I could list all the reasons that Faithful is right up my alley---it's historical, involves debutantes and high society, class-challenged romance...yeah, our books should get married...but the best part for any reader is how much you will love the characters. By the end, I was so invested in the main character, Maggie, that I hated to let the story go. Also, I love when setting is a character: Janet's artful and compelling descriptions of Yellowstone brought back striking memories of my own visit as a child.
And now, here's more with Janet Fox:
Title: FAITHFUL
Release date: May 13, 2010
Imprint/publisher: Speak/Penguin Group
Genre: YA
Target age group: 12-18
Synopsis: In 1904 Margaret Bennet has it all – money, position, and an elegant family home in Newport, Rhode Island. But just as she is to enter society her father drags her to Yellowstone National Park, where he informs her that they will remain. At first Maggie’s only desire is to return to Newport. But the mystical beauty of the Yellowstone landscape, and the presence of young Tom Rowland, a boy unlike the others she has known, conspire to change Maggie from a spoiled girl willing to be constrained by society to a free-thinking and brave young woman living in a romantic landscape at the threshold of a new century.
1. Every good story starts at the point of change. What is the point of change in this story?
Lovely question! The story opens as my protagonist, Maggie, is about to leave behind her childhood home, friends, and the social structure she knows for what she thinks is a short journey. She is unaware that her father plans to leave their home forever. Everything changes for Maggie when she discovers his duplicity.
2. What do you want that you can’t have? How would your main character answer the same question?
I’d love to have years added to my life, so that I could write all the books that crowd into my head! Maggie would say that she wants her mother.
3. Did another book serve as a model for yours, either in structure or inspiration? Tell us how.
Ah! Well, I love Jane Austen. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE was an inspiration; Maggie’s last name is Bennet. FAITHFUL doesn’t pretend to be witty, but I hope it contains the same kind of romance: complex and layered.
4. Tell us about a real-life person or situation that crept into this book.
I was first inspired to write the novel because our family has a cabin in the mountains of Montana and we’ve spent lots of time in Yellowstone National Park – I was dying to set a story in the Park. And my own mom had recently passed away, so I incorporated my grief into Maggie’s. The setting and character arc just came together.
1. Every good story starts at the point of change. What is the point of change in this story?
Lovely question! The story opens as my protagonist, Maggie, is about to leave behind her childhood home, friends, and the social structure she knows for what she thinks is a short journey. She is unaware that her father plans to leave their home forever. Everything changes for Maggie when she discovers his duplicity.
2. What do you want that you can’t have? How would your main character answer the same question?
I’d love to have years added to my life, so that I could write all the books that crowd into my head! Maggie would say that she wants her mother.
3. Did another book serve as a model for yours, either in structure or inspiration? Tell us how.
Ah! Well, I love Jane Austen. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE was an inspiration; Maggie’s last name is Bennet. FAITHFUL doesn’t pretend to be witty, but I hope it contains the same kind of romance: complex and layered.
4. Tell us about a real-life person or situation that crept into this book.
I was first inspired to write the novel because our family has a cabin in the mountains of Montana and we’ve spent lots of time in Yellowstone National Park – I was dying to set a story in the Park. And my own mom had recently passed away, so I incorporated my grief into Maggie’s. The setting and character arc just came together.
5. Wildcard question: What’s your superpower? What’s your Kryptonite?I love it! I can find lost things. I’m really good at it. Oh, and I can spot 4-leaf clovers a mile away. I’ll be on a hike, and they just pop out at me like they're fluorescent or something. It’s a little weird.
6. What are you wishing I would get around to asking already? (And what’s the answer, wise guy!)
“Do you ever struggle with your writing?” Yes. All the time. I love it, but it’s also painful. But I love it…
7. What can we expect from you next?
I have 4 things in the works: a “sequel” to FAITHFUL (actually, it’s a novel using some of the same characters, but following another protagonist to a different place); two separate middle grade fantasies; and a middle grade historical piece set in Elizabethan England. And my agent is shopping something for me now, but I don’t want to jinx it, so, shhh…
JR: Thanks for stopping by, Janet. Can't wait for that sequel! C'mon just a peek...I won't give away any spoilers...
Website: www.janetsfox.com
Blog: www.kidswriterjfox.blogspot.com
Facebook: as Janet Fox
Twitter: as janetsfox
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt8G0mXqvVM
4 comments:
Great interview Jame and Janet! Would you believe I've never seen a 4 leaf clover? Maybe I'll have to come for a visit!
Jame - thank you so much for hosting me! And Denise - thanks so much for coming by. I will definitely find you a 4-leaf clover (never? really?). It's the secret of my success, I'm sure!
Thanks for doing the interview Janet. It was also great meeting you in person.
Hi Denise, thanks for coming by.
What a wonderful interview! Funny, charming and insightful (both of you!) Janet, I love the fact that you incorporated the loss of your mother into the book. I can't to read Faithful (although I have a feeling I'm going to need a box of tissues when I do.)
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