Loving Frank is a work of fiction based on events relating to the love affair of a brilliant, controversial architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, and one of his clients, Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Mamah, along with her husband Edwin Cheney, commissioned Wright in 1903 to design a house for their family on East Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois. This book portrays the period 1907 to 1914, during which the Wright/Cheney affair flourished.
Anyone who lives in Oak Park, as I did for 24 years, quickly absorbs information about Frank Lloyd Wright. The village was a growing suburb of Chicago in 1889 at the time the architect designed a home for his wife Catherine, himself, and their family, which eventually grew to six children. In a scandal that rocked Chicago society, Wright and Cheney left their respective spouses and moved to Europe in 1909 and eventually settled in Wisconsin where they were hounded by the press.
Learn more about my novel, Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney by joining me here for a Live Chat on Wednesday, August 8th from 2-3 p.m. ET.
If you are unable to attend the chat, please feel free to leave a question for me below.
About Nancy Horan: Nancy Horan is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in numerous publications. She lived most of her life in Oak Park, IL, until her recent move to an island in Puget Sound.
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Comments: 54
I very much look forward to reading Loving Frank and have pre-ordered a signed copy from Powell's. I hope you enjoy your visit there later in August, Nancy.
I was inspired to write this book because it was a little-kknown chapter in the life of Frank Lloyd Wright that I found very interesting. As I researched, it was Mamah's life and choices that raised the most questions. How could a woman leave her children to run off with a married man? For a while, I avoided Mamah's point of view, but eventually I knew that to understand the story, I needed to look at it through her eyes.
I really admired City of Light and yes, my hope is that Loving Frank does illuminate Chicago and Oak Park at the turn of the 20th century. Chicago was a lively place in those days, and the group of architects who came to be known as the "Chicago School" were changing the way architecture would be practiced in the city at that time. Oak Park was a suburb and was growing with big family homes. It was known for its many churches and lack of bars.
Loving Frank does not celebrate adultery or abandoning your children. It tells the story of what Mamah Borthwick Cheney chose to do. You will see in the book how Mamah struggles with the consequences of her choices, and how her spouse, Edwin, and Frank's wife Catherine are responding.
For the last three years I was working on Loving Frank. I participated in a writer's group. There were four other writers who were working on books. We met weekly and came to know each others' work. So I listened to their feedback on my manuscript and sometimes made adjustments to my work. I also had a faithful reader, my sister Colleen, who read multiple evolving manuscripts and gave me feedback. But just as often I did not change anything because I trusted my own instincts more than their perceptions.
I tell people it took 7 years. In fact, it has taken a bit more than that, more like 8 years.
I begin writing every scene with a yellow legal pad in hand. Sometimes my best thoughts come to me when I wake up in the morning and I keep paper next to the bed. After basically laying out the section on paper, I go to the computer and begin actually writing that scene.
I did watch Ken Burns' documentary at some point and thought it was very interesting.
I suppose the biggest challenge was just finishing it. Keeping the faith long enough to get it out there. An early challenge was taking on Frank Lloyd Wright as a character. But when I started writing the novel from Mamah's point of view, he became easier to portray.
My big surprise came when I discovered, halfway through writing the book, a cache of letters Mamah wrote to Ellen Key, the Swedish philosopher for whom she translated. I didn't believe any of her papers existed.
How about Daniel Day Lewis as Frank Lloyd WRrght? He seems like the kind of actor who could portray anyone!
It was easier to learn about FLW's behavior, and to listen to his voice by reading his letters and speeches. I could make certain assumptions about his personality because he wrote so much and was photographed and fimed. He had a long life. Mamah was another story. I had a few facts about her. I looked at the documented choices she made. From that point on, it was invention. The whole book is invention, though grounded in an outline inspired by true happenings.
I am working on something that may be another novel.
The greates thrill is when you just nail something in words. If you are a writer, you know what I'm talking about. Sometimes it's easy and other times you have to wrestle with the words for days before you get it right. Hard part is showing up at the computer and having nothing to say.
I have benefitted tremendously in my research efforts thanks to the Internet. I found Mamah's letters by seeing an article online. On the other hand, I couldn't really rely on the internet to be correct about history, unless it was a pretty reputable website. So books, glorious books, told me what I needed to know about the period, and different places like Berlin, Boulder, Paris at the time. Librarians were my connection to wonderful rare books.
I'm a pie baker and occasional jewelry maker.
My book tour commences Aug. 16. You can get the full schedule by going to www.lovingfrank.com
Thanks!
Nancy
And thank you to all the Gather members who participated. Until next time!
Good luck to your first novel - Wondering what the novel is all about, an eye opener, justification or revenge... SACRED or OBSCENE, aside from being a published novel.
WISH YOU WELL ON THE SECOND!...