Loretta Ellsworth's newest novel is Stars Over Clear Lake.From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Stars Over Clear Lake?--Marshal Zeringue
A: It was a combination of things that led to writing this book. I grew up in Mason City, Iowa, near Clear Lake and the Surf Ballroom, and had always wanted to write about this historic place. And when I was young and on road trips with my family, my father often pointed out the remains of a German POW camp in Algona.
It was serendipity that when I combined these two together, that the story seemed to sprout wings and take off.
Q: What kind of research did you need to do to write the novel, especially about German POWs in the United States?
A: I read a great deal about the POW camps in America and Iowa, visited the POW Museum in Algona, Iowa, and spoke with a descendant of a German POW who later immigrated to Iowa.
My novel required a great deal of research of the Surf Ballroom and Clear Lake, Iowa in the 1940s. When you’re writing about a real place, you want to make sure you get everything right.
I spent time in the Clear Lake Library, where they have a history room, and I also interviewed people who had attended dances at the Surf in the 1940s. And I had someone...[read on]