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Stealing Liberty
Author Q&A: Jennifer Froelich - Stealing Liberty
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Thank you for hosting me! I hope everyone will have a lot of questions for me today, but first, I have a question for all of you!Stealing Liberty features and ensemble cast of young characters named Reed Paine, Xoey Stone, Riley Paca, Sam Hayward, Oliver Penn, Paisley Hart and Adam Quincy. Can anyone figure out where I got their last names?
Jennifer wrote: "Thank you for hosting me! I hope everyone will have a lot of questions for me today, but first, I have a question for all of you!Stealing Liberty features and ensemble cast of young characters na..."
I'll start with a couple and let others guess the rest.
Oliver Penn -- it has to be William Penn, the most famous philosopher among the Quakers.
Adam Quincy -- I'd say it refers to John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, who later served several terms in Congress and joined the abolitionist movement.
Jennifer wrote: "...first, I have a question for all of you!Stealing Liberty features and ensemble cast of young characters names..."
Very clever use of names. I'm not sure I would have caught that reading the novel, but it's cool.
Now you'll have me googling the names.... Thomas Paine (ungoogled). Are the names chosen like that for fun, or are they relatives? Similar characters to the real life people?
You are right -- or on the right track! You can find all of their last names on the Declaration of Independence. They were all signers (Although, I did just flip things around a little with John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams, to create the name Adam Quincy, just for fun.)
I have another one for you: where did I come up with the name "Windmill Bay" for the prison school where the kids are incarcerated?
No idea. I remember being curious when I read it last month about that, and Googling, but I was too impatient to dig deeper than the first page (which was a resort in Greece).
I looked up Guantanamo on a map. One of the adjacent bays is called Windmill Bay.
This book sound great! Where did you come up with the premise for this story?
Thanks Wendy! I love history, and often try and relate to historic events by imaging them as if they were happening during my lifetime. So Stealing Liberty is actually a patchwork quilt of history retold, combining real scenarios from ancient Rome, the French Revolution, the Civil War, World War II, Midcentury Scotland, etc. but imagined in a future without the liberties we often take for granted.
For example, during the 1950s, Scottish college students broke into Westminster Abbey and stole the Stone of Scone, which had been built into the English throne to demonstrate British dominion over Scots. It was ultimately returned, but a swell of Scottish pride followed the theft. When I read about it, I thought: what if something like that happened in America?
My characters are completely original, but if anyone were to say, "that could never happen" I can probably reply, "it already did."
The biggest question anyone would ask after reading the book is: when can I read the next one?
Love the premise and the characters names. Can't wait to read your book.
Bailey wrote: "The biggest question anyone would ask after reading the book is: when can I read the next one?"The pressure is on! I am about halfway through writing the sequel. :)
Tina wrote: "Love the premise and the characters names. Can't wait to read your book."Thank you Tina! I hope you enjoy it.
I'm wondering how much research you had to do as far as delving into the past, to write a story that takes place in the future.
I did a lot, but I also had the benefit of picking and choosing what I wanted to use and what I didn't. :)
I know it's a bit late to be asking, but I'm curious after reading all the posts, what is your favorite period of history?
Brett wrote: "I know it's a bit late to be asking, but I'm curious after reading all the posts, what is your favorite period of history?"World War II.
Why WW II? The battles, the people, the era?
I almost explained, and then I felt overwhelmed. I think that sums up why it fascinates me. The world was overwhelmed by evil. Spreading from Germany, spreading from Russia, spreading from Japan... even spreading in America. I don't know how we survived as a species. I am not sure how we came out the other side to live at peace. So I try to understand by examining the stories, the individual parts of this incredible period in history. As various dark times come our way again, and I begin to worry about my kids and their future, I look back and think, "humanity survived. We can do it again if we have to."
When Reed Paine is sent to a secret detention school for teens whose parents are branded enemies of the state, he doesn’t expect to find friendship – especially after coming face to face with Riley Paca, a girl who has every reason to hate him.
But when Reed, Riley and a few others start reading the old books they find in tunnels under the school, they begin to question what they are taught about the last days of America and the government that has risen in its place.
Then the government decides to sell the Liberty Bell and Reed and his friends risk everything to steal it – to take back their history and the liberty that has been stolen from them.
I'll turn it over now to Jennifer to share some tidbits about the book and people are free to ask her questions.
As always, you may revisit previous Q&A threads to ask authors questions if you miss a week. Thank you!