Thank you for your response. I will have to watch the movie again as a more informed viewer!
Iâm humbled by this bookâs warm reception. The support and affirmation has been remarkable.
Honestly, Iâve not received a single hostile response from people. As I mentioned previously, some folks have raised questions or expressed differing opinions, but everyone has been civil and respectful. Maybe more criticism will come, but I take this as a good sign for our country and our ability to listen to one another and think thoughtfully.
Good question, Kim. I always knew this book was going to start out as a book for teen readers. Iâve written one title for adults (Sergeant Stubby), but everything else was for children and teens. Why? Maybe because my own books lied to me as a child. Iâve always been motivated to bring forward compelling and challenging history for other children and teens.
Macmillan has worked diligently to help this book cross over into the adult market. Forums like this one can help, so thank you, Kim and fellow BookBrowsers, for helping to spread the word!
Thanks for calling out the Teacherâs Guide. I had nothing to do with it beyond reviewing it ahead of publication and am in awe of the educator who envisioned it. She thought of all sorts of angles and openings for instruction.
I was fortunate to meet with educators and librarians at several conferences this past year, and White Lies is definitely finding its way into classrooms. Iâm thrilled!
Iâm glad youâll give it another look, Cheryl_T. Good for you!
Two chapters in White Lies address the intertwining of the Lost Cause with film. The first, âHollywood Promotes the Lost Cause,â is about The Birth of a Nation, which released in 1915. The second one, âHollywoodâs Lost Cause Franchise,â covers Gone with the Wind (1939) and Walt Disneyâs Song of the South (1946), among other cinema.
Those first two Lost Cause-inspired filmsâThe Birth of a Nation and Gone with the Windâset box office records that stood for half a century. Not until The Sound of Musicâs release in 1965 did a film outperform them.
I share your hopes, David_D.
My approach to writing nonfiction is constant across age groups: Meet the readers where they are, respect their intelligence, and convey facts in a compelling narrative.
Teens and younger readers will need more contextâI donât presume prior knowledgeâbut itâs possible to add that framing seamlessly. I try to treat teens the way I would have wanted to be treated at that age. Never talk down. Donât candy-coat the facts. Be honest. Take the time to present multiple points of view. I aspire for my readers to read critically and draw their own conclusions. Thatâs empowerment.
Most of my subjects are about history that is unfamiliar to adults, so it appeals to them, too. Isnât that the essence of storytelling, when one narrative can touch multiple audiences? Being able to share stories across generations, whether fiction or nonfiction, is a key element of the human experience. Itâs in our DNA, I think. Iâm honored to be part of that continuum.
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When did you decide to become an author, and why did you decide to focus on history?
It looks like Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs about paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews was your first book, is that correct? How did you go about getting your first work published?
Youâve written on a wide variety of subjects over the years. How do you choose what youâre going to focus on?
Being a childrenâs book author was one of several career aspirations I had as a child. (Others included librarian, school teacher, and flight attendant.) I set aside this early idea as I grew older, and I spent my first ten years after college (shoutout here to Beloit College) doing very practical writing for publishers and my alma mater. I fell in love with childrenâs literature all over again after I had children, and I credit my two sons and their love of books with inspiring me to try and write for children. Clearly books could make a huge difference to young people, and I wanted to try and contribute through my writing.
As for history, thatâs always been my first love. My favorite reading is history. My favorite movies are based on true stories. Etc. Knowing our past helps us better understand ourselves. History is what gets me out of bed in the morning. Iâm so fortunate to be able to immerse myself in it and share it with others.
Yes, I broke into the business with this photobiography in 2000. Roy Chapman Andrews was also a graduate of Beloit College, and Iâd written about him previously for our alumni magazine. When I began considering ideas for books, he came to mind. Andrews had a very adventurous and productive career as a zoologist and expedition leader. Some say he was the real-life model for Indiana Jones. I figured if I couldnât turn his kid-friendly story into a book, I wasnât cut out for this genre.
I submitted my manuscript âover the transomâ as we used to say, as in unsolicited, to the childrenâs book division at the National Geographic Society, and a wonderful young editor named Jennifer Emmett pulled me out of the slush pile. Andrews had won the societyâs most prestigious prize, the Hubbard Medal, and they remembered Andrews, which added a bit of weight to the scale. So did the fact that the division had begun publishing a series of photobiographies, and my text fit that style.
In short, it took hard work, a lot of good fortune, and maybe an assist from the lucky star Andrews credited with saving him from his various scrapes with death.
Jennifer and I went on to collaborate on ten books together, including two reference books, Our Countryâs First Ladies and Our Countryâs Presidents. I ended up working on six editions of the latter. I had a great run with Jennifer and others at National Geographic, so Andrews really opened a door for me. Thanks, Roy!
I tell students during school visits that writing a book is like going on a really long date, so itâs important to choose oneâs topics wisely. For me, thereâs almost always a personal connection.
I was already familiar with Roy Chapman Andrews, for example, lived in the city where heâd grown up, had gone to the same college, and had two sons who were enthralled with dinosaurs. Hence Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs.
My next narrative nonfiction book was about the closing years of the fight for womenâs suffrage, particularly the role played by Alice Paul, who led the militant wing of the fight and staged the first ever pickets at the White House. Iâd actually met Miss Paul as a young teen through happenstance involving my historian father. She made a lasting impression on me, and some thirty years later that led to With Courage and Cloth.
After that, I wrote about the Freedom Rides of 1961, influenced in part by meeting Jim Zwerg, another graduate of Beloit College, my alma mater. Iâd written about him previously, too, and learned about his Freedom Rides and other activism with John Lewis, now celebrated as the esteemed civil rights leader and late member of Congress, when both of them were students in Nashville. (Jim was on an exchange program at Fiske University.) That led to interviews with both men and a 4,000-mile journey through the South retracing the rides. Hence Freedom Riders.
You get the idea!
So White Lies was a natural fit for me, having been raised on the Lost Cause in the South, slowly gaining a corrected understanding of American history, and writing so often about social justice history. Growing up during the 1960s and 1970s definitely helped to set my compass within a social justice framework, and thatâs become a throughline in my work. If interested, you can find links to more information about all my books here.
I see that many of your books were published by National Geographic, but that several of them were with other publishers (White Lies, for example, was published by Roaring Brook Press). Just curious about why you went with a different publisher for those?
Which of your books was the most challenging to write, and why? Do you have a favorite, or one youâre the most proud of?
Have you been a fulltime writer since graduating from Beloit College, or have you had other careers?
I had a great run with National Geographic, but I wanted to diversify my publishing options. Not every book is right for every publisher, and the industry is changing all the time. It seemed wise to develop multiple relationships. Thatâs turned out to be a good strategy. I picked up an agent in 2017, Hannah Mann at Writers House. She led me to Roaring Brook, and Iâm really happy there. I have two more books under contract with them, so stay tuned!
Thatâs such a tough question, Kim. Whatever book Iâm in the middle of might be the right answer!
Honestly, though, Iâd have to say White Lies on both fronts. It was an extremely ambitious project, basically spanning American history from 1619 on. The research required to master that time span and a changing cast of historical characters was immense. Finding a way to unspool the history with a compelling narrative was equally challenging.
Maybe because it was so hard, Iâm also most proud of it. There were periods when I wondered if Iâd ever finish it! Iâm so glad I did!
Yep! Although I took a break for a few years to be a full-time parent. Otherwise, Iâve either been writing with a paycheck (gosh that was nice!) during the first decade of my career or writing toward publication ever since.