Threads by Charlotte Whitney

Posted: September 17, 2020/By: achristay@aol.com

Please welcome Charlotte Whitney author of Threads

Charlotte Whitney will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Threads

by Charlotte Whitney

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GENRE: Historical Fiction, Women’s Lit, Book Club Lit

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INTERVIEW:

1.What or who inspired you to start writing?

When I was a girl I read LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott and totally related to Jo March and her passion for writing. I, too, wanted to retreat to an upper floor and write books. Perhaps because I was living on a farm, I never thought of Jo as boyish, or a tomboy. Hers was just normal behavior. I was, however, most unhappy when Jo married the German Professor Bhaer. Perhaps I should reread the book and see how I feel today.

What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

I went to a one-room country school Kindergarten through eighth grade. We had no library, only an old World Book encyclopedia and six copies of the same book, THE BOX CAR CHILDREN. The only books in my home were a dictionary and a Bible. I still remember reading that dictionary. It had a blue cover and ended with a gazetteer of place names. For a while my parents subscribed to The Saturday Evening Post and I read it cover to cover. Once I discovered the public library I was in heaven. Today, I still love libraries. When my husband wanted to move to our current city, the first place he brought me was to the public library. He knew that would win me over.

If you could be one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why?

I’d definitely like to be seven-year-old Nellie from THREADS. She’s spunky, feisty, and oh, so imaginative. She speaks the language of animals, and talks Cow, Frog, Gopher, and Bear, to name a few. She has imaginary friends including ZeeZee a boy from outer space and two Potawatomi Indian boys who used to lived on their farm down by the creek. She can see people dancing in the sky while she hears magical music of the spheres. She’s also smart enough to know that she has to limit how much of this she will tell her parents.

If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your leading roles?

Because the three main characters of THREADS are sisters it would be great to find real life sisters, like Maude and Iris Apatow, who played spunky girl roles. The movie would open at dawn with an aerial shot spanning the entire farm, including the back meadow, woods, and creek. Roosters would be crowing in the early morning glow, and the neighbor across the road, Mr. Lutz, would, as usual, be swearing at his cattle. Then we’d see the sisters waking up to face their chores collecting and washing dirty eggs, going to the windmill to pump water for the day, and setting fire in the cookstove to begin breakfast.

What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

The best advice was to get a professional editor. When I finally finished my manuscript and thought it was perfect, with clever characters, fascinating plot twists, and impeccable editing, I sent it to an editor. How naïve I had been. When I saw her edits and suggestions, I immediately knew she was right. The book needed a major overhaul. You can’t do it alone.

Worst advice: there’s no need for you to go to college.

Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I prefer outlining first, but so many times I have writer’s block when I’m outlining so I switch to merely writing. That works most of the time, but I find that I toss out much more because I’m may not know where the chapter is headed. However, I prefer to throw out superfluous passages to sitting and staring at a blank screen.

Do you have any hobbies and does the knowledge you’ve gained from these carry over into your characters or the plot of your books?

A lot of chores I learned as a child find their way into my books: making my own clothes, darning socks, and embroidering, for instance. Then there’s bread-making, roasting chicken, making pies, and even dandelion picking for salad, all activities that came from my childhood.. Also, farm chores such as collecting eggs, feeding the pigs, burning trash, and working in the garden were all too familiar routines for me.

Do you have an all time favorite book?

When I was a girl I read REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier and was captivated. It has it all. A great beginning: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” A creepy mansion on the seacoast of Cornwall. A sinister housekeeper in Mrs. Danvers. A charming hero, Maxim DeWinter. But most of all, a main character, Rebecca, (the late Mrs. DeWinter), whose memory permeates the mansion and its staff. A great romance and mystery tied into one.

Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book?

My current project is another historical novel, also set in Michigan farm country in 1934. In this book twenty-year-old Polly is suddenly widowed. As the book unfolds, it’s unclear if her husband’s death was a suicide, homicide, or bizarre farm accident. There are plenty of twists to keep you guessing. The working title is VEILS: A Depression-Era Tale.

Can you tell us a little about the black moment in your book?

One occurs when eleven-year-old Irene sneaks out of the house once summer night to walk six miles to a religious revival meeting where she intends to find her school teacher and warn her about a threat to the lady’s teaching position. Irene doesn’t have a clue how tired, thirsty, and scratched she would become. She’s forced to drink water from a creek and in so doing finds herself in a patch of poison ivy. When she finally finds the meeting place, it’s deserted. It’s the middle of the night and she’s despondent, scared, and exhausted.

There’s another black moment later when an evil child molester threatens Irene and her sister Nellie, and they must use their wiles to escape. But if you haven’t read the book, I won’t spoil that for you.

What is your favorite reality show?

I love watching shows about people from different cultures, religions, and lifestyles. I’m always curious about the universal truths and how they play out. Right now I’m watching Indian Matchmakers about arranged marriages in both India and the U.S. Previous show: Sister Wives about a polygamous marriage.

BLURB:

It’s a boring, hardscrabble life for three sisters growing up on a Michigan farm during the throes of the Great Depression. But when young Nellie, digging for pirate treasure, discovers the tiny hand of a dead baby, rumors begin to fly. Narrated by Nellie and her two older sisters, the story follows the girls as they encounter a patchwork of threatening circumstances and decide to solve the mystery.

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EXCERPT:

When I woke up this morning the first thing I thought of was that baby. What a dark, scary place for a baby to be buried. So alone, away from everyone. Where were its parents? Babies need to be held and cuddled and kept warm. Even dead babies need to be buried in the churchyard with purty flowers, not off in the cold, dark backwoods.

I keep thinking ’bout the Preston’s baby girl, such a sweet baby. I held her once when Mrs. Preston was sitting beside me on the davenport. The baby kept sleeping, then blew a little bubble and later I could feel her little fart that warn’t stinky at all. All the time she jist kept sleeping. When she finally woke up and fussed, Mrs. Preston picked her up and jiggled her and talked baby talk to her so she quit fussing. That’s how babies are posta be treated.

But thinking ’bout the Prestons made me sad, too. They lost their farm and had to move away to Mrs. Preston’s parents’ place in Indiana. Ma said we might never see them again. Ma and Mrs. Preston both cried when we said goodbye. Pa and Mr. Preston shook hands and Pa bit his lip. I’d only seen him do that once before, at my grandpa’s funeral.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Charlotte Whitney grew up in Michigan and spent much of her career at the University of Michigan directing internship and living-learning programs. She started out writing non-fiction while at the University and switched to romance with I DREAM IN WHITE. A passion for history inspired her to write THREADS A Depression Era Tale chronicling the stories of three sisters on a farm during the throes of the Great Depression. She lives in Arizona, where she loves hiking, bicycling, swimming, and practicing yoga.

BUY LINK:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/THREADS-Depression-Tale-Charlotte-Whitney-ebook/dp/B07ZBN35JF/ref

IMPORTANT LINKS:

Author’s Website:

http://www.charlottewhitney.com

Facebook Author Page:

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=charlotte%20whitney%20author

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/charlottewhitney65/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-whitney-8235463a/

Twitter

https://twitter.com/CWhitneyAuthor