I have been very blessed to have the priviledge to interview Kathleen Ernst, an American Girl author. Kathleen Ernst has written five American Girl historical character mystery books, three AG history mysteries, and now, Caroline Abbott's book series.:) Here is my interview with her on writing and creating Caroline Abbott's character and books.
Me: When creating Caroline's personality, does American Girl choose her characteristics or do you?
Miss Kathleen: I created Caroline's personality in my imagination. I did a lot of reading and research about her time period, and the place she lived, and what girls her age might be involved in. Then I thought about the kind of girl I'd enjoy reading about, and Caroline came to be! I also worked closely with my editors at American Girl during the whole process.
Me: Do you have a favorite book out of Caroline's series?
Miss Kathleen: Oh, that's a tough question to answer! I like different books for different reasons. In Meet Caroline, readers will be introduced to Caroline, the home region she loves, her family, her hopes and dreams, and how the War of 1812 immediately affects all of those things. In other books readers will experience fun times, challenges, a scary moment or two, adventures, and joyful surprises right along with Caroline. Each book has something new to offer.
Me: When you were first approached about writing Caroline's stories, how much of her character, appearance, and story had they already decided?
Miss Kathleen: The editors at American Girl decided that the next historical character would be set during the War of 1812. I'd written eight books for American Girl already, and they felt I would be a good match for the project. So one day I got a wonderful phone call, asking if I'd like to create the new character and write her stories. At that time, the only thing that had been decided was the era.
I started doing research, and we talked about different choices for her setting. We agreed that Sackets Harbor, New York, would be perfect! As I learned more about all the exciting things that happened in that area during the war, I got lots of ideas for the stories. I needed to think about each individual book, and also think about creating a series of books that flowed well from one to the next. I proposed plot ideas, and did several drafts of each book. Each time I got valuable feedback from my editor and others involved.
When I write any book, in my imagination I see what's happening through the character's eyes. When I was imagining and writing Caroline's stories, I saw what she saw. So strange as it may sound, I had a clear mental picture of all the characters except Caroline. That process always works very well for me. I trust the artist and art director, who work with the editor and American Girl researcher, to decide what the main character will look like.
Me: Will you be writing Caroline's mystery books?
Miss Kathleen: I have a Caroline mystery coming out in the spring of 2013!
Me: What do you want girls to take from Caroline's story?
Miss Kathleen: Caroline realizes that when facing difficult times, it's always better to take positive action than to sit and complain. Everyone has the power to do something to help her family, or a friend, or her community. Caroline sometimes makes mistakes, but she tries to learn from them and do better. I'd love to think that Caroline might inspire girls today to do their best when facing challenges, and to look for ways to make things better!
I hope you all enjoyed this interview. I know I did! Thank you Miss Kathleen for letting me do this!:)
*Liddy*
