Ask the Author: Nora Raleigh Baskin
Answered Questions (3)
Nora Raleigh Baskin
Closer to the Sun is a memoir about surviving childhood after my mother's suicide, and the subsequent lies surrounded her death. In many ways the truth and untruth of my life mimicked the historic hippie era I was living through. It was a time of great American divide; liberals vs conservatives, long hairs vs squares, old vs young, anti-war protesters vs traditionalists. America love it or leave it. Make love not war. It was time a slogans.
For me, growing up in Woodstock in the early 1970s, childhood was anything but peace, love, or rock and roll (okay, maybe a little rock and roll). Living with people who were not my parents and struggling to understand who I was, and where I belonged, with the backdrop of the demonstrations, drugs, and free love, it all just seemed dangerous, and scary, and out of control.
The themes of loss and acceptance are not new for me, as they have been the inspiration behind most of the fictional novels that I have published for teens. But for the first time in my writing career, I've depicted the true story, and the ways in which my survival has played out in my fictional novels.
In this way, Closer to the Sun is not about only about surviving suicide and abandonment, but about art and hope. About the power of language and of finding one's voice.
It is the story of how my 6th grade Language Arts teacher, and my middle school principal impacted my life in ways they could never have known at the time. And it is the story of the ways in which writing, again and again saves my life; from fictionalizing the events of my mother's death in my very first middle grade novel to the very non-fictional notes I was furiously jotting down after being committed to a hospital after suffering a major depression. It is the very true story of love, self-reflection, and healing, that could only have occurred when written down in this memoir.
Closer to the Sun is a memoir about surviving childhood after my mother's suicide, and the subsequent lies surrounded her death. In many ways the truth and untruth of my life mimicked the historic hippie era I was living through. It was a time of great American divide; liberals vs conservatives, long hairs vs squares, old vs young, anti-war protesters vs traditionalists. America love it or leave it. Make love not war. It was time a slogans.
For me, growing up in Woodstock in the early 1970s, childhood was anything but peace, love, or rock and roll (okay, maybe a little rock and roll). Living with people who were not my parents and struggling to understand who I was, and where I belonged, with the backdrop of the demonstrations, drugs, and free love, it all just seemed dangerous, and scary, and out of control.
The themes of loss and acceptance are not new for me, as they have been the inspiration behind most of the fictional novels that I have published for teens. But for the first time in my writing career, I've depicted the true story, and the ways in which my survival has played out in my fictional novels.
In this way, Closer to the Sun is not about only about surviving suicide and abandonment, but about art and hope. About the power of language and of finding one's voice.
It is the story of how my 6th grade Language Arts teacher, and my middle school principal impacted my life in ways they could never have known at the time. And it is the story of the ways in which writing, again and again saves my life; from fictionalizing the events of my mother's death in my very first middle grade novel to the very non-fictional notes I was furiously jotting down after being committed to a hospital after suffering a major depression. It is the very true story of love, self-reflection, and healing, that could only have occurred when written down in this memoir.
Nora Raleigh Baskin
I was watching Emilio Estevez's wonderful movie, BOBBY. At the end of the film I was both sobbing with emotion, and completely intrigued by the unique structure. I wanted to challenge myself, trying to use the same concept in the literary medium. I choose 9/11 as the historical event and I wrote Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story.
Nora Raleigh Baskin
I don't believe in writer's block (meaning I don't think there is such a thing-unless you are writing for hire or an assignment) ...Writing is hard and sometimes you get stuck, really stuck. For writer's stuck-ness, I usually take a long walk in the woods with my dog and often the answer will come to me.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more