Wampum Exchange Interview by Debbie Roppolo

http://t.co/kqHDxVZe

 

Debbie Ropollo's Amelia is featured here. Her two books about this amazing child are well worth reading.

Rosemary

Debbie has  few questions for me:

                                                                                                                         
1: What is the working title of your book?

The Wampum Exchange

 

2: Where did the idea come from for the book

 

While I was researching my first book, 101 Glimpses of the North Fork and Islands, I came across the fact that my town was the first English settlement in New York, That was all I needed to whet my appetite to delve into more history.

 

3: What genre does your book fall under?

 

It is a Y/A historical novella of historical fiction. 4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

 

I don't have any children or adults that I have in mind. 5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

 

This story is about how seventeenth century Daniel meets a challenge of doing the right thing and accepting the consequences, much like a child of today.

 

6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I hope to have my e-book out very soon--self-published.

 

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About a year and a half.

 

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? The Light in the Forest from years ago might be similar.

 

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? I have always been fascinated by the past and here where I live, I walk by so much early history that I felt compelled to write a fictional story about it.

 

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

My portrayal of how people lived back then would appeal to many especially because they made almost everything they ate or used. How different it is today! Thanks! Deb View Conversation on Facebook · Reply to this email to message Debbie Roppolo. This message was sent to noonon30@gmail.com. If you don't want to receive these emails from Facebook in the future, please unsubscribe. Facebook, Inc., Attention: Department 415, PO Box 10005, Palo Alto, CA 94303

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Good News
With what is going on in the world, it is refreshing to hear some good news for a change. I have some good writing news. My novella, The Wampum Exchange, is being re-released on Amazon.com and B&N and other sites. Here is a review of my book by Monica at the-readathon@q.com.
The Wampum Exchange by Rosemary McKinley

 "Long Island author, Rosemary McKinley has written a young adult historical novella, The Wampum Exchange, set in 1650, Southold, New
York. A twelve-year-old boy has a chance meeting with a Native American
boy and their worlds connect in a most interesting way. The tale is told
through their daily lives, giving the reader a glimpse into life in
America. Middle grade readers, as well as adults would enjoy reading
this story."

This is a short, fun little story about life in 1650 in Southold, New York. It looks like Ms. McKinley put a lot of time into researching life in that area and in that time period, and it shows in this story. There are some fun facts about the time period woven into the storyline, and I think it's a great way to teach children history. They are learning and they don't know it! I didn't know much about the wampum and so it was fun for me to learn as well. The story is written in a very simple style, but that makes it easy to read. The characters are fairly well developed, and the setting is well described. There are some really good descriptions in the story.

I enjoyed reading this story and will most likely read it to my kids. I have it in e-reader format, so it's not one I can just hand over to them to read. It will be a good time to talk about life during that time period and discuss our country's history, which I definitely enjoy doing. This would be a really good story for elementary school children to read in class, or have read to them. You get a fun story and history included! Of course, it is historical fiction, but it's based on as much fact as Ms. McKinley could find. I liked this story and recommend it, especially to teachers and younger readers.

Rating: G Clean!

Recommendation: Third grade and up.  This would be a great silent read or read-aloud book.

Posted by Monica at 1:36 PM

Whispering Angel Books has accepted two of my poems and these are included in their newest anthology, Littlest Blessings. I have another story, "Max" in another anthology of theirs, Nurturing Paws.