Senior Editor Shana Drehs talks about a new novel that’s close to her heart, To Catch the Lightning by NPR’s Alan Cheuse.

Name and Publisher:
Shana Drehs, Senior Editor, Sourcebooks

How long have you been with the company?
I came to Sourcebooks two years ago after several years at Crown. I’m glad I’ve had the chance to experience publishing from both the conglomerate and independent sides as it’s been quite an education. Sourcebooks is a leading independent publisher and the passion for books and authors is contagious here. Despite these tough times in the economy and industry, fortunately we are producing solid results. Based on recent BookScan data, Sourcebooks’ in-store sales through the register have increased 40% since 2005. And during the first half of 2008, Sourcebooks had the second-highest growth of any large publisher--we outgrew the market three-fold!

What is the book you are most excited by this season, and how did it come to your attention?
I have to say that it’s hard to pick one book out of our fall list as they’re all so compelling. From Nikki Giovanni’s innovative, mixed-media children’s picture book, HIP HOP SPEAKS TO CHILDREN, to the visually stunning coffee-table photography book and audio CD, COUNTRY MUSIC: THE MASTERS, by renowned country music icon Marty Stuart, this fall season is by far Sourcebooks’ strongest fall season to date. But the one title that’s very close to my heart is TO CATCH THE LIGHTNING, by Alan Cheuse. Of course, we’ve had a relationship with Alan for years as he is known as the “voice of books” for NPR, but this is the first book of Alan’s we’ve had the chance to publish, and we’re absolutely delighted. We began talking to Alan about the novel at BEA in 2007, and it’s been a fascinating journey into history ever since.

What can you tell us about the author?
Alan Cheuse has been working on this book for nine years – his focus and drive to craft a poetic novel drawn from the real life of frontier photographer Edward Curtis has made this a layered, intricate story of choice and sacrifice. This is Alan’s ninth book, and I think this is the one he’s been destined to write. His short fiction has appeared in places such as The New Yorker, Ploughshares, and The Antioch Review, among other places. He teaches in the Writing Program at George Mason University and the Squaw Valley Community of Writers. He is a regular contributor to NPR’s “All Things Considered,” which you can listen to online at www.alancheuse.com.

Who will enjoy this book?
Anyone interested in American history and in stories of how obsession can drive us to do great things and make terrible sacrifices. I think anyone who enjoyed the work of Charles Frazier (who called TO CATCH THE LIGHTNING ”compelling fiction that digs deep into the mystery and sacrifice and selfishness of creative vision.”) would love this. Alan has created a masterful portrait of the legendary Edward Curtis and his quest to capture the past, to document and photograph the fading way of life of the American Indian. It’s about a landscape of unparalleled beauty and tradition, about the dreams that haunt us and the spirits who guide us. Women will love the enduring power of the muses that speak to Edward and the unmistakable pull of family, and men will undoubtedly be engrossed by the hardscrabble determination bound up with a drive to do something big, something that leaves a permanent mark on the world.

ForeWord reviewed To Catch the Lightning in this year’s Sept/Oct issue, as well as Cheuse’s 1999 title from Southern Methodist, Lost and Old Rivers.

Interview by Editor-in-Chief Heather Shaw