BookLife Talks with K. Blanton Brenner
A sponsored Q&A with the author of 'Trinity Rivers Trilogy'

Brenner’s second work of fiction, Trinity Rivers Trilogy, follows several generations of the same family and the ripple effect that a single decision can have. BookLife Reviews called it an “empathetic family saga” centering on “love and music in the face of crises,” and we spoke with Brenner about the roles that music and setting play in her work. ]

What inspired the Quinn family and their decades-long saga?

I come from a large extended musical family. We all played various instruments and sang together in four-part harmony.   Family dynamics have always fascinated me. I suppose, in a way, I’m working out my own family drama in creating other family dramas. 

Your previous book, Appaloosa Sky, also has a multigenerational aspect. How was writing Trinity Rivers Trilogy different from writing that book?

Appaloosa Sky was loosely based on North Texas, where I grew up, and the people I knew in that time and place. It was an homage to the strong women who greatly influenced my life. Trinity Rivers Trilogy and its disparate settings are also part of my own life, as I have lived in both Louisiana and the U.K. and loved both! I did a lot of research for this novel, and found that if you tell people you’re writing a book and need their help, they tend to open up and share their expertise. I contacted a vocal coach to ask him about arias that would be appropriate for auditions at Juilliard. He answered that question and then went on to describe in great detail the room where Juilliard holds its auditions. Critics pointed out that I tended to rush my writing in Appaloosa Sky, so I very deliberately sought to delve more deeply into the interiority of the characters in Trinity Rivers Trilogy. I found that taking my time with each of these characters gave them more depth and nuance. I’m so grateful for constructive criticism.

Was it difficult balancing each generation in the novel? Were you ever tempted to expand a character’s presence because you liked them so much? 

The generation I had the most difficulty writing was the modern generation of young women. I grew up in the ‘60s in the South, and even though I consider myself a feminist, the rules of behavior that were inculcated in me as a young woman were hard to shake. Fortunately, my daughter and some of my former students put me right when one of the younger characters did or said something that didn’t jibe with modern sensibilities. The phenomenon of characters taking over a book is all too real. Ginny Spangler in my first novel was only going to be a minor character. She turned out to be one of the main characters in the book because she jumped off the page! Father Tom in Trinity Rivers Trilogy was to be just a literary device, a character put there to hear Quinn’s confession about his past life. However, Father Tom and Quinn struck up such a dynamic relationship right from the beginning that I had to make Tom a recurring character.

What is the one thing you most want to tell readers about you or your book?

People experience very hard times in life. I certainly have. I’ve also experienced miracles, large and small. I wrote a book in which the characters experience both the brutality of life and the wonderment of life. Good times and bad times come and go, but the power of love is not diminished. As Jordy says to Robbie, “In the end, love is all that remains.” 

What are you working on now?

A children’s book about Ginny Spangler from Appaloosa Sky.  It’s her wild coming-of-age story.