Interview with Author Bonnie Pryor and Special eBook Offer

Bonnie Pryor is the author of several of Enslow's historical fiction books, including the Hannah Pritchard trilogy. She took some time recently to talk to us about how she combines historical facts with her fictional characters. 

Bonnie Pryor

Enslow:  What is your favorite childhood memory about books?

Bonnie:  My favorite memories are about reading and my favorite places to read were…sitting in a crook of an old plum tree, under my covers at night, inside my math book at school, and under the dining room table when I was supposed to be dusting….any place I had a book.

Enslow:   How has your upbringing influenced your writing?

Bonnie:  I suppose I had a fairly sheltered childhood with strict parents, so I have trouble imagining bad characters.

Enslow:  When did your interest in writing historical fiction start?

Hannah Pritchard: Pirate of the
Revolution (Book  1)

Bonnie:  I’ve always enjoyed reading historical fiction, but, for some reason or other, I didn’t think of it until about fifteen years ago when an editor (knowing I liked historical fiction) suggested I try writing some.

Enslow:  What was your biggest challenge when writing The Hannah Pritchard trilogy?

Bonnie:  Fitting what was going on in the real world at that time into my story – for instance, John Paul Jones being in Portsmouth, NH, and Paul Revere in Boston.

Enslow:  What is your favorite trait of your female pirate character, Hannah Pritchard?

Bonnie:  Hannah is strong and independent. She figures things out and takes care of them on her own.

Enslow:   Hannah finds herself aboard an American privateer ship during the Revolutionary War and has to hide her female identity to be able to work as a cabin boy. How do you think this reflects the roles of women during this time period?

Pirate Hannah Pritchard:
Captured  (Book 2)

Bonnie:  Except for a few female pirates, who were not very nice characters, women were considered bad luck on a ship. Although women worked as hard and as well as men, they were restricted by the society of the times as to what they could and couldn’t do.

Enslow:  Hannah and her friends must complete some important missions for the Continental navy and outsmart an enemy pirate in a race to bring home the buried treasure. What’s your secret to writing fabulous adventures while still referencing real people and real historical events?

Bonnie:  I did a lot of research to get the timelines correct in my head. The events that were actually happening then were exciting, so it wasn’t hard to fit them into the story.

Captain Hannah Pritchard:
The Hunt for Pirate Gold
(Book 3)

Enslow:  What do you and Hannah have in common?

Bonnie:  Like Hannah, I’m an independent person with a mind of my own and I’ve always been fairly interested in having adventures.

Enslow:  If you could trade places for a day with one historical character, who would it be and why?

Bonnie:  It would be Margaret Mead. Growing up I admired her and her amazing adventures as an anthropologist and actually thought about going into that field.

About the Author: 

Bonnie Pryor claims she was ‘born loving books’ and it certainly seems as if books are the warp and weft upon which the threads of her life are woven.

Thirty years after the publication of her first book, Grandpa Bear, she has written and had published a total of thirty-seven books for children and young adults. Though her first love is picture books, she has written easy-to-read books, chapter books, mysteries, and historical fiction. Many of her books have been translated into different languages and are sold in countries around the world.

REVIEW

"The 'Real History Behind the Story' section is a great addition to this historical fiction series. These would be excellent books for teachers to use in their classrooms, because they intertwine American history with realistic tales."
     –Library Media Connection, March 2008

SPECIAL EBOOK OFFER FOR A LIMTED TIME ONLY!
Consumers can take advantage of a SPECIAL OFFER on the eBook versions of the Hannah Pritchard trilogy from their favorite eBook retailers including Amazon and Kobo. For a limited time, Hannah Pritchard: Pirate of the Revolution (Book 1) is only 99 cents and Pirate Hannah Pritchard: Captured (Book 2) is just $3.49. Captain Hannah Pritchard: The Hunt for Pirate Gold (Book 3) is also available for $7.69.