Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

I have decided that I love Bloomsbury...the publisher. I love them. (Of course, I'd love them more if they published one of MY stories...)


Anyway, the latest review book I got from them is this one.



The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry.


And guess what? We are very lucky today to have the author with us for a little interview. Yay!


But first, let me tell you a bit about this wonderful new YA fantasy.


Lucinda Chapdelaine's parents died in a carriage accident years ago, leaving her to live with a distant uncle. They toil in a jewelry shop under the direction of her demanding step-aunt.


One day, a mysterious lady comes into the shop with an even more unique jewel. This sets a chain of events into motion that will change Lucinda's life. She'll befriend a goat, find her childhood home, meet a prince, and be sent to her death.


I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel by Julie Berry, so I contacted her for an interview. Here goes...


Hi Julie,
Thanks so much for agreeing to answer a few questions...

First of all, I'll start with the flattery (you can blame Shannon Hale for that). The Amaranth Enchantment is a stunning debut novel. The plot is quick and fresh, and the characters are realistic and engaging. Readers who enjoy books by Jessica Day George, Robin McKinley, and Shannon Hale are sure to find a gem in The Amaranth Enchantment. Anyway, I devoured the book (and found it quite delicious.)

1. Tell us a bit about you.
I grew up on a farm in western New York, the youngest of seven children. I attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an undergrad, majoring in communication, and have worked in software tech writing, marketing and sales for most of my career. I'm married with four young sons, ranging from 4 to 12 years old. I earned an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of the Fine Arts in January 2008. I love gardening, quilting, and singing -- I'm a choir director at church. And, I write a humor column for the MetroWest Daily News.

2. How did you get the idea for this story?
It was a long process with many false starts. I started thinking about a decaying but once-magnificent house full of memories. I thought about falling from Paradise and how that might happen. And I thought about a fairy-tale heroine with a sidekick who rescues the fallen one. From there, the pieces gradually came together.


3. How did you break into publishing? Do you have advice for the hopefuls like me who haven't been able to YET?
I think several things made a difference for me. My newspaper writing experience taught me to write quickly, for an audience, paying close attention to voice. My years in grad school forced me to write extensively, think and write critically about what I was reading, write lots, and revise lots. Many people do publish without an MFA, of course, but it made a great difference to me. Beyond that, just writing daily, diligently, and being willing to write honestly and revise painfully makes a big difference. Setting all that aside, I met an agent at a conference, followed up with her, and she decided to represent me. Her efforts led to the publication opportunity with Bloomsbury.


4. Who do you most closely identify with in The Amaranth Enchantment? Is there a bit of you in Lucinda? Beryl? The Prince?
I always say that everything I write is autobiographical. It may be true that every character I write is in some way a reflection of me! Probably I feel closest to Lucinda, though, among those you've mentioned. We spent the most time together. I appreciate her flaws and her persistence.

5. Congratulations on the awesome article in the Boston Globe! How do you think being LDS/Mormon has influenced your writing? Why do you think more and more LDS women are writing for teens?
More writers are writing for teens, period, Mormon or otherwise, so Mormons are part of a larger trend in this instance. But I think there's a natural fit between many Mormon writers and children's/YA literature, inasmuch as there's more overlap between youth literature and LDS standards. Mainly, though, I think LDS women are encouraged to develop their talents and pursue their goals, so when the Harry Potter tidal wave hit the world and re-confirmed the legitimacy and vitality of young adult literature, many LDS women rose to the example set by J.K. Rowling, herself an inspiring writer-mom. I think this is true whether or not someone likes Harry Potter or is drawn to fantasy. The entire children's literature universe was expanded and energized by its Potter encounter.


6. How do you balance being a mother and writer?
It's not easy. I'm not sure that I do balance it. I don't write when the kids are awake and needing attention. I write when they're asleep, or elsewhere. I need to focus in order to write, and that's hard to do when they're here. And they need me to focus on them when they're around. So I need to search every day for pockets of time when I can write without taking time away from them.

