A conversation with Tavia Gilbert and Kate Rudd, the narrators of
I’ll Be Seeing You, by Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan

Ideal: Tavia and Kate thank you for joining us today! We were so happy to have the two of you narrate this special audiobook. I loved how AudioFile Magazine described your narration:

“The power of the written word resonates in Tavia Gilbert’s and Kate Rudd’s compelling portrayals of war wives. Rudd instills a youthful optimism that balances well with the personality of her pen pal, Rita. Gilbert lends a sensible voice to a woman who waits for both her husband and her son to come home. Both narrators do a beautiful job of saturating the letters with the sting of heartache, the shock of relief, and overwhelming love and support.”

Ideal: I’ll Be Seeing You was written as a series of letters the two main characters, Glory (played by Kate) and Rita (played by Tavia) wrote to each other while they waited for their loved ones to return home from fighting in World War II. Were you aware of each other’s narration before recording? Did you adjust at all to each other’s styles, or just attend to your own characters?

 Tavia: I loved reading Kate’s letters – Glory’s letters and because I know and adore Kate’s voice and interpretation of material, I could hear how she might deliver the words. But really, the writing was primary. This book is powerfully evocative, so my job felt easy, as it always does when I’m narrating well-crafted material. I just sit back and let the words do their work. I don’t have to or want to push anything on the read. It’s always a delight to voice great stories that are character rich and beautifully paced, and this was a particular delight

Kate: I really got pulled into the script right away, and I felt the characters were so well developed that I could almost hear them. I was familiar with Tavia’s vocal tone, and I knew she would be able to bring Rita to life very effectively. I tried to rely on the spirit I could see in Glory her effervescence and developing grit.

Ideal: When I listened to this book, it felt so real to me. You perfectly embodied these characters. Did you find points of connection with them yourselves, or did you have specific people on whom you based your characterizations?

Tavia: I absolutely felt that Rita was my character to play. She’s still a young woman -early 40’s but she’s been through so many trials and losses, and she has the gravitas, wisdom, and grace of an older woman. I loved the development of her character, learning about her surprise passion for a lover and her deep and mature, vibrant passion for her beloved husband. Rita is complex and so beautifully realized. I felt and still feel a deep alignment with her, and itI’m taking a long time to answer because the feeling is deep and hard to describe. I was grateful to play this character. It resonated. That’s a simple thing to say, but I can’t articulate it further.

Kate: I have always heard stories from my grandmother about a dear and unlikely friendship between her and a neighbor everyone called Marilyn, maybe because that was her actual name and maybe because she brought Marilyn Monroe-like beauty and energy into the room when she arrived. My grandma’s friend was larger than life, quite guileless, truly curious and animated and a bit spoiled, but a strong woman. I thought of her as I connected with Glory, and of my own grandma, who raised herself from adolescence during the WWII era.

Ideal: Wow, what great perspectives it definitely felt like there were many layers that went into your portrayals of these characters, and I love hearing the backstory. Did you have other points of connection with the history and the story of this book?

Tavia: My grandfather was from Iowa, and that part of the American landscape and consciousness is very familiar to me part of my own family history and mythology. My grandfather was in the service in WWII (stationed stateside), as well, so this story felt less like historical fiction than a part of my own history, in a way.

Kate: Absolutely. The title, I’ll Be Seeing You, immediately meant something special to me. During WWII my grandfather was serving on a Navy ship, and the deployment had been a long one. Morale was occasionally boosted by air drop deliveries of whatever was ‘new’ on the mainland. One day on their return journey, rations were low and moods were too. The ship received an air drop which contained a new album, subsequently played over the ship’s speakers. I’ll Be Seeing You. My grandfather and every other soldier present wept. I was able to sing that song many years later for my grandmother in a cabaret performance.

Ideal: Thank you for sharing these pieces of your history. It’s wonderful how a song or a story can resonate throughout generations and affect people many years later.

Tavia, I know you’re a writer. Do you find that narrating audiobooks has given you new insight into how to shape your own stories? For both of you – has narrating affected how you approach other artistic pursuits?

Tavia: Narrating great books has certainly made me a better writer. I can’t help but learn craft when I can luxuriate in language play all day!

Kate: I have never considered myself a writer, but I do have an interest in learning how to tell great stories in written form. Im fascinated by the patience required by authors to stay with a project so long. I do think that stepping into so many wonderful (and occasionally wacky) stories over the years has been an interesting creative excercise. I love music, singing and songwriting, and I hope to write something long-form in the future.

Ideal: I can’t wait to read/hear your writing! I know so many interviews ask about how you got into audiobooks, but I’m wondering if you can share how being a full-time narrator has changed your career trajectory and affected your lives?

Tavia: One unexpected thing is the community of friends and colleagues that this industry has offered me. I never anticipated developing close relationships with talented, loving, warm, kind, generous people across the country, but that has been my experience. One mixed blessing is that my audiobook career has kept me too busy to have the wonderful theater and commercial acting work that I used to. I miss performing live so much, and though I enjoy my lifestyle working from home as a narrator, the connections I had with other artists on set and stage were really dear and enriched my work as an actor. I’ve become so much more skilled with text — really so much better an actor because of my intensive work as a narrator, so I’m eager to get back on stage and play even better than before!

Kate: I really never expected to be able to do this full-time. I started out as an on-screen actress working in independent films around the Midwest and especially West Michigan, where I am raising my children. I auditioned for Brilliance Audio and got my start there, for which I am eternally grateful! Being able to do this full-time has meant that I have flexibility in my schedule to allow lots of time spent with my children. It has meant I can meet their needs and pay our bills and help them be able to pursue the things they love. Sometimes it has also meant an empty calendar, scrambling to find a gig, and long hours when a convergence of many projects occurs. Overall, the work makes me so incredibly happy and I cant imagine settling for anything less than this life of storytelling. Finding audiobooks as a vocation has been one of the happiest surprises of my life.

Ideal: When I first heard your recording of I’ll Be Seeing You, I cried. I thought: this is what I set out to do to bring something wonderful to the world. Everyone who was involved in making it was affected by the story and your performance. But the proofer took it a step further when she said that this is an important story that should be taught in the schools. It is a different take on the usual WWII story because it takes place on the home front, and it deals with community, tolerance, and the effect of war on those who are not fighting in it but still intimately involved. I’m wondering if there are any themes or elements of the story that you would like to discuss?

Tavia: What was most powerful to me about this story, and most unusual, was the autonomy and independence these two women enjoyed and struggled with. The book is a deeply feminist story that affirms the rich lives of women “even” after they become mothers and wives, “even” over 40, “even” as they wait for answers about their futures in relationships with the men they cherish. I loved the feminist relationship between Rita and Glory — their committed support of each other, their honesty and direct talk with each other, their affirmation of each other as smart, thoughtful, complicated, sexual, conflicted, angry, grateful, yearning, generous, fully realized human beings. This wonderful, contemporary novel is a much-needed antidote to a saturated marketplace of easy stories that so often perpetuate the myth that women are dependent on men for their identity and direction.

