Ask the authors!

[Cynthia]

Welcome to the group! Tara and Christina will be answering questions throughout the day on Friday, April 8th in this thread only. In the meantime if you have a question for the authors or just want to introduce yourself feel free to do so in this thread.

[Chris]

Hello! My wife and I foster in Maine and both enjoyed reading Orphan Train and would like to know if Christina Baker Kline is a foster parent.

[Cailey]

Hello. I'm a librarian and my book club just read "The House Girl" and we wanted to know if Josephine was based on any particular person you encountered in your research? Or was she a combination of characters?

[Merrilee]

I found the story of Josephine in House Girl very compelling and heartbreaking. At the end of the book, I wished I could know more about Carolina's mother, Grace. How could she abandon her child? What has she been doing all the years since she left and what happens after Carolina makes that phone call to her. I wonder if Tara is going to tell this story in another book?

[MK]

I'm a fan of both of these books! The House Girl is still tbr for me, but Orphan Train I read when I picked it up on a kindle daily deal last year. LOVED it! I never really knew much about those orphan trains - just a reference in one of the Little House books I faintly remembered, from when I read them when I was a kid. Wagon trains, those were, of course.

The book club at my local library (in Maine!) will be reading Orphan Train in May. I will happily enjoy re-reading it with them :)

[Becky]

My book group read and enjoyed "Orphan Train" but we were all wondering why Vivian would give up her child. First of all, she was all the remained of her beloved spouse. Secondly, after Vivian herself was abandoned, would she want the same for her child?

[Nada]

I read and absolutely loved The House Girl. Are you working on a new book? If so, will it pick up on some of the characters in The House Girl?

The Orphan Train is a history I know very little about. I look forward reading it. I like the idea of suggesting it to my book club.

[Angela M]

Orphan Train was one of my favorite books read last year . I loved the way it blended the past and present and I appreciated learning about something in our history that I knew nothing about . I was very moved by the story .
I would like to ask Christina when we can expect a new book and if she can give us hint of what it's about .


I not only have , House Girl on my tbr but it's on my kindle and I hope to get to it soon. Just wanted to let Tara know I am looking forward to her book .

[Lois]

Being from MN I especially loved the "Orphan Train". I to wonder why she would give her daughter away. But was very happy with the reunion. Will you continue with the character in your next book?

[Janet]

Tara, I really enjoyed The House Girl, thank you for writing an excellent novel. There were definitely some surprises in there and I do appreciate a book that has the unexpected! I'm interested in learning what idea/s inspired you to write this book initially? How did you take that idea/s and form it into the story you ended up with? Did you have any major "bumps" where you changed directions in your storyline?

Christina, I have not read Orphan Train, but hope to in the future.
My questions are general enough you could answer for your fans also!

[Shannon]

While I have not yet read House Girl, I have read Orphan Train. I picked this up at my library as soon as I saw it. I'm from the Midwest....Kansas, to be exact, and my late grandfather told me years ago that I need to go see the orphan train museum where he grew up in Concordia. It was one of the best books I've ever read, and it sparked my interest in learning more about the subject. I suggest it to all of my bookworm friends! Looking forward to reading the group discussion here.

[Sandi]

I did not get to the Orphan Train but I will say that my ancestors took on the care of an Orphan from the trains made me proud. I did read the House Girl and liked it two very good books thanks for that I will keep reading.thanks for answering questions. It shows that your interested in your readers. Very good keep it up both of you. Sandi. Reals

[Deniece]

I had read the reviews on the book, Orphan Train, and was looking forward to reading it. The book did not disappoint and I am looking forward to enjoying it with my book club as my selection. I wanted to ask the author what was her inspiration to join both the elderly woman with the young girl. I really enjoyed the combination and how they could both relate to one another and their own lives.

[Lauren]

Thanks for coming by to answer our questions!

I had the opportunity to read an ARC of The House Girl in November 2012. I particularly enjoyed Josephine and the 1850s passages. What led you to incorporate Lina and her research, rather than directly telling Josephine's tale?

Thanks so much!

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves)]

I'm a big fan of historical fiction and I really enjoyed Orphan Train. I had been hoping to get the chance to read it since I saw it featured in last years GR Book Awards, I just never expected to see it available at my library so soon. I was very pleased for you that it had made it's way all the way over to Australia.