7. And finally, tell us about any new projects you are working on.
Right now I'm hacking my way into a mystery. Alas, much of it remains a mystery still to me! Beginnings tend to take me quite a while. I need many rewrites and start-overs to find the right entry into my story.
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Jessica Day George

I ran across this video interview with Jessica Day George over at Fuse #8's School Library Journal Blog and decided it would be the perfect thing to share with you while you are waiting to find out if you are the lucky winner of the signed copy of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.
I'll announce a winner in the morning...until then...

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Interview with Jessica Day George


What can I say about Jessica Day George? She is a riot in a bottle. She is a red-headed firecracker. When asked for a picture of herself she sent the one to the right, saying, "Oh, here, post this picture! I swear, it's an exact likeness!"


Today we have the opportunity to find out a bit about her, her books, and her writing habits.

But quickly, before we get started, let me remind you about her books. The first one was Dragon Slippers, which I requested from the publisher after hearing it was something I might enjoy. I did. Tremendously. To find out all my thoughts about it, visit my review here.


The sequel to Dragon Slippers will be released in April. Dragon Flight is a fantastic sequel and lovers of Dragon Slippers will surely be happy with it. I have had the chance to read it already and will be reviewing it fully closer to its release.

Jessica Day George's latest book, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, is my favorite of the three. I will be reviewing it shortly. If you love fairy tales and fantasy, you don't want to miss this book. I loved it.





If you comment on this post (be relevant, please), the one about Dragon Slippers, or the review of Sun and Moon (which is coming soon) you will be entered into the drawing for a free signed copy of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow!!! Comments will close a week from today, on Wednesday, March 5th at midnight. A winner will be announced the following day.



JDG: Okay, let's get to these questions before my brain falls out my ear, which is a very likely scenario at this point.

1. How much research do you do for your stories? How do you organize it?

JDG: Ah, organization. Yes, er, I'm not that organized, actually. It's kind of alarming. For Dragon Slippers, I pretty much did no research, since I like my dragons a certain way and I invented the customs, language and culture of Feravel. But for Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, I reread the original fairy tale both in English and Norwegian, and kept an Old Norse dictionary at hand for reference. It was a project I had been mulling over for years, and so I already knew what elements of Norwegian culture I wanted to bring to it.

2. How did you get the ideas for Dragon Slippers and Dragon Flight?

JDG: Dragon Slippers came to me one night like a bolt of lightning, which is just as painful as it sounds. The entire book just downloaded into my brain (again: ouch!), and I just had to type fast enough to get it all in before I forgot any of it. I never intended to write a sequel, but one day while telling my husband that I had no ideas for a sequel, I thought of one. So Dragon Flight was a bit harder to write. I knew that certain dragons were still alive (not to spoil anything), and I knew that I wanted to go to a new country, and have that country using dragons like cavalry horses. But piecing the rest of it together took a lot more effort than the first book. Hilariously, I've just finished the first draft of a third dragon book, which was much easier to write than the second one.

3. Is the setting in Dragon Slippers and Dragon Flight based on a real location and society?

JDG: Not at all. But if there is a Feravel out there, I'd love to visit. (Not so much Citatie, I don't do well with heat.)

4. How did you get into writing?

JDG: "Oh, yo ho! Yo ho! The writer's life for meeeee. . . ." I am just completely unsuited for anything else. All my life I've wandered around with my nose in a book or my head in the clouds, making up stories. I've got a Cabbage Patch Kid diary from when I was eight that has about five pages of actual diary entries, and then it suddenly goes off on some story about a girl and her horse. (Which, incidentally, I'm turning into a trilogy based loosely on World War I England.) I've been telling people I was going to be a fantasy author since I was at least eleven, and my parents always supported me in that. They would take me to writers' conferences or to booksignings so that I could meet real authors, and all I've ever wanted was to be one of them.

5. What authors have influenced you as a writer? As a person?

JDG: The person and the writer are the same being, really. And I owe so much of my childhood and my writing to Robin McKinley, Patricia C. Wrede and Diana Wynne Jones. If you haven't read The Hero and the Crown, Dealing with Dragons, or Dogsbody. . . . for shame! And there's also the inestimable Tad Williams, whose giant, 1,000 page fantasy novels were the most treasured possessions of my awkward high school years. (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn: best fantasy trilogy ever.)

