Katherine Sturtevant

A Talk with Katherine Sturtevant

AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR by Katherine Sturtevant is a book about a young girl who is the sole heir of her father's bookstore --- that is, until he remarries. Join author Sturtevant in an interview with Kidsreads Writer Audrey Marie Danielson as she discusses her book, why she loves to write, her favorite books, what's in store for her next novel, and more.

Kids Reads: Each chapter heading in AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR is the name of a book written by a real author of the 17th century. Where did you get the idea to use this very interesting format?

Katherine Sturtevant: I had already decided to set my story in the world of London bookselling, and I was doing research into the books published during the era, using a source called THE TERM CATALOGUES. As I studied it I felt I wanted to give my readers a taste of several different kinds of books. And the idea of having each chapter focus on a different kind of book occurred to me as a way that I might do that.

Kids Reads: How much research did you have to do for this historical novel, and how difficult was it to find information about women's lives in the 17th century?

Katherine Sturtevant: I did a tremendous amount of research for this book, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I have actually been researching Restoration London for some years, in connection with other projects. But for AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR I got to do additional research into areas I hadn't touched on before, such as bookselling. There is actually quite a lot of information available about women in 17th-century England, much of which has been collected by scholars over the past 30 years from original sources such as diaries, letters, and pamphlets.

Kids Reads: Did you do your research before you started writing or did you research as you wrote?

Katherine Sturtevant: Some of each. I did a lot of research before I began writing, and during that period I thought about what my characters might be like and how the plot might unfold. But at a certain point I felt I had to begin the writing, that Meg was simply ready to begin telling her story. So I got started, even though I knew I would have to continue looking some things up as I went along.

Kids Reads: What sparked your interest in English history?

Katherine Sturtevant: My interest in history began with reading historical novels as a child, and was nurtured by a wonderful history teacher named Ted Yanak who taught me when I was in eighth grade. My interest in England grew separately, through my exposure to English literature. That goes back to ALICE IN WONDERLAND and WINNIE THE POOH. (I still have a tendency to think the most important thing about Buckingham Palace is the fact that "Christopher Robin went down with Alice.") When I made my first trip to London, these two passions, history and England, came together in a wonderful burst, and I've been feeding the fire ever since.

Kids Reads: In AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR, the reader gets the impression that 13-year-old Meg is an unusual girl for the mid-1600s. Did you have difficulty keeping her true to the time period while still making her gutsy enough to be interesting?

Katherine Sturtevant: I believe there have been gutsy women in every era; think about the powerful women in the stories told by the ancient Greeks. What is different from century to century is how much acceptance these women find. In the 17th century plenty of women believed it was time for things to change. The playwright Aphra Behn, the essayist Basua Makin, and the preacher Margaret Fell, all mentioned in AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR, were real women who spoke out on behalf of their sex. At the same time, the majority of people certainly didn't agree. And any girl who tried to follow an unconventional path would certainly have had some opposition and some self-doubt. I tried to show this, especially in the chapter "The Ladies' Calling," where Meg is struggling with whether or not she should be ashamed of herself for her conduct.

Kids Reads: To our knowledge, Aphra Behn was the only woman playwright in Restoration London from 1670 to 1688. Can we assume that the fictional Meg is to be the next woman playwright before the 1690s?

Katherine Sturtevant: I like to think she might be. But who knows what her future will bring...

Kids Reads: Will there be a sequel to Meg's story?

Katherine Sturtevant: A number of people have asked this. Perhaps at a future time the idea will take hold of my imagination and I'll get excited by the idea. I know that I definitely would like to write about Restoration London again. But my next two books for young readers will be set in the United States.

Kids Reads: Your novel, A MISTRESS MODERATELY FAIR is a historical novel for adults and OUR SISTERS' LONDON: FEMINIST WALKING TOURS is nonfiction. What motivated you to write AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR for the juvenile market?

Katherine Sturtevant: What surprises me is that it took me so long to write for children. I loved historical novels when I was growing up, and I've returned to reading juvenile literature many times over the years. On one of these occasions I read Karen Cushman's novels set in medieval England, which I loved. And while I was reading I had the idea --- not just the idea, but the certain knowledge --- that I should be writing for young readers.