Kate: Yes! I love the idea of this story being used in classrooms. One thing that is beautifully illustrated in the book is the sense of isolation many women experienced during WWII as they remained home, carrying the responsibilities to keep their families and entire communities afloat during a terribly uncertain time. The book shows how each woman had to really square her shoulders and get to work in often unfamiliar areas of necessity. The cooperation and support fostered between Rita and Glory, even across vast distance, shows a vivid picture of what it must have felt like to be a woman then.

Ideal: We did an interview with the authors where they described being two women in two different cities sharing the experience of writing a story together – a story about two women in different places sharing an experience from afar. And the two of you were also recording this from different cities. I know that so much of our work these days is paired and multicast. Do you find that freeing, or limiting? How does it affect the way you work?

Tavia: I think it’s a great opportunity! So much of the work of an audiobook narrator is solitary, and to have a chance to collaborate with someone  especially someone as expert and wonderful as Kate was a pleasure. No limitation in that at all! I think it makes my work better, to know that I have a responsibility to rise to the level set by another performer.

Kate: I read that interview and was fascinated by their writing process! I think there seems to be an element of synchronicity around every corner of this project. As far as working in multi-voice format its great. Of course it can pose a challenge in terms of consistency, but we narrators love a good challenge! With a book like I’ll Be Seeing You, the flow of the story was ideal for two voices. Im so happy it was Tavia on the other end of Glory’s letters. Something really cool happens when multiple performers are allowed to step into the same book, in my opinion.

Ideal: I really enjoy multicast too, especially with accomplished narrators like both of you! Is there anything else you’d like to share with listeners about either this book, or audiobooks in general?

Kate: I would love for listeners to know how deeply we care about the stories we are privileged to tell as narrators. Id like to see audiobooks continue to be used more and more as a learning tool for childhood literacy, and I am so grateful to be able to help even one person fall in love with books. Along those lines, I need to say how much I appreciate and believe in what Ideal Audiobooks is doing in the industry! Amy, I love it that you started as a listener, became a highly acclaimed narrator, then decided to start your own company from a place of positivity! Those of us who have had a chance to voice stories cast by Ideal have been lucky to come along for the ride on your adventure. Thank you.

Tavia: I mean, what else is there to say other than that? That’s perfect, Kate.

Ideal: Thank you! It means so much to me to know that you are as invested in this work as I am. I imagined this company as a place where a narrator could get an Ideal narration job and say automatically, “Oh, good, I’m going to have a wonderful week!” and that the listeners would get an Ideal book and feel the same way. I’m so happy to be able to work with you both!

Tavia: That’s a great mission, and one that I trust, and to which I am so honored to contribute. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of it!

Ideal: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy narration schedules to talk with us!

A conversation with Robin Eller, narrator of Our Auntie Rosa: The Family of Rosa Parks Remembers Her Life and Lessons By Sheila McCauley Keyes with Eddie B. Allen, Jr.

Ideal: We’re so happy to have you here to discuss Our Auntie Rosa.

Robin: Thank you for having me!

Ideal: We loved your narration of this family memoir from the nieces and nephews of Rosa Parks. One of the things I appreciated was how beautifully you handled the fact that in each section you told a story by a group of anywhere from 2-6 people but it was written as if the narrator were one person. How did you approach that unique format?

Robin: That’s a great question. After careful thought and a discussion with Ideal… it would have been impossible to be six people. I felt it was best to just tell the story from my heart. All of these segments were heartfelt and therefore it made it easier for me.

Ideal: That’s one of the reasons we chose you. You have a wonderful intimate quality to your narration, and this book was full of very personal stories about what Rosa Parks meant to her family. Did you feel that this book revealed more about her than you had known from history?

Robin: Absolutely! Unfortunately, we are only given a limited amount of information in school regarding African-American history.  With that said, it’s no surprise that most people know very little about Rosa Parks; other than that historic day.  One would have to do more research to find out more details. What is written in this book would only be known by her family members.  In fact, it was put to the test, when I read a portion for a group of well-read Seniors at a Black History Month celebration.

Ideal: What was their response?

Robin: I read an excerpt about how the bus driver had given Rosa Parks difficulty prior to her taking a stance on December 1st, 1955.  They had no idea that Rosa would pay her bus fare, walk back outside to the back of the bus as required during that time and the busy driver would sometimes pull away without her. They were stunned. I continued to read the details of what happened next and how Rosa Parks mentioned how kind the police were to her at the station. She said, “They even gave me some water.”  Of course the entire audience said, “What??” After I read the excerpt, I asked for a show of hands of who was hearing this part of the story for the first time. Each woman in the room raised her hand. I was told today by one of the Ebony Ladies Of Distinction that the ladies are still talking about the reading.

Ideal: When I first read this book, I thought that even though it was written as an adult memoir, it would be good for both middle grade and high school children to read, since it did such a great job of bringing history to life. It fleshed out the story, and enhanced our understanding of Rosa Parks as a person, and her longtime support of the civil rights movement. I hadn’t realized that she was active in the civil rights movement both before and after her historic act.

Robin: Rosa Parks worked for the NAACP. She was a longtime member of the Montgomery Chapter. At the time of her arrest, she was secretary of the local chapter. In fact, she was sent to interview another woman who had been arrested before her. In terms of this being a book that would be good for middle school kids, it is important for them to know that she was considered more than an aunt, she was a second mother to her nieces and nephews when they lost their mother. They looked to her for advice and on one occasion she surprised her nephew by being the guest speaker at his middle school.

Ideal: It sounded like she was someone the children looked up to personally, and they respected her place in history. What did you learn about her character?

Robin: She was very humble and a student of life. She was open to new experiences and embraced them. It is usually said that as people age they are stuck in their ways. This woman was the opposite. Her favorite dish was calf’s brains and scrambled eggs; however later in life, she became more health conscious, shopped at co-ops and shared ideas about nutrition with her niece Shirley. Rosa Parks took up yoga in her senior years and even walked around her home in yoga pants. I think she’s pretty darn cool!

Ideal: That must have especially resonated with you because of your background in dance! Can you tell the listeners something about your background before you became a narrator?

Robin: I have always been a performer. I’m an actor. I was a professional dancer and I even sing. They say you’re supposed to be a triple threat and I trained as much as I could. I was a dance education major in college. I was teaching in after school programs and choreographing for high schools and got a break to perform in Japan. It was hard to leave my students; however they understood and I never looked back. I lived my rock star life. I traveled the world as a dancer with the legendary James Brown. I met so many interesting people. One of the highlights of that tour was meeting Coretta Scott King in Montgomery Alabama. Talk about life coming full circle with narrating Auntie Rosa! I booked commercials and got some TV gigs too. One of my most memorable experiences as a performer was doing the musical Ragtime. It was such a special show! The music, the choreography, the cast! I’m so blessed to have been a part of this beautiful production. I shared the stage with some talented people! What an honor!  So many lifetime friendships began in that show. I used to travel to Italy often and had a number of singing opportunities there as well. The idea of doing audiobooks was presented to me a long time ago; however, I was on a different journey. I believe things happen when they are supposed to or one keeps walking into the same wall until one figures out another way to either go around it or break it down. LOL! Audiobooks feels as much as home for me as the stage. Within this community, I have formed lifetime friendships as well.

