Page 50 November 2 014 Longtime author finds new success with historic novel By Amanda Goossen Susan Crandall has published 10 novels in her 11 years as an author. In 2013 Crandall released her most successful novel yet, Whistling Past the Graveyard , set in Mississippi in 1963. Following 9-year-old Starla Claudelle, a tenacious girl determined to escape the confines of her grandmother’s strict home and find her mother who left her in search of fame and fortune in Nashville, TN, Whistling Past the Graveyard is a significant coming-of- age story. With an important lesson on the South in the 1960s, Whistling Past the Graveyard not only follows Starla’s journey to freedom, it also tells the story of the many others hoping to find freedom from the torturous circumstances they’ve been forced to endure. On November 20, the Arcadia News Book Club will host a Skype session with Susan Crandall at 7 p.m. at the Saguaro Library. To attend, email Amanda@ arcadianews.com. Arcadia News had the recent honor of talking with Susan Crandall about her life as an author and the success of her most recent novel. AN: Can you tell us a bit about your path to becoming a writer? SC: I’ve always loved getting lost in a novel, just never imagined getting lost in one of my own creation. I have a science degree and my previous career was in dentistry. When I was in my mid-30s (some years ago, now), my younger sister brought out a manuscript she’d been secretly working on and asked if I would help her whip it into shape. I was, of course, willing. It was a book after all and I was the older sister. She and I began our co-authoring. I soon discovered I did not possess the skill set necessary to create a marketable novel. But I set myself to learning (a wonderful journey in itself that brought some very dear people into my life). She and I wrote five novels together, all unpublished. I consider those [novels] my writing education. She moved away and started a career in real estate. By then I was totally hooked on writing, so I forged ahead. Back Roads (2003) was my first solo novel and my first published. AN: You’ve authored many popular novels over the past decade. How has your writing changed over time? SC: A large part of what I enjoy about writing is that I can always improve. I learn something with every book I write, as well as with every one of my critique partners’ books that I’m involved in. So I hope that I’m a better skilled storyteller than when I began. I’m an eclectic reader and I’ve always had a desire to tell a variety of types of stories, which is quite difficult when you’re just starting out publishing popular fiction. Your publisher wants (as do you as a writer) to build your audience. An important tool for doing that is to deliver similar stories in a similar genre. My first books were contemporary women’s fiction (a woman’s journey to find herself and her place in the world) laced with mystery or a touch of suspense. I’m now writing general fiction with many fewer restraints and loving it. AN: Since your first novel was published what has been the most significant change in the publishing business? SC: Publishing is in a huge time of change. I’d have to say the shrinking number of traditional publishers is one. Followed closely by the rise of the e-book. AN: What surprises you most being an author? What do you enjoy the most? SC: When you tackle that first novel, you assume it’ll get easier each time you write. That just isn’t the case. Every novel presents its own problems and difficulties. Each journey from idea inception to completed manuscript is different. It’s always an adventure. My favorite part of the writing process is what I call “wallowing in my work.” After I have a first draft of a scene, I like to go over it time and again, adding details, finding new forks in the road, crawling deeper into my characters’ heads. Doing research comes in a close second – it feeds the wallowing process. AN: After putting out books consistently every year, you took some time before publishing Whistling Past the Graveyard ? Why? SC: It goes back to that publisher expectation. I’d decided I wanted to write something entirely different. That required some serious decisions. I parted ways with my publisher. I ended up parting ways with an agent. And then I had to choose exactly what I wanted to write. Apparently, endless possibilities have a downside. It took me a while to make that decision. Then more time to experiment with exactly how I wanted to present it. There are so many choices when you begin a novel. I wanted to take my time and find the right combination. And then, there’s writing without a deadline, which leads to lollygagging. AN: Whistling Past the Graveyard is a historically rich novel following characters from very different backgrounds. Were you always interested in writing about this time period? SC: I’m a lover of history, all history. For me every novel begins with the characters. Spunky Starla was chirping in my ear for some time before I began writing. Her search for maternal love, the one thing every child needs, was the jumping off point. The time period evolved as I developed strategy for upping the conflict. And once I decided Starla was going to run away, I wanted to go back to a time when children weren’t watched as closely; before Amber Alerts and cellphones and the Internet. I’m not saying a child cannot disappear today, but for my story idea to work, I needed another time setting. Plus, I remembered the 60s. Although it was quite eye opening to do the research and compare my 7-year-old perception with reality. AN: Starla is a very likable character, despite her precocious and impulsive behavior. What do you like most about Starla? SC: I love her compassion and her bravery. She often makes the wrong decision, but her heart is always in the lead. AN: Whistling Past the Graveyard has been very successful, including a Target Book Club Pick. With all the accolades, how did you celebrate? SC: Watching this book being so well received and well loved is like watching a child find the road to true happiness. These characters are very special to me and it’s been hard to let them go. The success this book has had keeps them close in my life. And that makes every day a celebration. I do share a glass of wine with family and friends when something remarkable happens. I’ve been going through quite a lot of wine. BOOK OF THE MONTH Whistling Past the Graveyard BY SUSAN CRANDALL SCHOOL AGE BOOKS By Dan Wirtel DEMONOSITY BY AMANDA ASHBY Celeste Gibson, a girl who goes to Cassidy Carter-Lewis’ high school, has an ancient force inside her called the Black Rose and it has recently been set free. She meets Thomas Delacroix who is a spirit of a knight who protects the Black Rose, but he needs a human to help him. So he gets help from a girl named Cassidy. She’s an odd high school student who doesn’t want to help Thomas. She just wants to hang out with her best friend and take care of her father, who is recovering from surgery. But she doesn’t get a choice in the matter. CITY OF BONES BY CASSANDRA CLARE Clary Fray is a 15-year-old girl who witnessed a murder at the Pandemonium Club in New York City. The strangest thing, however, was that three teenagers did it and they all had tattoos and odd weapons. Even though she saw it happen, she doesn’t have enough proof to tell the police because the teenagers disappeared and the body of the “boy” vanished after his death. She will soon discover that the Sight is the meaning of it all. Dan Wirtel is an avid reader and a sophomore at Valley Lutheran High School. A rcadiaNews.com Papago. Zoo. Botanical Garden. Your Arcadia parks. Susan Crandall

Page 51 November 2 0 14 ARCADIA SPORTS Makings of a strong season for Arcadia High football By Nicholas Smith Photo by NTK Photography After a 2013 campaign that produced a 5-5 record, the Arcadia Titans set a goal of having a winning season this year. “Our goal isn’t just to win,” said Coach Lenny Abt. “It’s to consistently keep that winning going.” Through the first five games of the season, the Titans were well on their way to achieving that goal. They won all five contests, equaling their win total from a season earlier. But it wasn’t just that they won. Arcadia dominated their opponents. They shut out the first two challengers and only one opposing team scored more than 13 points against them. The offense did their job as well. The Titans did not score less than 30 in any game and three times scored over 50 points. In the first five games, Arcadia’s average margin of victory was over 37 points a game. For fans hopeful that Arcadia will be one of the up-and-coming football schools in the state, the start could not have been better. But no season goes off completely without a hitch. And the last two weeks have been a rough return to Earth for the Titans. On October 2, the Titans suffered their first loss of the season, a 44-14 beat down at the hands of Paradise Valley. The loss took place at home and Paradise Valley’s 37 first half points were too great an obstacle for Arcadia to overcome. The team was upbeat at practice the following week, confident that they would get back on track for their road game against Chaparral. But the game wasn’t much better than the previous contest. Arcadia ended up on the short end of a 31-6 score. This time it was the offense that suffered, as the Titans went the first three quarters without scoring. With the playoffs coming in November, Arcadia hopes to get back to the kind of football that made them so dominant in September. The team has proven that it has the talent to win and to win big. Now it needs to prove that it can overcome adversity. Arcadia High cheerleaders root for the team which hopes to improve on last season’s record. Complete Building and Design Services for All Residential Remodeling Projects Residential Remodeling General Contractor Designing and building in Central Phoenix and Arcadia for over 20 years 7120 N. 12th Street www.arcadiadb.com 602.577.5005 Free Estimates • Free Professional Designs Room Additions • Guest Houses • Major Remodeling • City Ready Blueprints 20% OFF all windows and doors with any size room addition Bonded • Insured Licensed ROC #237983 KACHINA Quality Dry Cleaning 602-955-5540 3926 E. Indian School Road Arcadia Family Owned & Operated Since 1959 Home & Office Pickup & Delivery Available live love arcadia