It’s funny how you sometimes have to relearn lessons in life… or at the very least remind yourself of the lessons you have learned. I find this is especially true for me in writing and business. A few years ago I posted on the power of asking, but the impact for me is the same today as it was then. I guess I just needed a refresher course. If you find yourself shy when it comes to asking, today’s post is for you.

I have a habit of reaching out to famous authors and asking them questions.

For example, one time I asked Newbery Honor Award winning Kimberly Brubaker Bradley to send me a picture of her writing office for a blog post I was working on about the spaces in which we work. She responded with this:

Then there was the time I asked Johnathan Rand, author of the American Chillers series, some business-of-being-an-author type questions and he responded with loads of advice, and also an invitation to teach at his summer writing camp for kids.

Rachel Renee Russell responded to a fan letter from one of my students with a copy of her newest book for our classroom library. Mark Parsons and Jennifer Donnelly agreed to write pieces for my Young Writer’s Workbook, Under Construction.

One lesson I have learned in spades is that it can’t hurt to ask. This lesson paid off royally when I used the Minnesota Writers Directory to reach out to Margi Preus. (P.S. Wisconsinites, do we have something like this?!? If not, can we get one started pretty please!?!)

I had heard somewhere that Margi lived in Duluth. I happen to visit Duluth every summer for our annual week up north.

So, I asked her. “Margi, would you be willing to meet me while I am in town and let me interview you for my blog?”

And guess what?!? She said yes!

I met her at the library where she did a very writerly thing… check out picture books to compare illustration styles so she could pass along notes and preferences to her publisher. I couldn’t help but wonder as she searched the bins of books, do these librarians know who they are helping? Do they even look at the name on her library card?

I know we are all human, but writers are my rockstars. They are my Beyonce, my Brett Favre, my Kim Kardashian.

Afterwards, we walked to a nearby hotel and found a seat in the spinning top floor bar. As our views circled Duluth, rotating from the lake, to the hillsides, to the city and back around again, we talked. I asked her questions and she answered honestly. As the sun sunk lower in the sky, several members of her family, and a few friends, joined us. Seemingly with each rotation of the restaurant, another joined us, adding their voices to the mix. We chatted and sipped our wine and it was all very normal, which to me was surreal. I mean, it isn’t every day I get to casually hang out with authors in this way. As talk turned to dinner plans, I excused myself and thanked Margi for her time. It wasn’t the interview I had planned, but it was all still wonderful. It was an excellent reminder that behind the covers of our favorite stories, is a writer just as human as the rest of us. The plots they prepare and the characters they create often feel like magic, but really, there are no wizards. Just humans and ink and imagination and heart.

Then next day I got a text message from Margi to stop at the front desk of my hotel. She had left something there for me. When my family and I returned to our temporary home after a day of Duluth adventuring, I hurried to the desk to find an ARC of her forthcoming book, Village of Scoundrels. Below you will see my brief review of this story, and an excerpt from my favorite chapter. But even fresher in my mind, is the generosity of the woman behind the story, who was willing to share her time, attention and afternoon with a writer who aspired to reach her level.

Thank you, Margi not only for your stories, but for being you.

Happy writing,

Amanda

Village of Scoundrels

Village of Soundrels takes place in a small, French, plateau town during World War II and chronicles the resistance efforts of its townspeople. At the center of a rescue network set up and maintained by pastors, teachers, and farmers are a group of teens who risk their own safety, and often times lives, to usher escaping Jews to Switzerland. Their clandestine acts including forgery, message carrying, police diverting and refugee leading, read as a heart-pounding thrill ride, juxtaposed against the idyllic backdrop of mountainous French countryside. Fans of Jennifer Nielsen’s A Night Divided will devour slowly boiled tension that creates the suspenseful scenes in this un-put-down-able book.

It is often said that we study history to learn from our mistakes. It is imperative to study the darkest times so that we do not repeat the terrible deeds of the past. Despite its distance in our history, the events of WWII portrayed in this book feel terrifyingly plausible. Questions the characters ask and the moral dilemmas they face, could be our own. In a very literal sense, antisemitism is on the rise, but also related, could be the deportation (rather than the extermination) of certain groups of people in our country. What if the law is wrong? What is really right? Who will help? This book has powerful content that if read with a lens beyond entertainment, will prove to be personally impactful. If I were still in a middle school classroom, I would definitely add it to my literature circles line up and use it to facilitate thoughts and conversations about the power of one, the power of kindness, the power of standing up for what is right. (The back matter content detailing the real people behind the inspiration of this story will also make for great cross curriculum connections.)

Below you will see my favorite chapter from the book (with permission from the author). It is lovely and literary and magical in all the right ways. If you agree, and are interested in reading more, you can get your copy here.

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Today’s post post was made beautiful by CANVA and is categorized in my blog archive under Authorpreneur Advice. Check out the entire collection here.