An Inside Look with Kimberly Newton Fusco
(Author of The Secret of Honeycake)
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Hurricane?
I’ve been a passionate journal-keeper for many years and one day as I was journaling, I wondered what would happen to a quiet child who picked up a pen and began to write. Would writing change her life as much as it did mine? And that led me to more journaling! I wondered: What if the folks around her wanted her to be a magpie, more extroverted and outgoing? But what if she didn’t want to be like that? And what if her mama told her that writing would help her make sense of things? What if her mama was right? What if writing made Hurricane happy and free? What if it made her heart soar?
What do you think is her most admirable quality?
The slightly supernatural way she sees the world. It comes from that quiet place within herself and is how she knows the herring gull she races every morning along the Mighty Atlantic is wondering if she’d like to run even faster, or how the harbor seal pup would love her to dive in, or the way the sun sighs as it slips into the ocean at night. You must listen with your whole heart to hear these things and be very still on the inside. It’s one of Hurricane’s best attributes!
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
Hmm. I don’t think so. I love Hurricane! But as a writer I’m always growing and learning, and I have another book underway. I am constantly challenging myself to stretch and grow and because of that each book is more difficult. I write a lot of poetry and stream-of-consciousness vignettes to get into character. And, of course, I keep a journal.
What do you think Hurricane can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
I think it takes bravery to be truly yourself. There’s so much pressure to fit in. It can be especially difficult for a quiet child who is being pushed to be more outgoing. It was for me! But I think Hurricane shows how, little by little, with the love and support of your family and great teachers, you can become stronger than you thought possible.
How did you research Hurricane and the circumstances she found herself in?
I love research! I was an education writer for many years and am a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. I use skills I learned as a reporter to get my facts right. I used primary sources to research this novel. I include an Author’s Note at the end of The Secret of Honeycake to detail this.
For example, the seed of this novel began with family stories of my grandmother, Merle Wright Thompson, who taught in a little one-room school in 1920s Maine. She loved to read and was unusual for a young woman of her day because she purchased her own automobile and learned to drive. When she left her teaching position to attend the University of Maine in 1929 to further her education, she contracted tuberculosis and returned to her family farm in Jackson to convalesce. Tuberculosis ravaged my family in the early 1900s before antibiotics were discovered and my grandmother was one of the lucky ones. She survived. I used original newspaper accounts and state education data and familysearch.org records to trace her story.
My inspiration for Mr. Keats was my great-great uncle, Lt. Caroll B. Kelly of WaKeeney, KS, a WWI officer who was severely injured in the Battle of the Argonne Forest on the western front, which was part of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France. My uncle, whose right leg was amputated, became one of 225,000 soldiers who returned to the US with a permanent physical or mental disability. I used original newspaper reports and the Army Register and draft records to piece his story together.
Do you and Hurricane share any similarities?
When I was Hurricane’s age, I was also very quiet. I was a young person who stuttered, and speaking was very difficult for me. Like Hurricane, I know what it feels like to be forced to stand and talk in front of your class when you’re afraid to open your mouth.
Hurricane discovers help in unexpected places. As a child I found help in three places:
Books - I was head-over-heels crazy about reading, because in them I found strong characters who could survive, no matter what hurdles stood in front of them. Books were as important to me as breathing.
Writing - Often, what happens when you love to read that much as a child, I think you wonder if you could write a book, too. In the sixth grade I decided I wanted to be a writer, and I’ve never wanted to be anything else. When I let my pen fly, I found I was happy and peaceful, and my heart soared.
Teachers – They noticed my writing and said I was talented and pushed me and encouraged me and showed me that stuttering did not determine my future. Instead, my pen could do that for me. What a miracle!
What was the hardest scene to write about her?
I worked on this novel for nearly seven years as my longtime Knopf editor, Michelle Frey, encouraged me to go deeper and deeper to find the heart of my story. I threw out as many scenes as I saved. But perhaps the one most difficult to write, which I saved, was the one where Hurricane says goodbye to Theo. I cried!
Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
I think Aunt Claire because she sees Hurricane’s potential. Sometimes Aunt Claire pushes too hard, and sometimes she’s just plain wrong, but, underneath, her heart is very big. The teachers I am most grateful for today are the ones who expected a lot from me, the ones who told me that hiding wasn’t helping me, but that stretching and reaching were going to take me far.
As Aunt Claire says:
‘Perseverantia vincit.
Perseverance conquers.’
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?
I have four children and what I noticed when they were growing up is they tended to be optimistic and lived in the moment. They enjoyed being alive and laughed a lot. It was infectious. Sure, there were stresses, but I think kids can have amazing resilience. We had a house fire when they were young, and we lived in an emergency trailer for nearly a year while our new home was being built. I noticed they were particularly able to see the good, to laugh about the things that weren’t so great, and to understand that if we could get through this as a family, we could get through anything.
What do you think Hurricane is doing at the present time?
She’s back at school with her new teacher – Miss Sweetbriar - who sees her potential. She’s learning to speak up when she needs to. And her pen is flying as she writes to Theo every day, telling him about everything she sees as she runs along the Mighty Atlantic, her old dog Brody-Bear running at her heels. And she’s breathing in the whole ocean because she loves every bit of it.
It’s been a gift to ponder your questions. Thank you!
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)
Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)
Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)
Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)
Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)
Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)
Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)
Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)
Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)
Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)
Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)
Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)
Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)
Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)
Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)
Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)
Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)
Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)
Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)
Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)
Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)
Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot)
Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods)
Interview #161 with James Bird (Author of The Brave)
Interview #162 with Marcella Pixley (Author of Trowbridge Road)
Interview #163 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Halfway to Harmony)
Interview #164 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ground Zero)
Interview #165 with Lisa Fipps (Author of Starfish)
Interview #166 with Ann Braden (Author of Flight of the Puffin)
Interview #167 with Kimberly Willis Holt (Author of The Ambassador of NoWhere Texas)
Interview #168 with Elana K. Arnold (Author of The House That Wasn't There)
Interview #169 with Erin Soderberg (Author of The Great Peach Experiment)
Interview #170 with Donna Gephart (Author of Abby, Tried, and True)
Interview #171 with M. Evan Wolkenstein (Author of Turtle Boy)
Interview #172 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Bea is for Blended)
Interview #173 with Jess Redman (Author of The Adventure is Now)
Interview #174 with David Levithan (Author of The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden)
Interview #175 with Chris Grabenstein (Author of The Smartest Kid in the Universe)
Interview #176 with Ali Standish (Author of The Mending Summer)
Interview #177 with Holly Goldberg Sloan (Author of The Elephant in the Room)
Interview #178 with Jeff Zentner (Author of In the Wild Light)
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Interview #179 with Katherine Applegate (Author of Willow)
Interview #180 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of Born Behind Bars)
Interview #181 with R.J. Palacio (Author of Pony)
Interview #182 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Too Bright to See)
Interview #183 with Barbara Dee (Author of Violets are Blue)
Interview #184 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Troubled Girls of Dragonmir Academy)
Interview #185 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of We Could Be Heroes)
Interview #186 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Shape of Thunder)
Interview #187 with Joseph Bruchac (Author of Rez Dogs)
Interview #188 with Kathryn Erskine (Author of Lily's Promise)
Interview #189 with Elly Swartz (Author of Dear Student)
Interview #190 with Heather Clark (Author of Lemon Drop Falls)
Interview #191 with Veera Hiranandani (Author of How to Find What You're Not Looking For)
Interview #192 with Elizabeth Eulberg (Author of The Best Worst Summer)
Interview #193 with Cathy Carr (Author of 365 Days to Alaska)
Interview #194 with Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard (Authors of REAL)
Interview #195 with Gillian McDunn (Author of These Lucky Stars)
Interview #196 with Alyssa Colman (Author of The Gilded Girl)
Interview #197 with E.L. Chen (Author of The Comeback)
Interview #198 with J.M.M. Nuanez (Author of Birdie and Me)
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Interview #199 with Jamie Sumner (Author of One Kid's Trash)
Interview #200 with Chad Lucas (Author of Thanks a Lot, Universe)
Interview #201 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Where We Used to Roam)
Interview #202 with Rebecca Caprara (Author of Worst-Case Collin)
Interview #203 with Leslie Connor (Author of Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?)
