I wanted to create a protagonist who had a childhood history of trauma, but who had never been given or sought out the proper tools and relationships to heal herself. She was intellectually bright and driven, but was emotionally underdeveloped because of the trauma.

Susan Weisbbach Friedman – 11 June 2024

The Back Flap

It is May 2014, and Dr. Klara Lieberman—forty-nine, single, professor of archaeology at a small liberal arts college in Maine, a contained person living a contained life—has just received a letter from her estranged mother, Bessie, that will dramatically change her life. Her father, she learns—the man who has been absent from her life for the last forty-three years, and about whom she has long been desperate for information—is dead. Has been for many years, in fact, which Bessie clearly knew. But now the Polish government is giving financial reparations for land it stole from its Jewish citizens during WWII, and Bessie wants the money. Klara has little interest in the money—but she does want answers about her father. She flies to Warsaw, determined to learn more.

In Poland, Klara begins to piece together her father’s, and her own, story. She also connects with extended family, begins a romantic relationship, and discovers her calling: repairing the hundreds of forgotten, and mostly destroyed, pre-War Jewish cemeteries in Poland. Along the way, she becomes a more integrated, embodied, and interpersonally connected individual—one with the tools to make peace with her past and, for the first time in her life, build purposefully toward a bigger future.

About the book

What is the book about?

Klara’s Truth is about a forty-nine-year-old archaeology professor, Klara Lieberman, who goes to Warsaw in search of answers about her long-ago-disappeared father, where she ultimately discovers forgotten parts of herself, connects with extended family, meets a man with whom she begins a romantic relationship, and heals deeply buried wounds.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing the book about ten years ago, but it was originally called Artifacts- A Novel not Klara’s Truth- A Novel.

How long did it take you to write it.

It took about ten years in all, but I was working close to full-time as a psychotherapist during that time, raising my two daughters, and writing on the side. I also had no idea how to write a book, and originally wrote close to three stories. I took some writing workshops, and ultimately took a Novel Writing Master class in 2019 at Sarah Lawrence’s Writing Institute.

Where did you get the idea from?

There are two answers to that question. The first is that as a psychotherapist and as someone who has been a consumer of psychotherapy, I began thinking about old memories as similar to artifacts, and therapy as a parallel process to excavation. Both are slow, careful, processes, where you need to take your time and not rush. I’ve since discovered that Sigmund Freud spoke about this similarity and was enchanted by archaeology and artifacts.

The second answer is that I wanted to create a protagonist who had a childhood history of trauma, but who had never been given or sought out the proper tools and relationships to heal herself. She was intellectually bright and driven, but was emotionally underdeveloped because of the trauma. I then created a loving family later in her life who generally embraced her as one of them.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Yes. I had originally set the book in a part of Mexico in which Klara, the main character, was co-leading an archaeological dig when she receives a shocking letter from her mother. I was told a few times that the part in Mexico was a separate book. I resisted that advice for a long time. Once I let go of needing to include that section, I had a much easier time finding a publisher.

What came easily?

Writing as a stream of consciousness practice came easily. Later, putting it all together was much more challenging.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people who you know?

During the writing process, all of my characters were entirely fictitious. However, in reading it now, I can see qualities here and there of people in my life. Having said that, no character is based on any one particular person.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

There are certainly authors whose work I love to read like Jenna Blum, Alyson Richman, Anita Diamant, and Fiona Davis. I also read a lot of nonfiction based in psychology.

I wouldn’t say that my writing has been influenced by any particular author, but I would say it is most definitely influenced by my strong interest in psychology.

Do you have a target reader? If so can you please describe it?

My target reader would likely be a woman forty or older who is interested in book club fiction and in learning about history and other cultures. Other target readers might be Jewish and/or interested in Jewish history and culture, and still others might be interested in how childhood trauma affects an individual over the course of their life.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

My initial writing process is to write about what I’m interested in, and see where it takes me.

Over time, I have learned to share my writing with at least one other writer and get their feedback. I then might go back and edit, but often the larger editing process comes much later, and sometimes it feels like I’m working on a jigsaw puzzle trying to figure out how to put the pieces together.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I have not outlined up until now. However, now that I have material for a prequel to Klara’s Truth, I might generally outline the story as I know how it’s going to end.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I did hire a professional editor who helped me with some developmental edits in expanding certain aspects of the story.

Do you listen to music when you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

When I do listen to music when I write, it’s relaxing instrumental music. Otherwise, I get too distracted.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to agents?

Yes, I did. I submitted my work to many agents, receiving rejections, no response, and some nice and encouraging responses. Soon after making the decision to take away what I was told was a separate book, I applied to the hybrid publisher She Writes Press on the recommendation of a friend and author.

What made you decide to go indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

My friend’s encouragement to apply to specifically apply to She Writes Press, which she had heard good things about was my reason for doing so. I was pretty tired of the whole process of trying to find an agent who was interested in my book by that point.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

She Writes Press has an art director who creates the book cover. I was asked to send in copies of photos I thought represented my story. She then found a photo based on the ones I sent and the nature of the story.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I hired a publicist who is helping me to spread the word about my book, and I also recently hired someone to help me with social media, as that is not my forte.

Any advice that you would like to give other newbies considering becoming indie

I would say to follow your heart. If writing a book is really important to you, and if the subject matter really speaks to you, then by all means go for it. It can be a long and arduous process from beginning to end, especially if you haven’t taken writing classes or gotten a MFA, but perseverance goes a long way.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up on Long Island, about forty-five minutes east of NYC.

Where do you live now?

I live in Northern Westchester County, about an hour north of NYC.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I’d like readers to know that I’ve worked as a psychotherapist for over twenty-five years, and that I bring that experience to my writing. Also, I’m a mom, a wife, and a dog mom.

What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m busy trying to publicize Klara’s Truth, but I’m looking forward to getting back to writing what will be a prequel to Klara’s Truth, much of which will take place in Mexico during Klara’s archaeological dig.

End of Interview:

For more about Susan Weisbbach Friedman visit her website and follow her on Instagram.

Get your copy of Klara’s Truth from Amazon US or Amazon UK.