6. Why did you choose to retell Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow?

JDG: It is, hands down, my favorite folk/fairy/legend/tale/story. Trolls, polar bears, fabulous palaces, it has them all! And it's set in Norway, one of the most gorgeous places on the planet. I used to read the P.J. Lynch picture book version over and over, and dream about how I was going to turn that story into a full-length novel. There was just something about it that appealed to me. It was my story, the way little girls now dress up like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, I wanted to be the woodcutter's youngest daughter.

7. After Dragon Flight, do you have any other books in the works?

JDG: Oh, my yes! I have a retelling of Twelve Dancing Princesses coming out next year (title is under construction), which will have knitting patterns in it, and I'm a hundred pages into a sequel to that. Plus I just this week finished a third dragon book, and have about half a dozen more books planned. So far.

8. How did you break into publishing?

JDG: With a crowbar and a delicate set of lockpicks. . . . Oh, sorry! That's another story. . . . I was at BYU's Writing for Young Readers Conference (which I very much recommend), and the girl sitting next to me during one of the sessions heard me talk about Dragon Slippers. She invited me to attend a private writing retreat she and some local authors were putting together. They were bringing in a real live New York editor to talk to about 20 people about publishing, and then we would each get 15 minutes alone with the editor to tell her about our writing. I went, it was wonderful, the editor loved my story and ended up buying it. I couldn't understand one word in ten of the contract, though, so I called up an agent I had met at the BYU conference, and asked her if she could negotiate it for me. Now she's my agent full time, and Bloomsbury is my publisher! I really recommend attending writing conferences. Not only does it help you become a better writer, but meeting an agent or editor face-to-face gives you a much better chance at selling your story.

9. What is the hardest thing about being a writer?

JDG: Not enough time! Balancing writing new books, editing the ones on their way to the printer, and taking care of my little one and our messy house is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Added that are making time for school visits and booksignings, it's just crazy-busy!

10.What advice do you have for other aspiring writers?

JDG: Make sure you don't forget to read, not just in the genre you're writing in, but all kinds of books. Write down all your ideas and keep them, even if you think they sound stupid five minutes later. A few years down the road, you may find a use for that scene/character/plotline. Did you catch my above comment? I'm using a story I wrote when I was EIGHT as the starting point for a trilogy! And writers' conferences = invaluable.



A commenter at Clean Reads asked the following questions:

What are you reading right now?

JDG: I am currently reading Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing, which is also a Twelve Dancing Princesses story (but vastly different from mine), and next I am very excited to read Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay, a wonderful writer for grown ups and a cool person too!

What do you do when you get writer's block?

JDG: Eat licorice and dance around the room. (You're laughing because you haven't tried it.)

What's your favorite part of the creative process?

JDG: Sitting down at the computer and starting a fresh new story. There is no writer's block yet. There is nothing but that blank screen. And as soon as I start typing, I get this giddy feeling and think that I could go on and on for days . . . if only my family didn't need dinner and clean underwear.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

JDG: You're welcome, you're welcome!

To find out more about Jessica, visit her website, http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/, where she blogs and there's all kinds of fun stuff about the books.
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Kaza Kingsley on Blog Tour HERE!


I'm very excited to be hosting Day Ten of Kaza Kingsley's whirlwind tour through the blogosphere. Let me reiterate that her Erec Rex series is fabulous. I am reading it slowly to my little guy, but everyday I'm tempted to just sit and finish it myself. Kaza Kingsley is a wonderfully creative writer. Erec Rex, a Harry Potter-type series, is a ton of fun and absolutely worth reading.



The amazing thing about this tour, is that there are original questions/answers and pictures at every stop!



So, here goes...


1/16 – Deliciously Clean Reads ; Emily Beeson

Emily – Thank you so much for hosting me on Deliciously Clean Reads. What a great site! It’s been fun, and I look forward to see if your readers have any comments or questions. Also, enjoy the kid picture of me below! Readers will get to see me “grow up” along this blog tour!









