MyLifetime asked viewers to submit questions to the best-selling author of “The 19th Wife,” David Ebershoff. The writers of the chosen questions will receive signed copies of the book, and everyone else in the online community gets to read David’s answers, so we’re all winners! Read on for a fascinating and in-depth understanding of “The 19th Wife” and the process for creating the epic novel.

Check back on September 14 for another chance to submit a question and win a book!

By David Ebershoff
Author, “The 19th Wife”

Were you nervous about turning this book into a movie? Without giving away the plot, were there any important changes to the story line?


Even though I had no role in the adaptation, I wasn’t nervous. I knew that no matter how the movie turned out, it would bring more readers to the book. I write to connect with readers. That’s what motivates me to return to my desk every morning to keep telling stories. To me, there is nothing like the intimate, unique bond between reader and writer. And I knew that a movie on Lifetime would let people know there’s a book out there called “The 19th Wife” and it’s about faith, family and love in America. That was enough of a reason to say yes, despite the fact that the movie would inevitably become something very different from my book.

And it is. Some of the changes I anticipated, others I did not. One important change involves the two parallel stories. In the book, the novel moves back and forth between Ann Eliza Young and Jordan Scott. It’s a historical novel with a modern-day murder mystery woven through it, but the emphasis is on Ann Eliza. The movie, on the other hand, is a modern-day murder mystery with a historical frame. Because of time constraints, I knew one of the stories would have to be emphasized over the other, but I always hoped the movie would pique people’s interest in Ann Eliza Young and send them to the book.

There was another change I expected, but also dreaded. In the book, Jordan has a big, sweet, naughty dog named Elektra. She goes everywhere with him and is his sidekick as he solves the murder. Elektra is based on my own dog, Elektra, who died a few months ago at the age of 10. For 10 years, Elektra (the real Elektra) was my sidekick. She went almost everywhere with me and, most important, was always at my feet when I wrote. She was a big, sweet, naughty Vizsla who demanded (and got) a lot of attention. For 10 years, my life was the world according to Elektra. But for some reason, whenever I sat down to write, she would curl up beside me and be very quiet and would never disturb me. She somehow understood that this was not the time to interrupt. I used to joke that she understood writing=money=kibble in her bowl. I don’t know how she knew this, but she did. I called her my secretary.

When the movie was optioned, I asked the producer if Elektra could stay in the movie. You know what I learned? Dogs are expensive. Very expensive. Having a dog in the movie would have meant a smaller budget for actors. I quickly figured out that moviemaking is about making choices. Even so, the producer said she would try to keep the dog. I think she was trying to let me down easily. I knew in my heart Elektra wouldn’t make the final script. (But she lives on in the book!)

That last important change was unexpected and still baffles me. In the book, Jordan, one of the main characters, is gay. The book is not a coming-out story, but being gay is part of his identity and adds complexity to the book’s themes of faith, family and love. Only a few weeks before filming began, I learned that Jordan’s character had been rewritten as straight. This is one of those changes you sometimes hear Hollywood makes to a book. You have no idea who made them or why, and you just have to scratch your head. Once again, I hope people pick up the book and discover Jordan for themselves.

What do you hope to change or gain from introducing this book to the world?


I wanted to tell a story about faith and family in America. These are important elements of American life, both in the country’s past and today, and I wanted to explore them and ask questions about them and look at them from different perspectives. The subject of polygamy, both in the 19th century and today, seemed to me an interesting and maybe even original vehicle for exploring these larger themes. At the same time, themes don’t make good stories. Characters facing conflict or crisis make good stories. I first heard about Ann Eliza Young many years ago and immediately knew I wanted to write about her. Talk about a woman facing crisis: She was born into a system of beliefs and defied everyone she knew and loved by rejecting those beliefs. I knew her journey to that decision would make a good story. The more I learned about her, the more I needed to know about polygamy in America. And the more I learned about polygamy in America, the more I learned about today’s polygamists. At some point, the two stories began to weave together in my mind.

Yet, I did not write “The 19th Wife” to answer questions about faith and family in America. I wrote the book to ask questions and to let the reader reach his or her own conclusions.