Issue Five - Friendship
Author Interview 
Dannette Haworth
By Michelle Delisle
Danette Haworth is the author of two middle grade books, Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning
Hiya Danette! Thanks for stopping by to talk to us and all the WRNers about both of your books. O.K., we’ll go ahead and start with—
Whatcha’ reading now?
I’m rereading The Woods, by adult mystery/suspense author Harlan Coben. I recently discovered his books, and—oh, my gosh—he’ll keep you up past your bedtime!
I also just finished Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love by Lauren Tarshis. This novel cracked me up! I love Emma-Jean’s Spocklike qualities. Something that really appealed to me in this follow-up to the first book (Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree) was the development of Colleen, Emma-Jean’s best friend. Though Colleen was featured in the first book, I felt she was somehow more prominent in this story, and I really liked her narrative. She registered the hurts and insults typical for her age group, but she tried very hard to always believe in the best.
Oh! I really love Emma-Jean too, but have only read the first. Sounds like I should add the second to my TO READ list! And, now let’s talk about your books. Friendship is such an important theme in your books. Violet and Allie Jo are both only children. Were you an only child? Do you think friendships take on a greater meaning for only children?
I am one of four very close brothers and sisters. I grew up sharing a room with my sister, and we’d talk into the night until our voices grew hoarse. I don’t know what it’s like for only children; some seem to love it! In their house, the noise they hear is their own. The child their parents listen to is them. No competition for attention, the computer, or the TV! The rest of us only dreamed of such luxury.
That said, however, I think friendship is the single most important issue in a child’s life. In school, girls are usually known as Amy and Desiree, and boys are known by whom they stick close to as well. If you can’t know, every day, who will save you a seat at lunch or whose team you’ll be on for the recess tag game, you can feel pretty lonely. As a kid who moved around a lot, I spent my share of time on the outside looking in—I know what lonely feels like. I think that’s why, once I made friends, I was fiercely loyal to them.
I moved a lot growing up, too, so I can definitely relate. It makes me think about the setting for your books. Both books are set in small town Central Florida, which has a very distinct feel. Do the settings mirror your home?
Thank you! I’m glad you got a distinct feeling from the settings! Florida is unique to every other state in our country. We live in the subtropics, with alligators and rattlesnakes and a plethora of exotic plants and animals.
These settings do mirror the Central Florida area in which I live. When I visit the springs or the river, I’m visiting Florida as it was maybe a hundred years ago—Florida. I marvel that this area ever got settled without air conditioning! I’m not a frontier person, but I’ve had a scorpion in my house, rattlesnakes on my driveway and patio, and a bobcat behind my yard. I get very excited when I see these things (except for the scorpion, which was halfway up my stairs with its tail coiled)! They remind me that nature is bigger than man.
I’m constantly on the lookout for alligators and have been known to slam on the brakes when I see one. “Right there!” I yell to the occupants in my van. “See him?”
They look up briefly from their DS Lites. “Yeah.”
I hop out to take a picture and they adjust their headphones. I’m mystified that everyone isn’t as impressed as I am.
Violet has to overcome a huge personal fear in this book. What’s a big fear you’ve overcome and how did you do it?
Even though I had brothers, I was scared of boys at a time when my friends couldn’t wait for their first kiss. Girls I knew talked openly about things I found shocking, which scared me even more. I remember some neighborhood boys who played basketball and manhunt with my sister and me. We always had a good time, so we were surprised to hear through the grapevine that these boys were interested in more than joining us for hoops or tag. We were so innocent!
I don’t know that I ever got over that particular shyness. I met my husband through the safety of a group and I trusted him. Besides, he had a motorcycle!
A motorcycle? That sounds like something Violet would like! My favorite, favorite part of this novel is Violet’s strong voice. She’s completely believable, totally spunky and as I read, I had a sense she’s someone I would’ve been friends as a kid. How are you and Violet alike? And different?
I’m so glad you enjoyed Violet’s voice! I’ve said before that I while I was writing her story, I often felt as if I were watching Violet rather than creating her. She said things I never planned. She made me laugh. She did things I’d never do, but I understood her completely. At the same time, I knew that Violet was maybe being a bit harsh toward Melissa, who really wasn’t trying to offend, but Violet’s feelings were authentic, and I can remember having similar feelings toward the ever-changing machinations of friendship while I was growing up.
