Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Q&A with Ellen Schwartz

 


 

 

Ellen Schwartz is the author of the new middle grade novel Friends to the Rescue. Her many other books include Heart of a Champion. She lives in Burnaby, British Columbia.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Friends to the Rescue?

 

A: In about 2015, I was visiting my dad, who lived in Philadelphia. In search of a good cappuccino, I found an Italian café called Gran Caffe L’Aquila.

 

My husband and I had recently been to Italy and had visited Tuscany, where L’Aquila is located. I asked the barista if this café had any connection to the town.

 

He said that the owner was from there and that, following the earthquake in 2009, the owner had raised thousands of dollars to aid the victims and had flown to Italy to distribute it.

 

I was intrigued and looked up the earthquake. That was when I found a news story about how elderly Jews had returned to the region to help, as a way to repay the Tuscan villagers for sheltering them during World War II. It was such a touching story, I had to write it as a children’s book!

 

Q: What do you think Alison Mutton’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: You may not know that the author does not choose the illustrator and does not tell the illustrator what to draw. So it’s always with great trepidation that I wait to see who the publisher will choose to illustrate my books.

 

As soon as I saw a portfolio of Alison’s work, I felt confident. I don’t know how she did it, but her illustrations not only capture the time and place of the story, but also the emotions and thoughts of the characters. I’m delighted.


Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: I found other articles about the return of the Jews to Tuscany in 2009. I also found many photos of the region, both before and after the earthquake.

 

When I decided to set the story in the town of Fossa, I did research on the layout of the town and then drew a very crude map for visual reference while I was writing. Luckily, Alison transformed it into a proper legible map!

 

As for surprises, the Jewish connection was the most meaningful one. We hear so much about the horrors of the war and especially of the Holocaust that it is heartwarming to hear a story about generosity and courage.

 

Q: The Jewish Book Council review of the book, by Shara Kronmal, says, “With charm­ing illus­tra­tions, this mid­dle-grade nov­el por­trays dan­ger, friend­ship, hope, and hero­ism in an age-appro­pri­ate way.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I’m flattered and I think it is bang-on. One of the challenges of writing this story was to present two very dangerous situations—the peril that the Jews and the families that hid them were in, and the earthquake itself—in a way that was realistic and yet not too frightening for young readers. I think I succeeded.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Apples and Honey Press, the publishers of Friends to the Rescue, are launching a series of historical chapter books set in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1785, just after the American Revolution.

 

They’ve hired me to write the first book in the series, which is called the Liberty Club House series. That’s what I’m writing now. The first book is due out in 2026, in conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Friends to the Rescue is my 20th book, 18 of which are for children. My other books include picture books, middle-grade novels, young adult fiction, and information books.

 

I write my first draft longhand on a very old and battered clipboard, using a Pilot Hi-Tech V5 Extra Fine pen. It has to be that kind of pen. I’m fussy and superstitious about that. Seriously, though, those pens are very comfortable in my hand. I put my feet up, look out the window, daydream . . . and start writing.

 

I’ve taken dance lessons (modern, ballet, and jazz) all my life and LOVE dancing. If God tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Ellen, you can be a professional dancer, but you’ll have to give up writing,” I would do it in a heartbeat. But somehow, at the age of 75, I don’t think it’s going to happen. So I guess I’ll keep writing.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

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