Today’s special guest is young adult author Dianne Beck and we’re chatting about her new YA fiction, Finding True North.
Check out her other tour dates with RABT Book tours, below.
Bio:
Dianne Beck has spent most of her career teaching students ranging from kindergarten through adult and currently works as a high school youth director at her church. In each of these roles, she hopes to encourage students to be their own unique selves, to have confidence in who they are, and to follow their passions.
Dianne’s debut young adult novel Sticks and Stones, winner of multiple awards, was inspired by her years of teaching, where she saw how an understanding ear and relevant literature could make a significant impact on students’ lives. She hopes young people and adults can find faith and strength in her stories.
Welcome, Dianne. Please tell us about your current release.
North Carolina Simon hates her name. As a fourteen-year-old girl growing up in the 1970s, she has a lot of challenges. People not only make fun of her name, but also scoff at her eccentric family. Dad’s a hoarder, Mom’s an unpredictable artist, and her older sister lives with an autism diagnosis. After a humiliating middle school event shatters her confidence as a singer, North determines to break free from the stigma surrounding her family.
As she starts high school, North tells people to call her Carol. Armed with a new name, she updates her hair and clothes, befriends a popular boy in hopes of joining his band, distances herself from her two longtime friends, and avoids being seen with her adoring and dependent sister. Everything seems to be going according to plan until her sister suddenly disappears. Carol is forced to face the fact that fitting in and being popular have come at a cost, and that the sister she might lose could have the answer to what she’s been looking for all along.
Finding True North is a prequel to Sticks and Stones, but each can be read as stand-alone novels.
What inspired you to write this book?
I am always inspired by the young people I work with and with this book in particular I wanted to write a story that would encourage them to follow their dreams and be themselves. While this is a YA book, it is really for anyone of any age because I believe we all can fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others or thinking less of ourselves than we should. My main character, North, faces a number of relatable and challenging obstacles, as we all do, and ultimately gains strength where she least expects it. I hope her story encourages my readers to see the good in themselves and in others who they may not normally notice or appreciate.
Excerpt from Finding True North:
North Carolina Simon – May 1974
Chapter 1
After the three-mile trek home from Sage Hill Middle School in the near ninety-degree heat, I stood at the edge of our walkway and wished I felt relieved to be home. The house looked like nearly every other one in the west valley suburbs of Los Angeles. The mowed lawn, a couple rose bushes, and a white picket fence with a creaky gate made it appear so nice and normal, but I knew the inside told a very different story.
I took a deep breath before I opened the front door, hoping the scent of the roses would stick with me when I entered. I could hear the television blasting, and above that my older sister Aria cawing. Yes, cawing, like a crow, one of her new favorite birds. When a baby crow recently fell from its nest into our yard, she was amazed by the tender care its mother gave it. On the day that baby crow flew away, she stared out the window and said, “I used to think crows were sort of noisy and annoying, but they’re so special. That mama crow never gave up on her baby.”
I hoped she’d find a new bird to mimic soon, one with a sweeter sound, but once she had a favorite, it usually stayed in her rotation of sounds for a while.
The door stopped short, blocked by a stack of newspapers, magazines and books in the way. I waited to see how long it might take my mother, Belinda Simon, to notice me. Surrounded by bottles of oil paint, she was deeply focused on a large canvas, a paintbrush in her hand.
Aria noticed me first. “North! You’re home!” She ran over to me, her arms outstretched, flapping them like wings. “Caw!” She cried one last time as she jumped in front of me and closed her arms around me in a tight hug. “How was your day?” she said without loosening her hold.
No matter how bad my day was, this welcome from my big sister always made me smile. As I hugged her, I heard the television blast another unpleasant headline. “A shootout at a home in south Los Angeles. We’ll take you live to the scene after the commercial break.” I thought about how much happier people would be with an Aria in their life. All their anger might melt away long enough to stop all their useless violence.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m working on my next book in this series. Since this was a prequel to Sticks and Stones, I have a rough outline of the sequel, which would continue the story of those Sticks and Stones characters. But, there’s also quite a bit of story to tell of North’s life between the end of Finding True North and Sticks and Stones. I guess that simply means I have two more books in the works, and we’ll see which one comes first!
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve loved writing since I was a child, and have often been told by others that they enjoy my writing, so it feels like I’ve considered myself a writer for a very long time. I will say that it was my 5th Grade teacher, Mrs. Ledbetter, who first made me feel like I might be good at writing. She wrote on a report I wrote for her that I was a beautiful writer, asked if she could save it as a sample, and read it to the class. I felt so honored! I owe a lot of my motivation to keep writing to her. She’s proof of the positive impact a teacher can have on a student.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I try to write every day, even if it’s a simple journal entry, but it’s not my only job. I also work as a part-time high school youth director at my church in addition to being a mom of 4 adult children, a wife, and a dog mom to my shar pei-labrador, Max!
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I like to write about unique and quirky characters and show how they impact others positively. I also like adding small details and cultural references in my stories that help readers understand the setting and time in which the story is set.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a teacher, which I was for years prior to my current position.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I hope they enjoy my books, and that they always know the value of being themselves; our uniqueness is what makes this world a beautiful and better place.
Blog Tour Stops:
January 30 – RABT Book Tours – Kick Off
January 31 – Momma Says to Read or Not to Read – Spotlight
February 1 – Momma and Her Stories – Excerpt
February 2 – Stormy Nights Reviewing – Spotlight
February 3 – Paws. Read. Repeat – Review
February 4 – Phoebe’s Randoms – Review
February 6 – Matters That Count – Spotlight
February 7- Book Reviews by Virginia Lee – Spotlight
February 8- The Avid Reader – Interview
February 9 – Crossroad Reviews – Spotlight
February 10 – Texas Book Nook – Review
February 11 – Liliyana Shadowlyn – Spotlight
February 13 – Book Corner News and Reviews – Spotlight
February 14 – HERE!
February 15 – Nana’s Book Reviews – Spotlight
February 16 – Novel News Network – Review
February 17 – Candlelight Reading – Excerpt
February 20 – A Life Through Books – Interview
February 23 – Bibliophile – Review
February 24 – Valerie Ullmer – Excerpt
February 27 – The Indie Express – Review
February 28 – RABT Reviews – Wrap Up