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Introducing Sara Gruen
When Sara Gruen decided to write Water for Elephants, she had never been to a circus! The idea came to her, she said, from “a vintage circus photograph” by Edward J. Kelty in the Chicago Tribune.
Intrigued by the photo, she spent four-and-a-half months researching circuses and learning about the Depression, and a year writing the book.
Gruen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She grew up in Ontario, attended the University of Ottawa, and moved to the States in 1999 for a technical writing job.
When that job ended two years later, she decided to try writing fiction full-time. Her instincts and talent served her well, for she now has three published novels – Riding Lessons, Flying Changes, and Water for Elephants. Her novel Ape House is due to come out in 2008.
Animal welfare deeply concerns her. One of her first actions after learning that Water for Elephants was selling well was making a donation to The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. She is a strong advocate of adopting pets from local animal shelters.
For some years, Gruen has lived in northern Illinois. Her family includes her husband, three children, two dogs, two cats, three goats and a horse. Her passions – besides her family, animal welfare, and writing – include scuba diving and snorkeling.
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(Note: The information above came from Gruen’s own Web site, her note at the end of Water for Elephants, and an interview by Erin Collazo Miller.)