Interview with Jenny Storm!

Hello All,

My fellow writing colleague and good friend, Jenny Storm, is here to talk to us about her new YA release, DIXIE DUST RUMORS. Be sure and check out the Jenny Storm webpage by clicking here. Here’s a quick blurb about her upcoming book from eTreasures Publishing, available in ebook now. Click here to purchase your copy today!

Who could be luckier than a young girl whose father trains racehorses? That is, until
false accusations could cause the loss of not only their livelihood and the horses they
love, but their dreams. Due to the belief that horse racing is a crooked sport, even
unsubstantiated rumors can be fatal to a trainer’s career.

Twelve-year-old Rose Olen is
determined to find out why a journalist printed innuendos that make her father’s
business practices sound unethical without checking facts. Aided by her friends Maya
Sanchez and Libby Kim, and her younger brother Simon, they investigate the charges
and come up with a scheme to foil the reporter. They juggle responsibilities at school,
the contempt and ridicule from other students, and responsibilities at the track as they
search for the truth behind the Dixie Dust Rumors.

And here's a Q&A with Jenny Storm:

What was the inspiration for this book?

JS: Several years ago, an excellent jockey was accused of impropriety in a big race by
a so-called journalist with only two published articles to his name. It was ridiculous and
infuriating, a way for this pseudo-journalist to get attention during a prominent race. Any
four-year-old could see there was nothing to the story. The racing community
investigated, as they must, and the jockey was cleared. But the days and weeks during
the investigation gave the vindictive ample opportunity to unfairly malign the horse, the
jockey, the trainer, the owners, etc. The situation made me angry. I’d wanted to write a
YA set against horse racing, and I started playing the “what if?” game. The story came
together very quickly, although, as it developed, it unfolded very differently than what
inspired it. Which is as it should be -- I’m writing fiction!

This is your first Young Adult novel. What inspired you to write YA?

JS: I’ve always loved reading YA, and I wanted to write something along the lines of what I read. I didn’t want it to be too saccharine, the way some of them are, but not too dark, either, the way so many YA go recently.

Is there a specific inspiration behind the character names in your story? What is your process for character name selection?

JS: The characters often come to me already named. Sometimes, in fantasy, I’ll look in a particular culture and find a name with a particular meaning relevant to the story, but in DIXIE DUST, the characters arrived and told me who they were.

What research did you do for this story?

JS: It grew out of the writing I already did about horse racing, and the time I spent at the race track. It’s difficult to be in that world – a very demanding life. Everything you do is scheduled around the needs of the horses. A lot of the research was spent hanging out seeing how a day works. I changed a few things to serve the needs of the story and the focus on how what happens at the track affects Rose and Simon at school, but in the life of someone in this profession, the horses must always come first.

Your protagonist is a twelve-year old girl. Was it difficult to “get into” Rose’s head?

JS: Not really. I think she’s emotionally younger than a lot of girls her age nowadays. She’s more like the 12 year olds back when I was 12 – which is quite awhile ago! ;) She’s got a good sense of right and wrong, and she’s very compassionate. Sometimes, she’s too compassionate, seeing all sides of an issue and worrying. She must be a Libra!

Were there any particular challenges you faced while writing this book?

JS: I wanted to keep it on the younger, more innocent side of the age range, just because there’s so much in the darker, grittier, more realistic (even in paranormal) arena. I didn’t want to “write down” to anyone, but I wanted my characters to still get to be kids, which I think a lot of kids don’t get to do anymore. There’s interest in dating and boys and crushes and all of that, but she and her friends aren’t sneaking around having sex in the basement. It’s not yet an issue for them, even though there are plenty of twelve-year-olds out there having sex. She’s simply not one of them. She understands how all the piece fit together, but she’s not at the point where she’s ready to experiment. Rose has a lot of household responsibilities someone her age might not otherwise have because her mom died, her Dad has to be at the track at all hours, and she’s got a younger brother. She does a lot of the cooking, she worries about running the house. But I didn’t want her to try to dress like a pop star or spend all her time at the mall, either. Honestly, most of the teen and about-to-be teens I come into contact with might act like they don’t care about much, but they’re very politically and socially aware and active. I was in a mall last week (oh horrors) to get something at the Apple Store, and a group of young teens were wandering around talking about the conflict in Iran, really discussing it, following it on Twitter, etc. There’s a real sense of social justice emerging in that age group that I don’t feel is represented very often. On the other hand, I didn’t want to preach. As I sad before, she’s more like a twelve-year old of the 1970s than a twelve-year old post 9/11. I wanted to give her a lot of room to grow.

Honestly, I worried more about language, etc. because parents tend to freak out more than kids. We weren’t allow to swear at home (my father said it was a lazy mis-use of language – take the time to find the word with the actual meaning you want to convey rather than slotting in a curse). I was never forbidden to read ANYTHING growing up, but I had to be prepared to discuss it in depth, and my parents would explain why they disagreed with something in a book, whether it was on a level of value or ethics or language or whatever. Too often, parents believe if they forbid their kids to read something, they’re protecting them. The truth is, if the kid wants to read it, he or she will find a way. You might as well encourage it and then discuss why it doesn’t fit in with your own beliefs.

It is clear you are fond of horses and horseracing. How did this come about?

JS: I’ve loved horses since I was a little kid, although I didn’t get a chance to learn how to ride until I was 15, and I haven’t ridden much since. I’d have to go back and start from scratch. I love the individual personality of each horse, the unique qualities, the beauty. People don’t realize how intelligent most horses are. They are prey, not predators, so they respond to the world in that way, but they are also capable of enormous trust and love. And most horses have a tremendous sense of humor. There are definitely things that need to be changed and improved in the sport, but, at its best, it’s pretty wonderful.

Other than thoroughbreds, my other favorite breed of horse is the Morgan. I want to write more about Morgans in the future. Talk about curious and funny – they’re spectacular.

Jenny Storm publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction.
She’s been a fan of thoroughbred racing since she was seven years old, and has written about the sport since 1999. She loves and collects YA mystery series from the early 20th century, such as Nancy Drew, Beverly Gray, Judy Bolton, Ruth Fielding, et al. She wanted to grow up to be either Nancy Drew or Beverly Gray, but writing many characters’ adventures is even better. Visit her webpage:
www.devonellingtonwork.com/jennystorm.html and her MySpace page:
www.myspace.com/jennystormya.