Today we interview Eowyn Ivey about her latest book, BLACK WOODS BLUE SKY. Eowyn was raised in Alaska and continues to live there with her husband and two daughters. Her debut novel, THE SNOW CHILD, has sold more than a million copies worldwide and is a New York Times bestseller published in more than 25 languages and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Our book, BLACK WOODS, BLUE SKY is hot off the presses - having just been published last month. It has already received lots of acclaim and it will be fun to see where this book goes. Eowyn tells us about growing up in Alaska and how being an outdoorsy person is probably necessary to enjoy it the best. Eowyn knew she wanted to be a writer since she was a young girl. She grew up around books with parents who loved good writing. She chose journalism in college as a practical way to enjoy writing, though it was always fiction writing that she loved. After ten years of working at her local newspaper, The Frontiersman, she realized she simply did not have the energy for creative writing in off-hours. Her husband supported her change in careers to a local bookstore which gave her lots of inspiration and energy for her fiction writing. Nancy observes that Emaleen also loves to read and Eowyn says Emmaline is probably the most autobiographical characters she has written, in terms of her characteristics, but also in terms of her fears of her family. Linda loved how Emaleen was written from a 6-year old’s perspective. Eowyn said it was hard to go back and remember being in those little boots and the difficulty she faced in trying to figure out how to address her fears. Eowyn said her daughters helped her nail the 6-year-old voice because, although they were grown, both worked with young children and Eowyn’s editors also had young children. Linny also enjoyed loved the vividness of the setting in BLACK WOODS BLUE SKY. Eowyn said in Alaska the landscape dominates the lives of people who live there. She gets to experience Alaska with new eyes when she writes about it. For example, she learned about flowers for this book. At the same time, there are terrifying aspects to Alaska. Alaskans tend to embrace both. Nancy says she loves Eowyn’s description of the Sandhill Cranes. In the book, one morning, just as readers are getting to know Warren, he steps out of his house and sees a flock of cranes migrating on to their summer nesting grounds. Eowyn write, “Their reedy bugling echoed through the air. There was a quality to the sound that Warren found both lovely and melancholy, as if their strange voices were filtered through fog, or were coming through the veil between this world and the next.” Nancy tells Eowyn that, in Nebraska, 80% of the world’s sandhill cranes converge on an 80 mile stretch of Nebraska’s Platte River. This year, they hit an all-time high count on March 17, at 736,000 sandhill cranes. Nancy was lucky enough to spend an overnight at one of our blinds and got to see them come in at dusk and then again leave at dawn. Nancy felt that Eowyn was totally right about the almost mystical sound of their calls. Eowyn says it sounds as though Alaskans love the sandhill cranes as much as Nebraskans do. Alaskans, in general, love the chance of seasons and the cranes and other migrations are symbols of those. Nancy notes that BLACK WOODS, BLUE SKY seems to really celebrate the seasonal changes. Eowyn says the extremeness of the seasons make Alaskans hyperaware of the changes. There are four weeks where, in her community, they have no direct sunlight. But, then in the summer, they are able to play volleyball at midnight. Linny asks who was Arthur’s mother. Eowyn says she may be a frustrating writer for people who want definitive answers. She doesn’t have concrete answers but loved Nancy and Linny’s disagreement about Arthur’s parentage. Nancy says part of the creative process is the author’s but then part is the readers. Eowyn says once she has written the story and gives it to readers, it is no longer her story. Nancy observes that Eowyn gives of the points of view of Birdie, Emmaleen, and Warren. We never get into Arthur’s head, making him a more mysterious character. Eowyn says that was her intention. Eowyn did a lot of research about bears but we can’t really know what they’re thinking. She wanted to maintain that mystery with Arthur. Eowyn says her descriptions of his view of the world are, of course, pure speculation. Linny says she felt Birdie was in denial about Arthur’s true being. Eowyn said she was interested in exploring how people stay in relationships and are blind to the problems. Linny says Birdie’s blindness put Emaleen in a dangerous situation. Nancy said she was delighted we got to meet Emaleen as a young woman. She assumed the story was going to end with Emmaleen still as a young girl. Eowyn said she always intended to let us find out what happened with Emmaleen and how she discovers what was true about what she remembered as a child. In fact, in Eowyn’s early drafts, there was only Emaleen’s adult voice. She had to go back and create the 6-year-old self. She felt Emaleen’s origin story is the heart of the novel – and what she survives and how that shapes her. Eowyn tells us that we give a lot of attention to romantic relationships, even though they may not last, but the relationships children have with parents and parental figures in their lives can impact them even more dramatically. Eowyn thinks Arthur maybe is surprised by the friendship he develops with Emaleen. Linda loved the community Eowyn created around Birdie and Emmaleen. They stay in touch with Emmaleen for the many years she is away from Alaska. Eowyn said in each of her books, she ends up creating fun side characters who, in some ways, she admires the most. She says Sid has a lot of elements of her own father. Nancy liked how Eowyn included community ritual like the summer solstice celebration. Nancy notes that she and Linny just read Louise Erdrich’s THE MIGHTY RED and read that Eowyn met her at Erdrich’s bookstore in Minneapolis. Nancy observes both Erdrich and Eowyn write from a place of deep respect for the earth. Nancy wondered whether Eowyn has read Erdrich. Eowyn says she was inspired to write fiction because of Erdrich’s LOVE MEDICINE. Years later, Eowyn met Erdrich at a writing conference where Erdrich said she read Eowyn’s SNOW CHILD. When Eowyn wrote BLACK WOODS, BLUE SKY, Erdrich insisted her publisher arrange an event at her bookstore, Birchbark Books. She said Erdrich saw her influence in Eowyn’s, particularly in Birdie’s character. Eowyn tells us a little about some of her book promotional events and how she loves talking with readers. She also gives Linny and Nancy a big compliment that we would fit in at a solstice party!