I hope you are having a lovely spring! I am having such a good time planting a few early seeds, doing some weeding, and watching a certain chickadee gather materials for her nest. But as usual, I’m also deep in the throes of rewriting a novel (I’m at 26k), and I’m enjoying my reading as well.

With the assistance of a helpful librarian at the Kerlan Collection of the University of Minnesota Libraries, I was recently able to acquire some scans of Maud Hart Lovelace’s research materials for Emily of Deep Valley (1950), which provided an interesting window of insight into Lovelace’s method of pre-writing (at least for Emily). I’m very much fascinated by the behind-the-scenes processes of my favorite writers, which I am sure will inspire many more blog posts like this one today and this one from last year, which explores L.M. Montgomery’s possible influence on the novels of Noel Streatfeild and Margaret Sutton. That is my particular area of interest: how writers are influenced by the authors who came before them.

Speaking of scans from the Kerlan Collection, I was also able to study a letter written in 1958 by Noel Streatfeild to Elizabeth Enright, who was evidently one of her favorite authors. In this letter, Streatfeild complimented the Melendy Quartet books and wondered if perhaps the Melendy children’s father remarried after the series ended. Since this is exactly the idea that flitted through my brain the last time I read the series, I was utterly delighted by this and by the fact that Streatfeild wrote about the family as if they were real.

This example, too, fits into my niche of fascination, and leaves me with no doubt that Streatfeild was inspired by Enright when writing her own novels. Best of all, Streatfeild also mentioned how happy she was that Enright liked her books. This was perhaps the greatest discovery of all, for there are Streatfeild-esque traces in Enright’s The Four-Story Mistake (1942), in which Shakespeare-quoting Mona gets a job as a radio actress. (And the fact that Randy is an aspiring ballerina seals the deal.) Since the first Melendy book (The Saturdays) wasn’t published until 1941—and Ballet Shoes was from 1936—it’s safe to say that Streatfeild’s stage-inclined characters could have served as inspirations for the Melendy sisters.

Along similar lines is the way that Canadian author Jean Little (who sadly passed away last year) was influenced by L.M. Montgomery. My introduction to Montgomery’s Anne of Ingleside (1939), the sixth book in the Anne series and a recent re-read, was somewhat unusual. I was reading Little’s Spring Begins in March (1966), the sequel to her acclaimed Mine for Keeps (1962), and I came to the great scene where Meg’s grandmother reads aloud Anne of Ingleside. I had always steered clear of the book, thinking it sounded dull, but Little made the story sound so interesting that I had to give it a try.

I was subsequently swept up into the Ingleside world and immediately read Rainbow Valley (1919) and then Rilla of Ingleside (1921), despite repeated warnings from my older sisters that Walter died and it was Very Sad. But what made reading Rilla particularly interesting was that I had also just read another sequel of Jean Little’s: Listen for the Singing (1977), the heart-wrenching encore to From Anna (1972). The parallels between Listen for the Singing and Rilla of Ingleside are unmistakable: two Canadian wartime novels focused on a teenage girl’s coming of age alongside a brother who does not want to go to war (and yet who goes anyway, with ensuing tragedy). Since I already knew that Little had read Montgomery from that scene in Spring Begins in March, I wondered if she had modeled Anna Solden’s brother Rudi off of Walter Blythe. I suspect that it was an influence, whether consciously or not, and I hope to someday find a bit more concrete evidence to support my theory. Little was not without criticism of Montgomery—an article she wrote for Canadian Children’s Literature in 1975 confirms that—but she also praised the way Montgomery wrote her child characters.

But lest you think that Montgomery only inspired other writers and was not inspired by any herself, this is far from the case! When recently reading Longfellow’s epic poem Evangeline, I was enraptured by the Acadian tale but also enormously pleased to realize that here was where Montgomery doubtlessly found inspiration for her own prose. The tone and style and word choice convinced me, and this paragraph in her 1929 novel Magic for Marigold clinched it:

Lazarre was playing his fiddle behind the copse of young spruces back of the apple-barn—the old brown fiddle that his great-great-great-grandfather had brought from Grand Pré. Perhaps Evangeline had danced to it. Aunt Marigold had told Marigold the story of Evangeline.

