How I Write (A BLOG Hop)

 

 

Welcome BLOG Hopper!  A link from author Jamie Dodson led you here.   And now it's my turn

 

 

  1. What are you working on?

I’m reviewing all of the research that I did for my World War II middle-grade novel, The Legacy of Bletchley Park, in preparation to write a nonfiction book about this code breaking site in England. Much has changed at Bletchley since I published my novel in 2004. Extensive renovation has been done to the huts where the code breakers worked, and the thousands of files of the broken codes are being digitized for public access.

 

I continue to market my other World War II novels: Will Paris Burn?,Saving da Vinci and Alexandra’s Secret as well as a novel about Vietnam (Twilight of Honor), two YA contemporary novels (Whispers in the Wind and First Place, Love), and three biographies (Neil Armstrong, Sally Ride, and Wernher von Braun).

  1. How does my work differ from others in its genre?

There are not many novels about World War II for young readers.  When I’ve visited the classrooms to discuss these novels, I’ve been amazed at the lack of information students have about World War II. The teachers told me that reading these books with young characters involved in the war efforts for their respective countries brings history alive for young readers.

 

  1. Why do you write?

I write because I love to write. I especially enjoy doing research for both fiction and nonfiction. I like to share my writing experiences with aspiring writers in the many courses that I teach about writing for publication.

 

  1. How does my writing process work?

I research extensively before I begin to write both fiction and nonfiction. In the case of The Legacy of Bletchley Park, the idea came to me when I saw the World War II bomb damage on the exterior walls on some of the London art museums. For some inexplicable reason, I wondered what it was like for children in London during the war.

 

When I returned home, I researched that idea, and learned that the children were sent to villages to escape the London blitz.  After looking at a map on England, I discovered the village of Bletchley Park, and the history of Bletchley practically wrote the story for me. Three other books about young people helping in the war subsequently followed based on this initial research.

 

I do not outline a book nor write the chapters in sequence.  I always write the last chapter first, and all other material in earlier chapters leads to that end.  Since all of my novels have foreign settings, I have someone who is a native of that country read the manuscript for language and cultural accuracy.

 

 

And now fearless BLOG Hoppers, I turn you over fellow Alabama Authors

 

Author one Link:

 

 

 Author Two Link: