Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back Wendy Wilson Spooner
Linda: Welcome back, and thanks for joining me today. Your debut novel Once Upon an Irish Summer came out in March of this year. Can you tell us about your writing journey to publication?
Wendy: Well, after researching someone who lived 200 years ago in my family, who was a abolitionist long before the Civil War, and who made the best choices in life time after time, and who left a legacy so profound that three of his descendants—granddaughters—made a remarkable difference in the world, even though they were women in a time women rarely excelled in the ways they did, I had to write his story!
LM: You are a professional genealogist. How did your skills and abilities associated with your vocation help you with your story (writing, research, etc.)?
Wendy: Research. I’m such a research nerd! And it’s incredibly important to me to stick to the truth and honor a person’s life based on the records they left behind. These records are anything from personal letters, journal and diary entries, Census records, voting records, land and property records, newspaper articles, and so much more. Really, I leave no stone unturned when telling a person’s story, so I can tell a story as accurately as possible.
LM: You are a self-proclaimed history nerd, so I would imagine you visit lots of historic sites and museums. What was your favorite place and why?
Wendy: In pertaining to the story of Once Upon an Irish Summer, my favorite history site was the Chief John Baptiste Richardville, house. He was the Chief of the Miami Indian tribe in Indiana in the first half of the 1800s. Allen Hamilton, main character of this story, was a close friend and frequented the Chief’s treaty house for many years. When I entered the home myself, on a tour, I could feel the presence of the people from the past so strongly it overwhelmed me. And to know my ancestor had touched the doorknobs I was touching and had walked on the same plank floors I was walking; was an experience I’ll never forget. It was like I had gone back in time.
LM: Once Upon an Irish Summer is a dual time story that encompasses antebellum America. Is this your favorite time period? What is it that drew you to that time period for your story?
Wendy: I love United States history in general, so really any time period in which this country was 
forming lasting ideals, fighting for freedom on any level, or pushing settlements West, I’m there; researching and learning, and sharing with others so we keep the good things with us but also so we learn from past mistakes, so we don’t repeat them.
LM: What is one thing you’d like to learn how to do?
Wendy: Oh, my goodness. This is a tough one because this world is full of so much opportunity!! But right now, on my mind is to learn to sculpt. The art of creating sculptures. I’d love to learn everything about it!
LM: Here are some quickies:
Wendy:
Mountains, lakes, or ocean: Ocean
Cookies, cake, or ice cream: Cake
Sandals, sneakers, or high heels: Sandals
LM: What is your next project?
Wendy: I’m almost done with the sequel to Once Upon an Irish Summer. It should release in the Spring of 2021! Also, the anthology book, From Ashes, in which my story of when I was lost in the dark, alone in the mountains, is included, along with other true stories of overcoming and hope from other authors.
LM: Where can folks find you on the web?
Wendy:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wendy_W_Spooner
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyspooner/
About Once Upon An Irish Summer
1817 Ireland: Allen Hamilton crosses the Atlantic alone to find a way to save his family from imminent and social ruin before it's too late. Instead, he's met with prejudice, sickness, and starvation.
2018 Fort Wayne, Indiana: A gifted young artists suffers from debilitating grief after a sudden death in her family. When she unearth's Allen Hamilton's noble rise from rags to riches in Antebellum America, their shared connection inspires her own healing and renewed inspiration.
Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B082LWVX3H
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