An Inside Look with Karen Strong
(Author of Just South of Home)
*During the summer of 2016, I added this feature to the blog which was called "Season #ONE". This first season ran from June of 2016 to March of 2017.
*I started up the interviews again in June of 2017. It was great to get back to Season #TWO. This season ran throughout the summer.
*Season #THREE ran during the school year of 2017-2018.
*The next season (season #FOUR) of interviews took place during the summer and fall of 2018. With each interview I became more and more impressed with the authors I was having interactions with.
*Season #FIVE ran during the 2018/2019 school year. I took a little break at the start of June 2019.
*During my summer 2019 vacation I continued a series of interviews in which I put under the heading of Season #SIX.
*To kick off my 29th year of teaching, I'm adding Season #SEVEN with a whole new season of authors, books, and interviews.
*I started up the interviews again in June of 2017. It was great to get back to Season #TWO. This season ran throughout the summer.
*Season #THREE ran during the school year of 2017-2018.
*The next season (season #FOUR) of interviews took place during the summer and fall of 2018. With each interview I became more and more impressed with the authors I was having interactions with.
*Season #FIVE ran during the 2018/2019 school year. I took a little break at the start of June 2019.
*During my summer 2019 vacation I continued a series of interviews in which I put under the heading of Season #SIX.
*To kick off my 29th year of teaching, I'm adding Season #SEVEN with a whole new season of authors, books, and interviews.
*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.
*This is the NINTH interview in which I'm calling Season #SEVEN.
*Thank you to Karen Strong for being the One-Hundred Twelfth author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.
*Here are links to the first One Hundred Eleven interviews…
SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)
SEASON #TWO (Summer 2017)
SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)
SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)
Interview #81 with Tony Abbott (Author of The Great Jeff)
Interview #82 with Susan Ross (Author of Searching for Lottie)
Interview #83 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Caterpillar Summer)
Interview #84 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly)
Interview #85 with Ali Standish (Author of August Isle)
Interview #86 with Shaun David Hutchinson (Author of The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried)
Interview #87 with Greg Howard (Author of The Whispers)
Interview #88 with Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Author of Shouting at the Rain)
Interview #89 with Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Author of One for the Murphys)
Interview #90 with Laurie Morrison (Author of Up for Air)
Interview #91 with Jody J. Little (Author of Mostly the Honest Truth)
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
Interview #92 with John David Anderson (Author of Finding Orion)
Interview #93 with Lisa Thompson (Author of The Light Jar)
Interview #94 with Keith Calabrese (Author of A Drop of Hope)
Interview #95 with Alicia D. Williams (Author of Genesis Begins Again)
Interview #96 with Kim Ventrella (Author of Bone Hollow)
Interview #97 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Over the Moon)
Interview #98 with Cynthia Lord (Author of Because of the Rabbit)
Interview #99 with Tina Athaide (Author of Orange for the Sunsets)
Interview #100 with Elly Swartz (Author of Give and Take)
Interview #101 with Amy Rebecca Tan (Author of A Kind of Paradise)
Interview #102 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Count Me In)
Interview #103 with Laura Resau (Author of Tree of Dreams)
SEASON #SEVEN (2019/2020)
Interview #104 with Laurel Snyder (Author of My Jasper June)
Interview #105 with Lisa Bunker (Author of Zenobia July)
Interview #106 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Other Words for Home)
Interview #107 with Barbara Dee (Author of Maybe He Just Likes You)
Interview #108 with Graham Salisbury (Author of Banjo)
Interview #109 with Donna Gephart (Author of The Paris Project)
Interview #110 with Jake Burt (Author of The Tornado)
Interview #111 with Jess Redman (Author of The Miraculous)
Interview #82 with Susan Ross (Author of Searching for Lottie)
Interview #83 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Caterpillar Summer)
Interview #84 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly)
Interview #85 with Ali Standish (Author of August Isle)
Interview #86 with Shaun David Hutchinson (Author of The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried)
Interview #87 with Greg Howard (Author of The Whispers)
Interview #88 with Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Author of Shouting at the Rain)
Interview #89 with Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Author of One for the Murphys)
Interview #90 with Laurie Morrison (Author of Up for Air)
Interview #91 with Jody J. Little (Author of Mostly the Honest Truth)
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
Interview #92 with John David Anderson (Author of Finding Orion)
Interview #93 with Lisa Thompson (Author of The Light Jar)
Interview #94 with Keith Calabrese (Author of A Drop of Hope)
Interview #95 with Alicia D. Williams (Author of Genesis Begins Again)
Interview #96 with Kim Ventrella (Author of Bone Hollow)
Interview #97 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Over the Moon)
Interview #98 with Cynthia Lord (Author of Because of the Rabbit)
Interview #99 with Tina Athaide (Author of Orange for the Sunsets)
Interview #100 with Elly Swartz (Author of Give and Take)
Interview #101 with Amy Rebecca Tan (Author of A Kind of Paradise)
Interview #102 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Count Me In)
Interview #103 with Laura Resau (Author of Tree of Dreams)
SEASON #SEVEN (2019/2020)
Interview #104 with Laurel Snyder (Author of My Jasper June)
Interview #105 with Lisa Bunker (Author of Zenobia July)
Interview #106 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Other Words for Home)
Interview #107 with Barbara Dee (Author of Maybe He Just Likes You)
Interview #108 with Graham Salisbury (Author of Banjo)
Interview #109 with Donna Gephart (Author of The Paris Project)
Interview #110 with Jake Burt (Author of The Tornado)
Interview #111 with Jess Redman (Author of The Miraculous)
*Karen Strong was kind, gracious, and giving with her answers to the questions. It is an honor to post her responses here on the blog.
