I’m so pleased to be sharing this recent interview I did with Kate Albus, a phenomenal writer whose debut middle grade historical fiction novel A Place to Hang the Moon arrived in the world in February. Moon is set during World War II in Britain, and follows the story of three orphaned London siblings who are evacuated to the countryside—where they struggle to adjust to strange new homes, difficult food rations, and the dangers of wartime, all while harboring a secret of their own. Albus’s book manages to combine coziness, suspense, and incredibly rich historic detail with humor, heart, and hope. I absolutely loved it, and I am so excited she agreed to answer some of my questions.
As a bonus, I will also be giving away a signed copy of the book! To enter, comment below and follow Kate Albus on Twitter.
What are your favorite historical novels, both for adults and kids?
Oh it’s so hard to choose! For adults, I’m a huge fan of Kate Atkinson in general, and her historicals—Life After Life and A God in Ruins —are some of my absolute favorites. I also adore Mary Doria Russell. Her Doc Holliday novels (Doc and Epitaph) are just so beautifully done. And Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys are extraordinary. As far as kids, Linda Sue Park is hard to beat, and I love Jonathan Auxier’s historical fantasy, Sweep: the Story of a Girl and Her Monster. For older MG/YA, Laurie Halse Anderson and Julie Berry are fantastic.
I know you did loads of research for A Place to Hang the Moon. Would you share one or two interesting facts or tidbits you found along the way?
One of the historical events that plays a part in the story is the bombing of Coventry—one of the truly horrific parts of the war, and one that Anna, Edmund, and William experience at a bit of a distance. I read a lot about Coventry in researching the novel. In November of 1940, in a matter of hours, bombs destroyed pretty much the whole city, including an extraordinary 14th-century cathedral. After the war, the cathedral community dedicated itself to the peace and reconciliation movement, and when it was re-built in the 60s, the ruins of the old structure were left standing and incorporated into the new cathedral design. Today, you can stand in the ruins, where there are shards of stained glass still attached to the window frames of the few remaining walls. I was lucky enough to visit with my family several years ago and it was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had… such a profound connection, not only to history, but to a community’s commitment to peace in the wake of violence. It’s a place that holds a mythical sort of significance in my heart, so I wanted very much to include it in some way in A Place to Hang the Moon.
Are there any details that you found during your research that did not make it into the book that you feel like sharing?
Oh gosh, this is such a good question. So many little bits and pieces get lost along the way, either because a section needs to be shortened or because a given historical detail just doesn’t feel meaningful enough to include. For example, there was a passage in the story that involved what people of the time referred to as the ‘phony war’—when the war was raging in places like France and Poland, but England hadn’t been bombed yet. In the end, it just felt like too much explanation, without enough meaning for a middle grade reader. Other details were removed because it turned out they weren’t historically accurate. For example, at some point I had the children reading one of the Little House books because I wanted a good food scene. Most of that series was published in the 30s, but somewhere along the way I learned that they weren’t published in the UK until the 1950s. So they wouldn’t have been available to Anna, Edmund, and William. The food scene that I used instead was from The Wind in the Willows… which is not a bad replacement… all dripping butter and toasty bread.
I adore The Wind in the Willows. What was your research process like? What books or resources did you consult?
I was so grateful for the memoirs of evacuees. I read a lot of those, as well as a lot of firsthand accounts made through Britain’s Mass Observation project. The scene where Edmund and William have to participate in the ‘ratting’ was made up, but the idea came from a very brief description in an actual evacuee memoir. I’m also an unapologetic lurker in used bookstores, so my shelves are full of odd volumes. Old books are great resources for everyday historical details. They also smell fabulous.
What is your personal relationship with Britain and the WW2 era? Did any of your own family history come into the book?
My beloved paternal grandmother emigrated from Belfast to New York in the 1920s, when she was about ten. I vividly remember her telling me stories about her own experiences as an adult during the war, like drawing a line down the backs of her legs to look like the seam on the nylon stockings that were hard to get at the time. That little tidbit made it into the book. I still have extended family in Belfast as well. As I was writing A Place to Hang the Moon I learned that my great aunt Florence was actually evacuated from Belfast as a ten-year-old. Aunt Florence makes an appearance in the book in a tiny way… both as the name of a minor character, and also in Mrs. Muller’s ‘snug.’ Aunt Florence had the coziest little room in her house, and that’s what she called it.
I have a maternal grandfather from Dublin who also emigrated in the 1920s. Did you grow up spending time in libraries like the siblings in your book?