But although poetry was a major source of influence for Montgomery, it was not her only inspiration. I’m fairly certain that she read Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (1868-9)—I know I’ve read this fact somewhere but I can’t remember where at the moment—and it’s fun to note that Alcott uses the phrase “kindred spirit” twice in Little Women; the phrase that Montgomery borrowed so memorably for Anne of Green Gables. Nowadays, the words “kindred spirit” are almost synonymous with Anne and Montgomery, and I love that it was perhaps Alcott who helped to influence Montgomery’s usage of the phrase.

These are just a few of the tidbits I’ve been pondering lately—including how Maud Hart Lovelace, as mentioned at the beginning of this post, may have been inspired by Montgomery’s books—but I shall have to close now. In any event, I’ll probably return to this subject soon, because I’m finding it pretty fun to wade through all this bookish conjecture!

And speaking of bookish conjecture … I have some *very exciting* news coming up hopefully later this year, so if you’d like to be one of the first to know, make sure you’re signed up to my newsletter!

Recently Read: The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright
Currently Reading: Depend on Katie John by Mary Calhoun, Nothing to Do but Stay by Carrie Young

As the snow begins to melt and the days grow warmer (a relief after one of the snowiest winters in history), I’m deep into the drafting of the third novel in my historical series. The process is infinitely enjoyable!

I’ve been planning out this book, conducting research, making lists, and gathering inspirational images for several months now. But the best part is actually beginning the writing process, and immersing myself in the wonderful world of 1915-16, when my novel is set.

And oh, the fun things I’ve done for this one! Requesting imperative research PDFs from libraries. Delving into the newspapers of the place and era. Studying photographs. Paging through catalogs of gorgeous fashions. (Well, virtually paging through them—they’re all online!) 😉

But one of my favorite aspects of research has been watching films set in the 1910s. Obviously, this isn’t *quite* the same as doing the solid research I listed above, but it’s delightful to acquire a visual feel for the era of my novel. Over the past few months, I’ve watched Summer Magic, Pollyanna, The Music Man, On Moonlight Bay, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, The Happiest Millionaire—sweet stories that evoke the vintage simplicity I hope to insert in my books.

What I’ve found is that research is a never-ending process—you’re always discovering something new and fascinating to add another layer of depth or a unique element to your narrative.

Additionally, I’ve started working on a contemporary novel that features the renovation of an abandoned mansion. I love old houses and try to include them in my stories whenever I can. 🙂

I’m also very excited for spring! I cannot wait to start working in my flower garden again. After witnessing the success of my pink tulips last summer, I planted orange tulip bulbs last fall, and I’m eager to see them sprout up!

Recently Read: After Many Years by L.M. Montgomery, More All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor, A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich, The Wishing Well by Mildred A. Wirt

Currently Reading: Love to Everyone by Hilary McKay, Rufus M. by Eleanor Estes

For the past two weeks, I’ve been deep in the throes of revisions for my novel, and I’m happy to report that I am delighted with the outcome of this draft! In addition to editing, revising, and writing new scenes, I also created a Pinterest board for my book–because what’s more fun than gathering book inspiration? Besides, it was absolutely imperative for additional research. 😉

Another day of edits! (And a handful of lovely books, just for fun!) #amediting It is most delightful to spend more time my characters in this particular story. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/rSLx1xgegp

— Anna Rose Johnson (@GymnasticsRosie) January 29, 2019

Speaking of inspiration, I’ve started working on visualization scrapbooks for my novels. It’s basically the same as Pinterest–collecting images that act as springboards for ideas in your projects. I’ve always loved scrapbooking, and this weekend I created two pages that embody the creative feel of my latest novel:

In case you missed it, here’s a little description of my latest work-in-progress!

Such a fun writing session today; drafting a new novel! This one’s set in Wisconsin in 1920, and of course, I’m drawing inspiration from L.M. Montgomery 😊Currently re-reading LMM’s “Rainbow Valley.” ❤️#workinprogress #middlegrade #amwriting #writingcommunity #MG @LMMontgomeryLS

— Anna Rose Johnson (@GymnasticsRosie) February 10, 2019

In other social media news, a Twitter poll selected the surname of a new character in my third Norvia novel! His name will be Philip Dorne, and I cannot wait to introduce him to you. As a matter of fact, I’m looking forward to introducing him to myself, as I haven’t even written a word of his character yet! 🙂

I’m trying to choose the surname of an upcoming character! (His first name, by the way, is Philip. I have already determined the spelling of his name via a previous poll.) 😉 What should I choose?