*Thank you Karen for writing this incredible and thought-provoking book.
*Here is my book review...
Just South of Home by Karen Strong
(May 7, 2019)
Sarah’s voice came to me many years ago when I first started to write fiction. She was sparked by a writing exercise in my very first writing class.
What do you think is Sarah’s most admirable quality?
I think one the qualities that I admire in Sarah is her dedication to her family. She may not have the best relationships with some of them at the beginning of the novel, but she knows the importance of family.
I think one the qualities that I admire in Sarah is her dedication to her family. She may not have the best relationships with some of them at the beginning of the novel, but she knows the importance of family.
How did you research Sarah and the circumstances she found herself in?
I grew up in a small rural community in the South and so a lot of the experiences and circumstances were the inspiration for Sarah’s experience. For research, I talked to a lot of my older relatives who were Sarah’s age during Jim Crow. Those conversations sparked a lot of the themes in the novel including how a community deals with a traumatic past and the healing process.
I grew up in a small rural community in the South and so a lot of the experiences and circumstances were the inspiration for Sarah’s experience. For research, I talked to a lot of my older relatives who were Sarah’s age during Jim Crow. Those conversations sparked a lot of the themes in the novel including how a community deals with a traumatic past and the healing process.
Do you and Sarah share any similarities?
The biggest thing that Sarah and I have in common is our love for space and astronomy. When I was her age, I would venture out and marvel at the night sky. My father bought me a telescope and several books on the solar system. That’s when I officially became obsessed.
The biggest thing that Sarah and I have in common is our love for space and astronomy. When I was her age, I would venture out and marvel at the night sky. My father bought me a telescope and several books on the solar system. That’s when I officially became obsessed.
What was the hardest scene to write about Sarah?
One of the hardest scenes to write for Sarah was in the “Change of Heart” chapter where she must confront her grandmother, Mrs. Greene. It’s in this scene where we see Sarah witness the pain of her grandmother’s past and how it’s affected her over the years. This scene shows how Mrs. Greene, a young girl who lived during the Jim Crow era, felt powerless and how she was still dealing with those unresolved emotions.
One of the hardest scenes to write for Sarah was in the “Change of Heart” chapter where she must confront her grandmother, Mrs. Greene. It’s in this scene where we see Sarah witness the pain of her grandmother’s past and how it’s affected her over the years. This scene shows how Mrs. Greene, a young girl who lived during the Jim Crow era, felt powerless and how she was still dealing with those unresolved emotions.
Who do you think was Sarah's biggest supporter and why?
Maybe not at the beginning of the novel, but I think during the course of the summer, her cousin Janie became Sarah’s biggest supporter. They had grown closer together and Janie saw that Sarah also wanted to help free the spirits trapped at Creek Church. This was one thing they had in common and Janie did her best to support Sarah in their shared goal.
Maybe not at the beginning of the novel, but I think during the course of the summer, her cousin Janie became Sarah’s biggest supporter. They had grown closer together and Janie saw that Sarah also wanted to help free the spirits trapped at Creek Church. This was one thing they had in common and Janie did her best to support Sarah in their shared goal.
What do you think Sarah is doing at the present time?
As an aspiring astrobiologist, I think Sarah is probably deep into researching all of the new exoplanets that NASA has discovered. She would be wondering which ones are the best candidates for carbon-based lifeforms.
As an aspiring astrobiologist, I think Sarah is probably deep into researching all of the new exoplanets that NASA has discovered. She would be wondering which ones are the best candidates for carbon-based lifeforms.
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