My question is: during your research, did you get the chance to meet any of the orphan train survivors?

[Tammy]

I picked up the House Girl by pure accident. It was displayed at my local library by one of the staff members and I have to say, it's absolutely in my Top 10 favorite books !! I just read it about 1 1/2 months ago and I enjoyed it so very much.
One question I have for Tara Conklin is where did you come up with this idea ? Had you heard of this happening or was this just something you thought might be intriguing? I'd like to know if you plan on writing any more novels similar to this ? It was such an easy and compelling read that I found it hard to put down. I look forward to your next novel. Thank you !!!!

[Debbie]

I loved House Girl. I actually "listened" to the book and found myself doing a lot more driving just so I could keep listening. I found all the characters interesting and liked how you brought the two time periods together. My question? Are you working on a new book and when will it be out?

I am eager to read Orphan Train and have ordered it from my local library!

[Destanye]

I read the House Girl and immediately fell in love with the story. i thought the reparations act was a wonderful way to dive into the past while still keeping the main story line current. I compared this a little bit to the help in the aspect of a caucasian lady helping to show talent in the arts among black people when they couldn't get credited for their work in their day in age (like in the help they got paid but they wrote the book anonymously etc. no one knew who they were etc.). Why was it significant to make the lawyer of the reparations case a caucasian woman, I felt that she was more wholehearted and into it than her black counterpart who worked with her and why was that?

[Sophie]

I read The Orphan train, being something I wouldn't usually read and LOVED it so so so very much, and The House Girl is on my reading to do list. I'd like to ask a question not about the books, but about publishing books (as both of you being authors would have had much experience with).

I absolutely love reading and writing books. It's what I've always loved to do, since I can remember. I know I am very young, but that never the less intrigues and prompts me to learn how I would go to get one of my own books published? I've written many short stories and started novels myself but seem to have little motivation as I am unaware of what to do next in terms of publishing a story, despite the masses research I have undergone. I hope I am able to leave my mark on the world with my writing, and know I will regret it if i never follow through and I was hoping you could educate me on how you did it yourselves and what you'd suggest I do. I've considered writing stories on watt pad or other writing applications but fear it will get me no where.

Thank you so very much and I am looking forward to reading more of your INCREDIBLE writings in the future. I also apologise imencly for many of my atrocious spelling mistakes :) xx

[Maureen]

Becky wrote: "My book group read and enjoyed "Orphan Train" but we were all wondering why Vivian would give up her child. First of all, she was all the remained of her beloved spouse. Secondly, after Vivian he..."

hi, Becky and Christina. This plot development was also problematic for our book group. we all felt that she would not trust that her child would be treated properly.

[Paige]

I assumed Vivian had attachment issues. That idea would not have been exactly stated in the book at the time that part of the story took place because society wasn't aware of attachment issues and adoptees then. Just my theory. P.

[Janice]

Both these books were chosen by my Book Club last year, and both were five star reads for me.

For Ms. Kline, did you visit the Orphan Train museum in Kansas during your research? My husband and I are planning a trip there soon.
I spent my career working in the child welfare field, and Vivan's decision to place her child for adoption did not seem that much different than many young women's decisions are in more recent times. Did you do any research into child welfare practices in the early 20th Century?

For Ms. Conklin: Tara's own emotional issues seemed to complicate her ability to focus on her goals, as often happens in real life. Will she be featured in any future novels? I would like to learn more about how these issues are resolved or continue to play out in her life.

[Mona]

Orphan Train: Christina "Why do we not know about this very significant event that took place for so many years. It not talked about in history classes at school and very little fiction and non fiction books have been written about this" (showing 0-0 of 0) (1.10 seconds)

[Mary]

Hi Christina. I loved your book. When you were writing, did it feel like you were writing TWO complete novels to be woven together?

[Jennifer]

Christina,
I too loved the Orphan Train and have kept a copy in my classroom recommending it to many students who are able to relate to Molly. While it is evident that you researched the concept of "orphan trains," I'm wondering what you did to prepare to capture the realistic voice of your teenage central figure. When the book came to a close, I, along with many of my students, did not want it to come to an end. Any chance of a Part II?

