BIO

D. Anne Love is the author of six previous novels for young readers, including MY LONE STAR SUMMER, which won the 1996 Friends of American Writers Prize for Juvenile Fiction, and, most recently, A YEAR WITHOUT RAIN. A former journalist and educator, she now divides her time between writing and conducting the extensive research that informs her work. A native of Tennessee, Ms. Love was reared and educated in Texas. She shares a home in San Diego, California, with her husband and a book-loving golden retriever.

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AUTHOR TALK

Q: You've written a number of novels based upon watershed events in American history such as the American Civil War. What was the germ for the tale of THE PUPPETEER'S APPRENTICE, which takes place in Medieval England?

DAL: I love reading history, and I was intrigued with the idea of traveling entertainers -- the kind of life they led, the way society perceived them. I hope my readers will find their story as fascinating as I do.

Q: The young heroine of the story, a girl called Mouse, is a compelling character. How did you create her? Are any of Mouse's strengths and shortcomings autobiographical?

DAL: Well, like Mouse, I love to eat! And I think there's a bit of Mouse in all of us. She's looking for a way to be in the world, for a way to fit in and make her mark. I think that's a universal longing among young people.

Q: In the novel, Mouse longs to learn to read. Were you an avid reader?

DAL: Was, and am. I devour several books a week. I've read voraciously since childhood.

Q: What were some of your favorite books as a child?

DAL: I loved them all! I read every book I could find. I read the Bobbsey Twins series, and the Little Golden Books. I particularly enjoyed Lois Lenski's books, and Glen Rounds' stories. I loved biographies. My favorites were books about Ben Franklin and Andrew Jackson. As a teenager, I read and reread Betty Cavanna, who died only a couple of years ago. I adored Anne Emery's books, and books by Rosamond du Jardin.

Q: What authors do you consider your greatest influences?

DAL: Oh, among authors for young people I very much admire Cynthia Voigt, Richard Peck, Susan Cooper, Karen Hesse, and Jane Yolen. Among authors for adult readers, Alice McDermott, Kaye Gibbons, Gail Godwin, and Reynolds Price. I love Pat Conroy's ability to convey the particular look and smell and taste of the Carolina low country. He's among the most graceful of our writers.

Q: Were you a fan of puppet theater as a child? Did you have a favorite character?

DAL: I grew up in the fifties, when marionettes such as Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd, and Howdy Doody were popular television characters. Mostly the puppets cracked jokes with Buffalo Bob and Edgar Bergen, as opposed to telling stories, as in the Punch and Judy shows. I liked writing my own stories and acting them out with hand puppets.

Q: What are you working on right now?

DAL: A new novel that's nearly finished, and the outline for my next project.

© Copyright 2002 by D. Anne Love. Reprinted with permission by Margaret McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

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