“Getting what you want doesn’t mean sacrificing the best in yourself.”
That’s one of the underlying messages author Lori Hart Beninger says will germinate as readers follow the exploits of Guinevere Walker in the three-book (soon to be four-book) historical fiction series starting with the California Gold Rush and Embracing the Elephant.
“Guine does not become a ‘badass’ in her efforts to gain a foothold in a raucous and dangerous world,” Beninger explains. “She learns to use her natural strengths. She is ‘girl power’ at its finest.”
In Embracing the Elephant, Guine comes of age at precisely the moment a nation enters its own new age. In 1848, eleven-year-old Guine embarks on a perilous journey to reunite with her widowed father. As Guine and her father struggle to forge a new relationship, they confront the most massive human migration the world has ever known: the California Gold Rush. Hundreds of thousands of fortune hunters from around the globe flood into the burgeoning territory to “See the Elephant.”
Q: So many fictional characters are pieced together from people in the writer’s life — or even autobiographical creations. Guine is gutsy and wise and practically fearless. Did you have an inspiration for her — someone you knew growing up, or some part of your own self that you wanted to set free? Where did Guine’s courage and determination come from?
A: Guine is a true amalgamation of four girls (now young women) I love with all my heart. My granddaughters and goddaughter, to a person, are gutsy, wise and fearless. They embody everything I wish I had been as a child. From Katy (my goddaughter) comes Guine’s poise and grace. From Katie (my eldest granddaughter) comes Guine’s propensity to question the status quo and push the boundaries society and elders have foisted upon her. From Isabella (middle granddaughter) is intelligence and a love of books and education. From Avalon (youngest granddaughter) comes a fearless determination to get what she wants. It would have been Avalon who struggled with her father to brave the trials of the Sierra.
Q: Who is most like Guine? In what ways?
A: Given that Guine is a compendium of my grand- and goddaughters, at various times she is like them all. But if I had to choose just one, it would be Isabella: smart, driven and not afraid to speak her mind. That is one of the reasons I chose Isabella for my cover girl: I had her dress in a Dickensian costume and took her to San Francisco for a photoshoot on the 19th-century merchant ship, The Balclutha, moored in the harbor there. From that photo, the cover of Embracing the Elephant was created.
Q: How did you get interested in this time of U.S. history?
A: I didn’t choose this time; it chose me. My original concept was only to separate my protagonists by a great distance and have the travel to unite them accord my heroine with enumerable opportunities for growth. I considered several possibilities before deciding on the time of the California Gold Rush. Once I began more in-depth research, I became convinced of the wisdom of that choice. An incredible article in TIME magazine, “1848: When America Came of Age,” was the cincher: it described global social and economic unrest dominating at the time when gold was discovered in California, including social struggles with which we continue to grapple to this day. I was compelled to use that time as my backdrop.
Q: Despite the hardships that travelers had to endure back then, the journey seems a little enticing in this book. What adventures have you experienced that might have made you feel like Guine on the deck of the ship or on horseback in the mountains?
A: Travel is the greatest educator. Even if the journey is fraught with setbacks, the experience broadens the mind and nurtures the soul if you let it. I haven’t traveled as extensively as I would like, but every time I have, I come away with a deep appreciation for other people and other places and other cultures. I wanted that for Guine, to take her from a life of stifling oppression to eye-opening freedom in the span of a year. Those experiences will shape her views and strengthen her drive for social justice throughout the series.
Q: Guine decides to masquerade as a boy in order to travel with her dad. You must have done some research to see how many women dressed as men back then, likely for a number of reasons. What did you learn about that?
A: I’m a big fan of Shakespeare and he often used the device of women dressing as men. Although mostly in his comedies, certainly Portia in The Merchant of Venice showed his understanding and appreciation of the intelligence of women and the social inequities and waste that came from oppressing them.
From the time my story began to unfold, I knew I wanted Guine to experience the freedom that males are often the only ones to know. It wasn’t until I began that journey that I discovered how many women joined the California Gold Rush in a disguise that liberated them from far too many restrictions.
Q: Which of the characters did you have the most trouble with? Who kept you up at night wondering what he or she would say next or do next? Did any of your characters surprise you?
A: The vast majority of my characters are drawn from a single person in my life, so any time I reached a decisive moment, I’d ask myself “What would X do or say in this circumstance?” In that way, the path was made easy for me. Still, some of my readers were the ones surprised: when my husband read the manuscript, he asked why I had a character (the one he had deduced was based on him) make a certain decision. I explained, “Because that’s what you would have done.” When I asked him if I had guessed right, he sheepishly grinned and nodded.
Q: What feelings would you like your readers to have when they finish the book? Did you have a message to share?
A: I want readers to love my characters as I do — all of them, even the hopelessly flawed ones. The real message, however, becomes more evident as the series progresses, as my characters mature and find their true selves. I believe getting what you want doesn’t mean sacrificing the best in yourself. Guine does not become a “badass” in her efforts to gain a foothold in a raucous and dangerous world — she learns to use her natural strengths. She is “girl power” at its finest. She will become “woman power” at its best. I promise.
Embracing the Elephant is available for purchase. Read our full review here, and learn more about Beninger on her BookTrib author profile page.
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About Lori Hart Beninger:
Lori Hart Beninger is the author of three critically acclaimed historical novels (Embracing the Elephant, A Veil of Fog and Flames and A Peculiar Peace). The books follow two 19th century teenagers as they struggle with survival and acceptance in the pivotal era of the California Gold Rush, survive the wilds of early San Francisco, then plunge into the American Civil War.
An Ordinary Tragedy, Beninger’s first foray into nonfiction, was published in October of 2016. It is the true story of her younger brother’s tumultuous life as a convicted felon by the age of eighteen.
Although originally from Southern California, for many years Beninger has been happy to call the San Francisco Bay her home. She lives there with her husband Matt and a plethora of goofy pets, enjoying the company of diverse and interesting family members and friends.
First published in 2012, Beninger has nonetheless been writing since the age of 11, always looking for interesting people and circumstances with which to populate her works. She volunteers as a tutor at local grade schools to teach reading (fundamental!) and environmental awareness.
