Tag: history

Questions and answers

Ms Haskins writes:

We loved having you join us for World Read Aloud Day at Cave Spring Middle School in Roanoke, VA.  

What a great speaker!  The students (and adults) were enthralled. The kids who asked questions loved speaking with an actual published author, but specifically you! I have found that my middle schoolers are very interested in historical fiction.  They want to know personal accounts of what happened. You really connected with our group.

We did have some questions that didn’t get asked.  You mentioned that if I sent them, you would reply with answers.

Question: If you could pick one of your books that describes your personality the best, which one would it be and why? (Laurel)

    Probably Stolen Girl, because it’s set in my hometown of Brantford. I was married in the church that Nadia (Larissa) and her parents go to, and the mansion that terrifies her is one I mused over a lot when I was a kid. It was across the road from a warehouse that my father owned and at that time it was vacant and looked haunted. Also, the library that Nadia goes to is the one where I went when I was her age and even the books she takes out are ones that I took out as a kid. The superintendent that terrifies her is based on one who came to my school.

    Question: Where or how do you get your ideas for all your books? (Destiny)

    I leave my mind and imagination open for stories. I ask a lot of questions. I listen to the answers.

    Question: Who is your favorite historical figure and why? (Rhett)

    Roxolana. She lived in the 1500s in what’s now Ukraine. She was captured on a slave raid and sold to into the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey). She ended up marrying the sultan and co-ruling. She also helped to end the slave raids.

    Question: Why do you like writing historical fiction? (Isaiah)

    Because what we forget we are bound to repeat. There is so much in history that has been erased, distorted, forgotten. I love finding quiet heroes and shedding light on what they lived through.

      The Seeds of Memory

      Congratulations to Mateusz Świetlicki on the publication of this groundbreaking work. Ukrainian historical themes have been sadly absent in most popular literature, including literature for young people. This book is a comprehensive and perceptive examination of Canadian works tackling the topic, including my own.

      Such an honor to have my Ukrainian-themed works so perceptively analyzed. I’m chuffed to dominate page 233!

      Marsha the extrovert

      People who meet me tend not to realize that I am an extreme introvert. I am good at building characters though, and one that has proven very useful is Marsha the extrovert. I have been mostly hunkered down at home writing, writing, writing, but I crunched together 7 presentations over the last three days and so got a chance to air out Marsha the extrovert.

      Monday morning’s presentation was at the Palmerston branch of the Toronto Public Library, organized by Rachelle Gooden who is a TPL Adult Literacy Senior Services Specialist. I spoke about Adrift at Sea, which was shortlisted for the Golden Oak Award. It was an awesome event!

      Me with Rachelle Gooden

      On Tuesday afternoon, I drove back to the GTA, this time to the ARS Armenian School in North York.

      hunger

      First I had the honour of speaking to the grade 8 students about my very first novel, The Hunger, published in 1999. An interesting experience, considering these students weren’t even born yet. It was so neat to answer their superb questions and to realize how well this novel has stood the test of time.

       

       

      Next I spoke to the grade threes about Aram’s Choice and Call Me Aram. So neat!!

      On Tuesday night, I spoke to another Golden Oak group, this time at Downsview Library. And this time, Tuan came too. Such a moving experience.

      On Wednesday, I spent most of the day at Birchmount CI, with the wonderful Julia Zwaan and grade 10 history students. My presentation was about the real people behind my books.

      So now Marsha the Extrovert retires for a bit and the real Marsha, the introvert hunkering down and writing yet another book, takes over.