Interview with
Kathleen McAlpin Blasi

Author of
A Name of Honor and Are Organized Sports Better for Kids Than Pickup Games?
Published by Mondo Publishing, August 2006

KOA: You are simultaneously coming out with two books this summer; A Name of Honor is fiction, and Are Organized Sports Better for Kids Than Pickup Games? is nonfiction. Do you primarily see yourself as a fiction writer, or a nonfiction writer?

Kathleen Blasi: I see myself as more of a story-teller. Even with my non-fiction book, I wove a story element into it because I thought it was dry without it. That was a lot of fun. I prefer fiction, particularly fiction that is based in fact. I love having a nugget and running with it. There’s so much in life that is predictable and regimented. I love that I have no idea where an idea or story will take me. I like the “alternate” story. For instance, I visited the Susan B. Anthony House with my daughters. It was great fun learning about Susan B. Anthony, but until that day, I had no idea the role her sister played in the women’s movement. Tell me there’s not a story there! It’s only in my “seed” file for now.

KOA: Your bio page of your web site tells a little bit about the process of your becoming a writer. What made you decide to focus on writing children's books? Have you also worked on projects for adults?

Kathleen Blasi: Actually, the very first thing I had published was an adult short story in my college literary magazine. The second piece I had published was a humor piece in Genesee Valley Parent back in 1997. I began to write children’s stories when I became a Mom. I loved reading books to my kids. Hey, who doesn’t like a happy ending? My kids, like all kids, did and said just the cutest things. I’ve kept a journal for each of them since they were born. My photos are unorganized but I can tell you what they said on their second birthday!

KOA: Tell us about A Name of Honor. What is the story? What kinds of kids will enjoy it?

Kathleen Blasi: A Name of Honor is the fictionalized account of my grandmother’s migration from Sicily to America in 1920. The story opens in 1912, in her small Sicilian town, when Gaetana determines that her name is cursed. She spends the better part of the book trying to dodge this curse and learns something about herself, honor, and tradition. My publisher, which is working primarily in the educational market, has placed the book in its 4th-5th grade BookShop Series, because it is an immigration story. Because the book is written at the mid-grade level and the main character’s age ranges between 8 and 16, a broad range of kids would enjoy it. I know kids from 2nd grade through 7th grade, and many adults, who have enjoyed it.

KOA: Are Organized Sports Better for Kids Than Pickup Games? is an unusual kind of how-to book. Tell us about it.

Kathleen Blasi: The opportunity to write this book landed in my lap. I could not pass up the chance to have two books, so different from one another, published. Following my acceptance for A Name of Honor, my publisher asked me to submit an idea proposal to them for a non-fiction book, which they needed more of. My first two ideas didn’t fit, but the third did. They accepted my proposal to write about organized youth sports vs. good old fashioned pickup games. That was the easy part. They wanted an outline. Yikes – hadn’t done one of those since college. I started interviewing phys ed teachers, coaches, parents, professional athletes, and doing a lot of reading. I had the bare bones but even I was bored with it. At one of my critique sessions, I asked my partners what they thought of incorporating a story into it. They liked it, I tried it, and it worked. After I submitted the “finished” product to the publisher, I had to do 2 revisions, one sending me back to the research drawing board. They wanted a timeline placed in the center of the book. It’s really cute – the book designer made it into a baseball bat. This book will be used in the classroom, to model persuasive writing. There are an equal number of arguments on each side of the debate.

KOA: What writers have inspired you?

Kathleen Blasi: Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Natalie Babbitt, Lois Lowry, and the many wonderful members of Rochester Children’s Writers & Illustrators (RACWI).

KOA: Does being a children's writer require inspiration from other children's writers, or do you find works meant for adults equally inspiring?

Kathleen Blasi: Good writing, no matter the genre, is inspirational. I am partial to children’s literature; I just enjoy it. But it is essential to read and compare yourself with the very best. It’s something to aspire to. I can’t read something mediocre that was published and think – hey, if they can do it, I can do it. I’d rather improve by reading the best.

KOA: When you write, do you get yourself into a certain frame of mind and sit down deliberately to write, or do you work mainly when you are inspired to do so? Tell us more about your writing process.

Kathleen Blasi: In order to complete A Name of Honor, I set aside specific hours during the day, to conduct my research and get the story out. There is no way I could have done it any other way. I’d still be putting it together now if I hadn’t been that disciplined. I have another job, where I work from home. I budgeted my time between the two. If something had to give, it was housework. I knew the dirt would still be there tomorrow, but maybe my excitement wouldn’t. Now, I find time here and there to write, mostly early morning when my mind is fresh and the demands of the day haven’t yet begun. Once my kids' school starts, I’m going to give an hour a day to my writing and take it from there. An hour doesn’t seem like much, but that’s 7 hours a week, 30 hours a month, and so on. It’s better than waiting to have a chunk of 3 hours. It just doesn’t happen unless I’m on vacation. An important part of my process is critique from my peers. There is no way I could write in a bubble. Varying perspectives are hugely important. Someone will ask a question that could bring you in another direction. You knew something wasn’t right and couldn’t put your finger on it. Then, they help you find it. It was there all the time, you’re just too close to it.

