ReadWonder: February 2024

An Inside Look with Kate Albus

(Author of Nothing Else But Miracles)

*Season #ONE (June of 2016 to March of 2017)

*Season #TWO (Summer of 2017)

*Season #THREE (School Year 2017/2018)

*Season #FOUR (Summer/fall of 2018)

*Season #FIVE (School Year 2018/2019)

*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)

*Season #SEVEN (Fall 2019)

*Season #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)

*Season #NINE (Fall 2020)

*Season #TEN (Winter/Spring 2021)

*Season #ELEVEN (Fall 2021)

*Season #TWELVE (Winter/Spring 2022)

*Season #THIRTEEN (Summer 2022)

*Season #FOURTEEN (Fall 2022)

*Season #FIFTEEN (Winter/Spring 2023)

*Season #SIXTEEN (Fall 2023)

*I'm excited to present season #SEVENTEEN with brand new interviews/authors.

*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.

*This is the FOURTH interview in which I'm calling Season #SEVENTEEN

*Thank you to KATE for being the Two Hundred Sixty-Fifth author I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.

Nothing Else But Miracles

by Kate Albus

(September 5, 2023)

How did you come to know Dory?

In many ways, Dory is based on my beloved grandmother. Some of her escapades are even stolen directly from the stories my grandmother told me about her childhood. While my grandmother wasn’t prickly like Dory, they share the same sense of adventure, the same wry humor, and the same tenacious commitment to family. So I suppose I got to know Dory by picturing my grandma as a child and imagining a historical world around her.

What do you think is her most admirable quality?

I admire Dory’s courage. She’s not afraid to do difficult things, whether it’s getting into a creaky old dumbwaiter nobody else has been brave enough to get into in 30 years, or being the first couple on the dance floor at the 6^th grade dance, or figuring out how to get along without her beloved Pop. That bravery is a quality I wish I had more of myself.

Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?

For her own sake – and Fish’s – I wish she’d come around earlier on her brother. I wish she’d realized that he was doing his very best (which, in my opinion, was actually really good) under impossible circumstances. But I suppose Dory’s recognition of her brother’s heroism is a major part of her journey, so I’m not sure it could have happened any earlier than it did.

What do you think Dory can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?

As the title suggests, Nothing Else But Miracles is about the little miracles that surround us, whether it’s a kind word from a friend, a free pass to Coney Island, or a neighbor who volunteers to do something really big for us, without even asking. I hope that, through Dory’s story, young readers will spot some tiny miracles in their own worlds… the gifts of kindness and support that a community (teachers, neighbors, friends, family, and strangers) can provide.

How did you research Dory and the circumstances she found herself in?

The seed for the book really was the actual ‘secret old hotel’ where the book takes place. I read about it in an old New Yorker article and was thrilled to discover that it still exists, lovingly administered by the dear and wonderful folks at New York’s South Street Seaport Museum. I adore stories about secret spaces that only kids know about, so the book took off from there. I also love the research side of historical fiction, so spending time in 1940s New York City – the New York of my grandmother and my father – was an absolute joy. I read a lot of non-fiction about New York in wartime, and also listened to recorded oral histories from the time. But the biggest gift, by far, in getting to know Dory’s world, was getting to visit the actual old hotel. That was a dream come true.

Do you and Dory share any similarities?

For the most part, Dory and I are very, very different. She’s rather prickly; I hope I’m not prickly that way. She doesn’t much like hugs and feelings and other ‘squishy’ things; I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, and I’m a hugger. But I think the thing Dory and I do share quite strongly is a deep love and loyalty to family. Like Dory, I am also a big fan of crullers.

What was the hardest scene to write about her?

Honestly, the toughest scene for me to write wasn’t so much about Dory. It was the first-chapter flashback, where we get a glimpse of Pop’s decision to go off and fight in the war. I’m hugely grateful to my editor, Margaret Ferguson, for pushing me to work on that scene. I think it’s an important one, because we need to understand how a man could have been a good father and still have made the choice to leave his children. So explaining the ways that Pop felt pressured by the traditional idea of ‘duty’ as a man in 1940 felt critical, as did the idea that by going, himself, he was saving his son from doing so.

Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?

Throughout the book, I think Fish is Dory’s biggest supporter (though a close second would go to Vincent Morello). Fish is essentially a kid who has been forced into the role of father, and his ‘kid’ is not exactly making it easy for him. Not only does she disobey him, she also reminds him all the time that she blames him for their father not being there. The fact that Fish manages to understand that about his sister, and to love her and keep on trying his best, makes him the most important support in her life.

Why do you think some young people can show such resilience, strength, and courage during difficult life situations; sometimes even more than the adults in their lives?

Oh gosh… as a former child psychologist, I’ve spent my whole life being awestruck by children’s extraordinary resilience. It’s one of the things I love about writing for children – getting to live in those amazing heads for a while. I think most kids are idealists by nature. They see the good in the world, even when it’s really hard to see. And when they don’t see that good, they want to create it. In that sense, I think children have a stronger core than adults do. That spirit of resilience is also something I’ve loved about writing two novels set during World War II, an era when I think people were especially renowned for their resilience and strength. I find it endlessly inspiring.

What do you think Dory is doing at the present time?

What a fun question. And one I’d love to explore in a future book… I’d love to figure out what happened to Dory and her family after 1944! In real time, Dory would currently be 92 years old. I like to think she was a trailblazer who bucked every unreasonable limitation put on women of her era, and that she’s currently snuggled up with her great grandkids, introducing them to 1940s horror films.

Book Pages

Monday, February 19, 2024

An Inside Look #265 (Author Interview)