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

Although this author goes beyond my comfort level with language and explicit sexual content, I was riveted to the story. There is a serial killer on the lose in the wilds of Montana. One by one he or she is shooting out tires of women driving on deserted roads causing serious accidents. After the accident, he/she finds the women in their cars and becomes their healer. When they become well, he ties them outside to a tree naked and leaves them to die from the elements. We become very familiar with one of the victims. We also come to know the two women detectives working on the case. There are clues left behind, but they are very sketchy and the women and all working on the case are at a loss to find the killer. There is a main story and a side story.

The story part of the book is fascinating. This is the third book by Lisa Jackson I have read this summer and I do see a similar pattern in the plots. The books very much keep you hooked, however, as you try to figure out who the killer is and what his/her angle is. The characters are realistic, although I don’t know many people who live as they do. I like the fact that the women are strong and smart. The characters are flawed - not perfect people although very good at their job. This book didn’t resolve the main mystery after 496 pages which was a disappointment to me. The side story was resolved with a unexpected twist. That was exciting. More is promised to come in August of 2009, so I will look forward to the continuing saga.

Amber Miller’s first novel, Promises, Promises addresses a question many of us have struggled with at one time or another. Where is God when I am hurting? When tragedy strikes, Raelene feels as though God has stopped caring for her; He has abandoned her. Left with not only her grief but also the weighty responsibilities of her farm, Raelene struggles to determine if everything she has been raised to believe is really true. Through her pain and confusion, the overseer of her farm - though at times enfuriating - becomes a trusted friend and even more. . .

Promises, Promises is a great reminder of the fact that God is always with us, even in the face of tragedy and pain. He is indeed the only One who will never break His promises.

I appreciated the historical aspect of the book and enjoyed how Ms. Miller incorporated a portion of a message from Jonathan Edwards into the text. Without wanting to give any part of the plot away, the section where Raelene is listening to that message is probably my favorite part of the book.

Overall it is a great debut novel for Amber Miller. I will say that I did find the plot a bit predictable, but it is still an enjoyable book to read and the message is an important one. I look forward to seeing what she does with her next novel!

Order Promises, Promises

Amber’s second book, Quills and Promises is also available now here!

Visit the other sites on the Promises, Promises tour (some of them have giveaways)!

About the Book: New Yorker Sadie Maddox is the toast of the classical music world and the queen of all she surveys in short, she’s a bit of a diva. But lately her CD sales are sagging, not to mention parts of her anatomy. Maybe it’s time for a change. Something new. A second act. So when her agent suggests she take on a professorship at a small liberal arts college, Sadie decides to give it a go. Ivy-covered walls, worshipful students . . . oh yes, the ivory tower has its appeal. And she needs the money.

Except the college is in rural Iowa, and the closest thing to designer clothes is the western wear shop down on Main Street. Sadie’s colleagues are intimidated, her students aren’t impressed, and she has to live far too close to farm animals.

And when Sadie meets Mac, a large animal veterinarian, she assumes they have nothing in common he is, after all, a country music fan.

But when the semester ends, Sadie packs up and decamps for the city that never sleeps . . . and finds she can’t, either. This laugh-out-loud novel about second chances will have readers cheering as Sadie struggles to find her life’s second act

My Review: This was my first novel by Kimberly Stuart and I loved it! It was laugh out loud funny and just a pure delight to read. I breezed through it rather quickly, and was sorry when it was over.

There is a delightful cast of characters, all very different from each other. I have to admit, I’m not much of an opera fan so I probably would have added immensely to Sadie’s problem of being recognized. I cringed at her snobbiness at first (though I can imagine leaving New York would be very hard!), cheered her successes, and yes, rejoiced in the ending.

This book would serve as a great summer read, even if a lot of it takes place in the dead of winter. It’s nice to remember that sometimes it gets cold when you’re so very hot!

You can check out Act Two on Amazon.
Visit Kimberly Stuart’s website.
Look at a sample of the book at David C. Cook’s website.

About the book: The Parker twins, Brad and Charlie, didn’t want to join their parents on vacation in Hawaii. A little sister can be annoying, but little sister, Zoey, was over the top. “The three of us aren’t going to Hawaii,” she told them. Her parents were shocked by her statement even though it was true. This was not the first time Zoey offered surprising knowledge of future events, nor would it be the last. Arriving at their grandparent’s cattle ranch in Oklahoma, the twins learn of the disappearance of cattle from the ranch. This knowledge would set of a series of events that would challenge any detective. There were the mysterious neighbors, the strange lady at church, a psychic lazy dog, and a weird little sister to keep the twins totally confused in their efforts to solve this strange mystery.

This is a fun book with an interesting cast of characters sure to keep you entertained! There’s both mystery and adventure!

Now here’s a little bit about D.C. Stewart: D.C. Stewart grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, and spent most of her childhood getting into trouble with her younger brother on their ranch. She began writing short stories in high school, and won a writing competition at a nearby college at age 17. After graduating, she attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University and earned a degree in History, and also met her husband, Scott. She worked for a church in Maumelle, Arkansas as the Communications Coordinator for five years. After moving back to Oklahoma, she chose to stay home with their four year old twin boys, and six month old baby girl, and to pursue her dream of being a full-time writer. The Stewart’s live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Where Would Cows Hide? is her first novel.

Check out the book on Amazon!

Also, if you are interested in winning a copy of this book here’s how you can try:

1) Email the contest coordinator with the subject line of WWCH Entry at contest@novelinspirations.com

2) Join D.C. Stewart’s ezine list by sending a blank email to: dcstewart_ezine-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
All winners will be notified by May 31st!