Happy Mother’s Day! Happy Mother’s Day!
from early morning to late at night.
She tends to her children no matter what fright!
…Joan Y. Edwards
Here are tributes to Mothers from people who read this blog and shared their memories with us. I am so honored.
My heavenly mother was loved by three girls
And none of us had any curls.
…Emma Shipes
Eternal feelings of warmth about my Mom are best expressed here in a quote from The Little Prince:
“There is a sweetness in the laughter of all the stars…and in the memories of those you love.”
…Joan B. Reid
When doing homework, my mom taught us to always try our best, before asking for help. She also reminded us to double check our work! Recently, I would’ve been a lot better off if I remembered her advice before submitting completed forms on the Internet. I eventually got it done correctly though. I guess I also learned to never give up! Lol.
… Linda A. Gutheil
This morning at church your Mom came to my mind & I gave thanks to the Lord for the influence she had on my life. She gave me the unconditional love I so desperately needed. She was such a blessing to me.
…Ronnie Smith
I was fortunate to just visit my mother’s birthplace in Germany. It brought me closer to her to stand outside the house she grew up.
…Carol Baldwin
Mom’s come is all sizes and shapes.
Mine was petite and filled with might
To do whatever it took to make things right.
…Sharon Benfield
My mother believed in rising above your challenges. She was raised to work hard and achieve
…Gretchen Griffith
Thank you to each of you for sharing a little of the wonders of your Mothers with me and those who read this blog post.
If you would like to share a memory of your Mother in a sentence or two in rhyme or not, and what she taught in the comment area, I will add it here in this post to pay tribute to your Mom and mine
“Carol Baldwin, Author and Her Book, HALF-TRUTHS” by Joan Y. Edwards
Carol, what an honor to nterview you about your new young adult historical fiction novel, Half-Truths! 18 Years and you never gave up on it! So proud of you! It is a pleasure to be here.
1. What was the biggest change you made based on the publisher’s feedback? Jen Lowry, publisher at Monarch Educational Services, helped me to see that my protagonist, Kate Dinsmore, wasn’t likable in the beginning. I am so glad she pointed that out to me.
Carol Baldwin with signed contract for HALF-TRUTHS
2. How do you feel about the final edits and revisions that were necessary before publication? I was happy about all the professional input I received.
Jen Lowry and Carol Baldwin
3. What was the most challenging aspect of writing this book? So many parts of this were challenging! First, I had to learn how to write a novel. The second hardest was to make sure I portrayed the Black experience as authentically as possible. Third was sticking to the kernel of my story and not wandering down rabbit trails!
4. Did you have any major plot twists or character developments that were significantly altered during the editing process? No. One of the significant changes came from Deborah Halverson, an editor I hired before I submitted the book to Monarch. At that point, I had Kate writing poems about her experiences and feelings. Deborah said that since Kate wanted to be a journalist, not a poet, it would make more sense to have her write prose, not poetry. The poems turned into “Words That Wonder” which are journal entries in her steno pad.
5. What are you most excited about sharing with readers now that the book is released? I think this is a book for all ages. I hope teens and their parents or grandparents will read it and talk about it. Since it takes place in 1950—an era that is still accessible to some of us—older adults are enjoying it also. I would love to hear that families and students are talking about their own half-truths as well as what our society was like in 1950 and how it is the same or different now.
6. Compared to when your first published book about writing, how are your feelings about Half-Truths different? How are they the same?
It’s very different! When I published Teaching the Story: Fiction Writing in Grades 4-8, I was excited but not over-the-moon thrilled! Since I’ve been working on HALF-TRUTHS for 18 years, I have a lot invested in it. It is my debut novel and there were times I never thought it would get published. So, this is a pretty big deal!
7. How are you marketing your book? Do you have any plans to participate in book tours or events to promote your book? I have the blog tour going on this week and hope to speak at library and educational conferences. I am actively looking for reviewers and hope to hold events at bookstores. I also enjoy teaching writing at local libraries and will spread the word that way. I am part of a panel event sponsored by the Levine Museum of the New South on April 2 and hope to give talks at other museums and community groups.
8. How involved were you in the cover design process? Jen Lowry, Monarch’s publisher, showed me several different covers before we hit on the one we both loved.
