The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry: Author Interview

I recently read one of the most charming historical fiction books I've read all year, and had the privilege to interview it's author!

I've been a fan of Anna Rose Johnson's writing for a while, and am so excited that I got to interview her about her latest book for this post.

​Her debut novel, The Star That Always Stays is gorgeous, reflecting the challenges of becoming a teenager, dealing with parent's divorce, first crushes, and siblings. It also highlights the beauty of being a girl, loving stories, and being of mixed race. Set in the early 1900's its themes and aesthetic echo that of many of my favorite books (Anne of Green Gables, Betsy-Tacy, Daddy-Long-Legs etc.), and the Native American representation adds a unique layer to the book.

Since I loved TSTAS so much, I was very excited when Anna Rose announced the release of her next novel, The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry.

The book did not disspoint! It's about a young Ojibwe orphan named Lucy who goes to live with a family at a lighthouse. She struggles with fitting into their lifestyle and gets all the children caught up in a search for a long lost ruby necklace.

The book is about change, resilience, found family, and home. One thing I really admire about Anna Rose's writing is that though her stories aren't always explicitly Christian, they have Christian morals and values reflected throughout the story.

Now I'm so excited to share the interview I conducted with Anna Rose!

Question: What was the initial inspiration for LUCY?
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​Anna Rose: I first had the idea for LUCY when I watched a webinar about women lighthouse keepers of the Great Lakes. The webinar got me thinking about the children of lighthouse keepers and what that experience would have been like, which led me to create Lucy and her story!

Question: In the book, Lucy moves to a lighthouse, all the little details about lighthouse living made the book such a fun read. How did you go about researching these lighthouse details? 

Anna Rose: In order to do the research for LUCY, I consulted a lot of books, blog posts, and videos so that I could get all the details correct. It was a joy to watch videos of lighthouse tours and then create Harmony Lighthouse from those descriptions—and it was even more fun to be able to visit a lighthouse in Ontonagon last summer! I was able to insert a few cool details from that lighthouse. Overall, I loved the research process because it was so full of unexpected nuggets of information!

Question: I love the diverse personalities in the Martin family, out of all of the kids, which was your favorite to write? 

Anna Rose: I truly could not choose a favorite! I enjoyed writing each and every one of the Martin children. It's always tough to start out writing a new set of characters, but the Martins felt real to me from the minute I started writing about them!

Question: In retrospect, is there anything you would change about the book? 

Anna Rose: I was really delighted with how the book turned out, but like with my first book (The Star That Always Stays), I still wish I could add more fun scenes to the story!

Question: Do you have a favorite scene in the book? 
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Anna Rose: I love the very ending of the book—it was wonderful to write such a heartwarming conclusion.

Question: What, in your opinion, is the main message of the book? 

Anna Rose: One of the main messages of Lucy is that we have more courage than we realize!

Question: If you were to share one writing tip, what would that tip be? 

Anna Rose: I would suggest that you should be willing to rewrite and revise your story and make significant changes. Nothing has been more instrumental to my writing than being able to look at a project to see how it could be improved, and finding editors and mentors to help me along the way!

Thank you so much to Anna Rose for answering all my questions about LUCY! I would love it if you would check out her blog (where she talks a lot about vintage middle-grade books!), subscribe to her email list for updates on her books and lots of other fun bookish things. And be sure to purchase her fabulous books The Star That Always Stays and The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry!

Belle Thomas

Belle is the writer and dreamer behind An Old Fashioned Girl. She is passionate about reminding girls of their identity in Christ, classic books, history, Louisa May Alcott, and earl grey tea.