Q&A with Kate Winkler Dawson

 

 

 

Kate Winkler Dawson is the author of the new book The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne. Her other books include American Sherlock. She teaches journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, and is also a documentary producer and podcaster.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Sinners All Bow?

 

A: One of my listeners of my podcast, Tenfold More Wicked, emailed me about a case that she called “the haystack murder.” I searched for it and discovered the story of Sarah Maria Cornell.

 

I was horrified by Sarah’s story, frankly, and I’ve covered loads of historical true crime cases. She died alone on a desolate New England farm in the dead of winter in 1832 and then, months later, few people defended her character when her suspected killer stood trial.

 

Some of her harshest critics were other women. Sarah’s story felt like a violation of women today. It was truly the start of victim-shaming at criminal trials.

 

And then I discovered that Sarah’s most ardent defender was a poet, a woman from high society, who committed to writing a scathing nonfiction book to make sure Sarah received justice. The story really moved me.  

 

Q: What was it like to follow in the footsteps of that defender, 19th century writer Catharine Williams?

 

A: Oh, I felt very connected with Catharine because we felt a similar passion for Sarah’s case. Catharine was career-driven, and a mother who wanted to provide for her child. She was also proud and fallible, and I can be both of those things. She worked so hard on her book and I respect her diligence.  

 

Q: Why do you think The Scarlet Letter still intrigues people 175 years after its publication?

 

A: There are so many themes that resonate with people today: Victim-shaming, victim-blaming, and how women can break each other down, as well as perseverance.   

 

Q: The writer Dean Jobb said of the book, “Told with precision and compassion, this brilliant reinvestigation explodes myths and exposes prejudices to get to the bottom of a heinous crime and restore the victim's sullied reputation.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I love that description! And that was certainly my goal, to evaluate the evidence and shine a light on prejudices that are still present in our society.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m actually finishing up a fiction book, a mystery/thriller that leans into true crime but focuses on a forensic botanist. I love writing fiction—there’s such a freedom!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The Sinners All Bow is probably my favorite of my books—it’s been amazing to read the accounts of forensics in the 19th century, as well as digging into the victim advocacy that I wasn’t sure existed in the 1800s.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Kate Winkler Dawson.

Q&A with Joe Diorio

 

 

 

Joe Diorio is the author of the new book Crisis Communications and the Art of Making Nothing Happen. He also has written the book A Few Words About Words. He lives in Southwest Florida.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Crisis Communications?

 

A: My niche is writing about communications skills. I was working on a new edition of my first book, A Few Words About Words, and was playing around with the idea of flyspecking copy.

 

Flyspecking is a term applied when someone takes a first (or even second, or third, or fourth) draft of something and does a deep dive into editing and refining it; literally examining and questioning every word and every piece of punctuation.

 

While doing that I was thinking about a flyspecking session I had with a coworker just two days after a mass shooting took place at the office building where we worked. (And, yes, I was one of the people the gunman shot at.) This was nearly 43 years ago, and we were making crisis communications plans and tactics as we went along.

 

It was the memory of how we didn’t really have a crisis communications plan that became the genesis of Crisis Communications and the Art of Making Nothing Happen. I wanted to tell the story of a crisis, how a plan is made and how it plays out. AND tell the story of what can happen to a business if it does not have a crisis plan.

 

What I didn’t want to do was write a “woe is me I was shot at” story. That isn’t me.

 

I fictionalized the mass shooting I was in. Partially because so much time has elapsed, and I didn’t want to unearth bad memories someone may have and because to tell a story about crisis communications planning and implementation you have to look at businesses and organizations today, not ones from 40-plus years ago.

 

I moved the timeline up to the year before the COVID-19 pandemic rather than leaving it in the 1980s. That made the story modern enough to be current but not letting the story angle of a pandemic and lockdowns become a part of the story.

 

In the end I produced a book that is useful to public relations professionals … especially if they are working with clients who are reluctant to engage in crisis planning. It also is helpful to news professionals in that it tells you what is going on behind the press conference.