KOA: Do you tend to write from an outline, or do you sit down and see what comes? How much of an idea do you have about the plot and characters in the book before you start? Which comes first, the characters or the plot?

Kathleen Blasi: I compose as I go, except for Sports, which I had to outline. I prefer spontaneity, as I said before. Life has little opportunity for it, so I like that my writing life welcomes it. I generally know how I want a story to start and end. It’s the middle that really challenges me. How do I go from A to B? If I’m stuck, it’s usually because I don’t know my characters well enough. So, I interview them. The characters, if I know them well enough, will dictate the plot to me.

KOA: I understand that A Name of Honor was inspired by your grandmother's story of coming to America, although you have taken a certain amount of license with the story. Can you tell us a little bit about what is true, and what you decided to embellish a bit?

Kathleen Blasi: The essence of the story is true. I don’t want to give too much away, but I had the facts but didn’t understand my grandmother’s motivations for what she did. That’s where the creativity came in. I knew my grandmother didn’t like her name but I didn’t know why. Once I surmised why, I asked, well what would she have done about it? My grandmother was raised in a 3-room house with her 11 brothers and sisters. That was too many people to write/read about, so I pared down the family size. Some of the names are real; some are not. The siblings’ characterizations are fabricated but the parents’ characterizations, according to my mother, are pretty accurate. I knew my grandmother had a handicapped friend in Sicily, so I included her although I didn’t know her name. I chose to name her “Ida” after my grandmother’s best friend here in America. This friend suffered from Polio, so it just seemed natural to name the Sicilian friend after her.

KOA: Are YOU in the book?

Kathleen Blasi: I didn’t think I was, but when I wrote and re-read how I depicted Gaetana’s relationship with her father, it is no coincidence that I could relate to how strongly she felt about her father. Gaetana’s father reminds me of my own.

KOA: Was the embellishment made more for the purposes of an interesting plot, or to convey a certain message?

Kathleen Blasi: More for plot and to connect the facts and make sense of them. I didn’t set out to convey a message, but readers can learn a little about themselves I think, through Gaetana’s experience.

KOA: What aspects of your grandmother's character inspired you to write the book?

Kathleen Blasi: She was superstitious, unpretentious and so, so funny. Her Italian accent made her even more endearing. She had these little sayings like, “You have to suffer to be beautiful.” And “Let’s talk about something pleasant – how much does a coffin cost?” She is the last person on earth who would ever expect someone to tell her story. Who am I, she would say. A Name of Honor shows that every seemingly ordinary person is really extraordinary in their own way. There will never be another Gaetana Curatolo. My memories of her are restricted to her as an elderly woman. Exploring what her history might have been allowed me to know her a little better. It was great fun to imagine what she might have done or said as a young girl. I hope she’s proud of and amused with what I came up with.

KOA: A Name of Honor weaves back and forth between the present and the past. Tell us more about this strategy for writing.

Kathleen Blasi: The story opens and closes in 1985. In between spans from 1912-1920. I wrote it as a story within a story to connect generations and to explain the narrator’s perspective. It’s written from Gaetana’s point of view. She is looking back as an old woman, explaining something to her granddaughter.

KOA: What makes historical fiction different from other kinds of fiction?

Kathleen Blasi: I love historical fiction as a form of entertainment and learning. I’ve forgotten so much of what I learned in school and I think that’s because it was so rote and dry. To tell a story with an historically accurate backdrop accomplishes both. The enjoyment helps us to remember what we learned. It’s a way to connect with our past. What better way to feel connected than through people? People who are real or could have been real and are representative of the time.

KOA: What do you think is the value of family history, and history in general, for kids? How about for writers?

Kathleen Blasi: Often, along with the passing of our ancestors, so go their stories. And these are different from those found in textbooks. Sure, we can learn lots of things about, for instance, The American Revolution. Or immigration. But history, through story, comes alive for kids. If they can identify with a character, it puts them right there. Our families’ stories are precious. We know about the number of WWII veterans who die each day. Soon there will be no WWII veterans left to tell their stories. But if they are told to children and grandchildren, and written down, they can live forever. I just read an article about a WWII veteran from Canandaigua whose family wanted his story told in the newspaper. The article says that he told the story not for himself, but for them. As he neared the end of his life, his family felt compelled to share his story. HIS. It shows us that real people fought in wars. Real people starved on the ships that took them to a new life. Real people left their only life to go to a strange place and begin all over again, sometimes sacrificing seeing their families for years. Their motivations teach us lessons in tenacity, perseverance, loyalty.