[Paige]

Dear Authors, I have not yet read House Girl. It looks captivating. A friend recommended Orphan Train to me as an adoptee. Although the circumstances of my 1962 adoption were quite different, I could relate to Vivian's need to comply and be loyal. I enjoyed the historical setting(s). I would love to hear more about how you research(ed) your settings and era(s) in time. Thanks! Paige

[Cecelia]

Christina,
I loved Orphan Train. Are you planning any more books about the Orphan Trains? I hope so!

[Christina]

I enjoyed reading the Orphan Train. The story was compelling. I had no idea about this section of American history.
When Vivian gives up her daughter though, I wanted to scream at her. How in the world would someone give up the child of their beloved, especially since Vivian herself was an orphan and had a ample experience with foster care. Her decision jarred me. I'm curious why you as the writer made this character choice for Vivian?

[Fiona]

Hello both authors i read both books very recently and enjoyed both i was wondering if you are going to write more books around the same time period

[Tawalni]

I read both books and absolutely loved them. My question to both authors was there a particular character that you identified with and why?

[Robin]

My book club chose The House Girl for our March selection . . . so we haven't met yet to discuss. What I loved most was the idea of freedom and your use of the word "run." Plotwise, I really enjoyed the discovery of Josephine -- her story. Throughout the narrative, I really thought that Lena would be connected in some way to The House Girl especially when she visited the museum and the woman (Dorothea?) that was helping her knew her dad. I'm curious about that back story . . . and how you chose to introduce another character, Jaspar, to be the actual line to Josephine instead of Lena. I imagine Lena and Jaspar continue that line ;) Have I got that right?

[Sharon]

I really enjoyed The House Girl and would like to know how you decided to make the defendant in the reparations case a male rather than female decendant?

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Mr. Pirkl wrote: "Hello! My wife and I foster in Maine and both enjoyed reading Orphan Train and would like to know if Christina Baker Kline is a foster parent."

I am not a foster parent, but I am involved with several foster-care organizations: CASA and Roots & Wings.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

MK wrote: "I'm a fan of both of these books! The House Girl is still tbr for me, but Orphan Train I read when I picked it up on a kindle daily deal last year. LOVED it! I never really knew much about those or..."

So happy to hear it!

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Becky wrote: "My book group read and enjoyed "Orphan Train" but we were all wondering why Vivian would give up her child. First of all, she was all the remained of her beloved spouse. Secondly, after Vivian he..."

On my website is a "book club" tab (www.christinabakerkline.com), and I answer this question there, in a "Top Ten Q's Book Clubs Ask" list. Here's what I say: There are a number of reasons Vivian gave up her daughter -- and truthfully, if I could, I would do a better job of articulating them in the novel. First, Vivian was despondent over Dutchy's death; she was grieving, vulnerable, and alone. Though Mrs. Nielsen has been kind, and loving in her way, she was not a nurturing presence. Vivian didn't trust that she had the capacity to take care of a child on her own, without the ballast of a loving husband. Second, as Vivian says she didn't want, "ever again, to experience the loss of someone I love beyond reason." Every person who had mattered deeply in her life had been taken away: her grandmother, her parents, her sister, Dutchy. Vivian was afraid that if she allowed herself to love this baby she would be setting herself up for another profound loss. And finally -- a number of train riders told me that they were afraid of becoming parents because they had no model for how to be good ones. They had been abused, abandoned, and put to work. Like children of alcoholics who fear becoming alcoholics themselves, and children of abuse who worry that they will become perpetrators, Vivian was terrified that not having grown up in a stable, nurturing environment, she wouldn't know how to create one herself.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Paige wrote: "I assumed Vivian had attachment issues. That idea would not have been exactly stated in the book at the time that part of the story took place because society wasn't aware of attachment issues an..."

Yes, absolutely, Paige. I gave a talk in California recently and there were three descendants of train riders in the audience. We had a discussion about exactly this. The train riders had to live with the traumatic legacy of abandonment, neglect, and often abuse. Many carried emotional scars.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Janice wrote: "Both these books were chosen by my Book Club last year, and both were five star reads for me.

For Ms. Kline, did you visit the Orphan Train museum in Kansas during your research? My husband and..."

Hi Janice - I didn't visit the Orphan Train Museum, but I am a huge fan of their website (and found them very helpful when I called!). The oral narratives they've collected are wonderful.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Mary wrote: "Hi Christina. I loved your book. When you were writing, did it feel like you were writing TWO complete novels to be woven together?"

