Being a savvy auntie who is always on the lookout for new reads for my nieces, I was excited to have the honor and pleasure of being a blog stop for Danette Haworth who is on tour for her novel Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning
What is a blog tour?
Well a blog tour is similar to an author’s book tour, but it’s hosted online, instead of at, say, a bookstore. The touring author visits a number of blogs (otherwise known as “blog stops”) over a set period–typically, a month. And today it’s me!
“Official” Summary: Spunky, headstrong Violet Raines is happy with things just the way they are in her sleepy backwoods Florida town. She loves going to the fish fry with her best friend, Lottie, and collecting BrainFreeze cups with her good friend Eddie.
But Violet’s world is turned upside down when Melissa moves to town from big city Detroit. All of a sudden Violet’s supposed to want to wear makeup, and watch soap operas, and play Truth or Dare! It’ll take the help of Violet’s friends, her Momma, a few run-ins with lightning, and maybe even Melissa, for Violet to realize that growing up doesn’t have to mean changing who you are.
About the author: After earning a BA in English, Danette landed a job as a technical writer, which was a fun position because she got to play in tank simulators and explain to scientists that possessive its does not have an apostrophe.
She later worked as a travel writer for a well-known automobile club, one of the best jobs she’d ever held; she read history books, interviewed people on the telephone, looked at travel brochures, and got paid for doing this! Her website where you can read her full bio (a must) and the first chapter of Violet Raines (among other things) can be found at http://www.violetraines.com.
My review: I read this book in two hours and thought it was adorable! It brought me back to summer days when I lived in various spots on the East Coast where I had nothing to do but spend time with my best friend exploring the world around me. I like the genuine “goodness” of the people in the community that Danette created and small town feeling you experience while reading. She treats the tween angst of tested friendships, new schools, the transition of male/female and puberty with concern and kindness. I also loved the use of metaphors that is weaved throughout the book. So this savvy auntie gives it a two-thumbs up!
My mini-interview with Danette: After reading the book, there were a few questions I wanted to ask and Danette graciously provided them to me in the following interview:
[MWA] Do you have children of your own that you based the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of Violet on?
[DH] My feelings and reactions to situations are about the same as when I was a kid; I’m still that person, just in a grown-up disguise. My brother tells me my face hides nothing, so Violet is a little better at poker-face than I am.
[MWA] Being an Army brat myself, I did not have the experience of growing up next door to my best friend, I imagine it was the same for you, so who did you model that friendship after?
[DH] My dad was a recruiter, so we lived in many small towns and I grew up entrenched in that sort of environment. (We lived on base only once.) I hung back when starting new schools. I wanted to make friends, but I also knew it was important to make the right friends; patience was definitely on my side there. I knew enough not to burst in on established friendships, but to make my way slowly in. People hate when you come on like gangbusters!
The friendships I did make were solid and warm. Seems like we grew up in older homes with basements and everyone rode their bikes everywhere. There was no such thing as a playdate. I experienced good friendships and observed the friendships between other people. How I envied them at times! Especially the kids who could say, “I rode my bike to my cousin’s house yesterday.” Still, I had some really good best friends and it was easy for me to call up those times for Violet Raines.
[MWA] At first I thought you had made up Mitchell Hammock, but I Googled it and it is real! How did you select Mitchell Hammock as your setting?
[DH] Good question! Because Violet lives off a river, I wanted to call the town something Hammock. Mitchell Hammock came to me immediately. It’s a road in Oviedo , a small town near Orlando . I was a bit leery of using an actual place—I needed to put the grocery store and the church where I wanted to—but as far as I could see, Mitchell Hammock existed only as a road! That was perfect for me. I had a strong vision of Violet’s world, so I couldn’t use a real town. Someone would surely email me and say, Hey! There’s no discount store on that corner!
The Econlockhatchee River and surrounding forest served as the inspiration for Violet’s woods. A few feet in and you’re swallowed up in the jungle. It’s beautiful. Lucky for me, no alligators were lurking the day I took this photo!
[MWA] I can see this being a series, Violet Raines X and Violet Raines Y – is that something that you have thought about?
[DH] Thank you! I love that people like Violet enough to see her in another book! If I ever feel like I can cross that bridge with her, maybe . . . I don’t know!
[MWA] This was your first novel, how long did it take you between writing it and getting it published?
[DH]Here’s how it happened:
- September 2006, started writing.
- Mid-December 2006, rough draft completed.
- January 2007 through Spring 2007, revised. Revised again. Revised again.
- April 2007, let the first person read it (my daughter). Shared first ten pages with two other writers.
- June 2007, sat down with Stacy Cantor of Walker Books in June 2007 for critique.
- Late Summer 2007, two revisions.
- October 2007, an offer, an agent, an acceptance! Yay!
- August 2008, hardcover on bookstore shelves—HOORAY!
[MWA] Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
[DH] I have a few quick tips: write every day; get feedback from qualified readers (another writer, a lit professor, a professional editor); and submit your work. Don’t be crushed by rejection! Keep submitting!
To celebrate this stop on the tour even more, I am giving away a copy of Violet Raines Almost Got Struck By Lightning so that you may give it to your daughter or niece or little friend in your life. Just add a comment citing your favorite story as a child and I will have Mr. Random.org pick a winner. I will select a winner at 12 noon PST on Tuesday, May 19th. I will exclude any questions you may want to ask Danette or her answers if she lurks 
If you have a blog or website and would like to host an author, WOW-WomenOnWriting are accepting a few choice blogs to participate in their programs. Come and join the fun! Email Angela & Jodi at blogtourATwow-womenonwritingDOTcom.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Do you have a favorite character in Violet Raines? Is one of them a younger version of you?
Violet is my favorite! And while all my characters have a little something of me in them, their strongest qualities, the traits that define them, are uniquely their own.
Who were some of your childhood influences in terms of reading?
I’ve always been a voracious reader and I can think of two series I loved right off the bat: Alfred Hitchcock’s Three Investigators and Trixie Belden. Additionally, I loved ordering books from the book club and reading my mom’s cast-off paperbacks!
I am inspired by this wonderful book and i am only 12. I got it at a book fair and read for a book report i had to do in school and in my book report i put how much Danette Haworth should be admired for this book! I am just like Violet i won’t stop at anything until i get it. Anyway i am writting this because i want to thank you for writting this book and i hope you write back to me Danette……..
Thank You
Hello Kelsey, I am so glad you liked the book! I hope you got a good grade on your book report. I will forward this message to Danette for you.