Marian O’Shea Wernicke
author of the Toward That Which is Beautiful
Marian O’Shea Wernicke is the author of a memoir about her father, Tom O’Shea: A Twentieth Century Man. Her first novel, Toward That Which is Beautiful, was recently published by She Writes Press. From a large Irish Catholic family in St. Louis, Missouri, Marian was a nun for eleven years, three of which were spent teaching in Lima, Peru. Marian was a faculty member at Pensacola State College for 25 years, teaching literature and creative writing as well as serving as head of the English Department. She is married to Michael Wernicke, and they are the proud parents of three children and one adored grandson. They now live in Austin, Texas.
Me: Tell us about Toward That Which is Beautiful.
Marian: Toward That Which Is Beautiful is the story of a young American nun in the 1960s who finds herself out of her depth working in the Altiplano of Peru. The lack of oxygen makes it hard to breathe, she struggles with not knowing the Aymara language, and worst of all, she falls in love with an Irish priest. The novel begins with Sister Mary Katherine (aka Kate) walking out of the convent one day with no money and no destination. Her journey leads to a startling destination.
Me: What inspired you to write it?
Marian: I was a nun for eleven years, and three of those years were spent teaching in Lima, Peru, in the late 60s. Years later, after I had left the convent, my college students would ask me about being a nun. I realized there have been very few realistic novels about young women who made the choice to live a life of poverty, chastity and obedience, all so contrary to the prevailing cultural values. So I decided to write a novel illustrating the reality of that life and its sacrifices in the fictional story of this specific young woman. I also loved my time in Peru and wanted to explore the question of Americans flocking to a country that they had little understanding of.
Me: Describe your writing life.
Marian: For many years I was a busy mother of three and a full-time faculty member in a junior college English Department. But I was writing poetry and had an idea for a novel. Twenty years ago I managed to complete a first draft of the Peruvian novel, but had trouble finding an agent. Even after getting an agent, the book went through many revisions and rejections. In between, I wrote a memoir about my father, Tom O’Shea: A Twentieth Century Man, and published it through CreateSpace. Finally, my novel found a publisher in Brooke Warner of She Writes Press, for which I am eternally grateful.
Me: What surprised you most about your book’s journey?
Marian: Besides the need to revise my manuscript many times, I was most surprised at how hard it is for a first-time novelist to find a publisher. You have to get hardened to rejection and persist in believing in the value of your work.
Me: What are your future writing plans?
Marian: I have recently completed the third draft of a novel based on the life of my Irish great-grandmother. It has been fun to spin the few facts I know about her into a novel of a young woman’s bravery in the face of many obstacles in 1867 Ireland and later in America. I would also like to get back to writing poetry, my first love.
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