This is the last day of the tour for Jimmy’s Stars and we bring you the second part of our interview with Mary Ann!

I read on the cover of Jimmy’s Stars that you were inspired to write this book after reading a cache of letters that your family members wrote during World War II and your uncle’s diary, were any of the characters and/or situations based on real people or events?

The characters of Sal and Ellie are composites of my mom and her four sisters. Jimmy is my Uncle Jim, although he joined the Merchant Marine and not the Army.(I did not change his name because I simply could not imagine a more perfect name than Jim. I did change his last name however) Aunt Toots is based on a shirttail relative on my dad’s side of the family who athough she had a good heart and meant well, always managed to say exactly the wrong thing! I devoted pages and pages in my diaries when I was a young teen as to my run-ins with this relative!

Although I kept pictures of these relatives as children on my desk while I was writing (I need a visual to start me off writing), I found as I got deeper into the story, the characters took on lives and personalities of their own, and were less like their real life counterparts. The one thing that stayed true to real-life, was the close and special relationship of Ellie and Jimmy.

Have you written any historical fiction for adults?

No. I have no interest in writing for adults, period. I tried writing a romance novel set in the American Revolution, once, a long time ago…and bored myself to death!

Without giving away too much of the story, you cover sensitive issues in this book, what was your goal?
For the most part, American history is taught in a way that doesn’t involve people. Oh sure, there are the presidents and generals…and usually the big world events that are in the textbooks do not affect them in a personal way. Although I don’t write with “an agenda” in mind, other than to tell a story, I did want kids to know that the decisions made by those “Big Historical Figures” affect kids, both then and now, impact all of us…even children.

Thanks so much Mary Ann for writing such a great book and taking time to answer some of our questions! Be sure to visit the other sites on the tour today!

01 Charger, A Childhood of Dreams, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Mom Speaks, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Book Review Maniac, By the Book Reviews, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Buzz, Looking Glass Reviews, Maggie Reads, Maw Books, Small World Reads, The Friendly Book Nook, The Hidden Side of a Leaf

We’re covering Mary Ann Rodman’s book, Jimmy’s Stars, this week and are pleased to bring you an interview with her.

Highlight your journey to becoming an author.

I could write for pages on this one, but I will be brief. I have written my whole life. I published my first story in a local newspaper when I was seven, and went on to win a lot of local and national writing contests. I wrote a school new column for the local paper all through middle school and high school. I became a school librarian, but never stopped writing. I became a full time writer by force…my husband was transferred to Thailand, and Thailand didn’t need any American school librarians. So, for the first time my life, I was a full-time writer. I also enrolled in the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children Program. Within two years of becoming a full-time writer, I made my first book sale, MY BEST FRIEND.

Who is your target audience? How have they responded to the books?
My target audience, according to my publisher, is ages 9-12.

But when I am writing, I am always writing for the eleven-year-old I was, and the books I would have wanted to read

The book hasn’t been out long enough to get much feedback from children (it came out right at the end of the school year, so you do the math!) A few of my die-hard fans, however, have been very enthusiastic about it, reading it over and over. As one of them said “I wish I could just LIVE in that book!”

What sparked your interest in writing historical fiction for children?

I have always loved history. I was blessed with some wonderful history teachers along the way who saw history as a narrative, with characters and stories arcs. In addition, I come from a family (on both sides) where family stories were told over and over. Instead of a bedtime story of say, Cinderella, I heard such stories as “When Mom and Her Siblings Dug a Swimming Pool in the Front Yard When Their Mother Wasn’t Home” or “How Daddy Escaped from Kindergarden Three Times the First Day of School.” Naturally, all of these stories took place during my parent’s childhood, or my grandparents’…and grew up thinking that kids had waaay more fun “back in the day.” As a result, my favorite books growing up were historical fiction (and they still are!)

Tomorrow we will bring you more of the interview. Until then, be sure to visit the other blogs touring Jimmy’s Stars!
01 Charger, A Childhood of Dreams, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Mom Speaks, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Book Review Maniac, By the Book Reviews, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Buzz, Looking Glass Reviews, Maggie Reads, Maw Books, Small World Reads, The Friendly Book Nook, The Hidden Side of a Leaf

First of all, I just loved this book. There were many unique aspects to it. I loved the way we had a current mystery and the mystery of the past and what really happened in Grace Gulch through letters at the beginning of each chapter. How did you come up with this idea?