9. What were three of your biggest challenges for completing the necessary revisions and delivering the final version of Half-Truths to Monarch? Believe it or not, formatting issues were the biggest challenge. Since I had written it in Scrivener, imported it to Word, and then put it up on Google docs, there were a lot of spacing issues. It drove me and my editor nuts!
10. How does it feel to finally hold a copy of Half-Truths in your hand? Surreal. I can’t wait to have time to read it and savor the fact that I wrote it!
Carol Baldwin signing first copy of Half-Truths
11. What is your next writing project and are you already working on it? Out of the Flame is a middle-grade book about Kate’s paternal grandfather. Here’s the pitch: At the turn of the 20th century, a young factory worker is surrounded by deafening noise, blisteringly hot glass, and mind-numbing exhaustion. There is no end in sight until he finds mysterious notes from a boy who lived this life 150 years earlier.
12. How do you think getting Half-Truths published will affect your writing career moving forward? Only the Lord knows!
13. What do you hope people take away after reading Half-Truths? Don’t push family secrets under the rug. A person’s past influences their present. Whenever possible, open communication is best. The theme of half-truths runs throughout the book. Kate not only uncovers deceptions that have been passed on in her family, but she also comes to grips with her half-truths. Lillian, an important secondary character, is a teenage Black maid who works for Kate’s grandmother. The two girls bond over Kate’s goat, and while building that friendship, Kate frequently stumbles. In a major turning point, Kate alienates Lillian by publicly saying a half-truth about Lillian. It is only when Kate admits what she did and communicates her genuine regret to Lillian that their friendship is reconciled. As the story progresses, Kate discovers secrets about her family’s ancestry. She wants to talk about them to her stern grandmother— the lynchpin in the puzzle—but she’s afraid. At the end of the book, she broaches the topic as the two plant a garden together. Kate’s hunch about her ancestry is validated as she breaks through walls that have existed for decades. She is then freer to speak her voice and move forward without debilitating fear.
14. What did you learn about yourself while writing and editing Half-Truths? What a great question! Although I didn’t start out writing about myself, I ended up drawing from my own life more than I had anticipated. It’s not autobiographical, but I did fictionalize some of own feelings and experiences. I also learned that I can take feedback and that I’m very persistent. Sort of like Kate!
15. Where can my readers find you? The simplest way is to go to my linktree page: https://linktr.ee/carolbaldwin and pick how you would like to follow me.
I’d love for you to subscribe to my blog and to Talking Story, my quarterly newsletter. I give away quality kidlit books through both! You can email me at carol@carolbaldwinbooks.com
SYNOPSIS It is 1950, and 15-year-old Kate Dinsmore wants to become a journalist. But, her tobacco-farming father can’t afford to send her to college. She devises a plan to move from rural North Carolina to her wealthy grandparents’ home in Charlotte in hopes of gaining their financial support. Now she has a new set of problems. How can she please her society-conscious grandmother and conform to her new classmates’ lifestyles? She meets Lillian, her grandmother’s teenage maid, and despite their racial differences, they form a tentative friendship. While exploring her grandmother’s attic, Kate unearths a secret that rocks her world and Lillian’s too. The shocking discovery reveals half-truths that threaten the girls’ friendship. What will Kate do when she must choose between Lillian and her new society friends? Through a mentorship with a newspaper editor, Kate realizes that journalism requires honesty. But, the risks of truth-telling make Kate question herself. If she reveals what she has learned, what price will she pay?
Half-Truths by Carol Baldwin ***** Review by Joan Y. Edwards
In her Young Adult Historical Fiction novel, Half-Truths, author Carol Baldwin integrates 1950s facts and clever fiction that shows how a white girl, Kate Dinsmore with an inner-drive searches and won’t settle with only knowing Half-Truths about her family, friends, and people in the community. We can all learn a lot from Kate and her friend, Lillian Bridges.
It is intriguing how Carol Baldwin integrated real people in her story and real headlines from Newspapers in Tabor City, North Carolina and in Charlotte, N.C. This made her story very believable and made Half-Truths resonate as a truthful story.
It was fun to see places I have been to mentioned in Half-Truths, like Ivey’s, the Charlotte-Observer building, Freedom Park and Queens College. I am so proud that the author never gave up on this story.
Thank you to everyone who read this post and those who commented. Congratulations to Sandra Warren. Her name was pulled out of the hat by random.org to win a free copy of Half-Truths.