-Kaza, This picture is SO adorable. It looks like you came straight out of a Harry Potter movie...or maybe an Erec Rex movie? Let's begin.





-What is your favorite thing about being an author?

I think it’s split right down the middle between two things – and they are complete opposites of each other!

First, for me, there is nothing better than escaping into my writing. It’s so satisfying for me to plunge in, and get so involved in the story in my head, that I lose myself. It’s escapist, really, like seeing a movie or listening to your favorite music. And it recharges me, too.

But, also, I like the opposite end of the spectrum just as much. Along with the quiet, solitary side of writing, I also enjoy meeting people, especially fans who love my series. Going to schools, talking to kids and adults, recharges me in another way, and gives me the inspiration I need to keep going.

-What is your least favorite?

The pressure!! I wish I could just focus on the books, and I hope to get to a point when I no longer worry about hitting sales marks and wonder where my books will fall on the lists. Unfortunately it’s a real part of being an author today. Book sales mean better placement in stores that lead to better book sales.



I wish I knew what the future held for the Erec Rex series. But at least I feel I’ve hit a point where I don’t have to worry quite so much any more. Cross fingers!!



-What do you want readers to take away from your books?



The most important thing to me is that my readers come away feeling like they’ve had a great escape. I’d like my books to be a safe place for kids and adults to go, to experience harrowing adventure from the safety of their armchairs (or beanbags…)



But beyond that, I do hope readers will come away with a few more things, too. I made Erec face some tough choices, and I hope these will inspire readers to question how they might handle the same situation. Do you do what’s easy, do something to help yourself only, or do you do what’s right, even if it puts you at risk? How far are you willing to go out of your way to help others in need? I think some of the hardest choices we face involve doing what we should do instead of what we want to do.


Similarly, the books also deal with themes of trust, prejudice and self-doubt that I hope give people some more thoughts to chew on…


-Do you consider your books to be for children mainly, or adults too?

I actually wrote the books for adults to enjoy, going with a story that I found interesting, rather than one written just for kids. There are definitely some references and jokes in the books that most kids won’t pick up on.



But at the same time I was conscious of keeping the words in the story relatively simple, so that kids wouldn’t be put off. It was important to me to keep it clean, too! There were a few times when, in a rough draft, a swear word might pop out of one of the characters mouths in a really tense situation. Of course, I changed those words. There are much better ways of expressing the same ideas without bad language. Usually more creative ones!



The beauty of fantasy is that it’s a great medium for stories that interest both kids and adults! That makes it a great genre for parents to read to their kids, too.



-You've had a lot of interviews, posted in your website. Have any of them gone badly?



I have had a lot of interviews! Luckily most go well, but there was one once that turned a corner and went terribly. It makes me cringe to remember it! It was a radio interview. The host had heard there would be twelve books in the series, but I corrected him and said it would be eight. Somehow that upset him, I think. For the rest of the interview he became so negative and disparaging! I tried to keep my wits about me, and bit my tongue until it was over. Not pleasant, though!



You can see a bunch of TV interviews in my Media / Press Room at http://www.erecrex.com/press.htm.

-Why did you choose a male main character?

I actually didn’t decide on the main character of this series until after I knew the underlying story theme, which was the legend of Hercules. After I knew that, I had to go with a boy. But his best friend, Bethany, is a very big part of the series as well. I hope that evens things out for girl readers.


-Was it hard to write from a boy's perspective?

Surprisingly, no! Writing his character did put me in touch with my mischievous side, though. I think I was still able to find enough kid in me to get into his head, as well as his friends’. I guess once you know a character well you kind-of become them, so it gets easy.

