“The New Diary” Blog Tour {Author Interview}

I signed up to do Hanna Kraft’s blog tour for her new book, The New Diary. Today I’m going to be doing an author interview with Hanna on her book. Some of my followers might know Hanna better by “CutePolarBear,” as she goes by in the blogging world. 😉

One Summer Sunday in 1930, Carol Ayers decides to keep a diary. She records many life changes over the days, weeks, and months. Can Carol and her family accept, and even like the changes, and at the same time continue their traditions?

The New Diary, a fictional account, contains actual excerpts from the real diary of Carol Ayers, the author’s great-grandmother.

Hanna Kraft, an introverted Christian Homeschooler, is very grateful to have the opportunity to learn at home, and desires to spread her love of Jesus to others. Every day she sees new ways the Lord has provided, blessed, and cared for her and those she cares for. Hanna enjoys writing much more than any of her five siblings, and has enjoyed it for several years. When she realized her ability to publish The New Diary, she decided to pursue writing as a bit more than a mere hobby.

Besides reading and writing, Hanna lives in the country with her family, and enjoys playing the banjo, swimming, listening to much Southern Gospel music, and watching college basketball.

M: I love how you often include excerpts from Carol’s diary at the end of the chapters. Are these real, or did you change some of them?

H: The diary entries I included in the book are verbatim. What I appreciated so much about Carol’s diary was that she didn’t miss one day of entries after she began the diary.

M: How long did it take you to read through Carol’s diary?

H: In the beginning, my mom read them to me, so it wasn’t very hard the first time. 😉 Then, as I reread and reread them, it took a bit longer. Carol had beautiful cursive handwriting, but I wasn’t used to it at first. Now, I can read  her 14-year-old writing pretty easily.

M: Which character do you relate the most to?

H: Well, I suppose I would have to say Carol. She’s my great-grandmother, after all, and her peacemaking, sort of quiet personality is like mine.

M: What is your favorite adventure that Carol had?

H: I just loved all the fun times Carol had with Pete, Maggie, and Ethel. That is another thing to which I can relate: I love spending time with my sisters, and it was obvious that Carol enjoyed talking and playing with hers.

M: Were Carol’s entries daily? How long were most of them?

H: Carol’s entries were daily, and sometimes they were pages long. (She used a composition notebook) Sometimes, though, when there wasn’t much to say, she might write just a half of a page.

M: What was your favorite thing about writing this book?

H: I think I just really enjoyed learning; I learned about life in 1930, I learned about my family history, and I learned about writing a book! I felt like I know Carol, even though she died before I was born.

M: Have you read all of Carol’s diaries so far?

H: Not yet; we’ve just finished reading her diary from 1936! She was writing entries up until the year she died, so there is a lot of material!

M: How did you come across her diary?

H: My grandmother had the box of diaries in her house for many years, and when I decided to write a book about Carol, she generously gave them to us. It was general knowledge that Carol had kept a diary.

M: Do you plan on writing out more of her diaries?

H: I do! If you noticed, The New Diary is #1 of the Heritage Diaries series. I am anticipating beginning #2 very soon!

M: How long have you been writing?

H: This is a very difficult question for me, and I can only give a rough estimate. Since I am homeschooled, I had many opportunities to write. I enjoyed writing when I was nine, but I know I was writing before that. Basically, I’ve been writing ever since I can remember.

M: What is the age group you meant this book to be for?

H: Besides for my family, who all happen to be over fifty, (at least, the ones who knew Carol) I geared The New Diary for middle-grade children. 

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If you want to find out more about Hanna’s book, you can find it on Goodreads. Also, if you want to find out more about The New Diary, here are the links to what bloggers are doing reviews/interviews tomorrow (Saturday the 4th).

-Kellyn Roth @ Reveries Reviews (review)

-Angela R. Watts @ The Peculiar Messenger (review/author interview)

-Anika Joy @ Anika’s Avenue (review/author interview)

Thanks for reading!