Caroline Starr Rose

picture book and middle-grade author

Classroom Connections: Audacity Jones to the Rescue by Kirby Larson

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age range: 9-12 years
genre: historical fiction; mystery
Kirby Larson’s website

First in a series, Larson’s thriller deftly mixes humor, heart-pounding moments, and a strongly evoked historical setting-it’s truly a story with something for everyone.
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Newbery Honor author Larson’s series starter is just the ticket for readers who crave adventure and mystery as much as 11-year-old Audacity Jones, an intrepid, well-read, positive-minded orphan. . .[the] story’s themes of trust, friendship, and good manners will resonate with many. Audacity’s charm and smarts make this historical adventure a winner.
— Booklist, starred review

Larson infuses her romp with plenty of humor…Clever, funny, and sweet in equal measures.
—Kirkus Reviews

Readers will cheer Audacity’s ingenuity and bravery as they relish every moment of her adventures. Highly recommended.
—School Library Journal

Amazon Best Historical Fiction for Kids
Amazon Best Book of the Year

For years, Kirby Larson has tirelessly championed authors and their books through interviews on her blog and later on Instagram. It is such a pleasure to be able to return the favor today!

Kirby, please tell us about your book.

AUDACITY JONES TO THE RESCUE combines my love of mysteries with my love of history. It tells the story of an adventurous 11-year-old orphan who, with the help of a rag tag group of friends, thwarts a plan to kidnap President Taft’s niece.

What inspired you to write this story?

Audacity herself! I was minding my own business working hard on the first novel for the Dogs of WWII series, DUKE, when a character tapped on my shoulder. She explained she was an 11-year-old orphan and that, like me, she loved to read adventure stories but what she really wanted was to go on an adventure. I explained politely that I was busy at work on another book and that she should please go away. She did not. In fact, she kept pestering me until I had to set DUKE aside to write twelve pages about her. Her insistence led me to name her Audacity.

The character and setting came together rather quickly but I did not have the key element of a novel – the problem. Luckily, I love reading old newspapers which is where I stumbled on an article from January 1911 reporting that President Taft’s 12-year-old niece Dorothy had been kidnapped. It turned out there was no kidnapping, merely a mix-up over train schedules. But the seed was planted. I was certain that had Dorothy been kidnapped, Audie surely would’ve been the one to rescue her.

Could you share with readers how you conducted your research and / or share a few interesting tidbits about your writing process with this book? (You can re-write to suit your work.)

I am an avid researcher. Give me a dusty old archive and I am one happy writer! For this book, I sought out a recipe for President Taft’s favorite soup (turtle!); I dug up the memoir of the White House housekeeper; I flipped through pages of old photos, letters, maps, and newspaper articles. It is extremely important to me to get as much information as possible so I can move my characters around the stage of their world in a confident and believable manner.

When I wrote my first historical novel, HATTIE BIG SKY, there weren’t as many digitized materials as there are today. I had to travel to Montana (several times) to get the information I needed. With AUDACITY JONES TO THE RESCUE, I could get much of what I wanted from the comfort of my office, but I did travel to DC to spend a few days at the Historical Society there, as well as other places. 

The funniest thing that happened while working on this book was the reply I received to my request for blueprints of the White House basement. It was briskly explained to me that such materials are not made available! I can only imagine what list I’m on now for asking that question as I did not think to clarify that I was looking for plans from 1910.  

What are some special challenges associated with writing historical fiction?

One of the reasons I spend so much time conducting research is that I feel a huge responsibility to my young readers; I can’t let them down. And I believe that if I am knowledgeable about a past time and place, my readers will sense that and feel comfortable going along with my character on her journey. That being said, I have a trusted friend read my early drafts because I don’t want to bore my reader with each and every fascinating detail I’ve uncovered! I try very hard to remind myself that I am a storyteller first and foremost, not a textbook writer. No matter the genre, a writer can generally engage a reader by creating an intriguing character and giving her a larger-than-life problem to wrestle with. I’ve also learned that by including a cat (Miniver, in Audie’s case) or a dog (in the case of the Dogs of WWII series), I can hook a history-averse reader into reading one of my books.

What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?

Though I think of Audie’s story as a romp – a book to read for a rollicking good time – it’s a great fit for classrooms because it takes readers back to our nation’s capital in the early part of the 20th century. There is not only information about the city at that time, there’s information about the White House and those who worked there. I can imagine that the story would provoke discussion about what kind of information to trust, how things have changed for children and other groups since 1910, and it may even correct some myths about President Taft who, according to my research, never did get stuck in a bathtub.

Be sure to look for the sequel, Audacity Jones Steals the Show.

The best book you can write in the time you’ve been given.

