Barb Baltrinic, author

Interview

1) Can you tell us a little about Your Book(s) without giving away too many spoilers and what inspired you to write it? 
Growing up all of my cousins heard the same stories….we were direct descendants of Abraham Clark, signer of the Declaration of Independence.  As I became older, I wanted to research information about Abraham Clark.  What I discovered is that he was the only “common man” among the delegates who signed.   I kept researching and discovered the “common man’s founder” was truly one of the people who fought hard to protect the rights of all people!
​

2) Which character do you like the most? Why?
I really came to admire and respect the work of Abraham Clark.  He continually put country before family, even when one of his sons was being tortured on the British ship, Jersey. 
​

3) Is there a historical angle you can share with us?
This book really focuses on New Jersey, and its role in the Revolutionary War, as well as the delegates who put their lives in jeopardy to create a new nation.  Had we lost the war, which we very well could have done, they would have been hung as traitors.

​

4) When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I taught English and composition for 35 years.  I think every English teacher thinks they will one day pen a novel.  I never thought it would be based on war!  I wanted to capture Abraham’s story to share with my sons….instead I believe I have captured his story for all Americans!

​

5) What books have most influenced your life most?
Oh, my!  I am an English teacher!  I taught all the great American, British and World classics!  I always love books that have “lessons” applicable to all generations throughout time.

​

6) Which is your favorite author of all time?
I love Charles Dickens.  His characters are classic and his plots are timeless.
​

7) Do you have any little ‘things’ you do or traditions you follow when you write?
I need it to be quiet.  When I drafted my novel I wrote late into the night when there were no distractions and the house was completely peaceful.
​

8) If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your published works?
I am already starting my second novel.  As a child I was a shelf reader.  I suppose I will be a “shelf writer.”  My ancestral heritage has a long line of “Fighting Clarks” who fought in the various wars throughout our history. 
I am finding that in my second novel I am being more creative in my writing approach, using a “frame” story format.  I found that I loved this style in “Johnny Got His Gun” by Dalton Trumbo, and “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley. 
​

9) What do you love most about writing?
Developing a character of someone you never met is intriguing.  I found there were character traits I developed for Abraham that are very much like my youngest son. 
​

10) Tell me about your book(s). How did you come up with that (story, angle, and idea)?
This book was based on my research into Abraham Clark’s life, then all my research into the Revolutionary War and everything related to that time era and New Jersey, his state.  When I taught I used “incidental learning” which was inclusion of side stories or tidbits of interesting, yet applicable trivia.  I would preface it with, “Are you aware….” My students came to love these trinkets of information as it made the literature we were studying more personalized.  I used this same idea in my writing, adding many incidental stories into the story line to give it depth and additional interesting information for the reader to make the time era more personalized.
​

11) How did you get interested in writing this particular genre?
I love to read historical fiction.  It was an easy choice for my own writing.
​

12) What kind of research did you do for this book?
I wanted to include primary sources in the novel, so there are original letters Abraham wrote, as well as various documents of the times.  I found a lot of the information in the Library of Congress online collections.
​

13) What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?
My first book was only drafted during the summers of my teaching years.  When I taught I really had no “free time” as I was constantly preparing lessons and grading papers.  Summers were my time to research and write.  It took me three summers to draft my first novel, then another three to rewrite, proof, get historical proofing, and proof again.  My next novel will be written a lot quicker (I hope) as I am no longer grading papers all night.  I set a goal to research and write one chapter a month.
​

14) What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Getting into the “zone” of extreme focus, then being interrupted is the most frustrating part of writing for me.  It seems when this happens it takes me awhile to pull myself back to the passionate place I was in writing before interruption!
​

15) What’s the best thing about being an author?
Holding your child for the first time is an overwhelming feeling….holding a book you labored to create has much of that same emotional response.
​

16) What are you working on now?
Since I wrote about my 5th great grandfather, it makes sense to write a sequel and focus on my 4th great grandfather.  Unfortunately, he was not “famous,” so this story will be mostly fictional, based on the historical setting and pieces of family stories that survived generations of retelling.
​

17) What advice would you give aspiring writers?
Write.  Rewrite.  Write again.  Copy various writing styles for practice.  You will eventually find your niche.

​

18) Anything else you wish to share….
As a child I was a shelf reader.  I suppose I will be a “shelf writer.”  My ancestral heritage has a long line of “Fighting Clarks” who fought in the various wars throughout our history. 

​

 

 

Please give my

Facebook page a

"like!"