AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jody Hedlund

I love those moments when I get a chance to sit down with a favorite author and ask almost anything my little ole heart desires. I mean let’s face it there is a balance between gushy babbling fan and some modicum of professionalism that allows me opportunities for the future. I walk that line with my eyes closed because I tend to live on the edge of gushy babbling.

It’s been almost a year since I was last given a Jody Hedlund opportunity. Actually, it was in relation to her first book in the Orphan Train series, ‘With You Always’. Today, we touch base with the release of the second book in that series ‘Together Forever’.

What is the inspiration behind your orphan train series?
I have long been fascinated by the era of the Orphan Trains and the heart-wrenching stories of the homeless and helpless young orphans that were taken from the streets of New York City and other eastern cities and shipped west by the dozens. I was familiar with stories of those scared orphans who were placed out in what was thought to be a more wholesome, healthy environment of the newly settled Mid-Western states. Some of the orphans found happy endings and were adopted into loving families. Others experienced great abuse and heartache in their new homes.
While stories of the orphans who rode the trains have been told—and rightly so—the stories of the women who were involved in the movement are not as well known. One of the things I particularly like to do when telling my stories, is focus on women who have been overlooked by the pages of history. I consider it a great privilege to be able to bring forgotten women to life for our modern generation. Thus, throughout this series, I’ll be focusing each book on a different aspect of the Orphan Train movement, particularly from the perspective of women who experienced riding the trains in one form or another.

Usually readers are more sympathetic to the orphans and less forgiving of the charity organizations who placed the orphans in the west. How do you elicit reader empathy for the placing agents?
In Together Forever, I hoped to portray the struggles that placing agents felt right along with the struggles of the orphans. I have no doubt what the orphans experienced was far more emotional and painful; nevertheless, the job of the placing agent was not an easy one. It consisted of weeks of demanding traveling, difficulty in placing children, as well as the logistical challenges in revisiting each child before returning to New York City.
The agents not only faced the ups and downs of handling such a wide variety of children, but they also faced the challenges of the job itself. Since nothing had ever before been done like the placing out, the agents basically had to learn on the job and make up the rules as they went.
In the early years, record-keeping was inconsistent, placements irregular, and the screening process non-existent. While many of the agents meant well and truly cared about providing better lives for the children in their care, the lack of consistent practices provided further hardships to many orphans. Overall, I hope readers are able to gain a better appreciation for the well-meaning efforts, even if things didn’t always turn out the way everyone wanted.

What do you hope readers take away from Together Forever?
I pray that in reading this story, not only will readers gain greater insights and a different perspective of the orphan train movement, but that they will also be encouraged to know God is present in their weakest moments.
He doesn’t necessarily promise to give us the courage of a lion or to make everything perfect. But He does promise that His strength is available and that His power will rest upon us. Perhaps that strength will be just enough to get out of bed for another difficult day. Or perhaps it will be just enough to face the illness or hurt or heartache we bear.
We can rest assured it will always be just enough. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Do you have any writing quirks?
I don’t have too many quirks, other than needing a cup of coffee on hand while I’m writing (especially in the morning!).
One of the things I like to do to help me keep on track with my writing is give myself half hour word count challenges–a specific goal of how many words I can get written in a thirty minute time span. Doing these mini-challenges keeps me from getting too distracted by other things while I’m in a writing mode.

Together Forever is the second book you’ve released in 2018. How many other books are slated for publication this year?
This year, I’ll have a total of four books releasing. The first book, A Loyal Heart, released in March. It’s part of my young adult medieval romance series that started several years ago. I’ll be finishing this particular series with a final book in the fall.
Then in addition to Together Forever, the next book in the orphan train series, Searching For You, releases in December. The original plan for publication was next June, but when my publisher asked if I could turn it in for an earlier release, I decided why not? Then readers won’t have to wait quite as long to find out what happens next!

Do you have any parting words?
I love hearing from readers! Make sure you stop by one of these places and say hello!
I hang out on Facebook here: Author Jody Hedlund
I also love to chat on Twitter: @JodyHedlund
My home base is at my website: jodyhedlund.com
Find me on Instagram: instagram.com/jodyhedlund/
Come pin with me on Pinterest: pinterest.com/jodyhedlund/pins/

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