Interview #204 with Caroline Gertler (Author of Many Points of Me)
Interview #205 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of Susie B. Won't Back Down)
Interview #206 with Shawn Peters (Author of The Unforgettable Logan Foster)
Interview #207 with Aisha Saeed (Author of Omar Rising)
Interview #208 with Adrianna Cuevas (Author of Cuba in my Pocket)
Interview #209 with Jennifer Swender (Author of Stuck)
Interview #210 with Brenda Woods (Author of When Winter Robeson Came)
Interview #211 with Danya Lorentz (Author of the Book Of a Feather)
Interview #212 with Saadia Faruqi (Author of Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero)
Interview #213 with Ellen Hopkins (Author of What About Will)
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Interview #214 with Nora Raleigh Baskin and Gae Polisner (Authors of What About the Octopus)
Interview #215 with Lauren Wolk (Author of My Own Lightning)
Interview #216 with Rebekah Lowell (Author of the Road to After)
Interview #217 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Honestly Elliott)
Interview #218 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Midnight Children)
Interview #219 with Melanie Conklin (Author of A Perfect Mistake)
Interview #220 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Different Kinds of Fruit)
Interview #221 with Tracy Edward Wymer (Author of The Great and Mighty Benjamin Teller)
Interview #222 with Louise Hawes (Author of Big Rig)
Interview #223 with Paul Acampora (Author of In Honor of Broken Things)
Interview #224 with Shannon Doleski (Author of Gabe in the After)
Interview #225 with Jennifer Ziegler (Author of Worser)
Interview #226 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Hummingbird)
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Interview #227 with Celia C. Perez (Author of Tumble
Interview #228 with Greg Howard (Author of The Visitors)
Interview #229 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Daredevils)
Interview #230 with Sashi Kaufman (Author of Sardines)
Interview #231 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of The Real Deal)
Interview #232 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of New Kids and Underdogs)
Interterview #233 with Amanda Rawson Hill (Author of The Hope of Elephants)
Interview #234 with Jasmine Warga (Author of A Rover's Story)
SEASON #FIFTEEN (Winter/Spring 2023)
Interview #235 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Thirst)
Interview #236 with Torrey Maldonado (Author of Hands)
Interview #237 with C.C. Harrington (Author of Wildoak)
Interview #238 with Margi Preus (Author of Windswept)
Interview #239 with Dayna Lorentz (Author of Wayward Creatures)
Interview #240 with Katrina Nannestad (Author of We are Wolves)
Interview #241 with Anika Fajardo (Author of Meet Me Halfway)
Interview #250 with Sally J. Pla (Author of The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn)
Interview #251 with Chris Baron (Author of The Gray)
Interview #252 with Dusti Bowling (Author of DUST)
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Interview #253 with Sarah Everett (Author of The Probability of Everything)
Interview #254 with Andrea Beatriz Arango (Author of Something Like Home)
Interview #255 with H.M. Bouwman (Author of Gossamer Summer)
Interview #256 with Kaija Langley (Author of The Order of Things)
Interview #257 with Elaine Vickers (Author of Half Moon Summer)
Interview #258 with John Gaspard (Author of The Curious Mysteries of Eli Marks)
Interview #259 with Dana Kramaroff (Author of The Do More Club)
Interview #260 with Jessica Vitalis (Author of Coyote Queen)
Interview #261 with Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko (Authors of Dog Town)
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Interview #262 with Chad Morris and Shelly Brown (Authors of The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry)
Interview #263 with Anne Ursu (Author of Not Quite a Ghost)
Interview #264 with Erin Soderberg Downing (Author of Just Keep Walking)
Interview #265 With Kate Albus (Author of Nothing Else But Miracles)
Interview #266 with Robin Gow (Author of Dear Mothman)
Interview #267 with Toni Buzzeo (Author of Light Comes to Shadow Mountain)
Interview #268 with John Schu (Author of Louder Than Hunger)
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Interview #270 with Amanda Rawson Hill (Author of Once Upon a Family)
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Interview #278 with Kate O'Shaughnessy (Author of The Wrong Way Home)
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