Thank you, Carol, for allowing me to feature you and your book, Half-Truths on my blog. My readers and I wish you the best with all of your endeavors.
“Carol Baldwin, Author Extraordinaire” by Joan Y. Edwards
Today I am excited to share with you an interview with Carol Baldwin, author extraordinaire because in November, 2023 Monarch Educational Services gave her a contract to publish her book, Half-Truths. Congratulations, Carol! My readers are happy for you. They want to hear all about it. So let’s begin.
Carol: Thank you, Joan, for sharing my story with your readers. “Hello, everyone!”
1. What gave you the idea for writing Half-Truths? I started with the idea of a farm girl who feels like a fish out of water when she moves to the high society neighborhood of Myers Park in Charlotte, NC.
I wanted it to be an historical novel because I was curious about the history that no one talks about—the history that figuratively lay under people’s feet as they walked around Charlotte. Unfortunately, the city tends to pull down homes and businesses and put up new buildings without anyone thinking about what used to be there. I suppose you can say I was looking for Charlotte’s forgotten history. I was also curious about what it was like before the civil rights period of the 1960’s.
I think that both of these answers reflect who I am: a transplanted Yankee who came to Charlotte, NC in 1986. I was the fish out of water in a new city in the South—both of which I knew little about.
By the way, it took me years to realize how Half-Truths reflected themes in my own life.
2. What year did you begin writing Half-Truths? My first blog post was in 2007 when I took part of my manuscript to a SCBWI (Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators) conference. My best guess is that it was in 2006 or 2007.
3. I understand that you had 24 major revisions, what goals and strategies did you set when you worked on your revisions?Ha, ha! You are implying that I had goals and strategies!!! I wish I could say that I did—but to be honest, most of the time I didn’t.
Many of the early drafts were exploratory—trying to figure out what my story was. From the beginning, I had the idea of a white girl (Kate Dinsmore) meeting a light-skinned Black girl (Lillian Bridges) who turns out be a relative. But the book itself morphed and changed. Since the drafts were exploratory (which I didn’t realize at the time) it took me a while to pinpoint the year that Half-Truths would take place. I also didn’t know where to start the book. Was it with Kate’s father’s history in WWII? Was it when the family moved to Charlotte? I included characters, events, and places which I ended up taking out. I wrote an entire version in both girls’ points-of-view which I never submitted. One of my writing coaches, Rebecca Petruck, observed that I had strayed from my initial intent—to show the relationship between Kate and Lillian—and that I should re-focus on that. Her insight was a major step in pulling me back to something close to what Half-Truths is now.
4. Please list three (3) of the most surprising interviews that you did and why? I went to all of my interviews with questions. Often my “experts” (the people who lived through this time period in the South) gave me something different.
For example, when I went to the old Rosenwald School which is now a community center in Grier Heights, I met George Wallace who told me about going with his grandmother to the area in which her mother was buried. At the time, it was being excavated to build multi-million-dollar homes. His grandmother knew exactly where the gravesite had been and talked about them digging up bones and cups that had been buried with the deceased. That was the origin of the Blue Willow China connection in Half-Truths.
I went to a discussion with B.B. DeLaine and his brother Joseph about the role their father, Reverend Joseph DeLaine, played in the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision. Reverend DeLaine is not seen on the page, but he has an important role in history and in Half-Truths.
Finally, I have to mentionTheresea Elder, one of the first Black public health nurses in Charlotte, and Vermelle Ely, who went to Second Ward High School and continues to be active in the Alumni association. The surprising part of my interviews was how they became my friends and each couldn’t wait to hear what was happening with my book.
5. What kept you going and helped you never give up? Every time I took a break from the story and came back, I still liked the story. My beta readers—both teens and adults—and my editor, Deborah Halverson, also loved it and wanted to see it in print.
6. What are the top six Carol Baldwin suggestions to help writers never give up?
Keep learning the writing craft.
Network with other kidlit writers who are writing in the same genre as you are.
Believe in your work.
Listen to informed feedback. Someone saying, “I love this book!” isn’t nearly as useful as someone who reads it carefully and offers suggestions that resonate with you.
Find a mentor. She or he will be priceless.
And last but not at all least, pray without ceasing!
