Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Susan Austin. We’ll be talking about how she imagines the childhood of a historical figure in her book Drawing Outside the Lines.

As an educator, Susan J. Austin knows the minds of young readers. Her first novel, The Bamboo Garden, is set in Berkeley, California, 1923, and describes an unlikely friendship between two girls that is tested by a fierce fire that threatens to destroy their town. Currently, she is writing about twelve-year-old Goldie, a whiz kid in the kitchen who hopes that her culinary magic can help her family’s delicatessen out of a pickle in 1928 Hollywood. Her characters are always brave, strong willed risk-takers. Writing historical fiction offers her a way to educate and excite her readers about the past. She and her husband live in Northern California, surrounded by family, their splendid but fussy rose bushes, and a lifetime collection of books. Learn more at www.susanjaustin.com.

In this episode Susan J. Austin and I discuss:

Organizing your historical research for ease of use in your writing.
Writing for the specific reading level of your audience.
Re-engaging with a manuscript that you have set aside for a while.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/431

431: Writing the Imagined Childhood of a Historical Figure for Middle Grade Readers - Interview