Yona Zeldis McDonough is at The Hiding Spot today, answering questions about her newest nonfiction book for kids, Little Author in the Big Woods: A Biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I was obsessed with the Little House books and television show in elementary school, so I found Yona's novel, which explores the ways in which Wilder's real life informed and inspired her Little House novels, fascinating. Check out my interview with Yona below, in which she discusses what qualities drew her to Laura's story, her writing process, and upcoming projects.
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Were there specific details about Laura Ingalls
Wilder (or her Little House books) that inspired you to tell her story?
I
wanted to tell Laura’s story because I saw a powerful feminist message in
it. Despite the hardships of her life,
Laura’s mother, Caroline, was committed to the education of her daughters, even
that of Mary, who went blind. It was
this fierce insistence on “book learning” that distinguished Laura’s family
from so many others and it was something that she in turn passed down to her
own daughter Rose. I loved that
mother-daughter connection as it played out in the succeeding generations and
wanted to emphasize that in my telling of the story.
Tell me a little bit about your writing process: Do
you outline? Start at the beginning? The middle? The end?
I write in several different genres, including
fiction and non-fiction, so my process is a bit different with each. To write Little
Author in the Big Woods, I did not adhere to a strict outline but I did
begin at the beginning and worked my way through my subject’s life. I wanted to
grow along with her and this method seemed to me the best way to accomplish
that.
What kind of research did you do while writing Little Author in the Big Woods?
I read several biographies of Laura, and consulted
her own letters and diaries. And I
re-read all of her Little House
books, so that I could understand the correspondences between the stories and
the life.
At the end of the book, readers will find fun
extras, like recipes and games that were popular when Laura was a child. Have
you tried any of these recipes or games? Which were your favorites?
I tried all the recipes and the craft project too.
Because I am a doll lover, I’d have to say that the cornhusk doll was my
favorite though I sure enjoyed that homemade butter—yum!
What jobs did you have on your way to becoming a published
author? Is there a certain work experience that has shaped your writing or
provided inspiration?
I had many jobs along the way and most of them I did
not like! I worked as a secretary, and I
worked in the public relations office of a large government agency. I also
edited and wrote a newsletter for another government agency. But it was the freelance writing that I
did—the dozens of essays, articles, reviews etc.—that honed my skills and made
me understand that writing was a craft I needed to work at to perfect.
If you had to pick a favorite word, what would it be
and why?
Pamplemousse,
which means grapefruit in French. It’s
such a cheery, happy sounding word.
My blog is dedicated to my personal hiding spot,
books. Who, what, or where can be credited as your personal escape from
reality?
I love to rummage through thrift stores, yard/garage
sales and the like. I can lose myself in
sifting through the things other people have discarded or given away; it’s like
entering another world for me and I become very absorbed when doing it.
What can readers look forward to next?
My sixth novel, You
Were Meant for Me, is coming out from New American Library in October and
my children’s biography of Sojourner Truth will be out next year. I’ve also been working on a middle grade
historical novel that takes place in France in 1940, and a picture book about a
little girl named Bea and a very special doll…
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Learn more about Yona and her novels, here.