Kaza, Thanks so much for stopping here. I've truly enjoyed hosting your tour.
Readers-Kaza will be checking back all week to answer any questions or comments, so talk away...and here's the schedule if you're itching for more...
Day 7 – Stephanie’s Confessions of a Book-A-Holic, http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/2008/01/kaza-kingsley-blog-tour-2008.html
Day 14 – Kaleb Nation’s Official Website - http://kalebnation.com/blog/2008/01/20/interview-with-kaza-kingsley/
Day 16 – Young Adults and Kids Books Central Blog, http://yabookscentral.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-tour-kaza-kingsley.html
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Kaza Kingsley's Book Tour


Kaza Kingsley, author of the Erec Rex books, begins a Blog Book Tour today. As you can see, I will be hosting an interview with her on the 16th.

I have been reading the first book in the series, The Dragon's Eye, and I am very pleasantly surprised by how good it is.

Kirkus Reviews said of the book, "Erec finds himself competing for one of three nefarious schemes, a crew of sneering bullies, sumptous feasts, allies for Erec, a surprise villain and magic worked by everything from explosive 'nitrowisherine' to push-button remotes. Kingsley speeds her tale along to a climax involving an impulsive dragon...Closing with the news that the young hero still has 12 tasks to fulfill, this light but not insubstatial outing definitely belongs aboard the Potter wagon, but merits a seat toward the front."

I agree with this assessment. Potter fans will likely find another excellent series in Erec Rex. I recommend this series to anyone who loved Harry Potter and isn't sure what to read next. Although it is full of magic, the story is completely original and compelling. Enjoy.

Here is where Kaza (what a cool name, huh?) will be for the next couple weeks...
Day 1 – A Fort Made of Books - http://afortmadeofbooks.blogspot.com/2008/01/kaza-kingsley-interview.html
Day 7 – Stephanie’s Confessions of a Book-A-Holic, http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/2008/01/kaza-kingsley-blog-tour-2008.html
Day 14 – Kaleb Nation’s Official Website - http://kalebnation.com/blog/2008/01/20/interview-with-kaza-kingsley/
Day 16 – Young Adults and Kids Books Central Blog, http://yabookscentral.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-tour-kaza-kingsley.html
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Interview with Shannon Hale


Here it is! My interview with the fabulous, Shannon Hale:


I asked some of my blog readers what questions they had for you. Here are some of their questions...

1. Lindsey Leavitt asked: Will you be my best friend?

Of course. I’m wearing our BFF bracelet right now.

2. Olmue wants to know how you balance it all--writing, family, other responsibilities?

Ha! That’s my favorite joke. Umm…okay, really, I put my family first, grab writing time whenever I can, and try not to stress about anything else.

3. Sarah Johnson and her daughters asked how many more Bayern books there will be.

I’m writing a fourth right now. I have other books I want to do next, but I imagine I’ll always return to Bayern as often as a good story occurs to me.

4. Kelly R. Fineman would like to know how much research you did for Book of a Thousand Days and how you organize your research.

I’m not very organized. I do a good deal of research, before I write and while I write. I take notes, keep a folder of ideas, and always use much less than I’d like.

Okay, now a couple questions from me.

1. Austenland is very different from the rest of your published books. Do you plan to write any more books like it?

I’m writing another of the same ilk that may be out in 2009. I get bored easily and it’s nice for me to vary my writing (first person, third, contemporary, fantasy, graphic novel…)

2. Personally, I think Book of a Thousand Days is ONE INCREDIBLY WRITTEN book (sorry to yell at you). I've always been a fan, but this one is my favorite so far. If I were on the Newbery committee, I'd vote it to the top. Please tell us how you got the idea for it. Do you struggle for great ideas or do they pop into your head all the time?

Thank you! I get lots and lots of ideas. That’s not the problem. The struggle in writing for me is finding the story in the idea and the words to tell it right. This is based on an obscure fairy tale, Maid Maleen, and my desire to tell the maid’s story, as she was just mentioned and then forgotten in the original tale, which really chapped my hide.

3. What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

When I find just the perfect sentence.

4. What is the hardest part of being a writer?

When I know it’s not working but I don’t know how to fix it. And getting through a first draft.

5. And finally (because I know you are a fan of flattery), how does it feel to be witty, pretty and intelligent and basically an all-around Writer Rockstar?

What? I don’t know what you mean. I’m incredibly humble and modest, and my fabulous good looks are more a curse than a blessing. But if you insist…

Thanks, again!