Ideal: In addition to Our Auntie Rosa, you have narrated other memoirs. Do the books you narrate affect you personally? Have you gained insight or changed because of a book you’ve narrated?

Robin: I probably place a bit of pressure on myself to do them justice. It’s because I care so much. It’s a huge responsibility to tell someone’s truth. Reading someone’s trials and tribulations in life can be inspiring and sometimes painful. Because I have been fortunate to narrate memoirs that have been written by celebrities who are deemed icons, I have gained a lot of insight into their lives. It takes great courage to share intimate parts of your life with the world. I do my best to handle their stories with care. If I have changed in any way, I have become more sensitive to what is written and look at the world or a particular person a little differently. I learn something about someone that I didn’t know before, which is always great.

Ideal: I know you recently had a chance to take part in an organization that is bringing another little-known piece of history to life. Can you tell us about it?

Robin: I would love to. Did you know that Los Angeles has an African-American Firefighter Museum? This museum is an important piece of the history of Los Angeles. There was a time in Los Angeles when African-American firemen were only allowed to work at two stations and that’s just a small part of the story. Even with integration there was great resistance from their co-workers and society. Hard to believe, I know. This particular station is so far the only freestanding African-American firefighter museum in the United States. They are going to reinvigorate how they share the history of these firemen, which will include an audio tour. I have the privilege of being the voice that shares these indelible memories.

CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY

Ideal: That sounds fantastic! I love that you are helping bring a wealth of rich history to the listening audience. Thank you so much for joining us, and for your narration of Our Auntie Rosa!

Robin: Thank you for having me. It was an honor to share this important part of history.

A conversation with Suzanne Palmieri (writing as Suzanne Hayes) and Loretta Nyhan, co-authors of I’ll Be Seeing You

Audiobook narrated by Tavia Gilbert and Kate Rudd comparateur prix viagra.

Ideal: I’ll Be Seeing You is the story of two women who become pen pals – and a lifeline for each other – on the home front during World War II. Loretta and Suzanne, the two of you hadn’t met when you wrote the book, and you decided to write this book together in the form of letters from the two women to each other. How did this come about?

Loretta: Suzy and I met online through some writer friends’ blogs. We started commenting on each other’s blog posts, which led to sharing and critiquing each other’s work. When we both had other projects on submission with publishers, we were driving ourselves crazy with worry and stress. Suzy said, “Let’s write something just for ourselves, for fun” and she sent me that first letter you see in the book. She sent it in character, with no explanation. I was blown away. About five minutes after she sent it, Rita showed up, a fully formed character. I know that sounds a little woo-woo, but sometimes magic just happens. I wrote back to her immediately (that’s the second letter you see in the book—the first two letters are pretty much unedited).

Suzanne: So I’m doing my laundry and I’m thinking about waiting. Because the waiting part of the process is really hard. When you write a book, you are sort of in control until that moment. When the agent has that book out with publishers you realize that the next call or email will be THE ONE. And I can’t stand notbeing in control. So I called Loretta, and we were commiserating about the whole thing. SO I say, “Hey, while we wait, we should do a writing exercise. We should take control of our inboxes. Let’s write to each other in character and see what happens!” So I sent an email as Glory that day. And she sent one back as Rita, and I’ll Be Seeing You was born!

Ideal: I love that! And it was such a compelling beginning!

Suzanne: I wanted her to write back!! So I tried to make it as compelling as possible! It worked! Since it was such a nerve-wracking time in our lives, I wanted to situate myself in a place where I felt the most peace. When I was growing up, my mother took me to her best friend’s family summer house in Rockport, Massachusetts. The house was much less grand (but more grand in some ways) than Glory’s house, but it was where I spent the best growing up time. The town, the beaches, the “Rocks” the private road, the people. I used every memory I had so I could spend time there in my mind.

Ideal: Did you both allow the plot to unfold as you went, or did you stop at some point and start plotting it out together?

Loretta: About ten letters in, Suzy wrote something that I thought might be problematic. It was the first time we realized we needed to work out the major events/plot points, and compromise if our visions didn’t match. Together, we decided the general character arcs, though we decided to keep how we would get to those points to ourselves. We wanted to surprise each other, because then our characters would react from the heart. We also never broke character when sending the letters. The subject line would post the date—December 12, 1944, for example—and the text of the email would contain only the letter. Staying in character helped with the writing, and made everything move quickly. We began the book on Valentine’s Day, 2011 and finished on the 4th of July.

Suzanne: Other than that, we talked a LOT about NOT plotting it. It wasn’t until we actually had an editor that we began talking about plot. Wait…no…it was when our agents got involved, right before submission, but really, they didn’t change plot. It wasn’t until the first real edit with Harlequin MIRA that we had to hash out some ideas. So what you get in the novel is really quite close to the original book.

Ideal: Were there things that shocked and surprised you in the reading of each other’s chapters, or could you sense certain things coming?

Loretta: Oh, there were things that absolutely shocked me! My fingers would be shaking as they hovered over the keyboard! I think I shocked her, too. I know when a character died, she called me and we sobbed together as though someone in our family had actually passed away. Okay, we’re a little weird, but it felt so real!

Suzanne: It was the surprise that kept us going. I found myself running home and opening my computer to check my email. Like waiting for that letter and ripping it open. In many ways, though fiction, it was a very real correspondence. Perhaps the most shocking thing was how much we both believed in it, and how with little or no real reason to keep going, we did. It was so much fun. An absolute joy.

Ideal: I’m wondering if other surprises came up for you in the process. Did you find that this method of writing, and the shared inspiration, changed the way you worked going forward?

Suzanne: I’d say it gave me the courage to trust myself. No matter what. And to keep writing things that gave me peace and joy. Not to worry over sales or anything. I think it validated both of us in terms of our creative spirit.

When I got the email about the death, I’ll never forget my response. Not shocked…but so very sad. And I sat down and wrote that whole series of letters to Rita in one sitting. And then we talked and cried. Those letters are almost word for word the original letters from our first correspondence. That’s the thing I think I learned. To write from the gut and soul and pour out whatever onto the page. To trust that process.

Loretta: A good number of surprises came up during our exhaustive research. I’m a history nerd, and the more I discovered about the wonderful people of Iowa during the war, the more I felt obligated to do right by them. Suzy and I aren’t historians, but we felt a huge responsibility to our characters and to the real life folks who inspired them. We would surprise each other with the construction of our worlds, if that makes sense. The Rockport setting seemed so fully formed to me – picturing it, and Glory’s role in it, made it easier to respond as Rita. We were in charge of our own worlds – she had Rockport, I had Iowa City, so part of writing to each other involved creating a world the other could believe in.

We also learned that compromise in a writing partnership is vital, as is open communication. If something wasn’t working, we talked it out until we were both satisfied.