I just answered this question on a different Goodreads thread, so forgive the repetition: I stumbled on the story of the orphan trains about a decade ago, visiting my mother-in-law in North Dakota. Her father, whom I never met, was featured in an article about train riders who ended up in Jamestown, ND. I was stunned to learn that more than 200,000 abandoned, neglected, or orphaned children had been sent from the East Coast to the Midwest on trains between 1954 and 1929. The idea of writing about this little-known part of American history percolated in my brain for years, as these things do. Then, about three years ago, I found the key I needed to unlock the narrative: an appealingly irascible 17-year-old with nothing to lose who pries the story out of a 91-year-old with a hidden past as a train rider. In the course of my research I read more than 300 first-person accounts and dozens of books, attended train-rider reunions and talked with half a dozen train riders (all between the ages of 90 and 100), and conducted research in Ireland, Minnesota, Maine and the Lower East Side. The greatest challenge was finding a way to weave together the first-person historical story and the third-person-limited present-day story. I knew I wanted the first-person story to end abruptly at a certain point and get swallowed up by the larger narrative. Making it all fit together in a way that linked the story arcs of the two main characters was complicated and thrilling.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Angela Always Reading wrote: "Orphan Train was one of my favorite books read last year . I loved the way it blended the past and present and I appreciated learning about something in our history that I knew nothing about . I w..."

The novel I’m working on now is inspired by the iconic and haunting American painting Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth, which hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christin...) Christina was a real person with an incredibly interesting life and history. The strange, forbidding house in the painting is on a remote point on the coast of Maine. I spent time there last summer. I want to tell Christina’s story: what was she doing in that field? What was she looking for? What did she find?

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Sarah (wants some answers from GR) wrote: "I'm a big fan of historical fiction and I really enjoyed Orphan Train. I had been hoping to get the chance to read it since I saw it featured in last years GR Book Awards, I just never expected to..."

I was privileged to talk to seven living train riders over the course of my research, and to read hundreds of nonfiction stories (oral histories, memoirs, and biographies). I feel so lucky to have stumbled on this story at a time when I COULD talk to them. One train rider in particular, 94-year-old Pat Thiessen, greatly influenced me. She talked about her experience with such vivid intensity. Even more than eight decades after she rode on a train, she could summon, and articulate, those feelings of loss and loneliness.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Sophie wrote: "I read The Orphan train, being something I wouldn't usually read and LOVED it so so so very much, and The House Girl is on my reading to do list. I'd like to ask a question not about the books, but..."

Sophie, I'm not sure how old you are, but my advice is to keep writing and eventually you will be ready to send things out to agents. Write, write, write. Finish a draft. Revise. Revise again. Keep going even when you want to despair. (I always think of Winnie-the-Pooh stuck in the rabbit hole: he can’t go back, so he has to go forward. At a certain point in the process of writing a novel it feels that way to me. Every time.) The single most imporant thing is to FINISH. Many extremely talented writers I know and have taught can’t seem to finish a manuscript. At a certain point they abandon it and start over. The dream is always so much more perfect than the reality.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Lois wrote: "Being from MN I especially loved the "Orphan Train". I to wonder why she would give her daughter away. But was very happy with the reunion. Will you continue with the character in your next book?"

I wrote (above) about the novel I'm working on now, which is unrelated, though it covers a similar time period. I don't know if I'll write about these characters again, though they have certainly stayed with me.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Deniece wrote: "I had read the reviews on the book, Orphan Train, and was looking forward to reading it. The book did not disappoint and I am looking forward to enjoying it with my book club as my selection. I wan..."

When you write novels you go on instinct much of the time. As I began writing about Molly, a 17-year-old Penobscot Indian foster child, believe it or not I didn’t immediately notice parallels to Vivian, a wealthy 91-year-old widow. But as I wrote my way into the narrative I could see that in addition to some biographical parallels – both characters have dead fathers and institutionalized mothers; both were passed from home to home and encountered prejudice because of cultural stereotypes; both held onto talismanic keepsakes from family members – they are psychologically similar. For both of them, change has been a defining principle; from a young age, they had to learn to adapt, to inhabit new identities. They’ve spent much of their lives minimizing risk, avoiding complicated entanglements, and keeping silent about the past. It’s not until Vivian – in answer to Molly’s pointed questions – begins to face the truth about what happened long ago that both of them have the courage to make changes in their lives.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Paige wrote: "Dear Authors, I have not yet read House Girl. It looks captivating. A friend recommended Orphan Train to me as an adoptee. Although the circumstances of my 1962 adoption were quite different, I ..."

