ReadWonder: An Inside Look #154 (Author INTERVIEW)

An Inside Look with Lauren Wolk

(Author of Echo Mountain)

*Welcome to my favorite feature of my blog.

*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)

*I'm excited to be back for season #NINE 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 TWELFTH interview in which I'm calling Season #NINE.

*Thank you to Lauren Wolk for being the One-Hundred Fifty-Fourth author I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.

*Here is my Review of the Novel..

Book Review

Echo Mountain

by Lauren Wolk

(April 21, 2020)

How did you come to know Ellie?

Like all my protagonists, Ellie is a combination of people I’ve known, myself, and my imagination. But she, among them, is the most like me for two reasons. One, I am a fairly empathetic person. I am incredibly sensitive, which is both a blessing and a curse. I often wish I had more control over my emotions and how I react to the emotions of others, but empathy may be the single most important way for human beings to help one another, in ways both big and small, and live in peace, and I wanted to honor that. So I created, in Ellie, a girl who is closely connected to her world and those living in it. Related to that empathy is her desire to heal those who are sick or hurt. I share that quality with Ellie. I’ve always been interested in cures, solutions, answers. Finding what’s lost. Fixing what’s broken. Some of that comes from a genuine desire to help others, but some of it comes from a deep longing to be useful, valuable, respected. In short, I came to know Ellie by knowing myself.

What do you think is Ellie’s most admirable quality?

Her bravery. It takes a lot of courage to be who she is, especially when others disapprove. She takes a lot of risks – and risks making mistakes – but always for a cause. I admire that greatly and wish I had as much courage as she does.

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

No, I respect all of her decisions. Even when she makes mistakes or has regrets, she’s learning. Growing. Becoming stronger.

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

I remember so clearly how it felt to be Ellie’s age. Of course not all children are the same. Their lives are very different. And the world today is very different from the one in which I came of age. But some things are universal. Emotions, for instance. So I believe that the confusion I felt at that age is the same confusion felt by so many young people today. Fear. Frustration. But hope, too. And the desire to make a difference. I hope Ellie can show young readers that making positive change in their own lives can lead to positive change in the lives of others and in the broader world. Doing the right thing is rarely easy, but it’s always worth the effort.

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

I tend to do very little research, especially before I begin to write. I always start with setting. A place I know well. And I read about the time: in this case, the Great Depression. But only enough to make sure the details are accurate. Only enough to answer my own questions. That way, the story drives the research instead of the other way around. For Echo Mountain, most of my “research” consisted of camping on a mountainside in Maine where my mother has some land. Years of camping there inspired the book and gave me most of what I needed to begin. When Ellie revealed that she was a healer – and when Cate entered the picture – I did a fair bit of research to learn what people in those days knew about medicine and healing, especially while living in the wilderness. Otherwise, I relied on what I know about human nature and mother nature.

What was the hardest scene to write about her?

I often find endings difficult, partly because I want to get them just right but also because I become very emotional as I write them. I love my characters, so it’s terribly hard to say goodbye to them. But I also struggled a bit with the scenes in which Ellie dreams of her father’s accident and wrestles with both her remorse and the bitterness she feels when she’s unfairly blamed. She’s a complicated girl, so writing about her feelings was tricky. I always want to show the reader more than I tell. I never want to be sentimental. Achieving a balance of many things is challenging, but it’s very fulfilling.

Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?

Ellie has several supporters. Her little brother Samuel, for one, though his obvious love and loyalty rank lower than the understanding she craves. Cate, of course: a kindred spirit who both teaches Ellie and learns from her. Larkin, the boy who respects her strength and courage. They all support her in different ways. And of course her father, Ellie’s partner as they forge a new life in the wilderness and embrace a chance to reinvent themselves. But it’s Ellie’s mother who supports her the most by coming to trust Ellie’s instincts, following her lead, putting aside her own bitterness and regret, and opening her heart to hope and possibility.

Why do you think young people, like Ellie, are able to find the strength to accomplish adult “tasks” when some adults can’t seem to manage those things?

Ironically, though many young people feel powerless, they are also more hopeful and resilient than a lot of adults who’ve been defeated too often, become cynical, or are just worn out with responsibility and worry and work. Even empathetic kids who worry about their families and friends and carry considerable burdens have the gifts of youth: high energy, creativity, the desire to explore and experiment and take risks. Those qualities make them more powerful than they realize. They need encouragement to put that power to work, get involved, raise their voices, and make change.

What do you think Ellie is doing as the present time?

If Ellie were here right now (and she’d be 98 years old if she were), I believe she’d be wearing a mask and keeping her distance, but she’d have a sign in her yard. She’d be making proclamations. She’d be taking a stand. And she would most definitely be voting.

*Here are links to the One Hundred Fifty-Three interviews...

SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)

Interview #1 with Elly Swartz (Author of Finding Perfect)

Interview #2 with Jeff Zentner (Author of The Serpent King)

Interview #3 with Nora Raleigh Baskin (Author of Nine, Ten, A September 11 Story)

Interview #4 with Cammie McGovern (Author of Just My Luck)

Interview #5 with Kate Messner (Author of The Seventh Wish)

Interview #6 with Paul Griffin (Author of When Friendship Followed Me Home)

Interview #7 with K.A. Holt (Author of House Arrest)

Interview #8 with Abby Cooper (Author of Sticks and Stones)

Interview #9 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Counting Thyme)

Interview #10 with Claire Legrand (Author of Some Kind of Happiness)