Suzanne: I think the difference in our personalities is really important. Loretta is far more organized than I am. I’m very eager to delete things and make changes on the fly and things like that. Loretta kept the book safe from me, in a lot of ways. I mean that. She guarded the narrative especially through the editing process. I mean, I would have taken the whole thing to France and made the Can-Can girls if someone said it might work… because I’m flighty and chaotic. But Loretta has been the champion of the integrity of that process from the start. And I adore her for it.

Ideal: At what point in the process did you meet in person?

Loretta: We met one week after publication! The meeting took place in a small indie bookshop in the Village in NYC. I brought sunflowers. We were nervous–what would it be like? But then we went out to lunch together and just talked. It was an exciting time.

Suzanne: I remember asking Loretta if we might feel some kind of way, you know, because we are Suzy and Loretta, not Glory and Rita. We were both convinced this wouldn’t be an issue. And it wasn’t an issue! Because there is so much Glory in my personality (the flighty, dramatic one), and a lot of Rita in Loretta (the pragmatic, value-driven one). It was a meeting of the minds.

Ideal: How did you choose the time period? Had you done research into the WWII era previously, or did you research as you went, uncovering ideas for your characters along the way? Or did you have a sense of the time period already from grandparent stories?

Suzanne: I chose WWII because Loretta and I had already done a lot of research when she was helping me with the 1940’s scenes in my first Palmieri book, The Witch of Little Italy. We’d shared our passion for the era many times, so it seemed like the most likely place to be. Besides, who doesn’t want to be able to travel back in time? 🙂

I’m not a historian but I am a full time history teacher. Also I think, more than the history teacher angle…I’m just a really curious person. I never liked school, and didn’t do well until I figured it out (MUCH LATER ON) but that curiosity is so alive in me and that’s why I’m a teacher.

Loretta: I’ve always been a history buff, and my father is an amateur/expert in military history. Our research was immersive and intense, but I did have a general knowledge of the major battles and popular culture of the time.

Unfortunately, my grandparents died when I was relatively young, but I had an “adopted” grandmother who lived across the street. She moved to Iowa during the war to live with her husband’s family while he was overseas. Later, I learned he was in the same battalion as Sal. Her daughter gave me his battalion shield when the book was published, which meant a great deal to me.

Ideal: Wow I just got chills! That’s pretty amazing. Did you consciously put elements of your neighbor into Rita, or did she just show up?

Loretta: No. I don’t know where Rita came from. She’s not me, and she’s not anyone I’ve ever met. It was strange how that happened! I felt like I understood her, though, and, as a mother, I could definitely relate to her worries. I tried to imagine if my sons were sent overseas, with no Skyping or Facebook or any way to know whether they were alive or dead. It was very sobering to imagine, to say the least.

Ideal: And I love that Rita was exactly the friend Glory most needed in her life (and vice versa). These characters felt so real to me. How autobiographical is your writing? Do you infuse elements of your life and personality or of those you know?

Suzanne: Oh my. YES. I’m probably the most dangerous writer that way (like, you’ll end up in a book… that kind of danger!). I have been asked to write a memoir, (because of the crazy pants life I’ve led so far) and I said, “Read all the books. They are the best you will get!”

No matter if I’m writing as Hayes or Palmieri, my characters are always lost. They always have the story arc of finding their way to themselves through themselves. They always need a home. Orphaned in one way or another. They are strong, but that can be a weakness. I find that no matter who I write about, or how I write, or when it takes place, or if it has magic or not…I can somehow connect with readers because of my obsession with inner thought and atmosphere and truth. Honesty is the most important thing, when writing.

Ideal: what was your favorite part of working on this book?

Loretta: I’ve been writing my entire life, and I expect to be writing for many years in the future, but I have never had (and probably will never have) a writing experience like I’ll Be Seeing You. Sometimes, a book feels like it is writing itself, and you’re really just a typist – that’s how I felt with this. Almost as if Suzy and I were transcribing these stories. I love these characters so much–they felt real to me, and still do.

My favorite part of the whole process was writing the final letter. It wasn’t part of the original draft, and when our editor, Erika Imranyi at Mira, suggested it would be nice closure, I procrastinated until I couldn’t anymore. Finally, I sat down to write it, and it came out of me in an emotional rush. I’ll never forget it. I cried when I read over what I’d typed. I almost couldn’t believe I’d written it.

Ideal: Is there anything else we haven’t covered that you’d like to share with listeners?

Suzanne: One very important thing: The tomato soup cake is delicious. Really. 🙂

Loretta: We are so grateful for the reception this book has gotten, particularly from people who actually lived through that era. I always hold my breath when approached by someone who lived through the war after they’ve read our book. Luckily, they’ve all said we got it right. For someone who writes historical fiction, that makes my heart burst.

A conversation with Every Last Word author Tamara Ireland Stone and narrator Amy Rubinate

Amy: Thank you for talking with our listeners today! We are so happy to have recorded the audiobook version of Every Last Word. Congratulations on the success of your book!

Tamara: Thank you for your kind words. And congratulations on all the great feedback you’re getting on your narration of Every Last Word. Listeners really seem to be loving your Sam!

Amy: I’d love to know how you chose young adult as your primary genre when you started writing?

Tamara: I didn’t really consciously think about YA when I first began. I got the story for Time Between Us in my head (and you know that story well since you narrated it), and the main character happened to be a 16-year-old girl when she popped into my head.

But it actually made a lot of sense to me. As you know, that story is really about the choices we make in life… About what it would be like if you could go back and change things. There were many things about my teen years I’d wished I could go back in time and change. But the older I got–the more distance I had–the more I realized that all those things happened for a reason. They made me the person I am today, and I like who I am today. Without those experiences, good and bad, I’d be a different person. I liked writing a story that communicated that idea to young readers.

Amy: I loved Time Between Us so much, and one of the elements that stood out to me was its timeless quality. It felt like a classic love story that could have happened in any era, and that was reflected in the writing style. Every Last Word is written in a very different style – very contemporary and in-the-moment. As I narrated it, I felt like I was with Sam in real time as she went through her journey. In fact, even though I had pre-read and prepped the book, I found myself shocked all over again as I narrated the plot twist. Did you know going in that the story would have a twist?

Tamara: Oh yes… I always planned the twist. You really have to go into a story like this knowing that there will be a surprise for the reader, because it affects how you write every line up to that point.

Amy: For me, one of the most magical parts of the book was Poet’s Corner. It was wish fulfillment for me. High school would have been so much easier if I’d had a Poet’s Corner and been part of a secret poetry society! How did it come to you to make this a big element of the story?

Tamara: Poet’s Corner is my favorite setting in the book. I truly love that room! And yes, I think every high school needs a secret poetry club.

It’s funny, when I was first thinking about this story, I knew the main character would have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) since she was inspired by a family friend. I knew she’d have a fantastic therapist and find real help through medication, but I wanted to give her something else, too…something else that she could turn to when her mind got too busy/scary. I gave her the thing that saved me as a teen: writing.

