Bookpleasures.com isdelighted to welcome as our guest Catherine Butterfield, a versatilewriter who began her career on stage before making her mark as aplaywright, television writer, and now novelist. 

Catherine was born inManhattan and raised in Minnesota and Massachusetts. She spent herchildhood with her nose in books by J.D. Salinger and JaneAusten and was devastated by the diary of Anne Frank—earlyinfluences that perhaps sparked her talent for capturing authentichuman relationships. 

She has writtenaward-winning plays performed internationally, created content forpopular TV shows like Ghost Whisperer and Grimm, andduring the pandemic collaborated with her husband Ron West on nearly70 short films called Life During Lockdown.

Now living in Santa Monicaand mother to actress Audrey Corsa), she brings all her lifeexperiences to bear in her upcoming novel ManhattanTriptych, which follows three women whose friendship enduresthrough decades of personal and historical upheavals in New YorkCity. 

Norm: Good day Catherineand thanks for taking part in our interview.

Catherine: My pleasure!

Norm: You began yourcareer as an actress, then became a playwright, then a TVwriter/producer, and now a novelist. How has each phase of yourcreative journey prepared you specifically for writing ManhattanTriptych? 

In what ways does writing fiction allow you to exploreterritory that theater or television wouldn’t?

Catherine: Having been anactress in about seventy plays in regional theatre, I developed asense of how an effective story plays out -  the initiatingaction, the repercussions, the further complications and finally howto resolve in a satisfying way. I was always keenly aware when in aplay that wasn't accomplishing that task, but I was fortunate to beable to do quite a few of the masters - Shakespeare, Moliere,Chekhov, Ibsen, Shaw, Albee. 

Their innate genius for storytelling wasinspirational. I took that knowledge with me when I started writingplays myself, and adapted the skill when writing for television,which is a different animal in some ways. 

This latest chapter of mylife, where I have tried my hand at novel writing, feels like anatural extension of all that has gone before. The thing I most enjoyabout the novel, which you can't explore as acutely with theatre andTV, is the inner psychology of the characters. 

Norm: Why did you choose“Manhattan Triptych” as your title? Beyond simply referring tothree women, what does the “triptych” concept bring tothe novel’s structure or themes?

Did the title come to youearly in the writing process, or did it emerge only after you had aclearer sense of the story’s shape?

Catherine: My workingtitle for the novel was "Searching for Orla," which I knewI would never use because there are so many "Searching for"books and because I am weary of titles that consist of "Gerund-Noun." 

Manhattan is where the bulk of the story takes place, although thegirls travel to Italy and two of them finally move to different partsof the country. 

The "triptych" idea came to me late, when Iwas contemplating how the book cover should look. 

Initially, I wasdrawn to the idea of the women in a three panel triptych, but then Irealized that one of them would have to be in the larger middlepanel, suggesting she was the most important character, so Ijettisoned it. I kept the triptych idea for a sequence in Italy, whenone of the characters remarks how similar the girls are to aBotticelli painting. It turned out not to be a triptych, however. 

Maybe I just like the word -- triptych! (Trip-tick) It's fun to say. 

Norm: You’ve mentionedthat your first novel The Serpent and the Rose wasinspired by your time at an artist’s retreat in France. 

Whatinspired you to shift from historical fiction about 16th centuryFrench royalty to a contemporary story about three actresses’friendship?

Was there something aboutyour own early career as an actress in regional theaters (SeattleRep, Pittsburgh Public, etc.) that particularly informed the summerstock setting of Manhattan Triptych?

Catherine: When I went toNérac, France, I felt that I was absolutely possessed by the storyof this woman I had never heard of but discovered there, about whomShakespeare had written Love's Labours Lost -- Who knew? 

Being somewhat steeped in classical literature and theatre, it feltnatural to project myself back in time to write that story. But Inever thought, "I'm a historical fiction writer now,"because I was aware that lightning might strike somewhere entirelydifferent in the future - which it did. 

And yes, my work inregional theatre informed a great portion of the early partof Manhattan Triptych.  Most of the New York theatrestories were either experienced by me or someone I knew. 

Norm: Your novel employsa non-linear narrative that “travels back and forth in time muchthe way memory does.” 

As someone who has written both plays (whichoften follow more linear structures) and novels, what challenges didthis fragmented, memory-driven structure present?

Have you found yourplaywriting background to be an asset or a limitation whenconstructing these complex temporal shifts in your fiction?

Catherine: I'm not surehow to answer this one, because for the most part I just followed thestory where it seemed to want to take me, without an outline, knowingthat I might have to time travel a bit. 

I had, however, just had theexperience of a close friend disappearing in New York, had gone thereto look for her, and was shocked to find what had happened. (NOSPOILER ALERT.) 

Having that search as the backbone for the story madethe flashbacks and zig-zagging in time much easier to execute.

Norm: The threeprotagonists meet in a summer stock production of Fiddler on theRoof. What made you choose this particular musical as the originpoint for their friendship? 

Given your extensivetheater background, did you find yourself drawing on specific summerstock experiences from your own early acting career when writingthese scenes?

Catherine: One of my firstprofessional jobs was playing one of the daughters in Fiddler onthe Roof in summer stock. As in the book, almost all the actorsin the cast were gay, which is possibly why the three "sisters"spent so much time together instead of having a "show-mance." 

It was my first out-of-town gig, which was also memorable. I feltlike quite the grownup I only workedin summer stock once, the rest was regional and New York theatre.Maybe that's why that one show was so memorable for me. But yes, Idrew heavily on my own experiences in regional theatre. 

