#interview with Marina Hill #author of Little Writer #HistoricalFiction @GoddessFish

Little Writer by Marina Hill released November 1 in the historical fiction genre.

A retelling of the classic coming-of-age story Little Women through the intimate lens of Jo March.

It’s 1862 and fifteen-year-old Jo March would rather be fighting in the war, like her papa, than improving her knitting skills on the home front. But societal conventions for the “gentle” woman-and her steadfast adoration for her three sisters-force Jo to stay behind and support the family, all the while rolling her eyes at Aunt March and daydreaming of becoming a famous author.

At home, love abounds in the March girls’ lives in the form of family, friendship, patriotism, religion, and-to Jo’s chagrin-romance. As each sister navigates their ascent into adulthood, Jo unwittingly ventures down a path of self-realization, using her gift of written prose to craft her voice, and thus, her truth. Perhaps, just maybe, she can strike balance between the freedom of independence and the warmth of partnership…

In this visionary adaptation, Little Writer tells the March sisters’ timeless journey to womanhood with a multiracial cast of characters, reimagining history to include diverse communities without elaboration.

Barnes & Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/little-writer-marina-hill/1141470299?ean=9798986290805

KOBO

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/little-writer

Apple Books

https://books.apple.com/us/book/little-writer/id6442894240

When spring rolls around, my sisters and I love to stay outside.

One blossoming afternoon, while I’m in the coop to feed the chickens, I spot Laurie, Beth, and Amy around the redbud tree. Laurie latches onto a branch to shake the tree loose of any lingering magenta petals. Flowers begin raining on Beth and Amy, who lock hands and spin together. Their skirts fly about them and I smile at their girlish laughter.

Once I return to feeding the animals, Laurie appears behind me. “What d’you have there?”

“Teddy! Come in. I want you to meet my chicken, Aunt Cockle-top.” I point to her and, though Laurie enters the coop, he says far from the roaming animals.

“Please keep that from me,” he says, shaking some magenta flower petals from his curls as he skirts away.

“Don’t be afraid,” I exclaim, cleaning my hands on my linen apron before scooping up Aunt Cockle-top. She flaps her wings.

Teddy stumbles backward. “Jo!”

“She’s just a chicken. Face your fears!” I haul Aunt Cockle-top into the air toward him.

He yelps and loses his footing without trying to catch her. My chicken falls on top of him and he screeches, “She bit me!” to send me into a deep laughing fit.

“Josephine!” Marmee’s scolding voice startles me. My laughter is slow to dissipate as she brings a whimpering Laurie inside.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Marina Hill is a writer with a keen interest in all things undiscovered. She grew up in the New Jersey side of Philadelphia, watching Eagles games and roughhousing with her plethora of older brothers. She attended Baruch College in NYC and has over a dozen publications of her other works. If she isn’t daydreaming about her next story, she’s studying history or yearning to dash into the forest, build a farm, and never look back. Marina never lives in one spot for too long and loves to travel with her dog.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

The hardest part was stepping up to bat. Little Writer is Little Women in Jo’s words—or my interpretation of Jo’s perspective. I had to accept that readers will have strong opinions regarding my study of the original text. Writers build so many barriers for themselves, and we have even more when it comes to a retelling.It took some time to silence any outside voices and focus on the story itself and what I wanted to bring to the table. I mixed my own feelings with Jo’s and balanced them in ways I thought would benefit the story I wanted to create. Little Writer is intended to possess an enjoyable blend of reality and idealism.The decision to independently publish my first novel was ultimately the correct one and positively impacted this step in my career. The only person truly counting on me was me—and I had more responsibility over my own mistakes. I’ve garnered more knowledge, connections, and experience to do with what I please and my path to where I am now looked the way it did because I decided I chose it to.

Bookish platform links

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61022196-little-writer

Website https://themarinahill.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thepaintingauthor/

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This post is part of a tour. The tour dates can be found here: https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2022/10/vbt-little-writer-by-marina-hill.html