Hello, all ye fellow bookworms and writers! ^^ How are y’all? I hope you’re all having a splendid June full of reading, baking, and plenty of writing! June has been a really fun month for me, and I also got a bunch of new books! (Which was most fun!! We adores new books. XD) I’ve also been writing (as I usually am) and my main character may or may not have just met the villain of the story……
Today, however, I arrive not to ramble on about baking (perhaps next time though!) or villains (I dearly wish to share this with y’all) but to share a lovely interview that I did with the wonderful Havelah McLat! Havelah is the author of several books, including A Forever Summer, Dust and Crown, and her latest novel, which is such a sweet middle-grade historical fiction, The Silent Journey!
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of The Silent Journey and it is such a wonderful novel, full of friendship, family, and love, and I am so excited to be able to share this interview with y’all!
Havelah, welcome! :))
Hi Havelah! Thank you so much for being here! To start us off, could you share a bit about yourself as a writer and also your latest novel, The Silent Journey?
I have been a writer since I was thirteen. As a kid, I spent hours drawing and then crafting short stories to go along with my illustrations. As I got older, my passion grew to write stories about the world, faith, and topics that matter the most to her. I have written several short fictions that have been featured in different anthologies. The Silent Journey would be the fourth book I published. It is a middle grade historical fiction about Anika, a deaf Ukrainian girl, risks everything to reunite with her papa in America.
As a thirteen year old writer myself, I love that you started writing young! This story is set during 1932, and the main character in this story, Anika, is deaf and a Ukrainian immigrant. What inspired you to set the story in this time period and how did you get the idea for Anika’s character?
I had always liked the idea of writing a story in that period. I find it fascinating and so much we can learn from that area. The story concept itself is heavily inspired by the 1995 film adaptation of A Little Princess. I absolutely adore the film and the relationship between the daughter and the father and how they reunite at the end. I thought, “What if a character is deaf, but coming from Ukraine to America, and searching for her papa?” Anika’s character is inspired by someone I met. I read her testimony about her deafness and how she learned to speak and read lips.
I love how well-written and descriptive the setting of this story is! Was there a lot of research that you had to do before writing the book, to get the details right and such? If so, how did you go about doing it?
Yes, I had done a lot of research during this process. In fact I didn’t have the story take place in Ukraine or New York, but as time went on, I began to do more digging about Ukraine history and read a few fictions about Ukraine. It was exhausting but also I learned so much though. The Silent Journey story had gone through so many revisions I lost count. The hardest is figuring which narrative to write in. I usually write third-person limited, but for this story, it wasn’t working. I tried both ways (third person and first person) and found the first point of view works the best because we get to see the story through the protagonist’s eyes. It wasn’t easy but like I said earlier I learned a lot along the way.
I definitely agree! And I usually write in third person limited as well! Was there any character in this novel that was particularly hard to write? Why or why not?
Anika Bohdan. I know it is a bit shocking. I think a big part was trying to figure out how to express her emotions and how she communicated the world without sounds and how to represent deaf culture aesthetically.
What was your favorite part about writing this novel?
The ending when she found her family. That is my favorite part. The second favorite was the dog getting a bath. He hates it, but I had a blast with it. LOL.
Haha!! That was such a fun scene to read! (Even if it was somewhat less fun for the poor dog.) I love the title for The Silent Journey as well! How did you come up with the title for this book and also your other books? Do you ever struggle with titles?
Yes. I struggle with titles. I don’t know why. I originally had the title Long Journey Home, but after many revisions and beta readers etc. they all suggested switching it up. Keep the word “Journey” but take out other two words and use something to represent the character and that’s how the title came to be.
Is there anyone, be it an author or someone in your life, who has inspired your writing?
If I pick one author I admired because of the simple writing style, but the story sticks with me, it would be C.S. Lewis and Katherine Applegate. I read several books like Wishtree and Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate and Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I really appreciate how they keep things simple but hit the emotions and themes and moments well. I want to write stories like that. I want stories to last a long time.
That is so true!! And I especially love those kinds of stories that stay with you for a long time. How did you get started as a writer? Did you always know that you wanted to be one?
My older sister got me into writing. I would draw characters and she wrote a little story for me. I said to myself I wanted to try that. I did and haven’t stopped writing since then. I started off with fanfic. I would use Tinker Bell friends and my own characters to create stories. In Summer 2011, I wrote my first short fiction and then I dabbled into longer stories between novella to full length novel. I didn’t quite understand the structure at the time, but I have always enjoyed writing shorter stories because they are easier to work with and figure out what kind stories to tell. If it hadn’t been for short stories, I probably wouldn’t have gotten to where I am now.
And last but not least, what is your advice for other young writers who are just starting out and would love to get their stories out there in the world?
It is okay to write at your pace. Writing a story takes time. You don’t have to rush to get them published. I understand it is hard when everyone is writing and publishing so many books in a year. I was in your shoes. I learned stories we created that take a long time are the best ones. Why? Because you take the time to develop and craft your skills. I encourage you to write a story that matters. Writing a story has heart and meaning. When you do that, those stories will stick to readers in the long term. They will carry on to the next generation.
A huge thank you to Havelah McLat for doing this interview and also for sending me an ARC of The Silent Journey! I had a wonderful time doing this interview and learning more about her writing process, and I absolutely love her advice for young writers!
And a thank you to you as well for reading, Dear Reader! ^^ I hope you enjoyed this interview and learning more about Havelah’s writing process, and I sincerely hope that you will check out A Silent Journey! It is such a sweet novel and one that middle-graders will absolutely love!
Do let me know down in the comments if you enjoyed this interview or if you’ve ever read any of Havelah’s books! I love hearing from y’all!
Till next time,
-Isabelle
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