7 Questions with Julia Sullivan, Author of Bone Necklace

 

Julia Sullivan started working on Bone Necklace more than twenty years ago, after visiting the Big Hole  Battlefield in Wisdom, Montana. She first became interested in the Nez Perce story because of the great  injustice the tribe had suffered. What kept her interested was their conduct during the war. While under  attack, the Nez Perce won the respect of a society in which prominent members were unapologetic racists.  At the end of the war, Canada offered them political asylum.  

Julia is a lawyer in the United States and a solicitor in England and Wales.   Throughout her career, she has worked to expose and root out injustice. Julia lives with her husband in Annapolis, Maryland, and  Hamilton, Montana.

1. How and when did you get hooked on history?

I got hooked on history by reading great historical fiction. My mom was an avid reader, so we always had books lying around the house. I remember reading James Michener’s The Source, and Leon Uris’s Exodus, and Herman Wouk’s War and Remembrance, and many others, and being absolutely amazed. I finished those books wanting to know more about what really happened.     

2. What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

In 2000, I visited the Big Hole Battlefield in Wisdom, Montana, and it changed my life. I became fascinated with the story of the Nez Perce War of 1877. I was practicing law in Washington, D.C. at the time, and when I got home, I went to the National Archives to learn more. I spent weeks reading handwritten transcripts and correspondence. It was like a treasure hunt; every new discovery was a thrill. I became obsessed with the story. I started writing mostly as a way to organize my thoughts. Twenty-two years later, I finished Bone Necklace, a historical novel inspired by the Nez Perce story.

3. How does history play a part of your professional life/career?

As a lawyer, my favorite part of any case is the investigation – figuring out what really happened, who witnessed it, and how things went wrong. In the old (pre-internet) days, I’d go to dusty warehouses and pour through boxes of documents, piecing together the stories, finding witnesses who could shine some light on one aspect of it or another. Each new discovery was a puzzle piece, and the stakes, in real time, could be very high. 

4. Why is studying/knowing history important?

When I’m trying to solve a problem – whether it’s a legal problem, a business problem, or a family problem – I always start with the same question: what’s worked in the past and what hasn’t? Without some basic understanding of history, it’s very hard to move forward.

5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?

I love American history. In 1976, the U.S. held a series of “bicentennial” celebrations of the historical events leading to the Declaration of Independence. At the time, my family lived in Concord, Massachusetts, the site of one of the earliest battles of the Revolutionary War. I remember visiting the sites and learning about the birth of democracy. I was hooked on history. And of course, as a lawyer, Constitutional history holds a particular fascination for me. 

6.        Where do you find your historical fiction inspiration? 

For Bone Necklace, my inspiration came from visiting the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the war. In general, that’s how it works; I’ll see something or read something that captures my attention, and I’ll want to know more.  

7.       Please tell us about Bone Necklace?

Bone Necklace is inspired by America’s last “Indian War,” in which a small band of Native Americans held off four converging armies while their families escaped to Canada. The U.S. field commander, General Oliver “Uh Oh” Howard, promised to make “short work” of the Nez Perce – words he would soon regret. Chief Joseph became known as the “Red Napoleon,” which surprised nobody so much as Joseph himself. He would have done anything to avoid the war that made him famous. But what really fascinated me about this story – and what few historical accounts acknowledge – is that Chief White Bird escaped to Canada with nearly 300 people. I had no idea that Canada was giving political asylum to Native Americans at the time. 

In my view, the history of the west is too often portrayed as a tragedy – as if some fatal flaw in the character or culture of Native American people doomed them to a violent end. It’s a narrative that places the moral blame squarely on the victims. Bone Necklace confronts that lie.