it was going to work. I’m so thankful they understood my vision and helped me get it to the version people are reading.

What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?

Write it. It’s like climbing a mountain. Don’t look back, don’t turn around. Keep moving forward. There are plenty of opportunities for you to change things, second-guess yourself and re-work it. If you allow yourself to get stuck perfecting one section, you’ll never make it to the top. 

Can you give me a hint about any further books you’re planning to write?

The next book is an (I hope) interesting mix of post-Revolutionary war, Charleston haunted legends, feminism and Shakespeare. 

And, finally, are your proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?

I’ve read Diamonds in Auschwitz, in the last year, seven times. Every time, I was unhappy with it. I found errors, parts that made me cringe, all the mistakes the harshest critic could find. Just a few weeks ago, though, I reviewed the audio version of the book. Having someone read my own words to me is a completely different experience. When the book finished, for the first time, I smiled and said to myself: “Good for you.” I think that was the turning point for me. Now, I truly feel proud of what I wrote. It’s certainly not perfect and it may not be for everyone. But I wrote it and I’m proud of that. 

Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3DM7vrs

Apple Audiobooks: https://apple.co/42h6ZuN

Kindle: https://amzn.to/447YhjI

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3Y1kz2L

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