— Anna Rose Johnson (@GymnasticsRosie) February 5, 2019

I also recently enjoyed the opportunity to interview Grace and Anna Glenn, twin sisters at UCLA who I first interviewed in 2014! In this new series of “fun fact” Q&As I’m conducting for Inside Gymnastics, I’m asking NCAA gymnasts all about their favorite colors, foods, movies, books, etc… It’s a fantastic way to get to know more about the athletes and their likes and interests outside the gym!

UCLA juniors @GraceGraceglenn & @Annag2016 tell us fun facts about themselves, what they love about competing for @uclagymnastics, and their favorite advice from @OfficialMissVal! by @GymnasticsRosie: https://t.co/bzTNu31zQh

— Inside Gymnastics (@InsideGym) February 8, 2019

And of course, I’ve been reading some marvelous books lately!

Seven-Day Magic
I finished the final story in Edward Eager’s hilarious series from the 1950s and it didn’t disappoint. These books are packed with witty lines, amusing subplots, and sweet characters.

Emily of New Moon
This one is a reread, and it was just as enjoyable as the first time I read it. Perhaps more so in the Emily series than in any other books, L.M. Montgomery excelled in bringing her environment vividly to life.

Bel Lamington
My sister recently read this D.E. Stevenson novel and suggested (well, insisted) that I read it as well! 🙂 It’s a lovely story about a shy young woman struggling to find her place in the world. Stevenson’s characters are so warm and realistic!

Patty Fairfield series
More rereads! The Patty books are some of my go-to comfort reads, about stylish New York debutantes in the 1900-1920 era and all their dances, beaux, and “adventures.”

Next up on my reading list? I’m re-reading Betsy’s Wedding by Maud Hart Lovelace, Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery, and I’m reading Eleanor Estes’ adorable Pinky Pye for the first time. All three are immensely enjoyable!

November has been an extremely busy month for me, as I’ve been working industriously on writing the second book in my middle-grade series for National Novel Writing Month (or “NaNoWriMo”). I’m very pleased to announce that I have completed the NaNo challenge, writing 50,625 words in the month of November for a total of 61,903 words. I’ve been planning out scenes for Norvia of Walloon Lake for well over a year, so it feels good to finally have the first draft complete!

I love the feeling of satisfaction that comes after that finishing a novel, but I think I’m even prouder of the fact that I stuck with my goal of writing 50,000 words in one month. It’s so important to stay consistent with your writing, and keeping up with at least 1,667 words a day during this time helped to get me back into the groove of outputting a significant word count day in and day out. Writing a 1,000 words a day—my typical word count—will feel easy after this busy month!

One of the reasons I especially love working on my Norvia series is because it’s set during the First World War—an underrepresented era in fiction. I enjoy exploring this unique time in American history, describing the opulent homes, gorgeous clothing, and old-fashioned charm. I spent hours in the lead-up to NaNoWriMo researching all aspects of my character’s world in 1915; poring over maps and old photographs and books of the era and catalogs and newspapers and…well, the list goes on. 🙂 And I found even more areas to research while writing this initial draft, so the process will continue!

Now that my novel is complete, I’m turning my attention toward a 1940s-era Christmas novelette that I’ve been working on since October. I’m also preparing to begin writing a YA novel set in 1935, which is on my schedule for January. I can’t wait!

P.S. Today is my great-grandparents’ 96^th wedding anniversary—they were married on Thanksgiving Day in 1922. The “Norvia” character in my middle-grade series is based on my great-grandmother, so this day is always special to me. 🙂

November is here, in all of its drizzly, cloudy glory. I have bulbs to plant soon—beautiful multicolored tulips that will (hopefully) sprout up the in the warm spring months ahead. In book-writing news, I’m currently drafting the second book in my “Norvia” middle grade series, thanks to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I originally drafted the first Norvia book for NaNo in November 2014, so working on the sequel feels like a wonderful flashback for me.

