S.S. Julian asked Chris Bohjalian:

What is your research process like, and how do you check your work for historical accuracy? Can you describe an instance when you decided, for dramatic or plot purposes, it was better to overlook historical precedent?

Chris Bohjalian I am incredibly thorough and incredibly careful: you never want to wake the reader from the fictional dream with an egregious error. And so I always have experts or historians or witnesses or people who endured a particular experience read my early drafts. Not only does this help with the fact-checking, it often elevates the novel because these readers share amazing stories that embellish the narrative.

A couple of times, however, I have taken a liberty with the historical record -- but always for good reason and always in a fashion that is at least plausible. Would you forgive me, however, if I did not share those instances? I would hate to ruin those moments for readers.

Thanks for asking, Sam!

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