Rebecca J. Sanford: Stay True to Yourself and Your Story
Rebecca J. Sanford is the author of The Disappeared, recipient of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association Rising Star Award. She received her MA in international affairs from the New School in New York City. Originally from New York, Rebecca now lives in Florida with her family. Visit her website at RebeccaJSanford.com, and follow her on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
Rebecca J. Sanford
Photo by Dominick Ray
In this interview, Rebecca discusses how field research for her master’s thesis helped inspire her debut historical fiction novel, The Disappeared, the differences between the tech industry and the publishing industry, and more!
Name: Rebecca J. Sanford
Literary agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary Agency
Book title: The Disappeared
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release date: July 30, 2024
Genre/category: Historical Fiction
Elevator pitch: Inspired by the real mothers and grandmothers who spoke out against Argentina’s military dictatorship, The Disappeared is an award-winning debut about identity, family secrets, and those who endured decades of hardship to expose the truth.
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What prompted you to write this book?
As a graduate student, I had the great privilege of getting to know the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo while conducting field research for my master’s thesis in Argentina. I worked with the Archivo Biográfico Familiar de Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, an initiative founded in partnership with the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires. The mission of the Archivo was to collect and preserve testimony from family members of those who “disappeared” during Argentina’s military dictatorship—to capture personal, human details about what they were really like so that their adult children, once located, could learn more about them. It was emotional but inherently hopeful work.
Much of my time in Argentina was spent with founders of the Archivo around my own age—children of “disappeared” parents in search of siblings born between 1976 and 1983 who were being raised with no knowledge of their biological identity. Many grandmothers, mothers, and family members of “disappeared” welcomed me into their homes and shared their stories.
After returning to New York and writing a thesis rooted in this research, I remained tremendously interested in the work of the Grandmothers and the experience of the reappropriated children of my generation whose identities were stolen during Argentina’s “dirty war.” As the daughter of a Vietnam veteran, I also wanted to better understand the military involvement of the United States in Operation Condor. Over time, these explorations led to the writing of this novel.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
The Disappeared took about three years to write, but was over 20 years in the making. I wrote a lengthy first draft in 2009-2010, then put it away when I became pregnant with my daughter. About a decade later, after a milestone in my professional career, I took it out and began revisions—this time through the eyes of a mother, which was a very interesting process creatively. The general idea for the novel didn’t change, but it may have benefited from a long gestation period because I wrote the story first as a young woman and revised it later as the mother of a daughter.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I didn’t anticipate just how slow the process would be. I work in the tech industry, where things move pretty quickly, so I had to adjust my pace and expectations for publishing. But patience and humility are important values, and the traditional publishing process definitely presents an opportunity to hone both.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
There was a certain amount of discussion around whether to include the POV of my protagonist’s adoptive father, Jonathan. In the final version of the book, he does have a couple of chapters, though I wrote several more. There was some thought as to whether this story should be told exclusively by the women characters.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
My biggest hope for readers of The Disappeared is that they will take an interest in the real history of Argentina’s “dirty war” and become aware of the work of the Grandmothers, who are still searching for their grandchildren today.
If you or anyone you know has doubts about their identity, you can visit Abuelas.org.ar/.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
There is so much advice out there for writers, and I am a first-time author, so I don’t have much to impart other than to stay true to yourself and your story. And keep going. Keep writing, keep creating.
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