 

The title of the book comes from the practice of public affairs management. It is often said the best public affairs managers make sure nothing happens. I took that as a part of the title. It’s interesting how many people who work in public relations and marketing communications understand the subtle message within the title.

Q: How much was the book based on your own experiences surviving a shooting?

 

A: Quite a bit to be honest. I was standing outside of a coworker’s office when the gunman began his rampage. I heard the gunshots, but I knew there was construction work underway on the lower floor of the building and just assumed I was hearing a nail gun.

 

It was my admin, Audrey, who came running down the hallway screaming for people to take cover that jarred me into the reality of the moment. I ducked just before he shot at me. I know because when I returned to the building the next day, I saw gunshot damage to the wall where I was standing.

 

I and several coworkers barricaded ourselves in a conference room and waited. There was a phone in the conference room and we eventually worked up the courage to call the police, who advised us to stay where we were until a S.W.A.T. could come and escort us safely out of the building.

 

I suspect it is harder to sit quietly in a room in this age of mobile phones. So in the book I played on fear to keep everyone in one place and off of their phones, framing the characters as too afraid to use their smart phones lest the shooter find out where they were.

 

In my case I remember we didn’t want to use the phone in the room very often for the same reason. We were convinced the shooter would see an operator’s console phone somewhere near the room where we hid, then recognize the number of the phone where we were (it would light up on the console) and know what office the call was coming from. It’s silly to think back on that now, but fear can make you do strange things.

 

And like the characters in the book, I went back to work after the S.W.A.T. team got me out of there. I teamed up with other IBM communications professionals. We were mostly preparing for the building to reopen. We did not consider the tsunami of press inquiries we inevitably received, prompting IBM’s corporate P.R. offices to create a crisis communications plan on the fly.

 

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

 

A: For starters I went back and talked to people who were involved – there aren’t many of us left, considering this happened in 1982. I used archive news clips from The New York Times and The Washington Post to help refresh my own memory.

 

But to keep the story current I talked to police officers who offered me a more up-to-date take on how police departments handle active shooter situations. I also talked to crisis communications consultants who offered me a wealth of knowledge. Their generosity really helped make the book a reality.

 

I also tracked down the one radio reporter who actually talked via telephone to the shooter. Her recollections were terrific and led to the creation of a key character in the book, Tara Westover, the fictional local radio news reporter.

 

I had to spend a lot of time looking through news reports, mostly on YouTube, to see how mass shooting events are covered. I wanted to see what was good and what was not so good about news coverage. Impressively, I think news organizations – even the smallest ones with very lean budgets – do an excellent job of reporting a crisis.

 

I spent a lot of time trying to find the original criminal complaint against the IBM shooter, but that seems to have been lost to time.

 

The timeline of court proceedings does still exist and I was able to build a logical timeline for my fictional shooter from that, showing when he was arrested, arraigned in court, when he entered his initial and final plea (he pleaded guilty).

 

For me it was making sure a chapter in my life was truly over.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from your book?

 

A: The biggest takeaway is that a crisis plan covers more than what someone says after the crisis happens. It involves what they do.

 

IBM impressed me with how it handled medical expenses for employees; it simply paid the bills and didn’t make anyone go through the hassle of submitting insurance claim forms. The company also spent a fortune making sure the building was fully repaired and never looked like a shooting had taken place.

 

I also created a fictional company – a car dealership – that did no crisis planning and the business paid the price for that. When I worked in P.R. I had a client – a coffee filer manufacturer – that tried ignoring a congressional subpoena and insisted I get them off the hook.

 

The only reason this company’s president didn’t get himself arrested is that the congressional hearing – it was supposed to be a session about potential toxins in bleached paper products – was called off at the last minute.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am working on that new edition of A Few Words About Words, as well as a science fiction story framed around public relations. It sounds corny as I write it, but I do like the way the book is coming out. Again, I’m writing about communication skills. I just look for an entertaining way to do that.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Joe Diorio.

