This week, we're pleased to welcome author Betty Bolte, whose latest novel, HOMETOWN HEROINES is set during the 19th century. The author will offer a free copy of Hometown Heroines to a lucky blog visitor. Leave your email to be considered in the drawing. Here's the blurb.
During the 1800s, daring and courageous girls across America left their unique mark on history. This book provides both historical fact and historical fiction about each of 19 girls and young women whose actions are remembered with an historical landmark in the United States. These are inspiring true stories of real American girls, our Hometown Heroines, who faced danger and adversity and made a difference in their world.
** Author Interview with Betty Bolte**
How
long have you been writing?
As long ago as I can remember! Since I was a little girl, 5
or 6 years old, I started inventing stories in my head. As I advanced through
school, I started writing short stories and poems. Once I reached adulthood, I
started trying my hand at book length nonfiction and fiction.
What
other authors have influenced your writing?
This may seem an easy question to answer, but for me it
really isn’t. For one thing, I’ve read so many different kinds of literature
that my own writing has emerged as a blend of a lot of it. That said, I’d have
to say authors such as Anna Sewell (Black
Beauty), Barbara Taylor Bradford, Hemingway, LaVyrle Spencer, Linda Howard,
and Charles Dickens have all had a hand in flavoring my writing voice.
Why did
you write this book? Where did you get the idea?
The girls I feature in this book inspired me by their
selfless acts and perseverance in the face of often daunting hurdles to their
success. I first learned of these girls by reading another great book, Susan B. Anthony Slept Here: A Guide to
American Women’s Landmarks, by Lynn Sherr and Jurate Kazickas (NY: Random
House, 1994). I noticed a number of the paragraphs were about young girls and
started compiling a list and doing my own research in order to share their
accomplishments.
Why did
you choose to write their story as fiction rather than biography/nonfiction?
I wanted to make the individual stories of these girls
realistic but also entertaining, so that younger readers as well as adult
readers would enjoy them. Fictionalizing their accomplishments allowed me to
bring their story to life more so than writing them based only on facts. That’s
why I included the real biographical details I uncovered after the short story
so that the readers can tell where fact leaves off to fiction.
Who is
your favorite girl of these stories?
That’s a hard question! I think about Vinnie Ream a lot
because of the diversity of her artistic accomplishments, including the
life-size marble statue of Lincoln still standing in the National Capitol’s
Rotunda. But Lucille Mulhall’s trick riding abilities were so impressive it’s
hard to believe that she could actually use her mouth to pick up a handkerchief
from the ground while riding a galloping horse. Such strength and courage is
astounding. Each of the girls made an impression on me, which is why I chose to
share their stories with others.
