Elisa Carbone

BIO

Elisa Carbone is a full-time writer and a part-time windsurfer, rock climber, and lindy hop dancer. She is the mother of two grown children. The author lives in Maryland and West Virginia.

INTERVIEW

July 20, 2005

Teenreads.com contributing writer Sarah A. Wood interviewed Elisa Carbone, author of LAST DANCE ON HOLLADAY STREET. Carbone talks about the important messages she would like readers to take away from her book, which depicts the sex trade and the various personal and economic pressures that women faced in the late 1800s. She also explains why she enjoys writing historical fiction for a young audience and previews her next novel, which will be released in 2006 to coincide with the 400-year anniversary of the founding of the first permanent English colony in the New World.

Teenreads.com: Your depiction of the sex trade in LAST DANCE ON HOLLADAY STREET is not particularly graphic, while the various personal and economic pressures the women face are extremely clear. How did you decide to portray the sex trade the way you do in your book?

Elisa Carbone: I wrote this book for young teens and preteens, because I wanted to reach readers before they begin to face sexual pressures in their own lives. Because of this age range, I wanted to present the circumstances and the issues without getting too far into the sordid details of what went on behind the closed doors of the brothel upstairs.

TRC: The message Mama Kate gives to Eva in LAST DANCE, "You are the first one in this family born free... Wherever you go, you be proud and strong so it's clear that you know in your bones that you're free --- that nobody better try to push you somewhere you don't want to go..." is incredibly powerful. What lessons from the past can be applied to the future?

EC: This is exactly the message I hope readers will take away from the book. The young girls and women in LAST DANCE faced powerful economic pressures to sell their bodies. Young girls, and also boys, today face powerful messages that encourage them to "sell out" and follow peer pressure. I'm saying, "Don't sell out!" Be true to yourself. Be strong. Value your self and your body.

Another message in the story, because Eva does fall from grace in many ways, is "No matter how bleak and impossible things look, there is always a way through the troubles and on to the good stuff."

TRC: You've written several historical novels with African-American protagonists, including STEALING FREEDOM and STORM WARRIORS. They all feature characters whose lives are impacted by slavery. To what extent do you think our country's history of slavery still affects people living today? Do you think our country will ever be able to overcome this painful chapter from our past?

EC: Racial slavery in this country is over, but racism if far from over, and the economic effects of ownership and slavery are still with us. It seems to me there are always two wheels turning with respect to these issues: one that moves us forward and one that moves us backward. But the wheel that moves us forward, I think, is the bigger of the two, and so each generation makes some good progress toward acceptance, fairness and equality.

TRC: What similarities and differences do you see for young people growing up today vs. the time in which LAST DANCE is set?

EC: The question for young people faced with social, economic, or other pressures, then and now, is the same: do I sell myself out or look for a better way? Do I follow the path I seem to be forced into, or do I stay strong and follow my own path? Young people are still strong, still resilient, and still resourceful. That's why they are inspiring to write for.

TRC: You spent a lot of time in Colorado while writing this book. What places or activities would you recommend to people visiting or living there?

EC: I spent most of my time in the Denver area and in the Rocky Mountains to the west in Grand and Summit counties. If you like to play outdoors, that's the place to be: there's hiking, rock climbing, white water rivers to paddle, both cross-country and down hill skiing, and natural hot springs to go soak in afterwards. There also are some really cool museums and historic places to visit, like the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden and the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center in Denver. And there are towns that look like they stepped right out of the 1800s like Georgetown and Silver Plume.

TRC: How did you become a writer? What made you decide to write historical fiction?

EC: I think some things are just part of you and you don't know why. I was only 4 1/2 years old when I decided I wanted to write my first book. My dad had to take dictation because I didn't know how to write yet. And my 6th grade teacher wrote on my report card, "She is extremely interested in doing history research." I didn't find that report card until a couple years ago, and I thought, "Wow--it was part of me even then." I think I write historical fiction because I wish I could do time travel, and doing the research, imagining and writing is the closest I can get to a time machine.

TRC: What are your favorite books for young people? What did you read when you were a teenager?

EC: There are so many really terrific books for young people. Just a few of my favorites are: THE EAR THE EYE AND THE ARM by Nancy Farmer, THE MOORCHILD by Eloise McGraw, and DR. FRANKLIN'S ISLAND by Ann Halam (all sci-fi/fantasy). When I was a teenager I loved fantasy and science fiction as well.

TRC: Can you give us a recipe for Eva's burnt-flour gravy and biscuits?

EC: I got this idea from the stories my mother told me about growing up as the oldest of nine children during the depression in New York City. They almost never had meat, so they survived on this burnt-flour gravy because it looks like you have made it with meat stock. Many thanks to my mom and my aunt for their help with the recipes!

Burnt-flour gravy
Melt 2 tablespoons of lard over a low flame. Add 2 tablespoons of flour, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until it turns brown. Slowly add water, still stirring, until the gravy is the desired thickness. Add salt to taste.

Biscuits
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons lard
1/2 cup water
Mix flour and salt. Cut in lard using 2 knives. Add the water and mix to a stiff dough. Kneed well. Roll to 1/2 inch thick and cut into small (1 1/2 inch) biscuits. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

TRC: What are you working on now, and when can readers expect to see it?

EC: BLOOD ON THE RIVER: JAMESTOWN 1607 will be out from Viking Children's Books in April, 2006. It brings to life that wild time of exploration, adventure, and clash between the European settlers coming to Virginia and the natives who were already here. It's told from the perspective of Samuel Collier, a young boy who was Captain John Smith's page. There's lots of action, fistfights, battles, disease, death and gross stuff. It will be out in time for the 400-year anniversary of the founding of the first permanent English colony in the New World.

For updates on this book and other forthcoming books, visit my website at www.elisacarbone.com.

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