Q&A with Rosanne Tolin

 

 

Rosanne Tolin is the author of the new middle grade novel Freedom's Game. It is set during World War II. She also has written the book More than Marmalade. Also a journalist, she lives in Chesterton, Indiana.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Freedom’s Game, and how did you create your character Ziggy?

 

A: The inspiration for Freedom’s Game was, initially, from an article I read about a lesser-known WWII resistance fighter named Georges Loinger. His true story tugged at me for months, until I finally started drafting the story.

 

Overall, however, the motivation was from my parents. Unfortunately, they both passed away while I was writing it. As I began the book, I almost instinctively sprinkled in pieces of their families—especially on my mother’s side, since they’re from Germany.

 

As far as my father, he had a keen interest in Holocaust education, so I also wanted to carry on his legacy in some way.

 

Ziggy embodies my dad as a young boy—and, because my mother’s family was full of academics, he also has some of her studious, pragmatic traits.

 

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

 

A: Since I’m a former journalist, the research came naturally! For a historical fiction manuscript to get off to a solid start, I think it’s important to feel comfortable with the subject matter. From there, building out the world is way easier.

 

It’s not necessary to be an expert—any bigger questions that arise, or smaller, detailed ones, can always be answered by turning to textbooks, newspapers, journals—in general, secondary sources are important starting points.

 

However, primary ones are excellent, and needed, too. Obviously, I couldn’t talk to Georges, but I could use my firsthand knowledge of France and the French language. I also sought the knowledge of history professors, watched documentaries, and observed interviews with Holocaust survivors to round out my research.

Q: The writer Stacy Nockowitz said of the book, “Freedom’s Game is so many things: an astounding true account; a tense thriller; a testimony to the evil- and the good- of which humans are capable; and, most of all, a story of friendship, hope and kindness in the midst of despair.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I was so humbled when I read that description from Stacy! She’s an amazing writer. I loved her MG book, The Prince of Steel Pier, which won the National Jewish Book Award two years ago.

 

I think she captured all the elements of Freedom’s Game with this description. It really is a story of hope and friendship that any middle grade reader can relate to, on many levels.

 

The protagonists, Ziggy and Elka, also do some super sleuthing! So, from that standpoint, the story is meant to keep you on the edge of your seat until the end.

 

But, in part by nature of the overall plot and subject matter, it also has heavier themes about mankind, and how far we’ll go to care for one another. Or, on a darker note, the exact opposite.

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?

 

A: Since the book is historical fiction, my intention is to have readers so immersed that they’re “there.” That experience, in turn, will help them become more empathetic individuals, by placing them in an unfamiliar place and time period, and making it relatable to their own lives.

 

I’m hopeful readers will realize that, as much as we all have our differences, we’re essentially the same at our core. We all love our families, our friends—and even when we feel anxious or scared, we can surprise ourselves with the courage that’s inside us.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Multiple projects at once! I have a MG fiction book out on submission per my agent, Elizabeth Copps. Additionally, I’m working on a MG mystery project—that I think could make a fun series—and I’m also revising an upper MG manuscript and thinking about rewriting a YA novel!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Freedom’s Game started out as a picture book. I focused solely on the climax of the book in a 32-page spread. But the feedback from my agent and critique partner(s) was that it “deserved” to be a full-length novel. At the time, although I knew they were right, I heaved a big sigh because I’d never tried my hand at writing historical fiction (only nonfiction).

 

But ultimately, writing the book was more emotionally gratifying than I could’ve ever imagined. So, to anyone out there who’s feeling a little intrepid about trying something new, writing-wise or otherwise—I say go for it!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. This Q&A was done in partnership with Rosanne Tolin as part of a book tour. Readers who follow the tour can enter this giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of Freedom's Game and a brand new official World Cup match ball! Don't miss out on your chance!

Jan. 8

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Jan. 8, 1824: Wilkie Collins born.

Q&A with Rebecca Kauffman

 

 

 

Rebecca Kauffman is the author of the new novel I'll Come to You. Her other books include the novel Chorus. She lives in Virginia.