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This first ran in two years ago as I was working on edits for Miraculous. It’s a glimpse into the whole messy process with some wise, wise words from a friend. It feels relevant now (and every writing day)…

Nine and a half weeks, almost 235 hours of work, and first-round edits are done!

During the last few months overhauling my book (I think 60% or so of the story is new), I had fabulous days, I had terrible days, and I had plenty of days with nose-to-the-grindstone satisfaction. It is so good to return to a book world I love. No part of the writing process is better than revision!

I try to be real here about the writing life, and with that in mind, I wanted to share an email I sent to my dear friend, Valerie Geary, after a very hard day.* Val’s response was incredibly encouraging and got me moving again. I read it over and over during my last weeks of revision. It left me believing I could keep on with the hard, steady, wonderful, mysterious work that is turning a vague collection of ideas into a bonafide book. If you ever feel creatively stuck or overwhelmed, I hope it might encourage you, too.

First, here’s my email:

I debated sending this because I’m feeling like a whiner. But I want to put out there where I am. OH, man. Today was hard. And I thought I’d really get in there and have fun! I thought with some tweaks I could knock out two chapters. Nope. I ended up with a really, really shaky placeholder sort of thing for one of them. It’s probably not even taking the story in the right direction. It will probably need to stand for now, too, because when will I have time to fix it? I have a feeling the rest of this time will probably look more like today than earlier days as I push through the fog. I feel shy and vulnerable and all my shame bells are ringing. I’m a fraud with a deadline. AHHH!

I think one of the hardest parts of writing for me is not to get my worth wrapped up in it. Because it gets pretty demoralizing when the stakes increase (deadline) and I flail around and panic and draw a blankity blankity blank.

But I’ll show up tomorrow and try again. I know this isn’t my only shot (thank goodness). I can’t have the same approach as I’ve had today, though. It’s not sustainable. It’s not enjoyable. It doesn’t support creativity! I took breaks. I exercised. I got outside. I even parked in the library parking lot to work for a few hours (a favorite getaway of mine and somewhere I haven’t gone for months). The stress stayed pretty high, though. It’s the deadline! I hear the clock ticking. It’s hard to relax into the work when I feel like time is slipping away and I’m producing stilted stuff that doesn’t quite fit the story and has no heart. It’s kind of terrifying.

I’m trying to see these struggles as curious. But honestly, I’m approaching overwhelmed.

Thanks for listening. Onward. Bird by bird. Fresh fresh fresh start tomorrow.

Here’s Val’s response:

You are not a whiner. And I’m glad you sent it because the last thing you need to feel right now as you work so hard on this book you love is alone. You are a hardworking writer writing on a deadline [during a really challenging year]. That is a lot to handle on its own, yet here you are, coming to the page every day anyway and getting to work. Because this work matters to you.

I hear grit and determination in your words here. I hear strength and courage. Not panic, not failure. A struggle, perhaps, but one you are capable of overcoming. I hear you digging in your heels, ready to do what you need to do to make this book the best you can make it in the time you’ve been given. Because that’s all you can do. You will get through this and it might not be fun and probably you’ll cry more than you want to, but in the end, you will have nothing at all to be ashamed of. You will have a book you can be proud of because you gave it everything you had to give. You are a warrior with a deadline. And your vulnerabilities are what make you the perfect writer for this book (and ALL your books). Fresh start tomorrow. You’ve got this!!

*During edits, I sent almost-daily reports to Val as a way to keep track of my progress (and so I could get some writerly cheerleading).

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Mark your calendars! A MIRACULOUS reading Saturday, April 29 at 11:00am, at Albuquerque’s newest bookstore, Books on the Bosque.

Quick Lit: What I’ve Been Reading Lately

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How to Make a Bird by Meg McKinlay, illustrated by Matt Ottley

This beautifully poetic picture book is an ode to creating and letting go: “Breathe deeply / and take your time. / The making of a bird / is not a thing to be hurried.”

Or maybe it’s about giving and releasing: “So you will gather it into your hands / and cast it gently upon the air. / Those wings you so carefully made / will stretch out just a little, / and your bird will tremble / as it fills, inside its tiny, racing heart, / with the dreams only a bird can dream…”

Some might say Bird is really a book for grownups. (I challenge you to read it and not think about an empty nest.) But I say it’s bigger than that: Children should hear lovely language, too, even if it’s elevated, and stories can expose them to abstract concepts they might not grasp yet. Why not? Poetry is an experience, and this book is just that.

Lovely. Definitely worth a read.

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

If you will listen, I will tell you a story. We can know and be known to each other, and then we’re not enemies anymore.

