Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining Laurie and me for this informative interview about the writing and research of her books, Daniel at the Siege of Boston, 1776, and her hot-off-the-press, Will at the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863. Teachers, writers, librarians, and readers young and old will discover history coming to life for them in the pages of Laurie's books. They are especially good picks for reluctant readers, as well as filling an important gap in textbooks. Visit Laurie's website: www.lauriecalkhoven.com
Laurie just returned from hosting an American Girl tea party at the University of Arizona Bookstore and speaking on a panel about Boys of Wartime at the Tucson Festival of Books. 
Daniel at the Siege of Boston, 1776: Twelve-year old Daniel watches as Redcoat soldiers close the harbor and march through the streets The British have sworn to uphold the king's law . . . and to punish the rebels of Boston. But Daniel knows those rebels: they are Patriots. His heroes have vowed to fight for freedom, whatever the cost. And Daniel is determined to help. Check out the Boys of Wartime page for more info.
INTERVIEW WITH LAURIE CALKHOVEN:
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By: Clara Gillow Clark,
on 3/16/2011
Blog: Clara Gillow Clark (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Clara Gillow Clark,
on 3/16/2011
Blog: Clara Gillow Clark (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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1. Can you tell us something about the historical fiction series you're writing for middle grade readers? What was the catalyst for this series?
I got the idea for the first book, Daniel at the Siege of Boston, 1776, while I was researching a biography of George Washington. If I learned about the siege in school, I had forgotten all about it. It’s a key event in the American Revolution—beginning at the end of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and ending a year later. It was during that year that we declared independence and the various colonial militias came together as an army under Washington. What I really wondered about was what life was like for the people of Boston during that year, and I wanted to find out more. The next thing I knew, a boy name Daniel started telling me about his secret spy work for General Washington.
I didn’t have time to put anything down on paper, but I mentioned my idea to Mark McVeigh at Dutton. He asked me to put together a proposal for that book and three more—each one set in a different war, and the series was born. Book two, Will at the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 was just published. The third book, set in World War Two France, will follow in 2012.
2. What were some of the challenges you encountered when researching and/or writing in the different time periods—1776,1863, and 1943.
The biggest challenge in researching all three time periods was findin
16 Comments on Interview with Laurie Calhoven -- PART VI Discovering America's Past, last added: 3/18/2011
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I love your putting your finger in the bullet holes at Gettysburg. And waiting for the character to whisper in your ear. Another great interview, Laurie!
Thanks for stopping by, Claudia! I agree that there is something about those bullet holes that really connects a writer to her story! Wonderful when the character whispers in your ear!
Laurie and Clara,
This interview was very interesting. I like the description of Daniel's staring match as a metaphor for the entire siege. That's the sort of far-reaching metaphor I can rarely pull off. I would love to hear more about how you do your meditations about your characters.
Pat
Hi Pat, Thanks for your thoughtful comment! Laurie's meditations do sound intriguing, don't they?
Hi Clara and Laurie,
" I want them to succeed even when I’m throwing every obstacle I can think of in their paths." I liked this description of how you feel about your characters, and yet what you do to them! I,also, would love to hear about your meditations. Thank you for sharing!
Lorrie Ziemba
Lorrie, Thanks so much for stopping by. Let's see if we can round up more writers interested in the meditations, and maybe we can get Laurie to write about them for us.
I just loved this interview. I learned a lot! She is a very talented writer. I hope some day to improve enough to write manuscripts like these.I like all of these time periods, I just love American history.
I love books about the American Civil War. For some reason, I find that time of history fascinating. Maybe because it is so hard to believe that a country can actually fight against itself. Thanks for the informative posts/interviews on historical fiction.
Margo
Hi Janet, Thank you for stopping by to leave a comment! I'm glad you were inspired by the interview with Laurie!
Hi Margo, I loved your blog feature this week about WWII,and about your own writing project set during the Civil War. Thanks for dropping by here to leave a comment!
Thanks for the interest in my mediations. I'm putting together a workshop and would love to present it at SCBWI retreats. The meditations themselves are pretty simple -- I relax, breathe deeply, and envision my character coming near me and eventually taking over.
Then I turn over a card on my desk and freewrite to prompts like -- who named your character and how does he/she feel about the name? Your character is having a strong memory involving a parent--what is it? Your character can't sleep because he's obsessing about something -- what?
The element of surprise is important, so the prompts are face down. The first few are based on the Stanislavsky acting method, and I've added more over the years -- like what's in your characters treasure box?
Thank you so much for sharing your meditations with us, Laurie! Just in case some of the readers don't see it, I'll post your response again next week when the WINNERS of your books are announced!
What a great interview! I wish I'd had books like these to read when I was young; I might have found history more interesting then. Instead, I didn't have any interest until I discovered Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series a few years ago. I would love these for my sons.
Congratulations on reaching 100, Clara!! :)
Thanks for your good wishes, Alison! I'm delighted that you enjoyed the interview with Laurie. Your name (number) goes in to random.org for a chance to win the books!
Hi,my favorite time in history was WW2 there so many interesting things to learn about it.
Thanks for stopping by, Mallory! If you like the WWII time period, you'll have to watch for Laurie's new book set during WWII that's coming in 2012. My next guest author writes about that same time period, so stay tuned!