The heroine, Cici, loves the history that goes along with the vintage clothing she sells. She is eager to read Bob Grace’s letters to his fiancée Mary. As an author, I wanted to capture the land run experience for my readers, and what better way than with a first-hand account?

Secondly, the “mystery of the past” provides a motive for murder. Were Dick Gaynor’s accusations against Bob Grace true? Should the town have been named Gaynor Gulch, and not Grace Gulch? The answer still matters a great deal to their descendants more than a century later. The murder victim, newspaper editor Penn Hardy, wrote about the land run. Did he discover or cover up new information that would provoke someone to murder?

Cici runs a period clothing shop. I loved reading about the different pieces she carried. Is period clothing a hobby of yours or did you have to do some research for this?

No, period clothing was not a hobby of mine when I started. (It’s becoming one!) I read an article about a vintage clothing store and thought that it like an intriguing occupation with lots of possibilities for foul play.

Clothes and hair styles say a great deal about a time period or setting. I watch the television drama Cold Case, where detectives solve murders as much as seventy years old. Music helps set the time, but so does the clothing the characters wear.

Why did you decide to write a cozy mystery?

I’ve loved reading mysteries ever since I started with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys as a girl. But I never expected to write one myself, until Barbour started a book club just for cozy mysteries: Heartsong Presents: Mysteries! (HPM) at heartsongmysteries.com.

I was already a Heartsong author (Romanian Rhapsody, Barbour, 2005) so I had a tiny advantage. If I ever wanted to write a cozy mystery, here was my opportunity to try. Three proposals later, I sold Gunfight at Grace Gulch as the first book in the Dressed for Death series.

What is the most rewarding part of writing for you?

Having written! The writing process is hard work; but I gain intense satisfaction from putting my thoughts and feelings and stories into words. My daughter died a little more than a month ago. Rarely has writing helped me, personally, so much, as working through my grief. I am blogging about it at darlenefranklinwrites.blogspot.com.

What is the most challenging?

I find writing synopses the most difficult to plan. Coming up with story ideas is easy. Writing a book, while not easy, is predictable. I plan to write about 2,000 words a day; it’s a specific, measurable goal. Writing a synopsis is different; I can’t say “I’ll plot 3 chapters today.” I can’t plot the first three chapters until I know how the book will end.

Can you tell I’m not a SOTP (seat of the pants) writer? Barbour requires chapter-by-chapter synopses, so that helped me develop the discipline of writing one; and they’re a huge help once I start writing.

Who are some authors you enjoy reading?

I’ll plug my great critique partners: Susan Page Davis, Rhonda Gibson, Lisa Harris, and Lynette Sowell. They are all multi-published authors and three of them are fellow HPM authors.

For a detailed list of my favorite mystery authors, check out my interview with Chris Wells at http://chriswellnovelist.blogspot.com/2008/03/q-darlene-franklin-gunfight-at-grace.html.

What are you currently working on and when can we expect another book from you?

2008 is turning out to be a banner year for me! I am currently working on the second book in the Dressed for Death series, A String of Murders, which is scheduled for release in late December. I expect to write the third and final book, Paint Me a Puzzle, for publication in 2009.

This fall, my first novella will appear in Snowbound Colorado Christmas. Four couples fall in love during Colorado’s worst-ever snowstorm, the blizzard of 1913. I wrote a perpetual calendar, 365 Fun Family Activities, for Barbour, and contributed several devotions to two volumes for single mothers and today’s woman.

Recently I learned that I have sold another romance. Check out my website (darlenehfranklihn.com) for details once I have the contract.

What is something you want your readers to know?

God’s love and grace meet us at the crossroads of our life. Rarely have I experienced that so strongly as in these recent days since my daughter’s death.

And finally, coffee or tea?

Caramel truffle decaf coffee, of course! Just like my heroine, Cici Wilde.

Thanks so much for the interview Darlene! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!