Almost immediately, Poet’s Corner came to me. I saw this room so clearly – filled with mismatched furniture and papers of all different sizes and shapes glued to the walls. A bunch of things that an OCD mind would normally be very troubled by. And Sam finds peace there, not only with the people, but with the room itself.

Amy: That’s beautiful!

Tamara: I got chills just typing that. That room is so special to me. It’s so real to me, even though I know I made it up. 🙂

Amy: I feel that way about it, too! I have heard that your readers/listeners are having the same response – and many have even started a Poet’s Corner in their own schools. Can you tell us more about this grass roots poetry movement?

Tamara: It’s been incredible. I started getting emails from teachers around the country when my publisher first started distributing advance copies of Every Last Word. They began telling me that their students were so excited about the idea of a poetry wall, they dedicated a space in their classrooms for students to write and post their words. Since then, I’ve received even more emails–more recently from students who are hoping their teachers will do the same.

I just love that idea of a giving teens a judgment-free zone where they can speak their minds and raise their voices, knowing their words are safe there.

Amy: Disney-Hyperion put a Word Wall up at the recent American Library Association (ALA) conference. Did they use some of the poems from these real-life teens?

Tamara: No, all the quotes they used on the word wall were from Sam, AJ, Caroline, Sue, Abigail… characters from the book. We wanted plenty of room for ALA attendees to add their own words.

Amy: I added a short poem! It was 6 words long, and I realized later that I should have broken it out into three-word stanzas, like Sam would have! My best friend from childhood met me at ALA for lunch. When we were kids, we used to go into the woods all the time. There was an old rusted-out old car from the 1910’s that sat in the middle of the forest. When we had writer’s block, we would meet me at the jalopy, sit on its old rusted hood and write. So it was meaningful to put our words on the Word Wall at ALA and take a picture!

Tamara: That is the most amazing story. I want to see that picture!

One of the most personally fulfilling parts of this story is hearing how others are tapping into “the writer within” and/or reconnecting with that part of themselves. I love my job.

Amy: The poems that each character wrote in the book were so specific to their personalities. You really developed the characters through their poems. How did that work for you?

Tamara: I actually used a lot of placeholder poems in the first few drafts. Most were poems written by teens that I found on Tumblr (I’ve shared a lot of them over the last few months on my blog. Those early poems gave me a sense of what I thought each of the people in Poet’s Corner might write about, but I didn’t feel like I could write their poetry until really knew each one’s character.

Well–I always knew Sydney would write on fast food wrappers about food. She was the first Poet who came to me. 🙂 — But for the others, it took time. Once I wrote more about Emily and figured out who she was, I knew her poems would be about her mom. Once I wrote Abigail, I knew she’d write about her hidden insecurities. Once I had a solid picture of Chelsea in my mind, I knew she’d be the one who’d been in the kind of relationship Sam was craving.

As it usually is for me, the characters come first. And I love writing dialogue, so once I get my characters talking, they become real people with real emotions and opinions. Everything else flows from there.

Amy: Sydney was one of my stealth favorites! I loved how she knew and loved herself, and how funny her poems were!

Tamara: She’s one of my favorites, too. She has such a strong personality and she’s just so confident. I had the best time writing that Auntie Anne’s poem!

Amy: In all three of your books, Time Between Us, Time After Time (Anna) and Every Last Word (Sam) you have written strong female characters – athletes who know who they are and what they want out of life. But they each struggle with something that rocks them deep at their core and makes them question themselves. However, as a reader I always felt a sense of trust in them – that they would be okay because they were strong. Can you talk about how you developed them in this way?

Tamara: Over the weekend, I found this six-word poem: “In the end, she saved herself.” That’s basically what all my books are about. I like writing stories about young women who are strong to begin with, and through a series of experiences–often both positive and negative–find themselves stronger in the end.

I don’t think girls have to be athletes to be strong, but it’s something I didn’t have when I was young and looking back I wished I had. I discovered running when I was in my early 20s, right after college. I hated it at first, but once I got into it, I realized how mental it is. I needed that–I needed to run with music in my ears, pushing myself to go another mile, patting myself on the back when I did it. It worked for me. I remember telling one of my bosses that I needed to do two things for myself in order to remain sane: Run and write. I made Anna in Time Between Us a runner in honor of those years.

I made Sam in Every Last Word a swimmer for different reasons. I knew early on that water would soothe her mind, so that sport fit perfectly. Plus, my kids used to swim and when I was first drafting this novel, I was spending a lot of time around pools watching these kids and teens push themselves in the water. Their dedication is pretty phenomenal.

But I knew Sam needed to be an athlete because I wanted to address that popular misconception that people who are struggling with their mental health “just need to exercise more.” That’s not true. Elite athletes have depression. Exercise helps a lot of people feel better/stronger, but for many people, it’s only one piece of a very complex puzzle. Sam needs medication, weekly therapy, and her swim routine. It’s no accident that all three pieces are there for Sam. Whatever you need to manage your mental health is what YOU need. If exercise alone works for you, that’s fantastic. If it doesn’t, there’s nothing wrong with adding to the mix.

Amy: Can you talk a little about mental health for teens? I know this issue has reached a crisis point in some places in the Bay Area where you live. Every Last Word gives such an inspiring example of a teenager overcoming her issues, with the support of a great therapist and her mom and new friends. What more would you like to say to a teen who might read and respond to this story but not know what to do next to help themselves?

Tamara: Teens are under so much pressure to be perfect these days. I intentionally played with words like “normal” and “perfect” in this story in an effort to try to take some of the weight off of those words. No one is normal or perfect, and it sounds cliché, but mistakes are part of what being a teen is all about. I often think about how lucky I am that I grew up in a time when my (many) mistakes weren’t so public!

I’ve included a number of websites in the Author’s Note section of the book to give teens a few places to start seeking help. I can’t stress enough how important that is. Through writing this story, I had the opportunity to work with four therapists–several of whom work exclusively with teens – and I gained an even greater level of respect for these individuals. I think it takes patience to find the right therapist – the right fit for each person – but it’s so worth the effort when that connection happens. “C,” the teen who inspired this story, is a great example of that.

If you’re not able to work with a therapist, I encourage you to talk with someone – a friend’s mom or dad, someone at your church, a teacher, a counselor. There are so many people who know how to help; you just have to be brave, take the first step, and ask for it.

Amy: One of the things I have loved about working with you as your audiobook narrator is how much you have included me in the process. Meeting you at your reading before I recorded Time Between Us, and watching how you presented Anna to the world, informed my interpretation of her character. Because you and I discussed Every Last Word before it was published, I came to it feeling like I was already acquainted with Sam and her issues. You should know how rare that is – most narrators don’t ever speak with the author, or if they do, it’s after the recording. I felt that this was so beneficial to the process espagne viagra.

Tamara: I’m sad that it’s a rarity–meeting you and working so closely with you has been such a joy. I’m not sure if all narrators are as open to an author’s involvement as you have been. You’ve always gone out of your way to ask me questions in an effort to truly understand my characters, and I really appreciate that.

