tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21825814.post4299628473952641192..comments2023-09-30T04:12:28.281-07:00Comments on Finding Fair Hope: Amelia in FairhopeMary Loishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01515655542270431289noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21825814.post-60999605550917008912012-07-08T07:27:35.795-07:002012-07-08T07:27:35.795-07:00In THAT WAS TOMORROW I wanted to create a young wo...In THAT WAS TOMORROW I wanted to create a young woman who would leave a rather privileged life to move to Fairhope and study teaching with Marietta Johnson. So I gave her an evil nanny who had filled her head with the old fire-and-brimstone brand of Christian philosophy as a young child and made learning difficult and unpleasant. Amelia hated and feared the nanny so much that she vowed children should be spared and given light and space to grow and she would be a teacher of a different kind of education. <br /><br />The only connection to my own childhood is the fantasy life--I remember how vividly real stuffed animals were when I played with them, and the little scenarios I created with imaginary characters. This creative impulse kicked in when I wrote the book, as did memories of the intense emotional life of childhood. <br /><br />But no, I never tortured my teddy bear or tried to save its soul. I just wanted to make the book more interesting and give some dimension to my leading character. One of the early readers found the teddy-bear-torture one of the best passages in my book.Mary Loishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01515655542270431289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21825814.post-18104705216295145572012-07-08T07:25:53.033-07:002012-07-08T07:25:53.033-07:00it sounds as if ML tortured her dolls or ...it sounds as if ML tortured her dolls or pets to feel needed or something...scary. Revealing.jacnoreply@blogger.com