Pam Bachorz grew up in a small town in the Adirondack foothills, where she participated in every possible performance group and assiduously avoided any threat of athletic activity, unless it involved wearing sequined headpieces and treading water. With a little persuasion she will belt out tunes from “The Music Man” and “The Fantasticks”, but she knows better than to play cello in public anymore. Pam attended college in Boston and finally decided she was finished after earning four degrees: a BS in Journalism, a BA in Environmental Science, a Masters in Library Science and an MBA. Her mother is not happy that Pam’s degrees are stored under her bed.CANDOR while living in a Florida planned community, and set DROUGHT in the woods where she spent her summers as a child.

She currently lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and their son. When she’s not writing, working or parenting, Pam likes to read books not aimed at her age group, go to museums and theater performances, and watch far too much television. She even goes jogging. Reluctantly. (Taken from Pam’s website at http://www.pambachorz.com)

I love Pam Bachorz.  I’ve been lucky enough to here her speak at an English Conference, had her autograph my book, and even Skyped with her and some 8th grade students after reading CANDOR. She is great.  I’m so happy to be able to help promote her new book, DROUGHT, and provide some Questions and Answers for everyone.

1) DROUGHT is a unique story. What sparked your interest and gave you the idea for this faux historical fiction world?

Communities and worlds that are hidden just beyond our own fascinate me. I’m also intrigued by groups that live simple lives, even today—like the Amish. So when I hit on the idea of writing about a community living as if it’s 200 years ago, deep in the woods, I was excited to tell that story.

I set the novel in the mountains outside of my father’s hometown, Hoosick Falls NY, which was a thriving village back in the early 1800s. My characters are refugees from that village—who quickly became captives of one of the village’s richest men.

2) There are many issues in this book like religious beliefs, loyalty, and family, but love is a big part of the story too.  Would you consider this to be a romance?

Any time I try to label my work, no single description seems to fit. I write like I eat: cupcakes, steak and pea pods. I like it all. So, sure, you could call DROUGHT a romance—for without romance, it would be a very different story. But it’s also about faith, coming of age, family, obligation, and it has a fantasy element.

3) DROUGHT seems to be completely opposite from CANDOR in the sense of technology. CANDOR has very advanced technological gadgets whereas DROUGHT is devoid of any kind of modern conveniences. Which book did you enjoy writing the most?

Yes, the two books are polar opposites when it comes to technology—and in narrators, too. CANDOR has a very BOY narrator while DROUGHT’s narrator has been a girl for 200 years! In some ways, CANDOR was more difficult because I was less experienced as a writer. But DROUGHT is more layered, much longer, and that presented its own special challenges. I enjoyed both for different reasons… and at times hated them for those same reasons!

4) Do you plan to write a sequel to either CANDOR or DROUGHT or do you consider them both to be stand-alone titles?

I wrote CANDOR as a stand-alone, though I wouldn’t rule out writing a companion if I had the opportunity. As for DROUGHT, I wrote the book so it could stand alone… but would be delighted to write a sequel. I’ve probably got it half-written already, due to the drastic revisions I made during the drafting process.

5) Can you tell us anything about your current work in progress?

It’s still in gestation, so I can’t say much. But I will say it’s my most ambitious work yet, with an entirely invented setting and a very diverse cast of characters who are clamoring for their voices to be heard.

6) What is a favorite young adult novel you’ve read lately?

Wow, I have been reading so much great stuff lately! SHIP BREAKERS by Paolo Bacigalupi  was a great read, and I also so, so enjoyed Laurie Halse Anderson’s FORGE. I just started CURSE OF THE WENDIGO by Richard Yancey and I am both hating to put it down and having to force myself to put it down before I am entirely freaked out!

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