Ellen Emerson White's new YA novel is A Season of Daring Greatly. From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:Q: How did you come up with the idea for A Season of Daring Greatly and for your character Jill?Visit Ellen Emerson White's website.
A: I'm a lifelong baseball fan, and do a lot of sports photography, professionally and otherwise. I also coach a 15U (male) baseball team in East Harlem. So, I'm around the game a lot--and am almost invariably the only woman around. So, I guess it was inevitable that I would end up writing about all of that at some point.
Jill fits the profile of the kind of woman I think could actually break the professional barrier--a tall, left-handed pitcher, who works off a plus-change and curve, seems like the most plausible fit to me.
Also, frankly, I found Jill amusing, and liked it that she doesn't take herself too seriously. No female player is going to be able to play professionally, without having a sense of humor.
The title of the book comes directly from the famous "in the arena" speech, which was given by Teddy...[read on]
Coffee with a Canine: Ellen Emerson White & Patrick.
--Marshal Zeringue