Inspiration, Heritage, and Family Connection; a Chat with Anna Rose Johnson, author of The Blossoming Summer

I'm so pleased today to welcome Anna Rose Johnson, whose newest novel, The Blossoming Summer, releases tomorrow! 

Here's the publisher's description of Anna Rose's book: 

Life in England is all Rosemary has ever known. . . but as WWII changes the world, no one’s life is left unscathed. Suddenly, she’s sent away to escape the devastation of London. Her grandmother’s house on Lake Superior is safe, but unfamiliar, especially as she discovers her parents have kept a tremendous secret.

Rosemary and her family are Anishinaabe—and no one is supposed to know.

Far from home but newly connected to a once-hidden part of her family, Rosemary develops a warm, close relationship with her grandmother… and a local boy whose love of gardening helps her to see the beauty in her unexpected circumstances. As Rosemary grows into her new life like a flower in bloom, she realizes that maybe she’s not as far from home as she thought. 

FEH: And now onto the interview! Hello, Anna Rose, and welcome! I absolutely loved The Blossoming Summer and can't wait for everyone to be able to read it. Can you share a little about some of your inspirations for this story? 

ARJ: I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The Blossoming Summer is the story of thirteen-year-old Rosemary, who is evacuated from WWII London to her grandmother's home in northern Wisconsin. When they arrive, she uncovers the hidden family truth—that they are of Ojibwe descent. This discovery leads her to embrace her heritage, forge new bonds, and find beauty in unexpected places. I’m very excited about it!
My inspiration for the book began when I was doing research on a family who was of Ojibwe and British descent and moved to England in the 1800s. I was very fascinated by that, and I began to think: what if I wrote a book about a girl with Ojibwe ancestry who had grown up in England and knew nothing about her heritage? Rosemary’s story began to percolate in my mind. I also knew that I wanted to write a novel that explored gardening, flowers, and the delight that comes from spending time in the natural world, and incorporating those elements in this book was one of the highlights of the writing process!
 
FEH: Did you have any favorite bits of research that never made it into the story? 

ARJ: Yes, actually I had some specific radio programs that I wanted the characters to listen to, and I’d done quite a bit of research to make sure I got everything correct, and then later when I switched the year the book is set, I had to remove those programs. It was sad, but I still had fun researching them. 
 
FEH: One of my favorite things about all your stories is the realistic families you write, and the very unique ways that they live out that family relationship. In The Blossoming Summer, Rosemary’s relationship with her brothers grows and develops as they work together in their grandmother’s garden. Can you talk about that a little? Is gardening a love you share with your own siblings? 

ARJ: Yes! My entire family has always enjoyed gardening, and we have so many favorite plants that we’ve grown over the years. I’m delighted that you enjoy the families in my stories! When I began brainstorming this book, I knew I wanted it to be a story that focused on a family that’s been apart for a long time, and that has some challenging dynamics. I have found that sometimes with grandparent-grandchild stories, sometimes the parent isn’t really in the picture, and I’ve often thought that it’s more interesting when you have all three generations to work with. (Sometimes I that parents aren’t always included in a story because it’s a way to cut down on characters, but I love big casts  of characters!
I really tried to explore the story from different angles, and to help make readers able to understand how Rosemary feels, how her dad is feeing, and what her grandmother’s perspective is. Every character has their own spin on the events of what’s happened and what’s going on now, and it all makes sense to them. But I also do try to leave some things a little more ambiguous. I feel like especially for a middle grade book, a child character is not always going to understand the entire backstory, so I try to bring in some realism that way.
 
FEH: Was it ever hard for you to keep track of the three very different families you wrote? I was so impressed by how each of them is a GOOD family—yet they are all so different. It reminded me that there is no one way to be a good family, but that we all just have to follow where God calls! 

​ARJ: This absolutely makes my day! I really strive to make each character and family distinct, so I’m delighted to hear you say that. I don’t have trouble keeping track of characters from book to book, because once I invent them, they’re very firmly planted in my mind. But I do try to ensure that each character is different enough from characters I’ve written in the past, because that’s probably what I worry about more than anything else when I’m in the brainstorming/early writing phase. But I do like refining characters, and I often try to think of new, unexpected angles… I always look for contradictions with my characters. It’s my little trick: I try to find at least one thing about a character that does not seem to go with the rest of them, and that usually makes them click into place for me.
 
FEH: In the story, Rosemary learns of her heritage through her grandmother, though her father had kept it a secret, and learns to honor it through language and tradition. Do you and your siblings have any special way of honoring your Ojibwe heritage? Was it always part of your life? 

ARJ: It’s really been a delight to be able to write about characters who share my Ojibwe heritage, as I’ve done with all three of my books now. I’m a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and it has been very interesting to explore my heritage through my writing. One of the major ways that I stay connected to my heritage is to learn from my tribe, and a few years back they had a language conference that was fascinating because I was able to learn from tribal elders. My family and I have learned some Anishinaabemowin, and I’ve had the chance to work with one of the language specialists at our tribe. She’s helped me with all of my books, to make sure that I’m getting the Ojibwe words correct—so that’s been very special to me! And it’s been wonderful to hear from some tribal members who have read my books, so I’m happy that people are enjoying them. 
 
FEH: Switching tacks from this particular story to writing in general, what is a piece of writing advice that you would like to share with aspiring writers among this blog's readership? 

ARJ: I think that a lot of writers wonder if they should be a discovery writer or an outliner, and I’ve found that you can do an in-between method. I try to make sure that I have all of the main elements of story structure in place when I begin writing, or at the very least, I know the main plot points that will comprise Act 1. These days, I like to divide the book into Act 1, Part 1 of Act 2, Part 2 of Act 2, and Act 3. Breaking a book down into four sections makes it so much more manageable for me, and I think it can be a really helpful method.
 
FEH: My readers may know already that you and I share a deep love for vintage children's books. What are five vintage books that fans of your books might like to discover? 

ARJ: I think that if you like my books, you would probably enjoy Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery, the Mitchells books by Hilda van Stockum (starting with The Mitchells: Five for Victory), Heaven to Betsy by Maud Hart Lovelace, and The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright!

FEH: Anna Rose, thank you so much for this lovely interview, and congratulations on The Blossoming Summer! I can't wait for everyone to read it and fall in love with Rosemary's story as I have.