“Middleview” Interview with Debut Author Gayle Rosengren
Posted
by Tamera Wissinger
Today, Gayle
Rosengren is joining Smack Dab In The Middle Blog for a guest “middleview”
interview. Gayle’s debut middle grade novel WHAT THE MOON SAID, Putnam
Young Readers Group, releases
today, 02/20/2014! Congratulations, Gayle!
Here is
a bit about Gayle:
Author Photo: Robert Beaverson |
Gayle grew up in Chicago. Like Esther,
she enjoyed school, was an avid reader, and loved dogs and horses. She
attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where she majored in Creative
Writing and was the editor of the literary magazine. Gayle never outgrew her
passion for children's books, and she worked as a children's and young adult
librarian at a public library for several years in the late 1980's and early
1990's, enthusiastically sharing her love of books with young people.
Also
like Esther, Gayle eventually moved to Wisconsin, but by then she was a mother
with three children. She worked in the reference library, and later as a
copy-editor, at American Girl. During this time period she published
short stories for children in Cricket, Ladybug, Jack and Jill and
Children's Digest magazines.
Now
Gayle writes full-time in her home just outside of Madison, Wisconsin, where
she lives with her husband, Don, and slightly neurotic rescue dog, Fiona.
Gayle is living her dream, she says, writing books she hopes will make the same
difference in children's lives as her favorite books and authors made in
hers. What the Moon Said is her first novel.
Here’s a
description of WHAT THE MOON SAID:
What the Moon Said is the story of 10
year-old Esther and her family and how their love makes good times better and
bad times bearable during the Great Depression.
Their move from the big city of Chicago to a small ramshackle
farm in Wisconsin is full of changes for Esther. Some of them are good,
like being able to have a dog at last. But some of them are bad, like
having to use an outhouse because there is no indoor plumbing!
Join Esther on her "great adventure" and find out
if she ever earns the hug she yearns for from her mother. Find out
what Esther discovers about luck—good and bad—and about the superstitions so
important to her mother. Find out what the moon said.
Now it’s
time to hear from our guest:
Smack
Dab Middleview with WHAT THE MOON SAID author Gayle Rosengren
1.
In a nutshell, what does your main character, Esther, want?
Ever
since Esther saw her friend Shirley's mother hug and kiss her and tell Shirley
that she loved her, Esther has yearned for the same proof of love from her
mother. But Ma doesn't give hugs, let alone kisses and "I love
you's". Being a determined girl, however (we won't call her
stubborn), Esther vows to find a way to make Ma love her and give her the
gestures of affection that she craves.
2.
What is in Esther's way?
Ma is
not just undemonstrative, she's full of superstitious beliefs that she brought
with her from Russia as a young woman. The harder Esther tries to impress
Ma, the more she seems to anger her instead--by bringing an open umbrella into
the house, putting new shoes on the table, killing a spider before breakfast,
or committing any number of other wrong-doings that, according to Ma, call bad
luck into their home.
3.
Did you know right away that this was your story, or did you discover it as you
wrote? How did the story evolve?
I
knew I wanted to write a story that explored a "different" kind of
mother-daughter relationship and how it compared to a demonstrably loving one,
because I'd always been fascinated by the difference between my mother's way of
mothering and my grandmother's far more restrained style. I imagined that
my mother had always wanted more affection than she received and that was why
she was so extra-loving with my siblings and me. I felt as if we got all
the hugs and kisses and declarations of love that she wished she could have
had. And so the idea for this book was born.
Of
course, like most stories, it changed quite a bit as I wrote it. I
realized I needed something specific in Ma's past to explain her rigid
behavior, and then I needed a realistic way for Esther to find out about
it. But even when this part of the work was done, what I had was a sweet
but "quiet" story that had great characters and setting but not
enough tension. What to do…what to do..? The obvious, of course; I
put it in a drawer for several years and worked on other manuscripts. But
I took Esther's story out and dusted it off a few years ago when I participated
in a novel retreat with an editor from Putnam. She loved the characters
and the setting, but (ahem) thought it was a bit too quiet. (Arghh!)
However, she had a suggestion for heightening the tension and
action by adding more superstitions and increasing their significance to the
story. It was the perfect advice. The story took off. The
editor took the novel. And I finally took the long-awaited leap from being a
writer to being an author.
4.
Was WHAT THE MOON SAID always for middle grade readers or not? If so, why did
you choose middle grade? If not, what had to change for it to be considered a
middle grade novel?
In my
mind it was always a middle grade story. I wanted Esther to have one foot
still in childhood and the other foot stepping out of it. A doll,
Margaret, was the tangible sign of this transition. Esther is unable to
set Margaret aside despite Ma's insistence that she's too old for dolls, and
this sore point between them ultimately leads to an intense climactic scene.
But realistically speaking, I think it's during this 8-12 year old period that
kids start looking more closely at other families and comparing them to their
own, so that Esther's suddenly noticing Ma's refusal to show (or speak of) her
love is believable.
5.
What is the best part of writing for middle grade readers?
The
best part is knowing that as a middle grade book it has such potential for
making a life-long impression on its readers. Middle grade is the sweet
spot in children's literature. These readers are youngsters who've
only recently discovered the amazing places that a book can take them.
The books I read when I was that age are still as vivid in my mind today as
they were when I first read them. I had no way of knowing it at the time, but
the characters I met between those book covers (who were like real friends
then) were destined to be "forever friends" and are still
every bit as dear to me now. I'd love to think that Esther's story might
resonate that way for young readers of today.
Thank you for joining us on Smack Dab in the Middle
Blog, Gayle. Again, congratulations on the release of WHAT THE MOON SAID!
Congrats, Gayle! And thanks for stopping by Smack Dab!
ReplyDeleteI will be adding this book to my growing shelf of ones to read. Love historicals. Great interview!
ReplyDeleteExploring mother-daughter relationships is becoming even more intriguing as my mother and I age and our roles change. This sounds like a wonderful book!
ReplyDeleteGayle' s What the Moon Said is an absolutely terrific Middle Grade historical fiction book, with one of the best main characters, vibrant & lovable Esther, in recent Middle Grade literature. And so skillfully written, with just the right voice for someone of Esther's age, a perfect structure (flows seamlessly from scene to scene, chapter to chapter), and truly beautiful use of language. A great mother-daughter relationship book. Also, because it is written so well and at an age-appropriate level for Middle Grade minds, would be an excellent read out-loud book for home or the classroom. Just a terrific book!
ReplyDelete