Kids Reads: Have you had any problems getting your books published?

Katherine Sturtevant: I sent my travel book to 23 publishers before it found a home. And I have three novels in boxes on the shelf that I've never sold and probably never will. (I still enjoy reading them to myself every few years.) On the other hand, AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR sold right away, which felt great!

Kids Reads: What has changed in your life since you became a published author?

Katherine Sturtevant: The most important thing about publication for me has been that it has increased my confidence. It's so much easier to sit down and write when you have had that outside validation. Also, it helps me to feel "justified" in taking the time to write away from other more "useful" ways of spending time. AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR has been my most successful book and I've been active in promoting it. I find I am really enjoying my readings and speaking engagements, so that's a fun part of being published.

Kids Reads: What is a typical writing day like for you?

Katherine Sturtevant: I don't think I have "typical" days. Sometimes I have to pry my writing time away from the rest of my life with a crowbar. There are days when I just snatch a half-hour for research or forty-five minutes spent revising something. Then there are "ideal" days when I am able to spend four hours at the library or get in a couple hours at the computer screen. I have never been able to work more than two hours at a time creatively, no matter how much time I have. I feel all tired out afterward.

Kids Reads: Where do you do your best creative thinking? Is there a special place that inspires you?

Katherine Sturtevant: There are many places that I love, lively city places and quiet, leafy green places, but they're not really inspirational in that sense. Humdrum activities (like doing the dishes) tend to get my mind moving, probably because they don't take much brain power. But what really inspires me is doing research. History is so rich, so full of unusual characters and events, that I get lots of ideas from reading about the past.

Kids Reads: What do you like best about writing?

Katherine Sturtevant: I like the way that I forget myself and everything around me when I'm really absorbed in my work. It's as though I'm truly visiting another place, and while I'm there wonderful things happen. Later I look at work I've done and think: "Did I really write that?" or "How did I think of that?"

Kids Reads: Do you visit schools and talk about your books and writing?

Katherine Sturtevant: Since this is my first children's book, I'm just getting started in this area. But I had a wonderful time speaking at a bookstore to a mother-daughter book group recently, and I'm planning to do some school visits soon. Anyone who is interested can contact me through Farrar, Straus & Giroux or can e-mail me at author@thesignofthestar.com.

Kids Reads: How old were you when you decided you wanted to be a writer?

Katherine Sturtevant: I was in second grade when I first decided I wanted to be a writer. For a little while in the third grade I thought I wanted to be a ballerina, but after a few months I switched back to wanting to be a writer and since then it's the only work I've been interested in (though not the only work I've done). But I know other writers who didn't begin writing until they were adults. I think every writer has a unique path.

Kids Reads: What kind of books did you enjoy reading when you were a child? Who were your favorite authors?

Katherine Sturtevant: I read almost constantly when I was growing up. I loved LITTLE WOMEN and other books by Louisa May Alcott, the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace, and many, many historical novels. Perhaps my all-time favorite was THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND by Elizabeth George Speare, which I still reread from time to time because I love it so much.

Kids Reads: What advice would you give to young people who want to be writers when they grow up?

Katherine Sturtevant: Believe in yourself. Enjoy your writing, and share it with others who enjoy it. After you've shared it with someone, notice whether you feel like writing more or whether you feel kind of discouraged. If you feel discouraged, don't show your work to that person again. Of course, at some point you will want constructive criticism on your work. But there's no hurry. If it should happen that you do stop writing, remember that you can always start again later. Writing's not like ballet. Some novelists don't begin until they're sixty. Another important thing is to ignore all the generalizations people make about writers. I used to torture myself when I'd hear people say, "Writers are really observant" (I'm not) or "writers are loners" (I'm not). I'd think, "I must not be a real writer." The truth is that every writer is different.

Kids Reads: Are you working on a new book? If so, when can we expect to see it in the bookstores?

Katherine Sturtevant: Yes, my next novel will be set in Washington, DC, during World War II. But I'm not very good at predicting how long it will take me to complete a book, so I won't try to guess when it will be in the stores.