I’m late to this award-winning, star-earning wonder of a YA autobiography. Wow. What an ambitious and beautiful and funny and heartbreaking and hopeful book. Daniel and his family flee Iran because of religious persecution after his mother, a Christian convert, is detained by the secret police. They eventually settle in Oklahoma — a world away from everything Daniel’s known. The book is a non-linear collection of stories: his family history interwoven with Persian history interwoven with memories in a new world that isn’t always welcoming. Daniel tells his stories to the reader as Scheherazade told her stories to the king in One Thousand and One Nights. The book has one of the simplest and most heartfelt descriptions of Christianity I’ve ever read:

Sima, my mom, read about him [Jesus] and became a Christian too. Not just a regular one, who keeps it in their pocket. She fell in love. She wanted everybody to have what she had, to be free, to realize that in other religions you have rules and codes and obligations to follow to earn good things, but all you had to do with Jesus was believe he was the one who died for you.

And she believed.

80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower by Matt Fitzgerald

I’ve been running for almost twenty years now — nothing fancy or fast, just ten or so miles split over two days (with a few laps at the gym thrown in). I’ve tried various ways to improve my speed over the years (which pretty much peaked when I turned forty), and have tried to be better about varying the types of runs I do (high intensity, intervals, slow, distance, etc.), but, well, I always seem to pretty much settle into the same distance and pace — a pace that perhaps isn’t doing me any favors. The last few races I ran left me really zonked. I’ve been curious about bettering my running base.

In January I did low heart-rate training, which meant I “ran” at a pace so slow my fitness tracker would buzz to ask if I was still exercising! But I learned so much. I felt like I could keep running for hours, I was so energized. I realized my standard pace is wearing me out, and I wanted to help my body be more efficient. Enter 80/20 running. This is a training method most endurance athletes use, whether they realize it or not. The idea is that 80% of training miles are at an easy pace and the other 20% at medium to high intensity. By easing back you build endurance, cut back on fatigue, and increase aerobic capacity. Sign me up for that!

What have you been reading lately?

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Mark your calendars! A MIRACULOUS reading Saturday, April 29 at 11:00am, at Albuquerque’s newest bookstore, Books on the Bosque.

Mark your calendars! A MIRACULOUS Reading.

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My 2022 middle grade novel, MIRACULOUS, came out last summer at a time where bookstores in New Mexico still weren’t open for in-person events. Finally, finally I’ve got the chance to properly launch my book (nine months after publication).

If you are in the Albuquerque area, I would love to see you on Saturday, April 29 at 11:00am at Albuquerque’s newest bookstore, Books on the Bosque (6261 Riverside Plaza 87120). If you’re not in New Mexico but have a friend who might be interested, please pass this on.

MIRACULOUS is the story of a charlatan’s boy and his eventual understanding that the “doctor” he works for isn’t all that he seems. It’s set in Ohio in the 1880s, is told in five voices (or six if you count the one chapter in the dog’s point of view), and is a really cool mystery, if I do say so myself. Kirkus Reviews called it “a deliciously sinister read”. Publisher’s Weekly called it a “historical thriller” and “chilling adventure.”

Come help me celebrate! I’d love to see you there.

Why We Read as Writers

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As long as I am living in language, as I like to put it, I count it as writing. This is why reading, for example, is so important—is maybe the most important part of writing. If I’m reading, I’m also at some level taking in language’s capacities and variations for the expression of human experience.
— Carl Phillips

Writing Links

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This post was especially interesting to me because I’m watching my critique partner, Uma Krishnaswami, draft the book she mentions in real time. I love the Ted Kooser quote she shares (which is about poetry but applies to all writing — in Uma’s case, nonfiction): “A poem is an object constructed of words, and when this object is presented to its readers, it is theirs to respond to however they wish.”
(Dis)Organizing a Draft Part 2 :: Uma Krishnaswami

I’ve probably shared this post before, but it’s worth reading again: “In your life, you will be evaluated on your output. Your boss will evaluate you on your output. If you’re a writer like me, the audience will evaluate you on your output. But your input is just as important. If you don’t have good input, you cannot maintain good output.”
Your output depends on your input :: Austin Kleon

Erin Bowman has so many honest things to say about publishing. This one is yet another reminder to find satisfaction in the work, not the outcome, and to create your own sustainable definition of success.
Does pursuing success make authors unhappy? Thoughts on career goals, “success,” and the hedonic treadmill. :: Erin Bowman

“As best I can tell, different people are wired for different ambition types. The key seems to be to recognize what type best matches you before success begins to exert significant force on your career. A Type 1 personality stuck in a outbuilding on a farm, quietly writing day after day, will quickly become bored. A Type 2 personality working on a screenplay at the same time as two books while filling weeks with Hollywood meetings will be crushed with anxious unease.”
On Michael Crichton’s Busy Ambition :: Cal Newport

“Over-use of dialogue has become really rampant in the manuscripts I see. I constantly see authors contorting their novels to shoehorn everything into dialogue because they haven’t yet mastered other storytelling techniques.”
How to write good dialogue in a novel :: Nathan Bransford

And a huge congratulations to Irene Latham and Charles Waters for their beautiful Africa Town, winner of this year’s Scott O’Dell Award for historical fiction. Read our interview about their book here.

