Q & A
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Wiscasset, Maine
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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
about writing STOPPING TO HOME, SEAWARD BORN, WINTERING WELL, and FINEST KIND
Q. Are your characters real? What happens to them after the books end?
A. Many of the characters in my books, like Reverend Packard and Doctor Theobold, really lived in Wiscasset during the period of the books. But the people in Charleston and Boston, and all of the major characters, are fictional, even though their worlds were real.
Stopping to Home and Seaward Born both show Wiscasset in 1806. Starting in 1807, Wiscasset went through hard times. Responding to England's impressing Americans and to the war between France and England that challenged United States neutrality, President Thomas Jefferson imposed an embargo on trade, forbidding all imports and exports to the United States.
Wiscasset's citizens depended on trade, and the embargo was very difficult for them. Wiscasset's harbor was filled with ships that were not allowed to sail. To protect the tops of masts from rotting, bitter Wiscasset ship owners put tar barrels over them, calling the barrels "President Jefferson's Nightcaps." Many ship owners and captains in Wiscasset lost money. Mariners were out of work. Some turned to carpentry and building, and some of the finest homes in Wiscasset were built in 1807-1808. Although the Embargo Act was repealed in 1809, the town's economy took such a major downslide that it never fully recovered.
Lawyer Jonathan Bowman died in 1808, and his daughter Louise moved back in with her grandparents, who were among those who lost a great deal of money during the Embargo. In 1815 Louisa married a wealthy Boston merchant.
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Q. How long does it take you to write a book?
A. That depends on how much research I do. I did research for Stopping to Home for about 6 months before I wrote it. Seaward Born took longer to research -- almost a year -- because I wanted to understand the world Michael/Noah and his parents had lived in, and I didn't know Charleston or slavery as well as I knew Wiscasset and Maine. I walked the streets of both Charleston and Wiscasset, spent time in their libraries, and even listened to music of the period. To understand Will, in Wintering Well, I studied medical books from 1820, and read many books written by people today who have been disabled. To write Finest Kind I studied prison systems, medical issues, how lumber mills worked, and what schools were like in 1838. After I finish my research, it takes about 3 months to write the first draft of a book, and then another 3 months to edit and revise it. And then, of course, my editor asks me to edit it again!
Q. Why don't you write about famous people in history?
To really understand the way people used to live I think we need to know how ordinary people lived. There are a lot of books about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I've chosen to write about the men and women and children who lived and died in a typical 19th century community. Because decisions we now think of as "adult," (decisions on where to live, with whom, and what profession to choose) were made in the 19th century by much younger people, I write about girls and boys between the ages of 11 and 14 who have to cope with major changes in their lives -- and decide something important to their future.
Q. Why do you write about Wiscasset, Maine?
A. I've always loved Maine, and wanted to understand her past. A town is like a person -- some years are better than others. I chose to write about 1806 in STOPPING TO HOME because it was the year Wiscasset's port was busiest -- Wiscasset was the largest port east of Boston! Wiscasset is in many ways a typical town in Maine: it has a history connected to the sea; it is surrounded by farmlands; and for a while it was a center of lumbering activitiy. During the second half of the 19th century the railroad came to Wiscasset, and the ice industry was there, as well as a small textile mill. Much of Wiscasset was destroyed by a fire in the 1860s, as were many small New England towns. My later books will show different aspects of the town, as the century progresses and life there changes.
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Nickels-Sortwell House
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Q. What happened to some of the real people in your books?
Sally Clough Bowman left Wiscasset after her husband's death and joined her family, who had moved to Thomaston, Maine. There, in 1812, she married Reverend Job Washburne. Sally gave birth to 11 children before she died in 1846.
Captain William Nichols used unemployed mariners to help build that fine house he had promised his wife. Today it is known as the Nichols-Sortwell House and during the summer is open to the public on Main Street in Wiscasset, Maine.
Dr. Theobold survived three wives, and died in 1843 -- of gangrene he couldn't cure. His son grew up to be a doctor.
Q: What is your next book going to be about?
A: I'm working on several books right now, and the next one to be published will depend on my editor! But, so far, all of the books I'm writing for children take place in Wiscasset.
Q: Are you going to write about what happens to Seth or Abbie or Noah or Will or Cassie or Jake after their books end?
A: I don't have any plans to do that now. But sometimes I'm tempted to tell more of their stories. Maybe some day I will. In the meantime, you can imagine what might have happend to each of them after their books closed!
Q. Do you write every day?
A. I wish I could! But I live a busy life. I'm married, I have six grandchildren, and I own an antique print business. I like to travel to visit schools and bookstores and meet students, teachers, and librarians, to tell them about my books -- and hear what they think about all my characters! All of that takes time. I also like to knit, and row my skiff on the Sheepscot River, and take long walks with my husband. Plus, I sometimes take months to do the research and planning for a book. When I am writing a book I try to stop doing almost everything else in my life so I can live with my characters. At those times I write from about 9 in the morning until dinner time, and sometimes after. My husband says I'm in a different world then, and he's probably right. (He's also very patient with me!)
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