“I don't think I could write about someone I didn't feel some sympathy for.” ThinkingFeelsWriting Author:Stef Penney
“Just because we think of wolves (or the wilderness, or another race) as wild and fierce, doesn't mean there isn't another side to them.” ThinkingMeanSidesRaceWildernessFierce Author:Stef Penney
“Endings are never neat, because when life goes on, there is no end. You may want to speculate about what the characters get up to afterwards, but I feel it would be presumptuous of me to dictate that.” WantFeelsMayEndsCharacterWould BeGoes OnGet UpNeatLife Goes OnPresumptuous Author:Stef Penney
“I love research, and in fact it's liberating because you have to create your own world. No one can say "I've just got back from the 1860s, and you got it wrong." Anyway, it's fiction.” WorldFactsFictionResearchLiberating Author:Stef Penney
“The thing that got me about the Orphan Trains was that the experiences were so varied. Some of the kids went from neglect and hunger in New York to loving farm families who couldn't wait to fatten them up, who gave them medical care, an education, affection. And some of the kids became the victims of terrible cruelty, and more hunger, and more neglect - it all depended on who adopted them off of the train.” CareKidsWaitingNew YorkTerribleVictimTrainHungerAffectionMedicalCrueltyNeglectFarmsAdoptedOrphanMedical Care Author:Laura Moriarty
“I don't think I've ever tried on a corset, though a certain bridesmaid's dress did require a torturous bustier that will stay forever burned in my sensory memory.” ThinkingCertainMemoriesForeverDressesBurnedSensoryCorsetsBridesmaids Author:Laura Moriarty
“I often speak to returning service people about their experiences while serving. Whether in 1915 or 2005, the core issue of facing death on a daily basis remains.” PeopleSpeakIssuesBasesRemainsCoreServingFacing Death Author:Charles Todd
“During high school I worked in a retirement home. I spent many wonderful hours hearing from service men and their widows about WWI.” MenHomeSchoolHoursWonderfulHigh SchoolHearingRetirementWidowsWwiRetirement Homes Author:Charles Todd
“My great uncle fought in WWI. His stories fascinated me.” StoriesFascinatedUnclesWwi Author:Charles Todd
“I firmly believe as an author you have to go out in life and hear the stories of people. In pubs in the UK or a retirement home in the US it is the stories of others that bring a book to life.” PeopleBelieveBookStoriesHomeRetirementPubsRetirement Homes Author:Charles Todd