Ravens and Ravens

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Drafting a book is like traveling a twisty, turny road. Here are some recent glimpses into my work on Song of the Raven, my new verse novel manuscript:

  1. I don’t usually like to keep word count records. I’m a pretty slow drafter, and my daily numbers can be a bit demoralizing. Rather, I like to keep track of my hours of work (something I can control).
  2. Guess what? I’m keeping a running record of my daily word counts. Why? Who knows! But for now it’s generally working, so I’m not going to question it.
  3. In early December I went on my annual writing retreat. The first day I wrote 1012 words. The second I wrote 242. The third I wrote 1077. Why so few words the second day? Who knows!
  4. A few weeks ago, one of my writing sessions centered on finding a new raven sound my birds could use as an exclamation. So far, my ravens Kek! Kek! Kek! when defending their territory, Kra! when they are afraid, Kro when they are affectionate, and Caw! Caw! when they are announcing themselves. Caw! of course is tricky, because it’s a sound usually associated with crows. But digging back into my notes, some researchers have used it as one of many ways to express raven calls, too (though ravens’ caws are deeper and croakier). Ravens have numerous vocalizations which can change meaning depending on the context. They also have different dialects (for lack of a better term — so interesting!). After scouring my notes again, I decided Crruck! will be my ravens’ exclamation.
  5. By the way, ravens and ravens is the way my protagonist, Tumbledown, refers to a large group of ravens. Corvids (birds in the crow family) are able to count and might understand the concept of zero. But for big groups of birds — bigger than numbers a raven can define — ravens and ravens will have to do for Tumbledown.
  6. We’re in the middle of packing up and moving to a one-story home. In the midst of the hustle, my ravens have been a respite and joy. Book World is always my favorite place.

Straight from the Source: Anna Rose Johnson on Writing Historical Fiction

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Storytelling has always been a part of Anna Rose Johnson’s life—especially timeless tales tinged with vintage charm. She grew up fascinated by the early 20th century and now writes historical middle grade novels that reflect her love of classic children’s literature. A member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Anna Rose enjoys exploring her heritage through her stories, including her debut middle grade novel The Star That Always Stays (Holiday House), which was named an NPR Best Book of 2022, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and a 2023 Michigan Notable Book. 

What typically comes first for you: a character? An era? A story idea? How do you proceed from there?

It really depends on the project, but often it’s a certain storyline, and I look for the historical era that best suits those setting and characters. I settled on 1953 for a recent work in progress because I wanted it to be not long after rationing ended in war-torn England, but it couldn’t be immediately after the war.

What kinds of sources do you use?

I do a ton of double-checking information via old newspapers. I subscribe to the Newspapers.com website, which has an incredible amount of papers, and you can look up specific search terms. It’s endlessly helpful if you want to know if a certain word or phrase was being used yet. I also love old magazines as well, which have advertisements for products. Genealogical websites are one of my very favorite resources, not only for when I’m researching my own ancestors, but also when trying to find character names that are correct for the time and the place I’m writing about. I also love joining Facebook groups for fans/researchers of whatever topic I need to learn about, because that way you can run across information and photographs that don’t necessarily show up in Google searches.

How long do you typically research before beginning to draft?

I usually research for several months before starting to write, and I research during each revision to add layers of information. Sometimes you don’t always know what info you need until you’ve written the first draft!

What is your favorite thing about research?

It’s a delicious joy to come across wonderful details from terrific sources like firsthand accounts or a novel written during the era you’re writing about. I also enjoy finding cool tidbits in obscure places!

What’s your least favorite thing about research?

When I can’t find the exact, specific detail that I’m looking for. It’s tough knowing that the answer is probably out there somewhere, but I can’t quite locate it!

What’s your favorite thing about writing historical fiction?

It has to be the way you can create a compelling story that is mostly from your own imagination but that is simultaneously rooted in real history. Historical fiction is such a fascinating blend of reality and imagination

What are some obstacles writing historical fiction brings?

I mentioned that magazines are great resources for products from the era, but sometimes when those details are included too often in a historical novel, it can take the reader out of the story and force them to think “That must have been something found in the author’s research.” (At least, that’s what happens to me!) So I try to include good references but use them sparingly.

On Writing

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Writing, I think, is not apart from living. Writing is a kind of double living. The writer experiences everything twice. Once in reality and once in that mirror which waits always before or behind.
– Catherine Drinker Bowen

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Get your copy of MIRACULOUS, my historical mystery adventure Kirkus called “a deliciously sinister read,” for five dollars off on Amazon. $12.99 for a hardback. Not sure how long this will last!