I know, I know. It's kind of silly, but isn't she fabulous? She used to be a stand-up comedian. You couldn't tell, could you?


Don't forget to comment to be entered into the drawing for one of two signed Shannon Hale books. You can enter as many times as you want!
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100th Week is Coming Soon!

Next week we are celebrating 100th week at Deliciously Clean Reads. 100 reviews that is!


I am terribly THRILLED to announce that we are celebrating with a Shannon Hale spotlight week, which will include an exclusive interview, reviews of several of her books, AND a giveaway for a signed copy of one or more of her books!


I can't wait. Make sure to check back!
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Interview with Linda Press Wulf, author of The Night of the Burning



A couple days ago, we posted a review by Joyce Moyer Hostetter of THE NIGHT OF THE BURNING by Linda Press Wulf. Now, we get a special treat!

An interview with Linda Press Wulf – author of THE NIGHT OF THE BURNING: DEVORAH’S STORY

Joyce: I am wondering about your mother-in-law’s story. Can you share a few sentences about how her story was kept alive and why you were moved to tell it in The Night of the Burning?
Linda: My mother in law died while my husband was in medical school, when she was in her 60s, and I never met her. I knew only the bare bones of her story, told to me by my husband as she had told it to him. The initial coincidence that attracted me was the part about the Isaac Ochberg prize but that was soon eclipsed by the rest of the extraordinary story.

Joyce: I’m sure very few witnesses are still living, huh?
Linda: I did interview an elderly woman who was one of the last survivors of the group of children forming the core of the book. Her mind was sharp, her memories vivid, and I not only made her a character in the book but I also turned her stories over and over in my mind until they became background material for the main character, a different girl in that group.

Joyce: When you were writing The Night of the Burning, what were your favorite or most helpful resources?
Linda: I did some formal research in a wonderful institute in Manhattan called YIVO, which is a wide-reaching collection and library concerning Yiddish life, and in the Jewish Community Library in San Francisco . It actually thrills me each time I find that librarians are so willing to give of their time to help those with questions, without any condition being placed on the competence of the questioner or the importance of the question.

Joyce: How hard do you have to work to make time for writing?
Linda: I write very quickly when I sit down and begin, but, like many people, I’ve always found it very hard to take that first step. While I was writing my first book, I told myself that Tuesdays were my writing days. Before I took my little boys to their morning “nursery school” nearby, I would dress in a pair of white wool pants and sweater, which were a symbol of getting away from spilled children’s food and sticky fingers and being a professional for the day. Then I would write from about 9.30 until about 12.30. That once-a-week commitment actually took me through the bulk of the first draft of my manuscript, which I hope will be encouraging to others.

After a few years I found it too distracting to write at home (the fridge can draw me several times an hour with its magnetic power, not to mention the phone ringing), so eventually I started writing in a café, where the considerable background noise is strangely undistracting.

Now… I have had to find an alternative – a quiet and attractive library in my older son’s high school, where I can tuck myself at an out-of-the-way desk, stare occasionally at the beautiful old trees on the sidewalk, and write uninterruptedly. This location has the added benefit of not selling muffins and lattes, although I do sneak in a little pile of coffee candies. The librarians are welcoming (if I were a librarian, I would enjoy having people write in my library), and I like this new place very much.

Joyce: What do you love most about the writing life?
Linda: I write because I’ve thought of myself since elementary school as a writer and it’s one of my few talents. And because I love writing. When I go into that trance-like state, all the niggling little things of life disappear and I feel pure and focused. My writing companion expressed it as a private island, where only you, the writer, can set foot. The affirmation I received from the fact of my first book being accepted for publication was a waking call. That must mean I CAN do it, I reason, and therefore I SHOULD do it.

There’s a powerful little story about Rabbi Y. who was very harsh on himself because he was not as pious or as learned or as good as Rabbi A. Then he was told, “At the end of your life, God will not ask, ‘Why were you not like Rabbi A?’ Instead, God will ask, ‘Why were you not like Rabbi Y?” That influenced me to believe that we have to find what we do best and actually do it, so as not to waste a skill that we were born with, which we did nothing to deserve.