 

Q: What inspired you to write I’ll Come to You, and how did you create your cast of characters?

 

A: I wrote this book swiftly on the heels of parting ways with a historical novel I'd been working on for years that was not good and not getting better. I was chasing a toddler and nursing a newborn at the time, so the concept of new life was close to me although no one in the book resembles people in my actual sphere.

 

In creating a cast, I often work in contrasts. The prickly mother-in-law arrives alongside the warm fuzzy; the cautious pessimist arrives with the brash and delusional egotist.

 

Q: The novel is told from various family members’ perspectives--did you plan the structure out before you started writing the book, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I have tried and failed enough times to write a novel from a single POV that I no longer approach a narrative with that vision. Instead, my primary interest and aspiration now is to celebrate the beauty and oddity and mystery of ordinary lives through a chorus of characters, in a series of discrete moments.

 

The main change from first to final draft of this novel was expansion, with the addition of a few “summer” vignettes.

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book said, “Throughout, the characters are grasping at what they hold dear, fighting insecurities and jealousies that coexist with desperate love and hope. Kauffman sets a scene that ultimately allows for generosity and togetherness.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Love it! I am hopeless when it comes to describing my own work; it often takes years after writing a book for me to understand fully and fundamentally what it's about. So it's both gratifying and helpful to learn what it has meant to readers and reviewers in early days.

 

Q: How was the novel's title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: No one on the team (including myself) was thrilled with the first few titles I suggested. This one arrived months after the novel had sold, in the middle of the night, while I consoled my child. In the light of day, I had to check to see if this exact phrase even existed in the manuscript. What I discovered made me even more certain that it was the right title, and I was so happy when others agreed. 

 

To me it signifies - for lack of a more sophisticated answer - love.  

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am working on edits to a novel that takes place in a restaurant over the course of one day, when 22 steaks have gone missing and a celebrity guest is expected to dine. It is a mystery, a comedy, and an excavation of the interior lives of the many people who populate the restaurant.

 

I worked in restaurants for many years and drew on memories to explore the miseries, triumphs, hilarity, and camaraderie unique to the world of food service.  

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: While I have your ear, I'll offer a recommendation! No One Gets to Fall Apart by Sarah Labrie, published just a few weeks ago, is breathtakingly brave and beautiful and important.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Rebecca Kauffman.

Q&A with Elba Iris Pérez

 

Photo by Cristie Reddehase

 

Elba Iris Pérez is the author of the novel The Things We Didn't Know, which is now available in paperback. She also has written the book El Teatro Como Bandera. She lives in Houston.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Things We Didn’t Know, and how did you create your character Andrea?

 

A: I grew up in Woronoco, Massachusetts, a company town where my father worked in a papermill. With time, my father invited family and friends from Puerto Rico to work and live at the company town, and eventually, a Puerto Rican community thrived there. 

 

At the age of 12, I returned to Puerto Rico, where I was born. Over 20 years later, I visited Woronoco and found that all the homes had been torn down and the papermill closed. I asked people I came across if they knew that a Puerto Rican community had been there during the 1950s and no one remembered them.

 

This inspired me to write a novel set in that place. The character of Andrea logically followed and is inspired by my journey and that of the many other Puerto Rican girls whom I knew as a child in Woronoco and neighboring towns.

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: My publisher chose that title and I loved it. For me, it signifies everything you don’t know you’ll have to deal with when you move to another country.

 

In the character of Luis, the father of the protagonist, you see that he wants his children to live in the US so that they learn English which he believes will give them a better education and job opportunities than they’d have in Puerto Rico. However, he wasn’t counting on his kids wanting to be like the Americans in their community and school.

 

Luis has a conflict because he wants to live in the United States but also wants his children to preserve his cultural heritage. This presents a problem for the main character, Andrea, and her brother, Pablo, who feel that they live between two worlds.