Violet isn’t afraid to let people know what she thinks. Maybe this is because she thinks she’s right, I don’t know. Confrontation isn’t my best suit, so I really admired this in Violet. She defended her territory and made adjustments as she saw fit. I like that type of fearlessness! I think we lose that as we get older. Experience is a nag, whispering to us as we go through our social interactions, Don’t say this, don’t stare at that. Don’t eat too much!
It was so wonderful to have the privilege of reading The Summer of Moonlight Secrets
Oh, my gosh! When my editor first sent me the pencil sketch, I could hardly work for the rest of the day. I had to keep looking at the illustration—it was beautiful. The color illustration—I want the canvas to put on my wall! It’s gorgeous! Brandon Dorman is the illustrator, and you’re right—he captured the essence perfectly. I love it!
On the cover, the hotel is lit up in the background and it felt to me like the hotel was a character. If you could pick a character from another book or from a movie, who would the hotel be?
I’m not sure! It would definitely be someone mysterious but friendly, and amazingly, not old. The character would be someone with an ageless spirit and infinite wisdom.
The story is told from multiple points of view—Allie Jo, who lives at the hotel, a summer guest Chase, and Tara, the mysterious stranger. Why did you decide to tell the story this way? And was it hard to write from a boy’s perspective?
I always wanted to write a book with multiple POVs. Violet and Lottie narrated in alternating chapters the original manuscript for Violet Raines, but after I took a break and returned to the story, Violet’s voice was so strong to me that I had give her the whole book! I saved Lottie’s chapters because I liked her. (And I liked the farmhouse she lives in and its history.)
As I drafted The Summer of Moonlight Secrets
Writing like a boy—well, I had a lot of friends who were boys (as opposed to boys who were boyfriends) and I grew up climbing trees and letting spiders walk on my arms and such. I have two little boys (and a daughter), two brothers, and a husband, so you could say I am surrounded by subject matter experts.
For me, the “secret” was totally a surprise! You had me fooled!! Without spoiling anything, can you reveal how you came up with that idea?
DeLeon Springs in Central Florida inspired the setting and the original idea. Many, many people in the days of olde came to Florida to visit its springs; they believed the water had curative powers. The thought of who could afford to travel and stay at such resorts, and the nuances of the creatures found in the springs led me to a certain idea, which I then refined after a suggestion from my publisher. I took that idea and twisted it a little—I’m glad I fooled you!
The Meriwether is known for its blueberry pancakes and Allie Jo is a huge fan. Why did you pick this meal to appear throughout the book?
Haha! I LOVE blueberry pancakes! (The original title for this book was The Hotel of Blueberry Goodness.) DeLeon Spring has a snack bar on the grounds. Everyone here knows about it—it’s the pancake house! I’m not sure what it’s really called, but the snack bar is housed in what used to be a sugar mill. The exterior and the wheel are still intact, but inside, you can now buy trinkets, books of local flavor, or you can sit down and fry your own pancakes on tables with a griddle built into the middle of them. I love blueberry pancakes, so I had to include them.
I know that restaurant. How funny! So…I’m wondering if you can give us a hint about what you’re working on now?
I would love to talk about my latest project! Me and Jack (Walker, 2011—title might change) is set in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania and features a boy whose father is a recruiter during the Vietnam War.
Twelve-year-old Joshua knows how to play new kid: hang back, don’t talk too much, become invisible. Then he pairs up with Jack, a dog he rescues from the pound. Jack yanks Joshua from the sidelines to the front line and before Joshua can help it, he comes face-to-face with the meanest kid in school, Alan Prater. Joshua would like to be friends with Ray Miller, but it turns out Ray and Prater are cousins, and Prater’s not letting outsiders in.
Joshua’s troubles escalate as the town suffers the loss of a local boy in the war, Jack is blamed for the disappearance of livestock, and Prater happily points his finger at Joshua and his family.
Sounds like an incredible story, Danette! I’ll be reading that one, too. Okay, and finally our bonus question. Tell us something totally random about yourself.
I answered all these questions while wearing my pajamas.
One of the biggest benefits of working as a writer, for sure. Thanks Danette and congratulations on your new book!
Thank you for having me and giving me such good questions to answer!
And WRNers, be sure to look for the newly released The Summer of Moonlight Secrets