Joyce: I understand you’re writing another historical novel. Have you been surprised to find yourself writing about history or did you always know you wanted to do this?
Linda: I loved reading historical fiction when I was a child, influenced by my older brother, who had a deep interest in history. I think the two of us knew much more about the Catholic Church, the dominant factor in European history for so many centuries, than any of our Christian friends! The pleasure of it for me was (and still is) that I was reading about real people, in a real period of history, well packaged in an exciting story.


Thanks Linda Press Wulf – you have given us just that - a well packaged exciting story abut real people in a real period of history!
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Blue by Joyce Moyer Hostetter AND an Interview



Review by me, Emily


So, here's the deal. I had no idea such a Writing Superstar had joined us at Clean Reads. Joyce Moyer Hostetter recently joined in as a regular contributor. (Her reviews so far can be found here.) She also sent me a copy of her book, BLUE. Now, I get a lot of books for review. Sometimes I love them. Sometimes they don't really resonate with me for one reason or another. BLUE is one of those books that took me by surprise (because it was so wonderful) and shook me to the core. I laughed. I cried. And you know what? It doesn't even have any fantasy elements in it. My favorite books are almost always fantasy. This is a book about Ann Fay Honeycutt, and what it was like to be a young teen in the forties. Wow.


Here's the description from the jacket flap:


"When her daddy is sent off to fight Hitler, Ann Fay Honeycutt puts on the blue overalls he has given her. Now, at thirteen, she's the "man of the house," in charge of tending the large vegetable garden and watching out for her younger sisters and brother. It's hard work, but Ann Fay is managing until a polio epidemic strikes. At first she relies on the newspaper for information about the disease, but all too soon she knows its devastating effects firsthand. As the challenges grow, Ann Fay's resourcefulness and toughness grow as well."


When I finished reading BLUE, I wasn't ready for the experience to end, so I asked Joyce Moyer Hostetter some questions about it.



Me: How did you get into writing?
Joyce: My 7th & 8th grade language arts teacher first told me I am a writer. She put it in writing even – in red ink at the top of my essays and book reports. And then she announced it at my 8th grade graduation. I can’t tell you how much I needed some affirmation at that point in my life. Because of my teacher’s predictions, I made A’s in writing projects throughout high school and college. But during my early adult years I focused on teaching in various settings. Then suddenly, midlife was fussing at me – challenging me to invest in what I really wanted out of the measly bit of life I had left. About this time, my hubby, two children, and I took a sabbatical from our regular life. I began seriously dreaming about writing. I was mapping out a novel in my head (actually a thinly disguised memoir is what it was!) During our sabbatical year we bought our first computer and at the same time an acquaintance offered me a work-for-hire writing job. From there, I began freelancing Christian Education curriculum, magazine, and newspaper writing. I wrote a book in response to an announcement for the Marguerite de Angeli Prize Contest. I didn’t win but in 1995 that manuscript became my first published book, BEST FRIENDS FOREVER.

Me: In BLUE, who do you most closely identify with?
Joyce: Well. I suppose it’s hard not to identify with Ann Fay. At least I hope it is. I certainly do.

Me: Ann Fay has such a strong voice. I wondered briefly if the book was actually an autobiography. How did you get inside her head?
Joyce: The story line isn’t autobiographical at all. Unless you count the fact that I learned about gardening from my daddy and I grew up in the area I wrote about. But at an emotional level I think Ann Fay is autobiographical. To me she represents a girl who is drawing on all her inner reserves, all her sense of commitment and stick-to-it-iveness to do a job that is bigger than she is. I wrote the book during a difficult year. After giving up writing for several years to teach, I’d decided to try doing both at the same time. But it wasn’t working well because No-Child-Left-Behind was squeezing every shred of creativity out of my teaching and new supervisors switched up my schedule. I had to change classrooms in the middle of the year AND set up a whole new system for teaching my high-needs special ed students. (this at a time when my heart was making this move back to writing.) In addition, my mother was ill and I was afraid we were losing her. But the good news is that we had lots of snow days that year and let me say, if there is something I miss about teaching school it, IS the snow days. I wrote BLUE on Saturdays and snow days. And at the finish of the school year I had a first draft. So the autobiographical part is that my school year pulled every ounce of emotional energy and perseverance out of me. I wanted desperately to quit. But there was that sense of honor – much like Ann Fay’s. And I think it really comes from the same place Ann Fay’s did – the need to please her Daddy. I’m not sure I can pinpoint what it was about my upbringing that gives me that Horton the Elephant sense of commitment but I know my parents modeled it.

