May 22, 2023
Show Notes
Mary Dixie Carter, a journalist and author, talks about her journey after graduating from Harvard. She starts with her novel, The Photographer. The novel focuses on Delta Dawn, a disturbed woman who is the subject of the novel. Mary explains that she got the idea for the book when she hired a photographer to take pictures of her kids.
The photographer took photos of the children but the eyes in the photos were unnaturally bright blue. When questioned, the photographer said that there is no real color, which made Mary think about the photographer's point of view, and how the character could make the world whatever she wanted it to be. This later transpired to be a novel about a woman who is an outsider and wants desperately to be part of something.
The character in the novel is a photographer who inserts herself into a wealthy Manhattan family, and over the course of the book she becomes an integral part of the family. Her behavior is considered to be horrible, and it is suggested that her desperate desire to belong and her misplaced idea of what that means is the reason for this. The photographer ends up using the family and the family uses her, forming an awkward and fraught relationship.
Mary talks about how her characters are based on a combination of her own experiences and people she knows. She talks about how the creepiness of the book reflects the dark and disturbing side of human nature. Will and Mary discuss the importance of creating art that reflects a variety of experiences and perspectives.
Mary talks about the media she did for the book and the questions. She explains that she was often asked where she got the idea for the book and the character, in addition to questions about motherhood, and social media. She also talks about lying, why she is so interested in it, and how it is at the core of the book, as Delta Dawn lies to herself and actually believes the stories she makes up. Finally, she notes that we all come into contact with people who lie to themselves.
A Career in Acting and Journalism
Mary has had an interesting journey since graduating college. She moved to New York and auditioned for plays and studied acting, then moved to Los Angeles for a few years where she was cast in plays and classical theater. Eventually she moved back to the East Coast when her husband was accepted to Harvard, and she accepted her father's offer to work for his newspaper, The New York Observer. She worked there for six years until Jared Kushner bought the paper and she left. She started freelancing and wrote for various publications such as The Economist, San Francisco Chronicle and Chicago Tribune.
After becoming pregnant with her first child and her mother passing away, she decided to focus her creative energy on writing. She wrote a novel which was not published, and eventually put it aside before moving on and writing the book that became The Photographer.
Finding an Agent and Focusing on Writing
After a period of struggling to be published, Mary found a wonderful agent and is thrilled with the people at Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press who published her first book. She is currently writing her second book tentatively called Marguerite by the Lake, which has a bit of a Gothic feel, meanwhile, the first book is being developed into a TV series. Though it has taken longer than she expected, she hopes to have the second book finished by the end of the summer, potentially releasing it in 2024.
Meeting the Trumps
Mary shares a few
thoughts on Jared Kushner when he bought the paper from her father.
She noted that he was very knowledgeable and charming in the
beginning, but changed his direction once the paper was sold. She
believes that Jared lacks a moral compass, and does what is
convenient and most beneficial to him at the time, rather than
being rooted in what is right or good. Mary talks about meeting
Donald Trump. Mary speculated that Trump was hoping to get some
positive coverage in the newspaper where she was working, but the
newspaper had integrity and wouldn't write a puff piece about
Trump.
Reflections on Professors
and Courses
When thinking back to Harvard, Mary
reflects on two influential teachers, Helen Vendler. She was
greatly impacted by Helen’s readings of poetry, as she was able to
experience the sound of the words and their lyricism. The second
teacher, D. A. Miller’s unique approach to Jane Austen was also
impactful, as he was able to teach the novels in a way that truly
allowed her to appreciate the literature. Both of these teachers
left a lasting impression on the speaker, and have likely
influenced her reading and writing.
Timestamps
00:01 The Inspiration behind The Photographer
07:21 The story behind the main character in her novel
18:44 Acting and Working for the New York Observer
26:34 Writing Process and Upcoming Book Release
27:58 Upcoming TV Series Adaptation
36:23 Donald Trump's Motivations for meeting with the Newspaper
42:34 Reflections on meeting Jared Kushner
47:14 Education and Writing
Links:
Website: MaryDixieCarter.com