I know our collaboration has made the end product better. I think we both just want readers/listeners to have the best possible experience.

Amy: What would you like to say to aspiring poets, or someone considering writing their first poem?

Tamara: Be brave with your words. I started to realize that the books I loved most were written from a place of vulnerability. I now aspire to be that kind of writer. I want to use my writing to speak my mind, move people, make them think.

Write just for yourself. Put words on paper because it makes you feel good to string them together in a way that gives you chills, makes you cry, makes you angry, makes you want to change the world, makes you think. Share them if you want to, but first, write for YOU.

Amy: I think that is something we all need to hear about every creative endeavor…thank you for sharing! And thank you for talking with us today.

Tamara: It was my pleasure, Amy! Thank you.

To learn more about the audiobook of Every Last Word, or to purchase a copy, click here.

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The Opposite of Maybe
By Maddie Dawson, narrated by Hillary Huber

One of my first – and favorite – audiobooks that I selected for the Ideal catalog was The Opposite of Maybe, a warm, witty and thoroughly original story. Ideal had the pleasure of hosting author Maddie Dawson and narrator Hillary Huber in a conversation about their work and inspiration. – Amy Rubinate

Hillary: How does a story idea come to you? The whole story, or do you find your way?

Maddie: It’s such a strange process, really. You THINK you have the whole idea all intact and ready to go…and then as you’re writing, new things pop up and characters behave in ways that surprise you, and you might suddenly discover in the third draft that OH, THERE WAS A BROTHER, TOO! It’s very interesting. When I’m writing a novel, I feel as though I have one foot in that world and maybe three toes in my own world.

Hillary: I have an image of a authors in their offices with the walls covered in index cards, mapping everything out.

Maddie: I think that’s pretty accurate, and it’s so optimistic of us, too. But every now and then, the whole book feels like it can just take off in another direction. I have to stop about every 50 pages and ask myself, “So what is this thing really ABOUT?” Because it changes. You learn about the book as you go.

Hillary: That makes perfect sense to me.  The characters unfold themselves and reveal facets that you probably didn’t realize were there!

Maddie: I’m so glad that you understand that. Sometimes I feel like I’m insane when I try to explain it to someone. But they really do start to feel like real people and just like when you meet a REAL person, you don’t learn everything about him or her all at once. It is gradual.

Hillary: Exactly. The same thing happens with narration the voices start out sort of half-baked, and midway through I could hold conversations with them all simultaneously with such ease!

Ideal: Can you share any pivotal moments that led you to do this work or told you that you were in the right place?

Maddie: Well…I think I always knew I wanted to be a writer. When I was six years old there is this family story about me. My mother wouldn’t give me money for the ice cream man, and it was a hot day, and I was mad about it, so I went in the house and wrote a story. Did illustrations, stapled it together, and then took it door-to-door until a neighbor bought it for 25 cents. Which was enough for TWO banana popsicles! I still remember thinking this could be a wonderful career for me, something that would always keep me in frozen desserts! But my poor mother was mortified, and went and bought the story back and told me I wasn’t allowed to peddle things to the neighbors anymore!

Ideal: Do you still buy yourself an ice cream when you finish a book?

Maddie: I should, shouldn’t I? Mostly, I need to eat ice cream while I’m writing it! I was also the kid who was always writing thingswhile other kids were out learning to hang by their knees on the swing sets, I was writing about twins and mixed-up families. I wrote a novel when I was 10, but had to quit when I lost track of all the characters. Turns out, creating a family with 7 children was too much to keep track of!

I think that writing was always for me something I felt like I HAD to do. I grew up in kind of a crazy family. My mother was later diagnosed with bi-polar illness, and she tended to be pretty volatile exciting and scary, both. So for me, writing was the place where I was safe, and where I could explore all the feelings that were going on around meand also the place where I could create the world as I wanted it to be. It didn’t feel like a choice as much as something I HAD to do.

Ideal: Hillary, were you driven in this way as a kid?

Hillary: I was the one hanging from the monkey bars…I was a ham and a performer from the get-go.  My parents divorced when I was quite young and I spent half my time in Hawaii and half in Connecticut two very polar worlds.  Adapting became my focus…

Maddie: Wow! That is quite a story two completely different worlds, I’m sure.

Hillary: Preppy East and Hippie-surfer Hawaii!

Ideal: Did one or the other feel like “you?”

Hillary: I actually feel pretty comfortable in both worlds now, but I probably struggled more with fitting in to the whole preppy boarding school deal.  Hawaii just meant hanging out in a bathing suit all day! 

Maddie: It’s amazing how resilient we can be, isn’t it? My parents also divorced when I was young, but my mother got custody and we didn’t see my father much. I spent a lot of my childhood trying to make things all right between them, and of course couldn’t do it.

Ideal: No wonder you’re both so good at handling complexity in your work! Hillary, do you think having to be so adaptable gave you the ability to do character work?

Hillary: I can’t imagine how it couldn’t… you become different characters when you encounter completely new experiences. I went to public school in Westport, Connecticut, Hawaii on vacations.  Then in high school I was sent to boarding school whole new world.  Summers were in Long Island with NYC kids.  Adapt again.  I’m actually a bit Sybil-like…  🙂

Ideal: That’s perfect for audiobook work! Maddie, do you bring this background into your work? Do you find yourself exploring these themes?

Maddie: I feel like I’m always exploring the themes of family and belonging in my work. I’ve written three other novels under my real name, Sandi Kahn Shelton, and when I look at all five of my novels, I can see that they have themes in common that I didn’t see when I was writing them! They’re all about crazy mothersor absent onesand the need to reconcile with the pastand often the realization that the people around us are often our truest families, more than the ones we were born into. It’s weird when you think you’re writing completely different stories, and yet the same kinds of things keep happening to my characters. I’d like to try a murder mystery or something!! But I can’t

Ideal: I think that theme came out so beautifully in The Opposite of Maybe. She took the family she thought she wanted, and ended up with a new one that was a true fit.

So how much of your characters (in each medium) do you bring in from real life?
Maddie: I think the characters who come to me are more ideas than real people I know. They take traits from people I recognize, but even if they start out based on someone real, they quickly take on their own personalities. It’s so weird to watch that happen.

Hillary: I definitely draw from real life, but mostly my character voices develop from clues within the text.  I will often at some point realize they remind me of a celeb or someone I know, and at that point I will use that “cue” to keep them consistent.  The same folks show up in book after book!!

Ideal: Maddie, you did an essay that mentioned how your characters came to you and insisted on being born. And then when you started writing, they bossed you around. Can you share a bit of that with our readers?

