BookView Review

Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we talked to Cynthia J. Bogard about her writing and soon-to-be released book, Raising Hel, a raw, unflinching exploration of a young woman’s battle with abuse, self-discovery, and the harsh realities of 1970s America. (read the review here).

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Tell us a little about how this story first came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else?

Raising Hel started with a desire to explore how the feminist movement could and did change women’s lives. I was deeply involved in second-wave feminism, and it shaped — maybe even gave me — my life. I’m always interested in what it takes to create and maintain solidarity: Create a strong community and we can change the world. Diving into the period when women started to claim the right to a full life was exciting to me. I’ve been mulling this one for quite some time.

Are any of your characters based on real people you know?

Usually, my characters are based on qualities that I see in other people but not an exact duplicate of a particular person. But Raising Hel is about a specific time and place, so in this case there are historical characters that keep their names, and a variety of others that were — at least in part — based on people I knew in those days. I changed them though, to be more archetypal. My characters’ actions are either completely fictional or have been fictionalized. I intended to cover the terrain of relationship types typical among young feminists during the 1970s. This work is my most autobiographical – I resemble Hel in some respects – yet, as I wrote her, she became her own person and had her own experiences and reactions to those experiences, as characters do. They develop their own lives, reactions, emotions. Raising Hel is a novel, not autofiction.

How did you decide on a title?

The main character’s name is Helen – Hel. That came to me from the name of a treasured restaurant that used to be in my neighborhood: Hel’s Kitchen. I like the transgressive feel of the name. Raising Hel is a feminist coming-of-age story, told by Hel. So, Hel raising herself surrounded by the women’s movement easily become Raising Hel. fit like a glove as soon as I thought of it. She also receives an original painting in the novel — the painting on the cover of the book. The painting is entitled “Raising Hel.”

How does your faith life/ethical outlook inform your writing?

I am a feminist humanist and it’s my project as a novelist to explore women’s oppression, the process that leads to self-deliverance and the effects of community-building. My characters face many ethical situations and are forced to choose in ways that matter to their lives and those around them. I taught Women’s Studies for several decades and considering women’s position in society and the potential for women’s self-realization is core to all I write.

What makes this book important right now and what do you hope readers will take away from this story?

Because of the turn our politics has taken, many American women are feeling a profound sense of dread about whether we can maintain some of our hard-won rights and regain others. Raising Hel is about one pivotal moment in history when women found their voice and took action to gain rights. During a relatively short period, we enabled ourselves to live fully realized lives – with careers, interests, and love that was freely chosen and not all but predetermined by patriarchal tradition. Hel’s story is one of profound transformation in a short period of time – something I experienced so I know it can happen. I hope this book provides hope for women who are feeling scarred by recent events and scared and angry about our future as valued and equal members of society.

What’s next for you?

I’m beginning two new novels. First, is the final book in my Heartland Trilogy.
Raising Hel is the prequel to the trilogy and books one and two have already been published. (A History of Silence, 2023 and Beach of the Dead, 2024, both by Atmosphere Press). The last book in the trilogy will be titled Longing for Winter and it picks up where Beach of the Dead left off. Thorpe, Maddie, Roz, Alex and other characters from the earlier books return for new adventures. I’m also beginning a murder mystery set a couple of years in the future when the federal agencies (like the FBI and FEMA) that once served us no longer can be counted on. I also want to make sure that, unlike in many serial killer books, women, both as case solvers and victims, have maximum agency. It’s the first of my novels to be set in my now home state of Vermont. Both involve tough subjects (Longing for Winter will take up the AIDS crisis of the 1980s) and I figure if the going gets rough for me emotionally in one project, I can switch for a time to the other one. I’m excited to embark on these new adventures.

Thanks so much for this opportunity to reflect on my work.

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