Libby McNamee‘s tagline? “Remember the Ladies.”
Do you listen to music while you write or edit? If so, what’s on your writing playlist?
I love listening to music from the period—it helps to transport me back in time. While writing Susanna’s Midnight Ride, I often listened to the Revolutionary fifes and drums. With Dolley Madison and the War of 1812, my favorites were “Madison’s March” the instrumental written for his inauguration, as well as “The Battle of New Orleans,” a comical march by Johnny Horton. As I complete my first draft of “The Union Spymistress: Elizabeth Van Lew,” my Civil War go-to is Bobby Horton. Each chapter will have a signature song, creating a playlist for the novel. Hurrah!
What period of history do you wish you knew more about? Do you tend to write about places you’ve been to, or places you wish you could go to?
I live in Richmond, Virginia, and love writing about women from Virginia who changed history. My first book Susanna’s Midnight Ride is set in nearby Petersburg, Virginia. It was neat exploring the area and visiting actual sites there from the Revolutionary War. Then with Dolley Madison and the War of 1812, I had a fabulous time visiting the Madison plantation at Montpelier, as well as many sites in “Washington City,” such as the “President’s House,” the Capitol, the Octagon House, and many other locales. With my work-in-progress, The Union Spymistress: Elizabeth Van Lew, I have loved exploring my home city of Richmond and imagining the traumatic events that transpired there during the Civil War.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
My best investment was my book covers —I absolutely love them. The same designer created both and did a fabulous job. I sent him my general vision, and he whipped them right up, much better than anything I envisioned. We have all heard the mantra ‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’ but how can you not? It’s the first thing you see. First impressions do matter—a lot. An appealing cover capturing the essence of your story is crucial.
What do you worry about in your work?
So many worries from which to choose. Ha! I often worry the story won’t come together, even now that I write my third novel! I try to be kind to myself and not beat myself up. Sometimes when I feel stuck, I move to another area of the manuscript. Switching my focus allows time for fresh ideas to percolate in the back of my mind. Other times, I take a break and walk outside or go for a swim. That change always proves productive. If it’s not working, it’s not working. As a friend once told me, you don’t get extra credit for making yourself miserable. I often get breakthrough ideas when engaging in an entirely different activity, like selecting bananas at the grocery store. As an author, I remind myself that “work” can take many forms. Sometimes the easy part is the actual writing; the hard part is knowing what to write.
What brings you great joy as a writer?
Connecting with readers of all ages makes my heart sing. Just this week, a mother emailed me that her daughter is a huge fan and re-reads my books constantly. Mission accomplished! It just doesn’t get any better than that.
In addition, I love the breakthrough moment when I come up with the perfect plot twist that has been eluding me. Suddenly everything comes together after hours (or sometimes even days or weeks) of wracking my brain. Click! It is such a rush to find that missing puzzle piece and feel a sense of completion. I also love reading multiple research books and finding unique historical nuggets that flesh out my story and make it more realistic. Using factual context helps bring history to life for the reader by showing instead of telling.
Libby McNamee is a lawyer, speaker, and award-winning author of two upper-middle-grade historical novels, “Susanna’s Midnight Ride: The Girl Who Won the Revolutionary War” and “Dolley Madison and the War of 1812: America’s First Lady,” as well as their Study Guides. She is also the Co-Editor of “The Epic Story of 1776: 25 People, 13 Colonies and 1 War,” and “The Epic Story of America 1777-1779: Trials, Turning Points, and Triumphs.”
A native of Boston, Libby now lives in Richmond, Virginia. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and Catholic University School of Law. She also served as Major, U.S. Army JAG Corps, in South Korea, Bosnia, Germany, and Tacoma, Washington.
She loves making Author Visits to schools. In addition, she would love to meet with your historical society and book club. Currently she is writing a third novel about a Civil War heroine, “The Union Spymistress: Elizabeth Van Lew.” Sign up for her monthly Dispatch at LibbyMcNamee.com for fun historical tidbits.
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Award-winning author Rebecca D’Harlingue writes about seventeenth-century women forging a different path. Her debut novel, The Lines Between Us, won an Independent Press Award and a CIBA Chaucer Award. Her second novel, The Map Colorist, won a Literary Titan Award and a Firebird Book Award.
I enjoyed so much! TY. “We don’t get extra oints for being miserable” BINGO! will be sharing this.