Maddie: Ha! It’s true. What usually happens to me is that a character will just show upand by that I mean she starts telling me her story. Usually in the middle of the night, waking me upor when I’m driving in the car, or doing something that makes it particularly difficult to write the story down. In the case of The Opposite of Maybe, the first thing I knew about Rosie was that she was pregnant and separated from her boyfriend/husband (she didn’t say which he was right away) and that she was falling in love with someone else. Over the next few weeks, I just kept hearing from her. She was insistent on telling me the story, and so I started making notes. It was intriguing to think of how that separation during a most important time (when you’re pregnant and going through so many changes) could wreck all their plans. Also, I was intrigued by the fact that Rosie had a story about herself that she believed whole-heartedly that she wasn’t good with kids, that she was clumsy and inept and probably unlovable and that none of that was true. So the journey she and I took together was really one of discovering who she really was, and whether or not she could cope with motherhood at age 44, and with leaving the man who may not be the best partner and taking a huge risk. And she WAS bossy!!

Ideal: I love this story! Hillary, do your characters talk to you? Do you find stealth favorites halfway through the book that you fall in love with? Do they whisper in your ear how they should be voiced?

Hillary: I don’t know if they whisper in my ear, but I do love how they reveal themselves and become more solid as the story develops.  I tend to favor the ones with the most snarky attitude – Soapie, in this case!  I pulled out my great aunt for her a perennial favorite.  And I’m always happy when I can import one from another story and adapt them to a new story!  Does that sound like cheating?

Ideal: Not at all! So many characters share similar traits, and might be friends if they managed to hop from book to book and hang out! Do you ever have problem characters that you just can’t get your mind around? How do you handle it? Do you try to wrangle them or just surrender?

Maddie: They all are problem characters at different times, I think. I feel as though I’m always listening so closely to the story they’re telling meand trying to get it exactly right. And sometimes it doesn’t go right and I have to sit down and rethink the whole point of the book. But yessome seem more problematic than others. I love it that you said you love the snarky characters, Hillary, because I do too. Soapie was so fun to write, because she was honest and said what she thought. But bringing Rosie to life, with all her vulnerabilities and her fear, was harder. I wanted her to be likable, for readers not to get impatient with her struggle to become herself.

Hillary: I really loved the struggle within Rosie, and I found myself struggling with what my choices would have been, which I think is excellent.

Maddie: I just got goosebumps hearing you talk about this! I cannot WAIT to hear Hillary reading this book. And Hillary, I’m so grateful to you for loving Rosie for her struggle. I want to write complex characters who really do have doubts and opinions

Hillary: It must be really weird and vulnerable to give up your words to someone else… Most of us narrators are here to be a conduit for your intentions.  It is our job to get out of the way and let your characters sound and act and be like you wanted and imagined them…not always successful probably but that is what we strive for!

Ideal: Can you tell me a little about the struggles you might have? Writing and narrating are solitary activities. Do you ever feel like giving up? How do you find new inspiration when things get stale?

Maddie: I am a very social person, so the solitariness of writing really can get to me. I often have to trick myself into getting startedpretend I’m just going to write for a couple of minutes, just edit yesterday’s stuff but once I’m started, I’m usually hooked. And then it’s like that state of mind they call “flow” (on good days at least) where five hours passes and feels like five minutes. But there are the other days, the times when the words just won’t fall onto the page in the right order, and I feel miserable at the end of it. Like there’s so much more work to do to understand this story, and maybe it won’t ever come out right. And yes, I do resign from the writing profession fairly often, in fact. But I’m always dragged back to it. By the characters, by my own need to express myself, by time doing its magic in transforming the material. I’m always amazed at HOW LONG everything takes!

Hillary: I think the author’s struggles have to be MUCH greater than the narrator’s… you guys have to make this stuff up! We just have to take if off the page and bring it to life.  I’m never surprised when I struggle recording a book that I don’t love; I just sort of grind along and invest myself to the best of my abilities in that case.  But sometimes, I struggle recording a book I adore and that mystifies me. Is it lack of sleep?  Too many hours in my “cell?”  I’d rather be outside exercising or having happy hour with friends?  I don’t know, but I do know when my performance is suffering, at which point I need to cut bait because I’m not doing anyone any favors at that point.  I come back with a renewed attitude another time!

Maddie: It’s so true that keeping the thing feeling right is half the battle, isn’t it? I find that if I don’t feel like writing, I can sometimes trick myself into doing itbut there are also times when I’m not doing the book any favors by flogging it to death. Sometimes I have to wait and “hear” what’s next in the story, and it doesn’t do me a bit of good to force it.

Ideal: So what’s the best part? What’s the pinnacle for each of you?

Maddie: For me, it’s the work itself. Getting into the flow. Writing a sentence that feels legitimate and true can make me elated. Figuring out what is going to come next. Taking a walk and hearing my character tell me something I didn’t know before! I find that the post-publication part even when it’s good and includes praise and awards can’t compare to the act of writing and creating something, making a whole world out of nothing.

Hillary: The best for me is when I realize I’ve narrated ten pages and wasn’t aware of turning even one! That doesn’t mean I don’t make mistakes. The pinnacle is praise from the author that I have fulfilled their vision!

Ideal: What message would you like to give to someone who might be striving to do the work you both do so well?

Maddie: I teach writing workshops, and I’m always telling my students that the struggle is the whole processit’s not going to be easy, but you can’t give up on the work. We all want to write final drafts first, and it just ain’t happening. You have to come to the story so delicately and let it reveal itself to you, and then gently revise and refresh and renew it, over and over again, always asking yourself what it’s really about. Because that changes. You learn the story only by getting to the end of it. But it’s exhilarating and exciting when it works, and there’s nothing more fun!
Ideal: Beautiful!

Maddie: I want to thank you so much for inviting me to this conversation. It was wonderful to talk about the work we both share, bringing a book to life. And Hillary, I can’t wait to hear your narration of my book. I’m so excited and deeply indebted to you for your sensitivity about the work. And Amy, you are extraordinary in your commitment to bringing books to life! Thank you both so much! I’ve learned a lot!!

Hillary: Amy has created such a beautiful brand.  I am honored to have been chosen by her to wrangle your words!  It really is such a collaborative process I like to speak to authors prior to recording when I can, but sometimes, when the book is well written and the characters are clearly delineated, such as in The Opposite of Maybe, I just let your work do my work for me, if that makes sense!  You’ve done the hard part already. I’ve just gotta let it flow! A delight. Truly!

Ideal: Thanks so much for joining me today. It was such a pleasure to talk with both of you! I can’t wait to share your wonderful ideas with the world.

Click here for more information on The Opposite of Maybe.

We are happy to have Heather Vogel Frederick, the author of our Pumpkin Falls, Mother-Daughter-Book Club, and Spy Mice audiobook series join us for an interview about her work.

Absolutely Truly just won the Oregon Spirit Book Award (congratulations!).

Thanks, Amy! As a proud Oregon transplant (we moved here from the East Coast 20 years ago), I’m thrilled to have my work honored in this way.

Truly Lovejoy and her family—and the whole town of Pumpkin Falls—seem like real people. How much did you draw from your own life and experience when writing the book?