Norm: You were born inManhattan but raised elsewhere, and now live in Santa Monica. How didyour own relationship with Manhattan inform the city’s portrayal asboth a physical and emotional landscape in the novel? 

The novel describes Manhattan as having “memories botheuphoric and painful” for the characters. What are your own mostsignificant Manhattan memories that may have influenced this dualperspective?

Catherine: Manhattan isthe most exhilarating and depressing city in the world, depending onyour life circumstances. When I was young and poor and the city wasbeing labelled "the Calcutta of the west," there was a lotof crime and very visible poverty. 

Bad things happened, but also themost wonderfully hopeful things. When you're young and activelyengaged in seeking a career, you tend not to notice the needles onthe park bench when you just learned you booked a commercial, forinstance. 

 But as one gets older, money becomes much moreimportant to your well-being. The five story walk-up that caused youno worries in your twenties might seem like too steep a climb inyour late thirties. 

I was the victim of crime, the details of whichI'd rather not go into. I also was fortunate to have a play of mineget rave reviews in the New York Times and launch my writing career.

I fell in and out of love, went to marvellous parties, witnessedshocking scenes on the street, saw brilliant theatre -- it's all acrazy mix. 

Norm; ManhattanTriptych weaves the characters’ personal journeys againstmajor historical events including the AIDS crisis, savings and loandebacle, 9/11, and California wildfires. 

How did you approachbalancing these large historical moments with the intimate stories ofyour three protagonists? 

Which of these historical events was mostchallenging to integrate authentically into the women’s personalnarratives, and why?

Catherine: Havingjust narrowly escaped the recent Los Angeles wildfires when so manyof my friends lost everything, that part of the book was the easiestto write. 

The next easiest was the AIDS crisis, because I lost manyvery close friends back when there was no cure or even treatment forit - it was horrible. 

The savings and loan crisis is a backdrop forthe financial affairs of one of my characters, but I tread on itlightly because really it's pretty dull stuff if you're not aneconomist. 

9/11 is the most difficult to write about, because Iwasn't there and actually felt guilty about the fact that I wasn'tparticipating in the emotional aftermath of that seismic event withmy friends. 

As such, I have one of my characters imagining it muchthe way I have over the years. I simply can't imagine. 

Norm: After four decadesof friendship, one of the women “unexpectedly drops out of sight.”Was there a particular moment in writing that you realized thisdisappearance would become the novel’s central mystery? 

Howdid you decide which character would be the one to disappear, andwhat does that choice reveal about your understanding of friendshipdynamics?

Catherine: I knew from thebeginning which one it would be because, as I said, it had justhappened in my life. Her disappearance was the inspiration forthe novel, and I created the character of Orla as a kind of tributeto my friend, changing many details of her life and character buttrying to keep her core sweetness always at the forefront. 

Norm: During the pandemic,you and your husband created over 60 short films for Life DuringLockdown. Did this intense creative period influence yourapproach to writing Manhattan Triptych,particularly itsexploration of isolation and connection?

 How does your process differwhen writing a novel versus writing short films or plays?Do you find yourself borrowing techniques from one form to enhanceanother?

Catherine: At one pointduring the pandemic I realized that, without a creative outlet, Iwould experience (was experiencing) serious psychological damage. 

Initially I shot little clips of my husband and I grappling withsomething like wearing masks or irradiating our groceries (can youbelieve some of us did that?) 

Then the films got longer and longer, Igot a bit whimsical and discovered iMovie and the joys of editing.After a while, I was asking actor friends to come over and do alittle scene with me out the window or in the alley. 

Nobody hadanything to do, so even well known actors agreed to join me. When Iran out of ideas for them, I pulled out my old marionettes andstarted filming them, and more famous friends providedthe voices. 

I got deeply involved in those marionette stories.It's a good thing the pandemic came to an end, because I was gettinga little weird.

Norm: With ten producedand published plays to your credit, how did your experience writingdialogue for the stage influence your approach to crafting authenticconversations between your three protagonists?

Are there particulartheatrical techniques you deliberately avoided when writingthis novel to ensure it remained firmly in the realm offiction rather than feeling play-like?

Catherine: I tried to keepthe dialogue to narrative ratio balanced, but I do enjoy writingdialogue and since it's a strong suit it's in there fairly heavily. 

Iremember a friend reading an early draft of The Serpent and theRose and commenting, "I miss your great dialogue," soI rewrote it with that in mind. 

The great gift about a novel,however, is that you can have them say one thing and then write awhole page on what they were really thinking. 

That's what sets anovel apart. That's why it's so often difficult to adapt a novel foranother medium like film or TV.

Norm: Where can ourreaders find out more about you and Manhattan Triptych?

Catherine: I have a WEBSITE 

You can also check out myYouTube channel. It's called "Life as We Know It" 

 I also have aSubstack called "Life in DangerousTimes." 

Norm: As we end ourinterview, what do you hope readers will take away about the natureof enduring friendship after reading ManhattanTriptych—especially in our current cultural moment where manytraditional social bonds seem to be fraying? 

If you could have onespecific conversation with readers after they finish your novel,what would you most want to discuss with them about the story and itsthemes?

Catherine: I'd like toknow how, if they have any lifelong friendships, they have managed tosustain them. 

I'd like to hear about the ones they tried to sustainand failed. Politics is only a small part of this book, but I'd liketo discuss how one salvages a friendship that has been lost topolitics. 

And if they were ever betrayed by a friend, I'd like tohear if and how they managed to come to a point of forgiveness.Because yes, betrayal is one of the elements of this book. 

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors