Guest Post by Author Rhonda Hayter of The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams
March 17th, 2010 by the1stdaughterFor me The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams was a brilliant book and I just had to get to know the author a bit more. So, in conjunction with my weekly “When I Was Young” interview I decided, who better than Rhonda Hayter? I think you’ll find her journey into writing one filled with wonderful books and a great imagination. On to the interview:
I grew up in the isolated town of Labrador City, in Northernmost Canada where it is DARN cold 9-10 months of the year. At the time there was no TV reception. (My kids can hardly bear to hear me speak those words.) So being stuck in the house without TV all winter long (and I do mean long) made reading a very attractive proposition. There was a library, where Mrs. Snell the librarian always had suggestions for me and there was the book order day at school, which was like Christmas coming once a month. Oh and there were a lot of Readers Digest Condensed Books around the house too. What’s that about anyway? Do they still condense books? Better not try condensing mine.
My thrifty mom was a stickler about heating costs despite the near Arctic locale, so the best place to read was wrapped up in a sweater right on top of one of the heating grates on the living room floor. With the waves of heat grilling my rear end until it started to sizzle and had to be shifted off to give my chilly feet a turn, I fell into the worlds of Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Ozma of Oz and everything else I could get my hands on.
Labrador City was an iron ore mining town cut out of the wilderness with no way to reach it except for infrequent planes or trains. All of the men who went up there to work in the mines and their families who followed them, were young. Mostly cheery Newfoundlanders, with a smattering of people from other parts of Canada and an occasional Brit, they were uniformly white, physically able and primarily Anglican or Catholic. In the years I lived there between First and Sixth grade, I never tasted any sort of ethnic food, never met a person of African heritage, or a disabled person, or an Asian or Jewish person, and seldom saw anyone over forty, unless grandparents were visiting.
Except in books.
In my tiny, frozen town, there were no busses or subways, so when the Bobbsey Twins took a jitney excursion to the beach, it was an outsized adventure for me. And don’t even mention Pippi Longstocking’s exotic island locale. It was only through books that I learned about the wider world and the many kinds of people in it.
My boys are growing up in Los Angeles. Their circle of friends is fantastically diverse…six different languages are spoken on my older guy’s soccer team. They love Japanese, Mexican, Chinese and Italian food and computer games vie with TV, Facebook and Wii for their attention…but I’m thrilled to say that even so, they often find something that propels them right into that same misty world I inhabited when I was their age…a Harry Potter, or a Percy Jackson, or the exciting plot engine of the Hunger Games. Now that I’m paying the heating bills, I’ve gotten a little stingy myself…and one chilly December morning not long ago, I found my younger guy snuggled up on a pillow next to the heating grate, lost in the world of the Spiderwick Chronicles.
Rhonda has obviously been a reader her whole life and it shows in her writing. She knows what makes a great book and she’s a fabulous person as well! Thank you again, Rhonda, for sharing your talent and your story, it’s been wonderful!
Make sure to pick up her new book, The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams out April 1st, and for more about the book check out my review! And if you are going to be in the LA area on April 11th she will be at Chevalier’s Bookstore for a book signing you won’t want to miss!
This book was provided by Traveling ARC Tours for review.
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.
Posted in Author Interviews, Guest Posts | 14 Comments »
Nice review! Wow…growing up without any TV reception, even for an avid reader that would be tough! LOL. Still, all that time to simply read without the draw of this show or that…could be a version of paradise, with lots of sweaters. I love the mention of the Bobbsey Twins books! They are truly a classic, right up there with Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys. Too many of these are getting lost in the hustle and bustle of new releases…each has their own time and place and it should remain so thus allowing future generations the chance to experience it all over again. Thanks for sharing! Happy reading! =0)
Gina´s last blog ..The Tao of Mia and Leo by Jeffra A. Nicholson
Thanks Gina! I completely agree, there are some classics that should be given to the next generation as a standard. Even without the fancy new covers and the like they are still fabulous! And yes…no TV??? Wow! But again, yes, how nice to have no distractions and be able to really “lose” yourself.
will definitely give it a try!
Thanks! I highly recommend this one, especially if you know of a middle grade reader with an interest in magical events.
[...] My thrifty mom was a stickler about heating costs despite the near Arctic locale, so the best place to read was wrapped up in a sweater right on top of one of the heating grates on the living room floor. … Now that I’m paying the heating bills, I’ve gotten a little stingy myselfâ¦and one chilly December morning not long ago, I found my younger guy snuggled up on a pillow next to the heating grate, lost in the world of the Spiderwick Chronicles. …Continue Reading [...]
[...] Guest Posts: Rhonda Hayter author of The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams Karla Oceanak and Illustrator Kendra Spanjer of [...]
FAB posts
Thanks for sharing them with me 
Juju´s last blog ..The Dark Divine | Blog Tour Review, Interview, and Mini Contest
Thanks and you’re quite welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
I never could get into the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, etc as a kid. Maybe I should read them now as a blogger!
I think I would be fighting Rhonda for the heating grate if I lived there, but my choices of books would have been different. Great interview. wish all my reading had turned me into a writer!
I love the idea of finding my son snuggled up with a great book (he’s one now) but I cannot wait for that day!
Courtney´s last blog ..Snippets on a Sunday
I was a huge Nancy Drew / Hardy Boys fan, watched the series on tv too. I also keep the heat down, it saves so much money on our heating bills. People can make fun of the snuggie all they want to but those snuggies work.
The best writers are always those that love to read!
Jessica´s last blog ..Contest – Book Giveaway
Wow I can’t imagine growing up without culture! I love where I live because we have a blend of all over the world. You can eat any countries food, and go to stores from different countries. The school my daughter’s going to in Septemeber has representatives from over 80 different countries (in a population of about 400 students) and as a Caucasian, she will be in the minority.