So much time. Growing up before the internet, I did a lot of homework in the library. I have such fond memories of the World Book Encyclopedia! William, one of the characters in A Place to Hang the Moon, is on a mission to read the whole Encyclopedia Britannica, end to end, and while I never considered actually doing that as a kid, I adore William for attempting it.
What were your favorite books as a child?
I definitely grew up on the oldies —E.B. White, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Roald Dahl. And on the more contemporary books of my childhood—Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. Those were all authors I read and re-read as a kid. And I remember certain books being quoted routinely in my family… My grandmother used to say “the world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings” all the time, and I only realized as an adult that it was a quote from Robert Louis Stevenson and not something she made up. I’ve got a cross-stitch of that quote hanging on my wall today.
What kind of child were you?
I was—still am!—a voracious reader. And from a very young age I remember developing deep attachments to characters. I’d think about them as I went through my day, pretend they were my friends. At some point I dragged an old typewriter into my bedroom and went through a phase where I played ‘school’ by typing up elaborate class lists comprised of various storybook characters. I really wish I still had some of those lists, because I’d love to remember exactly who was on them. I know that Peter Hatcher and Charlie Bucket shared a classroom with the Pevensies, which is a thought that brings me no end of joy.
Where did you grow up?
Believe it or not, this is a slightly difficult question to answer! For the most part, I grew up in New York—first Staten Island, and then Oyster Bay, but my dad was a professional golfer who worked as a teaching pro in New York during the warmer months, and then played in tour events in Florida in the winter. Up until about seventh grade, I spent the first quarter in New York, the second and third in Florida, and then the last quarter of the school year back in New York again. I had friends in both places but always somehow felt like ‘the new kid.’ It did make me extremely close with my family, though, which is something I’m hugely grateful for.
Where do you live now? What is your community like and its library?
I live in rural Maryland, about forty-five miles northwest of Washington, DC. It’s a great location to be both a country mouse and a city mouse. There are cows next to my driveway, but I can be in DC or Baltimore in less than an hour. My family and I moved here about seven years ago, and I love the pace of life. It’s been a great place to raise children. My kids can (and do!) walk to the library from school, which I love.
How did you decide to pursue writing for children?
My first career was actually in child psychology. I finished my doctorate in 2000 and worked for many years as a research psychologist, writing scientific journal articles. I always assumed that creative writing was just like science writing—that you have the whole plot outlined in your head before you ever put pen to paper. But some years ago I attended a dear friend’s creative writing workshop and absolutely fell in love with the process of sitting down and getting lost in words. The writing-for-children part, specifically, came about through endless hours of reading to my own children—my favorite part of being a mom.
What is your day-to-day writing schedule like?
Well, like so many other things, I suppose my answer changed in 2020. In the past, I always worked best when I could completely immerse myself in writing for hours and hours, something that could only happen when my kids were at school and my husband was at work. Until this past year I would typically write a few days a week for six or seven hours at a stretch. Now, with my kids having been home in virtual school for the better part of a year, I find I’ve had to get better at taking smaller writing moments as they come. Which I guess is a good skill to learn.
What is the revision process like for you?
Honestly, while revision sometimes feels nit-picky, I try to look at it as a gift. When I’ve finished a story, I find myself almost mourning the loss of the characters that I’ve spent months and months with, so I see revisions as a fabulous opportunity to reunite with beloved people I’ve really missed.
Any upcoming releases in 2021 you are excited about?
Too many to name! Getting to know my debut group has been hands-down the best part of the publishing journey, and I’m so excited to cheer for these fabulous stories as they come into the world! I can’t say how much the friendship of the other 2021 debuts has meant to me.
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on another middle grade historical—World War II, just like A Place to Hang the Moon—but this one is set in New York City. It’s been such a treat to immerse myself in old New York, a world that’s nostalgically familiar to me, having grown up hearing stories form my grandmother and father. Even though I haven’t lived there for years, I still think of New York as home, and it’s been such a pleasure to ‘travel’ there in a time when real life travel isn’t an option.
Thank you so much for chatting, Kate! I love A Place to Hang the Moon, and I’m so excited for whatever you write next.
Readers, don’t forget to enter to win a signed copy of Kate’s book! Leave a comment below and follow Kate on Twitter. The winner will be randomly selected on March 12, 2021 and notified by email.
UPDATE: Giveaway extended to March 15, 2021! You can also enter by commenting on this tweet by March 15: https://twitter.com/_kaelanoel_/status/1368928200684929033
