Annie Dewell - Enigmatic Sideshows, Odd Characters and a Mysterious 1912 Circus

Annie Dewell is an illustrator, avid armchair historian, and author of The Shimmering Circus series, which details the adventures of a seventeen-year-old Evelyn Earle in a mysterious 1912 circus. For updates on The Shimmering Circus, please join her mailing list at subscribepage.io/ShimmeringCircus.

After working with individuals with developmental and mental disabilities for over ten years, she is also an advocate of disabilities rights and has striven to create many respectful depictions to increase representation within her stories.

Annie has a love of the turn-of-the-century aesthetic and has spent years slowly giving herself arthritis by drawing the world's most detailed circus posters. All artwork within the Shimmering Circus series was hand drawn with watercolor pencil. As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Avery's Ghost

Please give us a short introduction to what Avery's Ghost is about.

Avery’s Ghost tells the story of a seventeen-year-old old who finds herself living in a mysterious circus in 1912. She must uncover the secrets of why she was brought there and what the carnies are hiding— and find out what happened to her brother, who disappeared from the circus before her birth.

It’s the first book in The Shimmering Circus series.

What inspired you to write about someone who is accidentally poisoned?

The funny thing is that my first draft featured no accidental poisoning at all, Evelyn simply got sick. The other components were there, and when I added the poisoning, the rest of the plot really came together: why her mother would take her to the circus in the first place, and the mysterious nature of the circus itself.

Some of my reviews describe the book as “tightly plotted” and I would say that is definitely true. The series is like a puzzle that I fill in, piece by piece, so you understand it more and more. I was flattered when a reader said it was the kind of book you want to reread after the big plot twist reveals.

Tell us more about Evelyn. What makes her tick?

Evelyn is an introvert with social anxiety disorder (although they had no concept of this label in 1912). She is incredibly uncomfortable in social situations and has trouble making friends. However, once she does let her guard down, she’s very loyal and protective. She’s had a difficult relationship with her mother, as well, and much of the book involves her reexamination of this. Like a modern day teenager, she doesn’t like to be told no and can be determined to the point of being stubborn.

Why did you pick a Circus as the backdrop for your story?

I came up with the premise a long time ago (I drafted Avery’s Ghost in 2015), and the circus came along with the rest. I wasn’t a circus enthusiast or anything, one day I just brainstormed: “what if there was a circus full of… [spoilers]”. It was such a great concept I knew I had to write it.

How much research did this book require from you? What was the most interesting aspect of this research?

Oh boy… I compulsively research for my books. I’m not sure there is another author in history who has poured through a 500-page academic article on the furnishings of Gilded Age yachts to inform their descriptions.

The first two books in the series required a lot of research into early circus life. I read memoirs and nonfiction (I’ve included a photo of one of the books I used— it weighs about fifty pounds and describes all aspects of the circus (freak show, animals, daily life, etc) in three languages! I used a Barnum and Bailey timetable from it to crosscheck aspects of the performer’s daily lives (what time they’d eat, perform, leave for the next town…)

The Circus Historical Society was also a great resource. I found an account detailing travel with a circus in 1904 and pulled facts straight from that. I also consulted with the wonderful circus expert Chris Barry, who sent me documents and answered my questions. That was really exciting!

 

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I grew up singing, and when I tackle the audiobook I plan to do the narration and sing the songs in the series myself.

You also included illustrations in the style of vintage circus posters in the book. Tell us more about these.

I’m a portrait artist, so many of the illustrations in the book are portraits. All of these feature characters who are integral to the plot. But there are also mock circus posters inspired by the look of actual, vintage circus posters.

What did you have the most fun with when writing this book?

I’ve enjoyed fleshing out the backstory of my characters. A lot of the intrigue in my plot arises from the concept of “what is the deal with this character?” Many of them hide secrets, but they often stem from a situation that is very human and recognizable, and often times you learn even more about a character’s backstory in a future book.

Please tell us more about the cover and how it came about.

Each of my covers features my own hand-drawn art, then my cover artist adds typography. I’ve used photographs from the same silent film star for each, a lovely actress named Maude Fealy. I add symbolism around the circles near the title for each one. Turn of the century portraiture was so evocative. If you look up Lily Elsie you’ll see what I mean.

A funny story: I purchased a box of sepia-toned watercolor pencils when I started the first cover. Later I looked them up, anticipating needing to replace them, and they were actual vintage pencils! I hope they’ll last through the series because they aren’t sold anymore.

Readers say the scene settings are vivid and very detailed. How did you pull this off?

Well, what’s a circus book without an evocative description? In all seriousness, though, I think it’s a combination of intuition and research. The Blowhole Theatre, which you can read about in my fifty-page sample, was a real place— there was actually a cowboy who humiliated people after exiting a ride in Coney Island! I often find obscure vintage photos and describe them for scenes in my books.

I’ve also tried to infuse the historical settings with an otherworldly touch. You’ll find a lot of familiar imagery in my writing— whether it’s the snake charmer of the freak show or the cutthroat exclusivity of Gilded Age elite— but there’s something off-kilter. So my descriptions play into archetypes but add an unusual quality that you just can’t put your finger on.

When starting on a new book, what is the first thing you do?

Research. I often listen to nonfiction books on a topic, for example, historical heists or Gilded age New York, to get ideas for my new plot. I’ll take something from history, adapt it, and dial it up a notch.

For example, for my third book I was inspired by a real-life story about William Randolph Hearst, the Yellow Journalist newspaper mogul. During Cuba’s attempts to rebel against Spain, he played up how evil the Spanish Empire was. There was a Cuban woman, a revolutionary’s daughter named Evangelina Cisneros, that he sprung from jail— while disguised as a man and smoking a cigar! He detailed her entire story in his paper and later started the Spanish-Cuban war, basically.

So I have a plot that sort of mirrors her story, which is absolutely wild!

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I’m really passionate about music, so I’ve created a really detailed playlist for each book in my series. Sometimes I hike and listen to it to get the juices flowing before I write.

What are you working on right now?

My fourth cover and book in the series. It is set in a society that parallels Gilded Age New York— think Vanderbilts and Astors, but with a magical twist.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

My email address is [email protected]. Please don’t be shy! The series page for The Shimmering Circus is here. You can follow my Amazon author account on my author page, or join my Facebook group.