Almost everything that happened in ORPHAN TRAIN actually happened to someone in real life (including, for example, the story of the boy who was traded by a farmer for a pig). Many train riders ended up with their names changed more than once, and many went into multiple homes. I didn't have to exaggerate; each real-life train rider story I heard or read was filled with drama, heartache, coincidence, and surprise. Some stories I heard were much more dramatic, in fact, than the one I told, but I didn't want to stretch credibility. It was important to me that a train rider or a descendant could read this novel and know that I told an accurate story. I fact-checked every aspect of the book, from the Children's Aid Society to the draft in World War II.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Tawalni wrote: "I read both books and absolutely loved them. My question to both authors was there a particular character that you identified with and why?"

Flaubert famously said, "Madame Bovary, c'est moi." I deeply identified with both Molly and Vivian as I wrote their stories.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Fiona wrote: "Hello both authors i read both books very recently and enjoyed both i was wondering if you are going to write more books around the same time period"

Hi Fiona - yes, my next novel takes place in the early-to-mid 20th century as well.

[Christina, Author of Orphan Train]

Christina wrote: "I enjoyed reading the Orphan Train. The story was compelling. I had no idea about this section of American history.
When Vivian gives up her daughter though, I wanted to scream at her. How in the w..."

I've answered this question elsewhere in the thread. (#35)

[Molly]

Hi, it's the publisher here! Book clubs: enter to win a trip for six to NYC to learn about the history behind Orphan Train. The trip includes airfare and accommodations for six plus visits to the Tenement Museum, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and more!

Enter here: http://t.co/aaGPZDPoB2

Increase your chances of winning by having your whole book club enter!

[Tara, Author of The House Girl]

Cailey wrote: "Hello. I'm a librarian and my book club just read "The House Girl" and we wanted to know if Josephine was based on any particular person you encountered in your research? Or was she a combination o..."

Hello Cailey, I'm in Seattle so am 3 hours behind Christina in joining the chat today - thanks for hanging in there with me! So Josephine: she is not based on a real person but several real-life figures did inspire her character, her art and her commitment to freedom. The first is Mary Bell, an African-American artist active in the early 1900s. Her parents had been enslaved and then after emancipation moved north. Mary worked as a house maid for a wealthy Boston family and made art where and how she could - using pencil, crayons and tissue paper commonly used for dress patterns. I was lucky enough to see some of her work at the Yale University Art Gallery many years ago when I was an undergraduate and was taken by her pictures and her story (she did not find success during her life and ultimately was committed to an asylum, where she died.) The memory of Mary Bell stayed with me over the years and I borrowed her surname for Josephine. The other is a woman named Elizabeth Mumbet Freeman who is buried in Stockbridge, Mass, the town where I grew up. She was enslaved and, after the Revolutionary War, she sued for her freedom in a Mass. court and won. She famously said: If I could trade my life for one minute of freedom, I would make that trade. Mumbet's strength of purpose also inspired Josephine. I wrote an essay about Mumbet for Powell's website if you are interested in learning more. http://www.powells.com/blog/original-... Thanks for the great question!

[Tara, Author of The House Girl]

Merrilee wrote: "I found the story of Josephine in House Girl very compelling and heartbreaking. At the end of the book, I wished I could know more about Carolina's mother, Grace. How could she abandon her child? ..."

Hi Merrilee, I have been asked this question a lot by readers. Grace is a bit of a cipher in the book, purposely so. I wanted her to be as mysterious to the reader as she is to Lina. I think that Grace struggled with the same sorts of challenges that face many (all?) new mothers - the difficulty of being responsible for this vulnerable child whom you love completely and yet you also mourn for the loss of your own freedom and independence and autonomous life. Most mothers, thankfully, find a way to strike a balance - Grace's choice is certainly a dramatic one, perhaps even unforgivable. I'm interested too in how Lina and Grace resolve their relationship, and if Lina does forgive her mother. Before publishing The House Girl, I had no thought of continuing their story - I felt as though they needed me to get out of the way so they could just talk things through. But maybe I will re-visit them for a future project... Stay tuned!