Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-10-21

Special Correspondence.
r ONION, oct. ll.--Consdering the
success OF that uncommonly fine
novel, The Divine Fire. In the
United states, surprisingly little
has found lbs way into print regarding
It's author, Miss May Sinclair. This
matter, however, is likely to be rene.
died shortly. for Miss Sinclair is 10 sail
on oct. "A for a short visit to America,
where she viii spend some time IN New
York as the guest OF her American
publisher, and then go TO stay with her
friend Kate Douglas WiggIn, at the
latter's place In Maine.
TO Miss Sinclair brlght-eyed, ncr-
vous little woman whose accumulated
summers cannot total more than an
agreeable tgure-her approaching visit
10 the United states b. fraught with
q special interest for while The novel
which has made her name. found many
readers and admirers in her own
country, II has had by far It's greatest
vogue I'm the United states, where its
qualities We're first reco snl2ed
"And l cannot say" said Miss SIM
clair In talking to me yesterday, "how
genuinely | respect the discrimination
OF American readers In liking that ono
OF my novcls"--she has published four
which ! personally know to contain
my best work"
This authOross's story is the old one
OF success after years OF plucky fght-
ing. None OF her former books--''Au-
drey Craven" MI and Mrs Neville
Tyson" and Two sides of Question"
though the last named was laylshly
praised by some reviewers IN this coun-
try--brought her In enough 10 live on.
and before the success of "The Divine
Fire changed the aspect of things
she eked out her income by reviewing
other peoples books and trunslatng
Now, however Miss Sinclair says she
Is glad that success did not come at
first.
N it had done ga. she said with
Characteristic seriousness, 81 do not
think that, afterward. I should have
been able 10 write without being lnnu-
enced 10 some extent by questions OF
STABILITY. But when book after book
Of mine failed, ! said TO myself Not
good enough but the next viii be-
until now ! feel sure that ! can do
whatever J set out TO do, without being
SWayed by reflections as 90 what the
public may think Of the matter in
hand"
Regarding her next book Miss Sim
clair Will say little. except that she viii
start II shortly after her return to
THIS country which she eNuects VIII be
soon after Christmas. It may be fin.
ished by the end Of next summer. May
be, beCause--as no one who realized
what an Immense amount Of pains
had been lavished on "The Divine Fire"
VIII need to be told-the authorizes Is an
uncommonly conscientious writer who
nnds no one less easy 10 please than
herself.
When writing a book Miss Sinclair
commonly works eight hours a day
but her output is comparatively small,
she gasped at the mere suggestion of n
thousands words a day Il may do GOO"
she said, "and | may do six" Mites
sinclair remarked, however, that she
had never been able to estimate her
progress by numbers OF words.
In that respect" she said. Figures
have not the slightest significance to
nc, and II Il Is absolutely necessary
that my words be counted have to
turn the work Of computation over to
somebody else"
On the other hand this authoress has
a curious faculty Of being able % tell
within a few pages, at any rate, how
big a book the story she ls at work
hVpH w IA MAXI, remember suo
said, TN the case Of THE Divine Fire"
my publishers here got frightened at
the length II was assuming aud demand.
ed TO know how long It would be? /
suggested that they had better allow
for n thousand and ten tvpawrittcn
pages, and though az the time ] had
only a general idea OF what | was going
to make Of the story, the number Of
pages was within perhaps half a dozen
OF that which | had mentioned"
Miss Sinclair also is inclined TO lay
claim to a sort Of prescience regarding
other matters In connection with her
work. For instance" she said, 81 felt
sure, though / knew nothing whatsoev.
or about American tastes. that my last
book would make the strongest appeal
to the United states. Contrary 20 what
actually happened / expected Il would
be long time before ! found an Am
eriCan publisher but sooner or later .
felt sure Of its success across the At /.
lantic."
with Miss Sinclair II is never a quos.
ton Of finding plot for a prospective .
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