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book called it a “coming of age tale that beautifully evokes the contrasting environments of Puerto Rico and Massachusetts.” What do you think of that description, and how important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: I love the description Kirkus Reviews wrote about my book. I did strive to evoke the contrasts between Puerto Rico and Massachusetts. 

 

One of the methods I used was to describe the setting, focusing on the differences. I describe rivers in several places and gave each one unique characteristics.

 

I also sprinkled Spanish phrases through the text to evoke the sound that comes across as being different from English. Food and cooking are another description I used to distinguish the two cultural environments.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: When I recall Woronoco, I think of the hard-working men who came from farms in Puerto Rico in the 1950s to work in a papermill in the frigid mountains of Massachusetts. This is a stark contrast with the stereotype that Latinos come to this country to collect welfare.

 

What I hope readers will take away is that Puerto Ricans, like people from all over the world, come to this country to work.

 

In general, I strived to break with stereotypes. I’ve created characters who are nuanced with different personalities, goals and aspirations. I show a community where there are exceptional mothers but also, ones who aren’t. I portray machismo and racism as I remember it in the 1960s and 1970s. But also, a diverse, supportive and loving community.

 

This is also a woman’s story seen through the lens of various characters. Various characters represent the struggles women encounter to break free from patriarchal traditions.

 

This is also a story about brotherly love, and about children who are displaced and long for community and acceptance. It portrays the struggles children face when trying to fit into different cultures that are, at times, conflicting.

  

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m writing a novel set in the 1970s which is a romance with magical realism and it might end up being two books. In that novel a young woman is discovering that she has magical abilities while she is also falling in love with a street mime and trying to keep these new abilities hidden from him.

 

I’m also outlining a novel set in the 1930s during the tuberculosis epidemic in Puerto Rico where the main character loses her mother. So, it will be the coming of age of this motherless girl.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I have a fear of flying but made it through at least 10 flights on my book tour. The key for me is to get a window seat. That’s one thing I didn’t know!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Keenan Jones

 

Photo by Audrey Christine Co.

 

 

Keenan Jones is the author of the new children's picture book Saturday Morning at the 'Shop. He is also an educator and the founder of the nonprofit group Literacy for Freedom. He lives in the Twin Cities.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Saturday Morning at the ‘Shop?

 

A: After George Floyd’s death, I noticed how many young Black boys felt rejected by society. I felt a strong need to write something that uplifts young Black men and boys, portraying them in a positive light.

 

This book was born out of a desire to show the beauty and importance of the barbershop, highlighting all the wonderful things that happen inside those walls.

 

Q: The Publishers Weekly review called the book an “affectionate portrayal of both an intergenerational tradition and a crucial community cornerstone.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I think they nailed it. The barbershop has roots going back to the 19th century and has always been a huge part of the Black community, a safe haven from the pressures of society. It’s more than just a place to get a fresh cut; it’s a space of connection, support, and tradition.

 

Q: What do you think Ken Daley’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: Ken’s illustrations take this book to a whole new level. He brought every scene to life just as I envisioned it. The colors, the energy, and the details are absolutely incredible. I couldn’t have asked for a better illustrator for my debut project. I’m truly lucky to have had him on board.

Q: What do you hope kids (and adults) take away from the story?

 

A: I want readers to understand just how important the barbershop is to Black culture. For kids, I hope they see themselves in these pages and feel proud of who they are. 

 

I want everyone to realize that storytelling has the power to bring people together. We are in different times now, but the strength and unity of community are more vital than ever.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’ve got a few picture book projects in the works, ones that continue my focus on community. I’m also brainstorming ideas for a potential memoir that ties into my life before writing, specifically my journey in basketball.

 

On top of that, I have a packed schedule with school visits and bookstore events, both in Minnesota and internationally. Things are really picking up, but I’m always writing and coming up with new ideas.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I feel incredibly fortunate to be where I am today. I think a lot about my family, especially the elders who picked cotton and sacrificed their education and opportunities so that I could be educated and write books. This book isn’t just for the present, it’s my way of honoring their sacrifices and saying thank you. And thank you for giving me the chance to share my story!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb