my inspiration

I began Annie’s War as a story about a girl trying to help her family cope with the aftermath of WWII. It soon became clear that I was writing Annie’s story to satisfy my own curiosity about how the real Miss Gloria came to e such an important part of our family. How was it that in the 1940’s, a time when prejudice was commonplace even in the Northwest, my grandmother willingly bucked the attitudes of some of her neighbors, to give Gloria a home and a job? Why was it that I had such strong images of Gloria as a part of my young life? Since I had only my own memories of that time and a few I heard from older family members, I set out to create the story that could have been ours.

This book started with images of my grandmother and Gloria at the Corner Grocery. These were happy images, though I know the time was not always so happy for all of us. A conversation with my aunt about these images got me started, and once I began, I was encouraged by my affection and admiration for my grandmother. Later in the process, I was writing at a time when we found ourselves in another war. I felt it was a story that might resonate with young readers who have been touched by the conflict in Iraq.