Favorite Author Friday: Joyce Moyer Hostetter

This week's favorite author is Joyce Moyer Hostetter.  It is an interesting twist that I have never actually meet her.  I feel like I have from reading her books, her blog and "talking" on e-mail, but meeting in person is still on my "to-do" list.   Joyce is the author of several great books of historical fiction:. BLUE, COMFORT (Blue sequel),HEALING WATER and BEST FRIENDS FOREVER.  Sometimes historical fiction books get a bad reputation as being boring.  Joyce's books are not boring!  Instead her books are great stories with great characters that are set in interesting times and situations.  The fact that you learn history too is just an extra bonus when reading her books.  And I like that kind of bonus! 
I hope you get to check out some of Joyce's great books soon!

What advice do you have for kids who want to be writers?

Read a lot! Write a lot! Revise, even more!

What is your current favorite book (can be a kid or adult book) and what was your favorite as a kid?

I think The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank is always going to be my favorite book.

Do you have a favorite Newbery winner?

Hmmmm – tough decision. Maybe Out of the Dust. Or Jacob Have I Loved.

When and where do you write?

Every morning, I take my laptop to a recliner with a cup of coffee. And after checking email and reading blogs (including Laura’s Life!) I start writing. Later I take my laptop to my desk, or the dining room table, with me in the car while my hubby drives, and even to my treadmill. If I have to leave the computer I keep writing in my head – imagining dialogue or thinking through what needs to happen next in my story. So, in some ways, I am always writing.

What are you working on now or having coming out soon we can look forward to?

I’m writing a book on war and peace. It feels complicated to me and I’ve been struggling for several years to tell this story effectively.

 How many bookcases do you have?

I love this question. Hmmm let me see. Eight. And I also have boxes of books in my attic.

 How much research is involved in writing historical fiction?

Infinity! Seriously, it never ends. I start by reading everything I can about my subject. This gives me a feel for the overall story. From this research I begin to plot my story. I read the whole time I am writing it and all during revisions. By the time the book is published I am so hooked on the subject that I keep reading and learning. All this ongoing research comes in handy when I do school visits and public speaking.

What historical event would you most like to write about?

 I would love to write about the construction and the fall of the Berlin Wall. If only I could do research in the German language. Sigh….

Do you have a favorite time period? Do you wish you could live in another time?

I like writing about the first half of the 20th century. But I don’t want to go back to any other time. I like computers too much. And indoor bathrooms. And flying to other parts of the world.