The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood

Make the story sing and make the plot move quickly! Of course, these are challenges all writing presents, no matter the genre. What are some special challenges associated with writing historical fiction? Even on the days that nothing seems to work, writing really is more than hard, gut-wrenching work. I could go on and on, but I don’t want to make new writers think it’s not fun to write a book. Then I’ll get to the fun part, making the language and the dialog read in a way I hope enriches the story. I’ll revise first for plot and character arcs. Generally, I try to break it down and not tackle too many things at once. The hardest part of writing for me is that first draft.

Sometimes that seemed so recent, I had trouble remembering that made it historical fiction! Because of his career milestones, THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY is set in 1974. I loved reading about Hank Aaron’s journey.

I also verified all the baseball facts, but that part was easy. And I consulted my friends who had served.

I used veterans’ sites to read of others’ experiences coming back from Vietnam. The aftermath of the Vietnam conflict plays into the story, and there were details from that time that I wanted to get right. My new book doesn’t focus on one truly important historical event like Freedom Summer, the backbone for my first novel, GLORY BE. I guess you could say I was inspired by memories and moving.Ĭould you share with readers how you conducted your research or share a few interesting tidbits you learned while researching? Once I convinced my critique group and my early readers that “Sister” was not a retired nun wearing red tap shoes, Miss Sister Grandersole was the most fun character to write. Not always remarkable in their ability to teach-though some were extremely talented!-but certainly interesting characters. We had recently moved to Florida and I was feeling a little like Theo! Where am I? Why are all these lizards in my garden? Also, as a child, I had some remarkable dance and piano teachers. But there’s a bright ray of sunshine in their new life together- Miss Sister Grandersole, dancer, advisor, and owner of the Rest Easy Rooming House and Dance Studio, where they fortunately have landed. His uncle’s an unhappy Vietnam veteran who doesn’t know how to raise a kid. It’s the story of a boy named Theo who’s forced to move to a little town called Destiny, Florida, with an uncle he doesn’t really know. THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY, my second middle-grade novel, was recently published by Scholastic Press. A heartwarming story of friendship, f amily, and finding one’s place in the world despite hardship and heartache. The cast of lively characters, including spunky and tough Anabel who befriends Theo, come to life under author Scattergood’s talented hand.

The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood