Tristan Wolf, our imaginative hero is eight years old when his
adventure begins. He is as dreamy and clever as only a child can be. We were all
Tristan once in our life and maybe now, we have one in it. My guests- smart,
creative and inspiring personalities- have accepted the challenge to go back to
those years, to go back to when they were around eight or ten to answer some
questions about the world around them.
Let me introduce you to author Jo Ann
V. Glim, when she was eight.
Hi, Jo Ann, it’s very nice meeting
you. Where does Joanie live?
Thank you so
much for this opportunity. I’m looking
forward to doing this interview and introducing you to Joanie.
Joanie grew up
in a 3-room, cedar-shingled house that occupied ¾ of an acre of rich farmland in
a little town called Anacortes on the Island of Fidalgo in the Pacific
Northwest (90-miles north of Seattle). The
house was definitely a fixer-upper. Dad
added an indoor bathroom shortly before his tour of duty in Japan in 1948. He was career Navy. He also converted the wood-fueled kitchen
stove to oil after Mom put the axe through her shin while splitting logs.
After Dad
left, times were difficult! To help make
ends meet, my mother’s aging parents left all they knew in Chicago (including
their younger daughter and her family) and moved in with us. Our home was tiny and furnished only with the
bare necessities.
Joanie was
raised as an only child. Her sister,
born the year before her, died 3 days after birth; and her brother died in-utero
in the 7th month of pregnancy.
You asked if she had any brothers or sisters… Let’s see what she has to say about that…
“I wish I
did!” Joanie said as she blew her bangs
out of her eyes. “Mom won’t let me go
play with my friends on Sundays. She
says that’s family day.” Joanie crossed
her arms and pursed her lips. “On
Saturday, I have to wait for Carolyn to finish her accordion lesson. She’s my best friend, you know.”
“Carolyn and
I have a secret. Do you want to know
what it is?” Joanie asked as an impish grin settled on her face. But before Mariana can say anything, the
little girl blurted it out, “Carolyn practices outside. She lives down there,” Joanie added as she
pointed over her shoulder. “Her mom says
that noise box is too loud for a
house but this is our secret… she plays ‘Lady of Spain’ last, so I know when we
can go play.”
What School do you go to?
"I go to
Central Grade School. Miss Davis is my teacher. She’s very nice! We had to write a story last week. Anything we wanted. I was really happy because I’m going to be a
writer when I grow up, and a nurse, and an actress and maybe a teacher or a
cowgirl… maybe not a writer. Mom says I
have writer’s block. She said sometimes
it’s contagious, so, don’t sit too close.
Anyway, I couldn’t think of a thing to write. My friend Susan’s story was voted the best! Mom said it’s my first rejection and writers
get a lot of those. She told me to never
stop trying."
Joanie’s
small for her age. When she sits back in
a chair, her feet don’t touch the ground.
Instead, her legs swing out in rapid motion, and today stopped only when
she tapped the side of Mariana’s chair. Her
mother gave her that look. Joanie stopped.
“Mom says I
have to act like a lady,” she told Mariana as she smoothed her dress. Grandma says, ‘if I don’t mind my manners, I’ll
never dine with the Queen of England…’ Have
you met her? I wonder what Queen’s eat?”
Is there anything you hate about
school?
"I hate
report cards! I don’t like math,
either. I like English and I love geography. I’m going to
travel around the world when I grow up!
I get good grades but I always get into trouble because I talk too
much. Red checks… that’s all I ever see. Do you think I talk too much? I don’t think I do… well, maybe… sometimes."
Joanie
looked past Mariana’s shoulder toward the kitchen. “Miss Mariana, Grandma wants to know if
you’ll stay for lunch. She’s a really
good cook!”
What is the food you absolutely
dislike eating?
"The only
time I make a fuss about eating is on Christmas Eve when she makes Luté
Fisk! I can’t open my presents until I
finish my dinner. I hide it in my mashed
potatoes and swallow really fast! She
says all good Swedes eat Luté Fisk. Even my dog, Boola, won’t eat it. Why can’t Grandma be Italian? I love spaghetti!"
