How hard was it to get the voices for Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt right?
Robbins: There’s really just one challenge to portraying all characters in any novel. They must be authentic. Readers of novels delegate that chore to the writer, and it is the core trust. The responsibility of creating a fictional character is no greater than re-creating an actual person out of history. The difference is the reader comes to an historic character with preconceived ideas, often deep knowledge. You do not disappoint that reader, or he will have no patience or love for whatever else you do. You cannot write a fine enough tale for someone who knows a thing or two about FDR or Churchill if you don’t present the leaders’ voices and actions in ways that ring true. That means intense research and travel, and insight. I get to know my historical characters in a different way than the ones I create out of my head or experience. They have loves and honor and woe I do not give them. To be honest, it’s much tougher to walk in footprints than it is to forge a new trail. But what a h