7. Why did your publisher, Jennifer Lowry, decide it was a young adult book rather than a middle grade? The girls share a great-grandfather. The relationship between their great-grandfather and Lillian’s great-grandmother was one of slave and master. There are no explicit sexual scenes in the book but it is implied. Jen Lowry felt strongly that made Half-Truths a YA book. Interesting enough, I wrestled with whether it was YA or MG and went back and forth several times (which was part of the revision process you mentioned in question #3.)
I am perfectly satisfied with Jen’s categorizing the book as young adult. Monarch Educational Services has content ratings for all their books so parents and teachers will know what is being portrayed in the book. I expect that readers between 12-16 as well as adults will read it.
8. What did Jen Lowry with Monarch Educational Services like in particular about your Half-Truths? Jen Lowry said, “Kate and Lillian have so much heart! I love the growth that Kate undertakes as she is desperately finding her voice and realizing what matters most.”
9. How has writing your blog helped you build your writing skills? My blog has helped me In two ways. I read and review lots of mentor texts. Each of those reviews has taught me to analyze what makes a novel stand out. I also was able to journal my progress with Half-Truths including reviewing books about the Black experience. The books were crucial to making Half-Truths authentic and the online journal helped me answer your questions!
10. How did you find Monarch Education Publishers? I noticed that they are closed at the present time for submissions. Rebecca Wheeler who is a writer friend and my co-producer of Talking Story, suggested that I query Jen Lowry with Monarch Educational Services.
Monarch Educational Services will re-open for submissions this spring. You can check the website for what Jen is looking for.
11. What is the proposed date of publication? How can people who would like to share a blog post or a review of an early copy of Half- Truths on GoodReads or Amazon, contact you? The publication date is June 4, 2025. I am looking for ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) readers who will leave reviews on Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, and bloggers who want to be part of my blog roll in the spring of 2025. Reviews on Amazon can’t go up until after publication. Anyone who is interested in being part of my blog roll or writing a review can email me here.
12. What were the three hardest things you had to do while writing Half-Truths? The hardest thing to do while writing Half-Truths was finding relevant newspaper headlines to use as chapter titles. It was needle-in-the-haystack work. The second hardest was figuring out the plot. The third hardest, which might actually have been the very hardest, was making sure that the book was/is authentic.
13.What did you enjoy most while writing Half-Truths? I really enjoyed meeting my experts and hearing their stories.
14. Who would you like to thank? Thank you to Joyce Hostetterwho was my mentor throughout this project. She read umpteen drafts and taught me so much about writing inspirational and engaging historical fiction.
Thank you, Linda Phillips, who encouraged me for 16 long years and never gave up on my dream. Kathleen Burkinshaw is my indefatigable cheerleader who taught me to celebrate each step along the way.
15. Here are pictures of people and things that inspired me on my journey to write Half-Truths.
Linda Phillips and Madie Smith on the Black History Tour in Charlotte, NC
Linda Phillips and Madie Smith on the Black History Tour in Charlotte, NC
St. Lloyd Presbyterian Church Cemetery Plaque in South Park area in Charlotte, NC.
St. Lloyd Presbyterian Church Cemetery Plaque in South Park area in Charlotte, NC.
The house Carol Baldwin used for inspiration for Kate Dinsmore’s grandparents.
The house Carol Baldwin used for inspiration for Kate Dinsmore’s grandparents.
From one of these windows Kate would look out at the gardens
From one of these windows Kate would look out at the gardens.
These are the steps that Kate Dinsmore walks down to greet her guests at her luncheon.
These are the steps that Kate Dinsmore walks down to greet her guests at her luncheon.
Kate brags about reading Seventeen Magazine, iconic magazine from 1950.
iconic magazine from 1950–Kate brags about reading Seventeen Magazine
Price Davis, Vermelle Ely, and Carol Baldwin, February 2010, Second Ward Alumni House.
Price Davis, Vermelle Ely and Carol Baldwin February 2010, Second Ward Alumni House
Price Davis, Vermelle Ely, February 2010, Second Ward Alumni House.
Price Davis, Vermelle Ely February 2010, Second Ward Alumni House
Being able to read microfilm on a computer was enormously helpful.
Being able to read microfilm files was enormously helpful.
Microfilm files give great historical information.
Microfilm files give great historical information.
Teaching the Story: Fiction Writing in Grades 4-8.
Teaching the Story: Fiction Writing in Grades 4-8 Copy and paste link below into browser:: https://shop.capstonepub.com/classroom/products/teaching-the-story-2nd-edition/
