Author Interviews
Ann Dallman on Her New Book in the Cady Whirlwind Thunder Series
Ann Dallman had a brief Q&A with RTS when her second book Cady and the Birchbark Box was published by the Modern History Press in 2022. Now her new book Cady and the Search for Family has been published, also by MHP, and author Ann Dallman tells more the series and the creative process involved in it.
On a personal level, how do you identify with Cady, your protagonist?
When I’m writing, it often feels as if Cady is telling me her thoughts, her feelings, her frustrations and anger. I taught Language Arts for 15 years on the Hannahville Indian Reservation (Potawatomi) in Wilson, MI. Many of my students were Cady’s age and I draw on that experience of working with them. She’s a feisty young girl, on the brink of womanhood, trying to navigate her place in the world while balancing between the dominant culture and that of her heritage.
This is a young adult novel. Can the adult audience, particularly parents, also learn something from it or be inspired by it?
Absolutely! During a zoom visit, arranged by the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors with the assistance of Evelyn Gathu of the Crystal Falls (MI) Library, one lovely parent told us, “I’m giving this book (Cady and the Bear Necklace) to my son so he learns how to treat women.” I was thrilled with her comment. In my second book, Cady and the Birchbark Box, readers can learn about the well-known Christmas Tree shipwreck on Lake Michigan as well as the importance of elders in both native communities and in our lives. And in this third book, Cady and the Search for Family, readers will travel with Cady and her grandmother throughout Wisconsin and Michigan visiting sites important to the native culture.
In the story, what is the broader significance of essay entry in Barnesville’s centennial celebration for the book’s readers?
Cady is challenged to enter the centennial celebration by her best friend, Irish, who doesn’t believe that Cady is eligible because she just moved to the area. Cady is in effect saying, “Not so. See me, hear me, I am here.” She is proud of her heritage and although nervous she does a magnificent job sharing with the audience the presence of her family, native people, in her area for generations–a very long time. I also touch on the serious issue of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People in a cautionary way, urging kids and their families to be careful of meeting up with persons met on the internet.
Since you started writing the Cady Whirlwind Thunder, how has it influenced your own thinking/writing as an artist and/or parent?
Since you started writing the Cady Whirlwind Thunder series, how has it influenced your own thinking/writing as an artist and/or parent? Basically, it’s reinforced my belief in the importance of family and of extended family in raising our children. The shopworn phrase, “It takes a village,” is so true. I have two grown sons as well as a granddaughter and grandson. My little granddaughter is nine-years-old, outgoing and curious. Her parents do a great job of monitoring her interaction with technology, which is another theme of this book. As a writer I believe we have a responsibility to not only tell a great story, and to entertain, but also to help preserve our area history and foster an interest in it.
