Author and
journalist Sherry Jones is best
known for her international bestseller The Jewel of Medina. She is also the author
of The Sword of Medina, Four Sisters, All Queens, The Sharp Hook of Love,
and the novella White Heart. Sherry lives in
Spokane, WA, where, like Josephine Baker, she enjoys dancing, singing, eating,
advocating for equality, and drinking champagne.
Her latest novel is Josephine
Baker’s Last Dance.
From the author of
The Jewel of Medina, a moving and insightful novel based on the life of
legendary performer and activist Josephine Baker, perfect for fans of The Paris
Wife and Hidden Figures.
Discover the
fascinating and singular life story of Josephine Baker—actress, singer, dancer,
Civil Rights activist, member of the French Resistance during WWII, and a woman
dedicated to erasing prejudice and creating a more equitable world—in Josephine
Baker’s Last Dance.
In this illuminating
biographical novel, Sherry Jones brings to life Josephine's early years in
servitude and poverty in America, her rise to fame as a showgirl in her famous
banana skirt, her activism against discrimination, and her many loves and
losses. From 1920s Paris to 1960s Washington, to her final, triumphant
performance, one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century comes
to stunning life on the page.
With intimate prose
and comprehensive research, Sherry Jones brings this remarkable and compelling
public figure into focus for the first time in a joyous celebration of a life
lived in technicolor, a powerful woman who continues to inspire today.
Thank
you for this interview! I’d like to know
more about you as a person first. What
do you do when you’re not writing?
When
I’m not writing, I’m reading the best fiction I can find, dancing to live
music, enjoying the company of my many friends, cooking gourmet meals, or
traveling. I also play classical piano and really love the opera.
When
did you start writing?
I
began writing at age 7, in the second grade. I had a wonderful teacher who said
to me, before the entire class, “When you become an author, publish using your
given name so I’ll know it’s you.” I’ve lost touch with her, but I hope she
realizes what an impact she made on my life.
As
a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing
life?
When
my first novel, THE JEWEL OF MEDINA, attracted international controversy and
death threats. I had to make a choice about where I stood and why I am a
writer. Today, I understand that, just as when I worked aa a journalist for 30+
years before becoming a novelist, I write to make a positive difference in the
world.
If
you could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next book, where would
that be and why?
I
live in the perfect city to start that book. My next protagonist lived for 30
years in Spokane, Washington, where I live now.
If
you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?
Clean
my house! But alas, it’s not going to happen today. I will ride my exercise
bicycle and practice Spanish, make a pot of soup, and read the Sunday New York
Times—without the extra hours.
Where
would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?
In
Spokane! I envision a roman a clef called
HINTERLAND.
Back
to your present book, JOSEPHINE BAKER’S
LAST DANCE, how did you publish it?
Gallery
Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, is my publisher, and I wrote this book
under contract.
In
writing your book, did you travel anywhere for research?
I
traveled to Paris (twice), New York City, and St. Louis, MO, Josephine Baker’s
childhood home, to research this book.
Why
was writing JOSEPHINE BAKER’S LAST DANCE so
important to you?
I
hope this book adds to the conversation that we are currently having in America
about race.
Josephine
Baker, like the protagonists of all my novels, was a woman who found her inner
power and used it to make a positive difference in the world. Raised in poverty
and abuse, she became a star of the stage and screen at a young age before
dedicating her life to fighting racism. She worked as a spy for the French Resistance
during World War II, risking her life many times, and became an outspoken
anti-segregationist in the United States during her tour of the country in
1951, before the civil rights movement even began. She succeeded in getting
many whites-only theaters, nightclubs, hotels, restaurants, and other venues to
integrate. I found her inspirational, and knew that others would, too.
Where
do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?
My
ideas come from everywhere: books I’ve reading, newspaper and magazine
articles, courses I’m listening to, movies I watch. My problem isn’t a dearth
of ideas, but a surplus of them. The hard part is choosing!
Any
final words?
All
my books are about amazing women in history. A’isha from THE JEWEL OF MEDINA
and THE SWORD OF MEDINA; the four sisters from Provence in FOUR SISTERS, ALL
QUEENS; the French queen Blanche de Castille in WHITE HEART; Heloise
d’Argenteuil, the 12th-century scholar and esteemed abbess in THE
SHARP HOOK OF LOVE, and the 20th-century African-American performer
Josephine Baker demonstrate with their lives that one woman can make a positive difference in the
world. This is such an important message for our times—and writing these books
is my way of trying to make a difference, too.
