An Interview with Author Carol Baldwin

There's a new book in town. Half-Truths. Although it was designed for teens, this novel by Carol Baldwin should be read by every adult in America. It is a powerful narrative of a history that we often push under our carpet of shame. It takes the reader into the Jim Crow fifties of Charlotte and Tabor City, North Carolina. It's the story of my youth, even though I lived through it in another city. After I finished reading it, I told her it could have been named Hard-Truths, because it told facts that were hard to hear.

I asked Carol a few questions, mostly from a fellow author's point of view. Here's our discussion:

Setting is so important to the unfolding of action in Half-Truths. Why did you write about actual towns rather than create fictional ones?

When my children were young, they always asked me if something was "real" in a book they were reading. I think it adds a deeper dimension to a book when the reader realizes that a place or person is "real." Since I wanted to explore what life was like in Charlotte before civil rights, I never thought of placing the story elsewhere. That option was suggested to me but I felt as if it would take away from the reality of what life was like in Charlotte. After that decision, it only made sense that I would find a "real" place where Kate grew up.

And how about the editors of the newspapers? Did I read somewhere that they were real as well?

Horace Carter, the editor of The Tabor City Tribune, was a very real force in Tabor City, NC in the early fifties. A UNC graduate, he started a paper in this North Carolina tobacco town that's across the border from South Carolina. In his thirties he won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the KKK.

Speaking of newspapers, the way you start each chapter with a "ripped from the headlines" clip is fascinating. What do you think those add to your story?

Thank you, I'm glad you like them. I actually borrowed that technique from Kathleen Burkinshaw; that is what she did in her middle-grade book, The Last Cherry Blossom. I think it adds another layer of authenticity to the story, mirroring Kate's desire to be a journalist, as well as giving readers a taste of what was reported on and advertised during that period.  

Not all were from glaring headlines. What did you change in those cases?

I wanted as many real headlines as possible but sometimes I couldn't find what I was looking for. That's one reason I would create a headline. The other reason is that I wanted to show how the local newspaper, The Charlotte Observer, reported on social events, like Kate's luncheon or the May Day parade.

You had to have done mountains and mountains of research. Where did you go for your information beyond back issues of newspapers? 

I consulted a lot of books; this is a picture of just some of them.

Since I'm White and was writing about a Black girl who was light-skinned, I read several books about being biracial. I also read several MG and YA books with Black protagonists. You can find a list of my blog posts which include books I read here. I also conducted several books and online articles about Charlotte, the South, goats, tobacco, the KKK and just about everything in the book! I interviewed close to a hundred people who either lived in Charlotte during this time or had family that did. Many of their stories are threaded through Half-Truths.

Much of what you researched must have been hard to read. Did you ever turn away because you couldn't go into that darkness?

No. Some of the books about what Blacks experienced were difficult and painful to read. But I suppose there's a journalist in me, too. I wanted to report the way life really was. 

Did you develop Kate's desire to be a reporter from all your research?

Interesting question. Early on I saw her as wanting to be a photographer for the school paper, but then I realized that I knew a lot more about writing and could write that with more authenticity.  

The goat. I must ask about what part it played in developing your characters. Could the story have been the same with only the dog? 

Ha Ha! In early drafts, I had only a dog who disrupted her luncheon. Eileen Heyes, an author friend of mine, said that everyone had dogs in their stories and I needed something different! I hit on a goat and it fit. Initially, I even named her Eileen, but then I realized that name was too close to Lillian. 

Kate's fellow students in both towns were so real to me. Did you dislike any of them but included them anyway? If so, then why?

Yes, I'm not too keen on Hank and Lola Mae in Tabor City, but I needed to show the atmosphere of the town and how racism had been passed on to young people, too. I'm also not a fan of Kenneth. Many girls have met boys like him. They need to see how Kate's mother says, they can be "loose cannons."  

Authors often slide in a homage to people or events or places from their personal lives. Tell us about something you might have included.

My mother was a painter. I didn't even realize that I had modeled Nora Jean after her until I described the painting she gives Kate. My mother also loved to paint gladiolas! Vermelle, Lillian's mother, is named after Vermelle Ely, one of my Black experts, who although she is blind, was the first to "read" Half-Truths. She had her phone read it to her!

I read that writing this took eighteen years for you to go from day one blank page to publication. How did it change over that time?

Another great question. There were many outlines and drafts. Since the period is the Jim Crow South, I knew there were racial issues that would be addressed. Over time I realized that most of that racial struggle was not my story to tell. As a result, Half-Truths became more about Kate's journey to find her voice as a budding journalist rather than a book about race relations. 

What stories did you uncover that you would like to have written into the book but chose not to?

There are too many to count!

Could those be for future books? Will we see more of Kate or Lillian?

I don't have another book in mind for Kate and Lillian, but you never know. My next book takes place fifty years earlier and it's about Kate's grandfather as a thirteen-year-old glassblowing apprentice in South Jersey.

Oh, my goodness, Carol, that sounds fascinating! I can't wait to read it! I can only imagine the research you have ahead of you. Thank you for taking the time to share a part of your writing process with us. I'm so glad I had a chance to ask questions. I can't wait for everyone to read her book. Half-Truths comes out in April, so please be on the lookout for it. 

If you want to add your name to my drawing for a free book, post a comment below. I will draw the winner on April 12 so please make sure I have a contact email address in case you are the lucky winner of this book.  

Also, anyone who preorders now on Barnes and Noble, can send their receipt to Carol for a courtesy swag! Contact her through her website. 

Catch of the day,

Gretchen