Prelude: The Chipmunk Connection - Moravian College

dedicated Precious to her sister Carole, who left home
when the writer was seven. At first, she thought she
was writing to organize her fuzzy memories of her
sister, but in the end realized the book was a chance to
say goodbye. But the book was not directed at Carole;
rather, it had a broader scope.
“Fundamentally, I write because I have something
I want to say, something I’m trying to get at, some
truth about what it means to live in this world and
be human,” she says. “Then I always hope what I’ve
said finds an audience. I think books are radical. They
recreate the world and, in the process, they recreate us
as well. Through the power of words, worlds are destroyed,
created, re-envisioned; characters come to life,
and they love and hate and learn things and live and
die. It’s necessary to encounter and to try and understand
all different types of people, situations, and lives.
Fiction is one of the best ways we can do that.”
As a psychology major at Moravian, Novack-Gottshall unknowingly
began honing her insights into the human experience,
which would serve as a springboard for the characters and worlds
she creates. Robert Brill, associate professor of psychology, and
Joseph Gerencher, emeritus professor of earth science, had a special
impact on her undergraduate years.
“Dr. Brill was always a great guy, supportive, helpful. And Dr.
Gerencher was so dedicated and took time with all his students, not
just science majors,” she says. “I always appreciated that. He was
probably my favorite teacher at Moravian, even though I couldn’t,
and still can’t, calculate the elliptical orbit of planets to save my life.”
Although Novack-Gottshall took a winding path to becoming a
writer, every choice she made always brought her back to the page.
“At some point, I thought, ‘I am a writer.’ It’s me, it’s what I do,”
she says. “And once that’s in you—really in you—discouragement
about the industry or a difficult writing day aren’t enough to sway
you. I’ve made a choice to write; we’re defined by our choices. And
when I commit to something, I focus on it.”
Precious will be released in paperback August 31. For more on
Novack-Gottshall, visit her website at www.sandranovack.com or
her blog at www.blahblahblahwriter.blogspot.com. W
Kate Helm ’05 is a freelance writer and admissions officer at Northampton Community College. She
lives in Easton, Pa.
Born in Bethlehem, Pa., Sandra Novack-Gottshall ’98 now lives and
writes in Chicago. Her acclaimed novel, Precious, will be released in
paperback Aug. 31.
Storied Alumni
Many authors of published fiction honed their writing skills at
Moravian College (or an earlier version of it); they include:
Laura Benet (1884-1979), newspaper editor, poet, novelist;
sister of Stephen Vincent Benet and William Rose Benet
Nancy J. Jones ’77, fiction writer and women’s studies instructor
Scott Morro ’95, children’s book author
Scott Heydt ’02, author of novels for children
This is only a partial list of our alumni authors. If you have a
recently published book (fiction or non-fiction), please share the
news with fellow alumni: write to vbingham@Moravian.edu.
Photo © Sandra Novack
SUMMER 2010 MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE 19