I didn't write a political treatise. I wrote a novel. For me, they are different creatures altogether. I have to protect the integrity of the characters in my novels. I cannot make them mouthpieces for my own political beliefs because then they lose credibility.
Life is never convenient.
People will not behave in a certain way simply because you tell them to do so. Allowing characters to grow in their complexity is crucial if the novel is to work. Sometimes characters are most like themselves when they are least like themselves. Sisterhood and what that means in the broadest sense is also at the heart of The Hotel Alleluia . In an early version of the novel, I'd been reluctant to explore the relationship between Joan and Ursuline.