Releasing this month, Blooming Hollyhocks: Tales of Joy During Hard Times by Naomi Helen Yaeger is a work of creative nonfiction telling the story of the author’s mother growing up in a small prairie town in the 1930s and ‘40s during the Great Depression and World War II. “With faith, family, and grit, she rose from heartbreak to hope, offering a story for anyone who’s ever longed to serve, to belong, or to make a difference.” Naomi Helen Yaeger is a Duluth-based writer, reporter, and Earthkeeper. Her work has appeared in the Grand Forks Herald, the Sioux County Index-Reporter (Hull, IA), the Duluth Budgeteer, and nowadays in Duluthian, Positively Superior, and Northern Wilds. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota, where she enjoys the beauty of nature with her husband and their faithful dog. To celebrate the upcoming release, I am pleased to share this Q&A with the author. You discuss it a bit in the “Note to the Reader,” but what did your research process look like while writing Blooming Hollyhocks? Were there any surprising discoveries you made during your research? Naomi Helen Yaeger: My research involved recording my mom and uncle while asking them questions. I also verified as much as possible. She told me she had a big birthday celebration for her 12th birthday, which was on a Friday. Even though the family was Protestant (Methodist), her mom wondered what to serve because many of the Catholics had to have fish on Fridays, and half the town were observant…
Guest blog by Naomi Yaeger, Duluth MN A book award ceremony can refresh and energize you while you plug away at a manuscript. For more than three years I’ve worked on a manuscript. I’m a newspaper journalist, but that doesn’t make writing a book any easier for me. I’m used to weekly deadlines and writing short stories. I’ve been in a funk lately. A couple… [Read More]
Filed Under: Claire Kirch, Duluth, Lake Superior Writers, Margi Preus, Marie Zhuikov, Michael Fedo, Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards
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