Pamela Norsworthy
Author Interview - Pamela Norsworthy
Author of The Florentine Entanglement
In the shadow of the Cold War, a new officer joins the fledgling CIA, the young wife he met in post-war Italy exuberant over the life that awaits them. In time, he develops a wandering eye and she grows remote and distant. When the U-2 spy plane program he oversees goes badly wrong, his career is upended and his personal indiscretions are laid bare. But it may his wife whose secrets prove more explosive.
Author Interview - Pamela Norsworthy
Author I draw inspiration from:
Kate Atkinson's sharp wit shines, even when she's writing about dour circumstances. Just read the opening section of Transcription. It's devastating and hilarious. When I finished her book, Life after Life, I immediately flipped to the front to begin again, to study her cleverly scaffolded construction, the clues I'd missed the first time through. She gives her readers credit, slipping important details into the narrative without hanging a sign overhead that reads "Watch this, now. It's important." I have worked to do that in my books, to give the reader the experience of being in the protagonists' shoes, as circumstances develop, as the stakes are made clear.
Author Interview - Pamela Norsworthy | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
In the sunshine--on the beach, on the deck, in the park.
On a hotel balcony in Normandy, France or with the Mediterranean as a backdrop in Malaga, Spain, rhythmic, rolling waves provide the perfect sound bath in which to read.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Count Rostov in A Gentlemen in Moscow by Amor Towles--a brilliant character in a brilliantly written book.The sweep of history the Count has ostensibly lived through would make for quite the conversation. I would ask him about all he witnessed in Russia in his lifetime and how he maintained his dignity and humanity throughout. I would want to understand more about the Russian affinity for all things French, how that shaped Russian/Soviet culture and ambition. If we had snacks, I would not mind if the elevator stayed stuck for hours.
Author Interview - Pamela Norsworthy | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I've always, always written. I wrote stories as a young child. They're stuck in a folder somewhere. Maybe I'll dig them out and see what develops.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I read hardbacks in the bathtub. Bath salts, candles, the whole bit. I have a little stack of books waiting in line on the side of the tub. But hardbacks can be heavy so one must take care to avoid water accidents. Paperbacks are wonderful for tucking into totes so you always have something to read when you're moving about. I read ebooks every single night. I love knowing my e-reader has a well of literature just waiting to surprise me. I am not an audiobook listener--although I narrated my latest book. Knowing how a nasally voice with lots of breaths and mouth noises drives listeners nuts, I made sure not to do any of that when I recorded my audiobook.
The last book I read:
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. Let's just say I do not understand the rave reviews or the comparison to The Goldfinch, which I adored.
Author Interview - Pamela Norsworthy | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I tap away on my laptop every day, reading and re-reading, moving around paragraphs and chapters, spending way too much time searching for bits of information to make my stories more accurate and historically grounded. (The best place to buy lapis jewelry in Chile in 1970? The most sensitive Soviet military targets in 1960? The most popular British baby names around 1915?) I tend to read and re-read the whole manuscript from the beginning every week or so, to see how the story is rolling out, if the characters are coherent and believable. Characters can have changes of heart--in fact, they usually do--but the groundwork must be laid so the reader believes it and doesn't say "She would never do that!" My critique group meets regularly and spots things I miss--tics in my writing (like saying "he took a beat" over and over, or a sentence construction that I lean on too often). More than that, they are gifted writers who see the whole field and can tell me what feels true and what's not working. I take their feedback, then head back to my desk to tap, tap, tap and revise.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Mary Beth Latham in Anna Quindlen's Every Last One. She's a married mother of three and has striven to provide love and stability to her family. I empathize with how hard she's worked to create her happy tribe. She has a generosity and integrity I value most in friendships, She goes through an unthinkable event and manages to keep a sense of herself. Mary Beth would be a reliable, dependable, wise friend to have.
Author Interview - Pamela Norsworthy | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I'm a former journalist--a career I loved because every day was completely different depending on the story to cover and the newsmakers to interview.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The 40's. Those complex victory roll hairdos and peep-toe pumps!
Place I’d most like to travel:
I am writing a book about Chile, having lived there as a child. I would love to go back and see if things are as I remember. (And also enjoy the Chilean wines and fresh seafood!)
My signature drink:
A glass of Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay with a LaCroix Pamplemouse on the side.
Favorite artist:
Joni Mitchell--singer, composer, visual artist. I read her lyrics and weep.
Number one on my bucket list:
Getting the manuscript for my third book, Providencia, buttoned up and ready to publish.
Find more from the author:
PamelaNorsworthywrites.com
Instagram and Threads: @pamsstories
Facebook: Pamela Norsworthy, Writer: https://www.facebook.com/pamsstories/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/pamela-norsworthy
About Pamela Norsworthy:
Pamela Norsworthy
A 2025 Georgia Author of the Year nominee for her debut novel, WAR BONDS, Pamela's second book, THE FLORENTINE ENTANGLEMENT, earned #1 Seller and Top New Release badges from Amazon upon its release in January 2026. A novel of the Cold War, THE FLORENTINE ENTANGLEMENT interweaves the infamous downing of the U-2 spyplane over the Soviet Union with the complicated marriage of the CIA officer responsible for the failed mission. Pamela is now at work on a novel set on the cusp of the 1973 Chilean coup that toppled Salvador Allende.
After a career in television and corporate communications, Pamela turned to fiction writing to share her love of history and politics and to explore how decisions made by the powerful can prove cataclysmic for everyday people caught in the crossfire. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Pamela lives with her husband and two very spoiled dogs in Atlanta, Georgia, all four of them loyal Atlanta Braves baseball fans.
