ReadWonder: An Inside Look #238 (Author INTERVIEW)

An Inside Look with Margi Preus

(Author of Windswept)

*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)

*I'm excited to present season #FIFTEEN 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 #FIFTEEN.

*Thank you to Margi for being the Two Hundred Thirty-Eighth author I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.

Windswept

by Margi Preus

(September 13, 2022)

How did you come to know Tag?
I didn’t know much about Tag when I started, but she revealed herself through the writing of the story. Each time she had to make a choice; each time she had to take action, I learned more about who she was. Writing is always an act of discovery, and discovering what your characters are like is part of the delight and excitement of writing.

What do you think is her most admirable quality?
Probably her willingness to carry on as if she didn’t know that it was too late and what she had to do was impossible. Optimism, perseverance, resourcefulness. (That’s three things, I guess) Also compassion. That's four.

Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
As a mother myself, I would have preferred that she let her mother know where she was going! But if she had, how might that have changed the whole story? Would her mother have let her go? Unlikely.

I imagine that Tag would wish that she hadn’t stayed so long in the windstorm that caused Finn to be swept away, but I don’t want to add to her guilt by wishing she wouldn’t have done that. She learned from that mistake and was forced to take up a leadership role—another new challenge for her—and it all turned out in the end!

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

I hope no other children are kept indoors until they turn 15 or have been swept away by windstorms! But for children who are buffeted by the harsh winds of life, I hope Tag can inspire them with her resilience, grit, determination, stick-to-it-ness—and also her faith that things will get better.

How did you research Tag and the circumstances she found himself in?
For my historical fiction, I always do lots and lots of all kinds of research. For Windswept, I read a lot of fairy tales. I find that fairytales give me ideas, solutions to knotty problems, and perhaps stretch my imagination a little further than it would ordinarily go. The idea of being windswept came from a fairy tale, and of course the impossible challenges—carrying water in a sieve, catching the wind in a net, and other such things in my story are also found in many fairy tales. Tag struck me as a fairytale heroine because of her willingness to persevere, and her faith that she was on the right path.

Do you and Tag share any similarities?
I didn’t think so until a writer friend of mine pointed out to me that I am the youngest of four sisters. My three older sisters were quite a bit older than me and all left home when I was still very young, swept away by college, travel, marriage. Now that I am older, and they are older still, I am realizing that they will likely be leaving me again—for good. Perhaps Tag is helping me work through my feelings about that?

What was the hardest scene to write about her?
I never really know how my stories are going to end until I get there, and when in this story the 3rd sister tells Tag that it’s too late and what she has to do is impossible, I thought, well now I’ve done it. I’ve written myself into a corner. What does Tag do now? What do I do now? I was stuck there for quite awhile. So I did what I always do when I’m stuck: more research!! I read a book about wind (entitled “Wind” by the aptly named Jan DeBlieu) in which a magical wind string is very briefly mentioned. Hmm, I thought, maybe that could send Tag on her journey. I also found mention of these magical strings in some Finnish folklore. She was on her way!

Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
Hmmm. You ask the best questions! She has a number of supporters—the three sisters, each in their own way. Finn, of course. Her friends. Even Boots comes through for her. This is a good question. She really wouldn’t have made it without any of them!

Why do you think some young people have the strength, desire, and courage to fight for what they know is right when some adults won’t or can’t do the same thing?
Yes, why? Perhaps youth brings with it a kind of energy and optimism that fades with age (although not for everyone!) It’s hard to not get beaten down by life’s challenges, but it’s important to keep the flame burning. In today’s world it’s imperative that we keep fighting as long as we have breath.

What do you think Tag is doing at the present time?
This question makes me smile. I think she is very likely off on another adventure, don’t you? After all, there are those troll children to find!

Book Pages

Monday, January 30, 2023

An Inside Look #238 (Author INTERVIEW)

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