I grew up in small towns in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, so I drew from those memories in giving the book a strong sense of place. And I’ve always been a big fan of covered bridges, so I knew from the get-go that there’d be one in Pumpkin Falls! As for the characters, creating them is one of my favorite parts of the writing process. The landscape of my childhood was populated with quirky characters (they also abound in my family, and I have the pictures to prove it), and while none of them was plopped wholesale into any of my books, they’ve certainly been the inspiration for people who appear in my stories, including Aunt True. Other characters, such as Belinda Winchester and her kittens, seem to spring onto the page of their own volition. I have absolutely no idea where they came from!

You have new books coming out next year in both the Pumpkin Falls and Mother-Daughter Book Club series. What can listeners look forward to?

Mother-Daughter Book Camp will be the grand finale to the MDBC series. It finds the girls enjoying a last hurrah as they spend their final summer together before college working as counselors at a summer camp. When homesickness sweeps through their cabins, it’s up to them to find a cure…. I can assure you that there will be pranks and merry mayhem as always, along with a smidgen of romance. As for Pumpkin Falls, I’m living there happily right now as I work on Yours Truly, which will find Truly and her friends unraveling a mystery that dates back to the Civil War.

Before you published your first book, you worked as a journalist and reviewed books for The Christian Science Monitor and for Publishers Weekly magazine. Did this work, particularly reviewing books, help you learn what to do/not to do with your own writing? 

It absolutely truly did! I couldn’t have asked for better training than the discipline of the daily deadlines I faced when I first started out in the newsroom of The Christian Science Monitor. Learning to research, conduct an interview, edit, and revise—it was pure gold. As for my stints as a reviewer, again, it was fabulous training for a writer. I call it my graduate school experience. Reading and critiquing all those books over the years was an invaluable education in what works, what doesn’t, the importance of such elements as a compelling voice, engaging characters, well-crafted plot, finely-drawn setting, strong beginnings and satisfying endings—all the vital elements that coalesce into an absorbing book.

Your books are very inclusive of classic literature. Truly and her friends interpret Shakespeare quotes to help solve a mystery; the Mother-Daughter Book Club reads books ranging from Anne of Green Gables to Jane Eyre. Have you heard from readers that your books helped them become interested in and understand these books from another time?

My secret plan to take over the reading world is working, mwahaha! Seriously, nothing makes me happier than receiving letters or emails from young readers letting me know that one of my books has pointed them in the direction of classic literature, and that they’re loving reading it. There’s a reason they’re called classics—they’re good reads! I love knowing that in some small way I’ve helped open this door to a younger generation of readers, and that as a result, they’ll have these classics as part of their mental wallpaper forever.

Truly likes birds, and birds seem to like Truly. Have you had any interesting personal interactions with wild animals that youd like to share?

Yes! Though I’m not officially a birder, I’m fascinated by birds, and have been ever since our family rescued and raised a baby robin some years ago. We named him Oscar, and in the brief weeks he was with us, he became part of the family. Talk about a character! As you can see from the pictures, he was just a love. His favorite place to nap was in the palm of my hand, and he enjoyed supervising from his perch on my laptop, or in his Tupperware “nest” in the kitchen. We were sad to say good-bye on the day he finally flew away, but knew that he needed to join his own kind. Every summer since, though, a robin pair has made a nest on our back patio and raised a family. We’re pretty sure it’s Oscar and his mate—at least we like to think so!

I also had a close encounter with an owl in my backyard as I was writing Absolutely Truly, which had a profound effect on me. I was struggling with the book at the time—I knew that it lacked something, a certain texture and richness, but I wasn’t sure how to fix it. I went out into the backyard at dusk one winter day, and there was a barred owl perched on a low branch in our maple tree! Its visit felt like a gift (especially since it showed up on my birthday). I stood there watching it for a long time, completely in awe, and thrilled to find such a beautiful creature in my own backyard. I ended up weaving owl imagery through the book, and linking it to Truly’s desire to disappear into what she calls “stealth mode.” In fact, the whole bird theme became more pronounced in the wake of that feathered visitor. Nature is amazing, isn’t it?

Trulys father comes home from Afghanistan with a major injury, and it changes his life and that of his family. How did you come to have this be one of the themes of the book?

I have two relatives who were amputees—my maternal grandfather, and my paternal great-grandfather. My grandfather lost a leg in an accident while working for the Canadian National Railroad, and my great-grandfather lost an arm in a farming accident in the 19th century. For some reason, the two of them were in my thought the spring that I was working on this book. And then, the Boston bombing took place. I was so moved by the stories of veterans who went to see the victims of that tragedy, to offer encouragement and mentoring as they learned to cope with loss of limbs. It made me wish that my grandfather, in particular, whose life went into a downward spiral in the wake of his accident, could have had such championing—along with the advantage of the amazing advances in prosthesis technology. And somehow, all of this made its way into the book.

How did you decide to write books for children? 

It happened in college. I’d known practically since I could hold a pencil that I wanted to be a writer, and at that point I was planning to be the next Jane Austen. My life took a sharp turn during spring quarter of my senior year, however, when I enrolled in a children’s literature class. The instructor, a former children’s librarian by the name of Margie Hamlin, was so completely on fire with passion for her subject, that she kindled an echoing fervor in her students. We couldn’t help but fall in love with children’s books! She opened a door for me, and I walked through and have never looked back.

What is your writing process? 

I’m a pantster as opposed to a plotter—I like to fly by the seat of my pants and just make it up as I go. I love sitting down at my laptop and diving in, just telling myself a story. Of course, it also can be an agonizing way to write. There are lots of false starts and dead ends and frustration, and much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Sometimes I envy my friends who are tidy planners and plotters, and who know exactly where the book is going before they even write the first word. But my process is my process, and at the end of the day it gets me to the same place—a finished book—so I’ve learned to make peace with it.

When you are in the beginning stages of a book, do you work with a critique group or on your own?

I work on my own. I’ve tried critique groups a couple of times, and much as I’ve loved the other writers, the whole group dynamic structure just doesn’t work for me. What does work for me is to get together informally with writer friends. For instance, once a week I meet up with a couple of local authors at a coffee shop, where we visit a bit and then write independently, but together, for a couple of hours. It’s a nice change of pace from working alone in my office at home. I also started a group I call “Soup & Solidarity” a couple of years ago. Every few months, I invite a number of local writer friends to come to my house. We disperse to various corners and armchairs and spend the morning writing, then break for lunch. I make the soup, they bring the salads, sides, and dessert, and we relax over a long, chatty lunch. It’s always productive and fun. Writing is such a solitary pursuit, that it’s important to me to find ways to have a sense of community.

How do you feel about your books being on audio?

I am beyond excited! I’m just honored and delighted that you chose my work to help launch Ideal Audiobooks, and I’m looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership. As for audio books, what’s not to love? I’ve always adored being read to, and I adore reading aloud to others. It’s a completely new way to experience a book, and I can’t wait for my readers to hear what you and your talented team of narrators have up your collective sleeves for them. Let’s get this party started!

For more information on Heather Vogel Frederick, and her exclusive interview with Amy Rubinate, the narrator of Absolutely Truly, click here: http://www.heathervogelfrederick.com/blog/