Are you scared of the dark?
“Nooooo... I don’t think I am… When I go to sleep the lights are still on
‘cause I sleep on the hide-away sofa in the living room and grown-ups stay up
late. Mom lets me bring all my books to
bed with me. She reads me a chapter
every night… the ‘Bobbsey Twins’ is one of my favorites. I also love ‘Little Britches’ but it
makes me toss-n-turn trying to figure out the ending, so, she reads that one to
me after lunch. My bestest memory of
reading is from the first grade when I could finally read a story to Mom about
Dick and Jane and Spot. I felt so grown
up."
Who is your favorite star?
Joanie’s
eyes were wide as she reverently said, “The Lone Ranger… him and Tonto.”
“Would you
like to see my favorite toys?” Joanie asked as she pulled them from her toy box.
“Here’s Howdy Doody and Clara Bell the
clown marionettes. Clara Bell can’t
talk. He has a horn I honk when he has
something to say. But I can’t find it…
it’s been missing for weeks. I don’t
know what happened to it.” Joanie didn’t
notice the faint smile on her mother’s lips.
“Oh, and my doll, Blondie, whose hair is now brown because I gave her a
haircut. When mom sent her to the doll
hospital, they were out of blonde wigs. Now,
I have to ask before I use the scissors.
Carolyn has a doll just like Blondie except her name is Nancy and she
still has blonde hair.”
Do you think you’ll ever get married
and have kids?
Joanie
laughed and twirled around. A muffled
voice could be heard through the hands cupped over her face as she responded,
“Someday.”
Thanks for sharing with me, Joanie. I hope we can be friends for a long time!
“You betcha!”
And this is Jo Ann, now, in her own words:
My husband, Bill, and I live on the Sun Coast of Florida on the gulf
side (north of
Sarasota and south of Tampa Bay); a far cry from where Joanie spent her
childhood.
We both love
Scotties and share our home with, Lucy, a sweet, 2-year-old rescue dog that’s
nothing but unconditional love on 4 paws.
We’re both retired and spend our time doing what we love: volunteering
in the community; serving in our church; and (for me) writing, (for Bill)
singing with the church choir. One of
his biggest honors was singing at the Vatican in Rome for Pope John Paul.
Carolyn and
I have remained friends all these years.
Carolyn was my maid of honor; Bill and I are god-parents to Carolyn’s
younger son. We may not play dolls
anymore but every once in a while, have been known to play a round of Chutes
and Ladders. Now (ohhhh, help us all),
we’re learning how to Skype.
I did
become a writer. My career began as a
disc jockey/copywriter in Chicago. I've
written one-liners for well-known comedians, verses for Hallmark Cards, and an
award-winning weekly column that appeared in 14 papers in the northern Illinois
area (as well as hundreds of articles on an assortment of topics).
My book, “BEGOTTEN: With Love,” is gaining in popularity thanks to venues like
Goodreads and bloggers like Mariana.
Thank you, Mariana for your support.
When I was eight I used to daydream. I played pretend and I
loved to write. I still remember my 8th birthday present and the
feeling of joy it gave me. What was it? A journal, covered in beige leather,
with a writing pad of white satin pages and a black fountain pen that attached
to the inside of my elegant and beaming new friend. And this is me, at that
age, when all I wanted to do was to tell stories.
read! I am not a fan of scary stories, so I was glad when the author warned me: “It’s not horror…just
spooky.” Well, it was more than spooky, it was entertaining and engaging. Young Pete Davidson is
forced to spend a week at his Grandparents' house. He hadn’t seen them in a very
long time and he didn’t remember how their house looked like… less that they
lived next to a graveyard! Against his grandpa’s warning, Pete trespasses into
the graveyard to pick up some papers that were blown by the wind. What
could actually happen? It’s just an old, abandoned cemetery. Imagine his
surprise when something grabs his foot from the ground and takes him into the land of the dead, ghosts and ghouls! Now Pete has to win his way back home and save our world.
