Inspired Alaskan pens historical thriller
Lily Tuzroyluke sought to write a story that could pass down, “so much traditional wisdom that I was given.”
Tuzroyluke’s debut novel “Sivulliq: Ancestor” was a part of the Library of Congress’ Great Read from Great States list for 2023.
The historical thriller follows the story of a Iñupiaq family on the hunt to find their child who was kidnapped by Yankee whalers. The story is set against a backdrop of smallpox, the Alaska wilderness and the whaling industry in the late 1800s.
Tuzroyluke said that her work in tribal government allowed her the opportunity to explore part of her culture, she is part Iñupiaq, and provided the background for the story.
“That gave me this incredible opportunity to listen to elders and whaling captains and hunters. My peoples who are continuing on subsistence whaling. That was really a strong foundation into me writing a story,” Tuzroyluke said.
Tuzroyluke turned to writing as an outlet after her son was diagnosed with autism and she had to leave Point Hope for Anchorage to provide him the services he needed.
While she mourned having to leave her first love of tribal government, Tuzroyluke credits her son for giving her the strength to step into professional writing.
“He gave me courage to dive into another life path and it’s been glorious,” Tuzroyluke said.
Tuzroyluke is USA TODAY’s Woman of the Year for Alaska.
Question: Who helped pave the way for you?
Answer: I had mentors in tribal government, one of them being Roy Luke Jr., my great uncle.
I told him, I want to write a book and he said, “Well, there’s been a lot of books about Point Hope, about our village,” which is true because historically it’s an ancient settlement. There’s been many historians and books written about Point Hope, from the historical standpoint. Then he said, “but none of them have been written by our people, by none of them have been written by somebody that’s from Point Hope,” and that really stuck with me. That was his way of teaching, letting me come to the realizations that that a book needs to be written by one of our peoples.
I’ve been very fortunate that Alaskan authors are so supportive of each other. One of them is Don Reardon, author of “Ravens Gift.” I’ve been blessed in meeting Don. From the very beginning he said, “I want you to get published, let me know how I can help.”
How did you make the transition from tribal government to fiction writing?
Bills and ordinances and tribal resolutions, there was always a letter, there’s always a letter to rewrite.
I knew (tribal government is) such a demanding job that I wouldn’t be able to go back to school for fiction writing. I wanted someone who somebody very specialized, and that can look at the story, in particular. I found an author who did writing coaching, Bill Henderson out of North Carolina, and it was over the phone. This was before zoom. I want to say this was about 2007, 2008. I met him during my lunch hour. Who did you look to when developing your voice?
Patrick Süskind is one of my favorite authors, (he wrote) “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.”
I feel as if in his writing, it is very dimensional.
He’s very heavy on the prepositions, which makes me feel like I’m in the space that he’s describing. I definitely love how form his writing is full of adjectives but not being overwhelmed with the number of descriptions. What would you tell yourself at 18?
Trust yourself.
So much of writing is self-motivation, is believing in yourself, is investing in this long road where you won’t see the fruits of it right away but it is important to plant the seeds and have faith in your own abilities.