Some of my research for the sequel:

I’m also still working on my Christmas novella, which I hope to share with you all in mid-December—very exciting! 🙂 Stay tuned for more details!

For me, the last two weeks have been all about the 2018 World Gymnastics Championships. I provided tons of fun coverage for Inside Gymnastics Magazine, including an interview with Great Britain’s Becky Downie. It was so exciting to watch all of these incredible athletes at the highest level of the sport. My all-time favorite routine of Worlds? Probably Nina Derwael’s breathtaking, gold medal-winning uneven bars routine. Derwael, whom I interviewed about a year ago, is currently Belgium’s top gymnast and the world’s best bars worker. I can’t wait to watch her compete in 2019!

In reading news, I hit my 2018 Goodreads Challenge last week! I’ve read 100 books so far this year, and I’m hoping to read several more before the year is out. I recently reread some of the books in the Patty Fairfield series by Carolyn Wells (published from 1902-1919), and that was simply delightful. They’re such light, humorous reads!

I was recently given these three gorgeous vintage copies:

Interestingly, all three volumes were previously owned by the same young lady, whose name was written in beautiful cursive in the front of each book. Being a genealogist (and insatiably curious!), I did a little searching on family history sites and uncovered some fascinating info about this fellow booklover, whose life seemed to mirror Patty’s remarkably! Not only was she also an only child and a fashionable debutante in a bustling city, but she looked almost exactly like the illustrations of Patty on these covers! 🙂 I wonder if someone gave her these books because of her amazing similarity to Patty. In any event, I love knowing a bit more about the former owner of my books!

I just finished reading The Mystery on Judy Lane, the brand-new book in the Judy Bolton series. The author, Beverly Hatfield, has gifted Judy fans with a wonderful companion volume to this awesome series. I loved reading this sweet Christmassy mystery, set between books #13 and #14.

I also recently found these vintage copies of two other books in the Judy series. The Mark on the Mirror is one of my very favorites!

Now I’m rereading Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery, and even though I’ve read it before, I’m having a hard time putting it down! 🙂 Also—stay tuned for my upcoming blog post on the Pat of Silver Bush series, which I consider to be perhaps Montgomery’s sweetest and coziest series of books.

Happy Reading!

I’m 4,000 words into my latest work-in-progress, a novella set in 1911 England. (A bit of trivia: my first historical story, written at age seven, was actually set in 1911 England. But there, the similarities of the two tales end.) 🙂

My last novel, entitled A Heart’s Memory, was set in a small English village on the cusp of World War II. I finished writing the first draft about a month ago, but I discovered that I wasn’t quite ready to leave England behind yet! So I chose this awe-inspiring nation as the setting for the novella I’m currently writing, which is called The Mistress of Half Moon Hall.

I polled my followers on Twitter to name the title of my novella, but it ended up tied between Half Moon Hall and Melody Hall. I ended up choosing the former:

Which estate name do you all like best? 🙂 The title of my new book will be “The Mistress of ______.” #amwriting #workinprogress

— Anna Rose Johnson (@GymnasticsRosie) August 9, 2018

Writing this story – which is currently feeling like a mash-up of Jane of Lantern Hill, Celia’s House, and Caldicott Place – is shaping up to be a perfect excuse to read through my old British issues of Victoria. This luscious, old-fashioned magazine has given me so many ideas for novels over the years, and the combination of sparkling photography and remarkable writing makes each issue very re-readable.

I’m so excited to continue working on this story, which will hopefully be available as an ebook this fall! (Or should I say ‘autumn’? After all, that sounds more British.) 🙂

CURRENTLY READING: A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery (This has made me laugh out loud more than once already!)

JUST FINISHED READING: Magic Elizabeth by Norma Kassirer (A middle grade novel from the 1960s featuring a lonely girl, time travel, and a mysterious old house. The story is a bit slow, but the writing is rich and beautiful.)

PLANNING TO READ NEXT: The House on the Cliff by D.E. Stevenson, Mine for Keeps by Jean Little, and Beany Malone by Lenora Mattingly Weber