Q&A with Carolyn Reeder

Q: Why is your trio of new Civil War paperbacks called the Before the Creeks Ran Red trilogy?

A: Because the books first appeared as three linked novellas in the hardback Before the Creeks Ran Red. I chose that title because all the stories are set between December of 1860 and early July of ’61, before any of the battles when nearby creeks literally ran red with soldiers’ blood.

Q: Then what's the action?

A: The bombardment of Fort Sumter, the Pratt Street Riot in Baltimore, and the fallout from the occupation of Alexandria, Virginia, by undisciplined and unruly Union troops, among other things.

Q: I see! So your three setting are Charleston Harbor, Baltimore, and Alexandria — right?

A: Right. Timothy Donovan’s Story is lived by a fourteen-year-old orphan who's pretty well pleased with his easy life as a bugler in the peacetime army—until South Carolina secedes and the soldiers move into unfinished Fort Sumter. Now, besides sounding bugle calls, Timothy has to help make the island fort defensible as supplies of food an fuel dwindle, his personal feud with one of the soldiers escalates, and the Confederates prepare to attack. Joseph Schwartz's Story is lived by another fourteen-year-old. His parents are immigrants and the family is strongly Unionist in a city that leans toward the Confederacy. Joseph struggles to keep his integrity as he hides his political views—as well as the fact that he’s a scholarship student—from the rich boys at the academy he attends. That’s how he finds himself caught up in the Pratt Street riot. Thirteen-year-old Gregory, in Gregory Howard's Story, has a different set of problems. His family is divided—his father is a Unionist, while Greg and his siblings and Mother support Virginia's decision to secede. But Gregory's real challenge is getting back the music box a Union soldier stole from his younger sister's bedside.

Q: So each book is the story of a different young person. How are their stories linked?

A: The ending of Timothy's story sets the stage for the beginning of Joseph's story, and the ending of Joseph's story sets the stage for the beginning of Gregory's. The chronology and the build-up toward the coming conflict link the books, but they stand alone and can be enjoyed in any order.

Q: Timothy, Joseph, and Gregory are a bit older than the main characters in your other historical novels. Is there a reason for this?

A: I was getting a lot of fan mail from eighth graders who were reading Shades of Gray in connection with their social studies classes, so I decided to write a Civil War book with characters closer to their own age. As it turned out, an advantage of writing about slightly older main characters was that teens would be more likely to have the freedom that led them into the dangerous situations that added excitement to the story.

Q: Do you consider these books YA literature because of the older characters?

A: Actually, my novels with eleven- and twelve-year-old characters are often described as YA. The trilogy is recommended for middle school readers, but I don't think they're qualitatively different from my books with younger characters. I don't do "edgy and quirky", which some people used to say was a requirement for YA. I guess I do "accurate and unbiased" no matter what age my main characters are.

Q: Who did those great cover illustrations?

A: Civil War era artists. The first two are from Currier & Ives lithographs, and the third is an illustration from Harper's Weekly. I'm really pleased with all three covers.

Q: What message do you hope your readers will take away from the Before the Creeks Ran Red trilogy?

A: I just want them to find the books "a good read". I always hope that at least a few of my readers—no matter what their age or gender—will be so caught up in the story that they become the main character and spend a few hours in a different time and place.

Contributor: Children's Literature

To access teaching guides and other supporting materials pertaining to these books, click on the bookcovers shown below.