KOA: Are there other books in this same genre that you would recommend for preteen readers?

Kathleen Blasi: My absolute favorite is Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. MJ Auch’s trilogy gives us a great picture of early American life in the Genesee Country.

KOA: Does A Name of Honor have a main message?

Kathleen Blasi: I don’t know if I’d call it a message, but honor means different things to different people. I just want readers to get enjoyment out of the book and, I hope, be inspired to seek out their own family stories.

KOA: What does the immigration experience mean?

Kathleen Blasi: In America, most people today, myself included, cannot fathom giving up everything they own, the only home they’ve ever known, all in the name of seeking a better life. For many immigrants this very thing meant never again seeing family members and friends. And, really it was for an unknown. Many figured it just couldn’t be worse than their current condition – whether it was oppression, religious persecution, starvation, or poverty. For some, the immigration experience meant striking a balance between their old and new worlds. How do we keep tradition and blend in at the same time?

KOA: What kind of value can kids today find in immigration stories?

Kathleen Blasi: There are many lessons of perseverance, sacrifice, self-discipline, loyalty, importance of family. Immigrant stories, and there are many wonderful ones in Island of Hope, Island of Tears, bring this time period to life.

KOA: When writing a book, how much do you try to incorporate lessons about life, family, and growing up?

Kathleen Blasi: I don’t try to incorporate them, but they find their way in because of my own values. There have to be at least some likeable characters in these stories. If kids can find a way to connect, they will take away something that they might be able to apply to their own lives. Although I don’t consciously try to incorporate lessons into my books, I think we owe it to kids to offer something without hitting them over the head. Let them figure out what it means to them. Kids take away different messages. The important thing is they are thinking about it. Literature is a 2-way street. Maybe they’ll connect with someone. Fall in love with someone. Or hate someone. The main thing is they are feeling something. They are connecting with the story.

KOA: A Name of Honor seems to be geared to upper elementary school and middle school students. Would you say this is accurate?

Kathleen Blasi: Yes. Mondo has placed it in 4th grade, but it is written at the mid-grade level.

KOA: Do you plan to focus on this population in the future, or do you have ideas for different types of books?

Kathleen Blasi: I have written a few picture books, one of which I’m currently marketing to different publishers. No bites yet. I love mid-grade, though, because there’s so much you can cover. You don’t have to be as conscious about the length of the story, and there are myriad subjects just waiting to be explored. At this point I don’t see myself writing Young Adult or Adult, but you never know!

KOA: When you do presentations to school-age children, do you find ways to encourage them, much as your fourth-grade teacher did with you?

Kathleen Blasi: I would like to get kids to see themselves as writers. You don’t have to be published to be a writer. If you draw, you’re an artist. If you play soccer, you’re a soccer player. If you write, you’re a writer. I’d like to get them to see that if they know someone at least one generation older than they, they know someone who grew up in a different world. This is a great opportunity for writing. I tell them that I think it’s more fun to write about something I don’t know, rather than something I know well. It’s more exciting. This gets them to (I hope) see that the possibilities are endless.

KOA: Do you have creative ideas for what parents and teachers can do to encourage budding writers?

Kathleen Blasi: Expose them to books and literacy activities. We have a wonderful Festival right here in Rochester. The 10th Annual Rochester Children’s Book Festival will be held on November 4, 2006, at MCC. Also, be a model reader. Show them that this is an activity that you choose to do, not because you have to but because you want to.

KOA: Is it as important for, say, budding mathematicians and budding soldiers and budding corporate executives to learn to express themselves in writing as it is for writers?

Kathleen Blasi: Absolutely. Writing is a means of communication. Communication is part of virtually any career. Effective communication (a.k.a. not just using big words to sound smart) is a skill everyone needs.

KOA: Besides writing, what occupies your time?

Kathleen Blasi: I’m a mother and real-estate manager; I work for my family’s real-estate investment partnership.

KOA: What ages are your children?

Kathleen Blasi: 14 and 12.

KOA: What is (are) the best thing(s) about living in Rochester with your children?

Kathleen Blasi: Here, we have the best of all worlds: Four seasons, few catastrophic weather problems, great schools, a nice blend of country/natural settings and parks and city life – meaning, sports teams and culture.

KOA: Is it different from when you were growing up here?

Kathleen Blasi: It’s still a great place to raise a family. I like that girls have more opportunities, particularly in the sports arena, than they did when I was growing up.

KOA: What projects do you have in the pipeline?

Kathleen Blasi: I’m working on a mid-grade book about a girl who takes a bus trip to Washington in early April 1968. Although she and her Mom are aware that Martin Luther King, Jr., has been assassinated, they are unaware of the ensuing riots and head straight into them.. I’m also working on a picture book. I’d love to utilize all the research I compiled for A Name of Honor, and write a sequel.

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