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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Interview with Carole Estby Dagg

Today, I have the wonderful Carole Estby Dagg, author of The Year We Were Famous, which I just reviewed in the previous post.

Why did you decide to write about Clara Estby’s walk with her mother across the country?

Back in 1896, when Great-aunt Clara Estby and her mother decided to walk from their farm near Spokane, Washington, clear to New York City, their neighbors were scandalized. Respectable women did leave their families behind for a year, even if they were walking to win money to save the farm. Their homecoming was so disastrous their trip journals were destroyed and they agreed never to write or talk about the trip again.

The family legend persisted, though, and by one hundred years later times had changed and descendants were proud of Clara and Helga’s courage and their part in promoting women’s suffrage. I decided to recreate the record of their walk in their honor.

What type of research was involved in writing your novel?


Every kind you can imagine! I started by writing librarians along the route of Clara and Helga’s walk to collect newspaper accounts of their progress across the country. I read biographies of the people they met and books about early days of railroading, bears and rattlesnakes, frontier treatment of blisters, and the places they went through. I leapfrogged through related articles on the Internet, bought period postcards of the places they passed through, combed antique stores for items similar to those they carried with them, and drove part of the route with my daughter.

Since I wanted to write in the voice of a late Victorian young woman, I gave up reading all contemporary novels for a year and read only books Clara might have read for school or for pleasure. I downloaded dime novels from the Internet (that florid style influenced Clara’s writing style when she described shooting a brigand and demonstrating their curling irons to Native Americans they encountered), paged through Ladies’ Home Journals of the 1890’s to see what women were thinking about then, and scrolled through microfilmed newspapers to take notes from news stories about the 1896 election and to read the ads to see what clothing and products were popular then.

What was your favorite aspect of writing The Year We Were Famous?

Through the research for this novel, I decided history wasn’t boring after all. History is fascinating when you focus on social history—how the ordinary person lived—instead of political history, which is what’s usually taught in school. It’s doubly interesting if you can imagine your own ancestors during different eras: how they dressed, ate, earned a living, and how major events affected them. I can see why genealogy has become one of the most popular hobbies!

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

When I was eight, I wanted to be a trapeze artist and gave my mother palpitations when I wrapped my ankles around the chains on the backyard swing set to hang upside down. I thought about writing, but didn’t think I could write worth beans so I became a librarian instead so I could at least hang out with books other people had written.

What are some of your hobbies?

Reading, of course – I read about 100-125 books a year. I also enjoy weaving (I have a loom the size of a spinet piano), sewing, and playing cars with my grandsons.

What’s next for you?

I am midway through a draft of a sequel to The Year We Were Famous and have started another book which will take place in Alaska, where my son’s family lives.


I can't wait to read it Carole! You certainly are a masterful storyteller. Thank you for stopping by today and giving me the chance to read your fantastic novel. Congrats on your debut novel.

If you'd like to read my ARC of The Year We Were Famous, please leave a comment below for Carole and include your email address. Open to US/Canada. Ends April 15th.

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21 comments:

  1. It's great that she did a lot of research. I always appreciate it when the author takes the time.

    Vivien
    deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

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  2. This sounds like such an interesting and historically rich book. I know a lot of y'all read at least 100 books a year, but wow, that's still a lot to me. (I probably read half that).

    Thanks for the interview!

    Amy // amyismyfriend at aol dot com

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  3. The personal side of history is my favorite too. I don't care so much who was in office as how their term affected someone. And it's so cool that she based her story on family!
    zombiegirrrl21 at aol

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  4. Carole - I'm impressed you read so much each year. But I guess it's important to improve your writing!
    Thank you for the giveaway :)
    hurdler4eva(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. This book is on my "to read" list. I donate all of my books to the school library, where I work.
    gchristianson23@yahoo.com

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  6. This book sounds really good!! Thanks for the awesome interview and giveaway!

    ndh03rio@gmail.com

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  7. Looks like a great read
    thank you
    tatertot374@sbcglobal.net

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  8. I would love to read this book!

    celticgoddess731@aol.com

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  9. Your sequel being located in Alaska will be quite interesting.
    nicolesender(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  10. This sounds so interesting. And the level of research don is impressive; I bet it shows in the writing.
    kittycardero at gmail dot com

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  11. This book sounds great, I would love to read it! I suspect my history loving daughter would love this to :)
    tracyschultz@yahoo.com

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  12. have you tried reading on the kindle or the ebook reader? i tried and the lapse in time for loading about drove me nuts i read 1-3 books a day when im not on the computer.and run multiple pages so i don't get bored. i started playing runescape because its like a book that i write my own story of. thanks speck135les at yahoo

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  13. I'd love to read this.
    ermahurtt0071@sbcglobal.net

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  14. I would like to read this work!

    theyyyguy@yahoo.com

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  15. sounds like a great historical novel

    jim.coyne2@verizon.net

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  16. this sounds like a great read
    susansmoaks at gmail dot com

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  17. I love to read, Tanks for the chance

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  18. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  19. Sounds like a great and interesting book..I would love to read it...

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  20. Hmmm, that's a lot of walking! I'd love to read this!
    heatherpooh (hotmail)

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