Me: Do you have a favorite secondary character?
Joyce: I’m fond of Junior Bledsoe. To me he is the epitome of neighborliness. I know people like that – one of them is my brother. My dad too. And now I have a son-in-law who is the same way. Come to think of it, my hubby, my son, and all the most important men in my life are like that. They might wish they could say “no” more often than they do but the truth is if you have a need and they can help, they’re going to.

Me: How long did you research for BLUE?
Joyce: I began in the fall of 02 and I’m not done yet. Okay, well, let’s just say my ears will always perk up at the mention of polio. I’m still buying books on the subject. But to answer your question – hmmm. I was doing final fact checking in August of 2005 just before it went to galleys. So basically three years.

Me: What was the hardest part of writing BLUE?
Joyce: Waiting is always the hardest part I think. Waiting for the editor to read and give feedback. Waiting to see the cover composition. Waiting for the book to come off the press. But here’s the thing. As much as I hate the waiting, I’ve discovered that time is the writer’s best friend. It’s important for me to watch the seasons come and go – to know for sure when mimosa blossoms are on the tree, to discover some phenomenal resource that was published while the editor had my manuscript, or to meet a new expert I can interview. Time has saved me some embarrassing mistakes.
And if there was a second thing that was hard, it was the copyediting phase – ooosh – all the nitpicking over punctuation and grammatical correctness! (And as you can imagine, Ann Fay was not too thrilled with this phase of BLUE either!)

Me: Name a couple current authors that inspire you.
Joyce: Katherine Paterson has been inspiring me for years on end. Partly because she writes so consistently well and partly because, while I know she has a strong Christian faith, she demonstrates the difference between telling a story and preaching a sermon.
Jerry and Eileen Spinelli inspire me too. Not only are they diverse in their writing but they model relationship – with each other, with the writing community, and with their readers. Where do people get that sort of energy?
Oh, and all those moms and dad out there who are writing while raising children – now they are my heroes! (Katherine, Jerry, and Eileen fit this category also)

Me: If you weren't an author, what would you do with your extra time?
Joyce: I can’t really imagine having extra time but I know what you mean – hmmmm, I’d like to think I’d keep a spotless house and a weed-free yard and also spend more time on relationships. In terms of some other career or area of interest, I’d love to do something with art – paint murals on walls, create exciting classroom environments, or maybe or get involved in community theater.

Me: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Joyce: Oh, so this is where I get to bust on my editor? Carolyn Yoder is the most amazing combination of tough and nurturing. I love that she doesn’t tamper with my work. She gives me direction, she helps me think about what is missing or overstated but, in the end, every word is mine. She brings the story out of me! There have been times – especially with my latest book (HEALING WATER, Spring ’08) when I was reading her comments and trying to understand what she was asking for and I’d pound my desk and scream, “I don’t know what she wants!” But you know, somehow I found my way. The challenge is to learn to think like she thinks. It does get easier with each book.

And did I mention I just signed a contract for a sequel to BLUE?

Oh, a word or two about HEALING WATER – it takes place in Hawaii during the mid 1800’s. It grew out of my admiration for Father Damien, the priest who ministered to leprosy patients on Molokai . But it quickly became a story about the Hawaiian’s who were banished forever to live apart from family and home - about disillusionment and hope, hatred and forgiveness, anger and aloha!.

Thanks, Joyce!
Thank you!



There you have it. Isn't it exciting that we have a Writing Superstar on board here at DCR?
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