An Interview with Author Jody Hedlund

I am excited to welcome Inspirational Author Jody Hedlund. I asked her to join me to answer a few questions about her latest book, With You Always releases today. With You Always is the first book in the new Orphan Train series.  

What is the inspiration behind your new Orphan Train series?

I have long been fascinated by the era of the Orphan Trains and the heart-wrenching stories of the homeless and helpless young orphans that were taken from the streets of New York City and other eastern cities and shipped West by the dozens. I was familiar with stories of those scared orphans who were placed out in what was thought to be a more wholesome, healthy environment of the newly settled Mid-Western states. Some of the orphans found happy endings and were adopted into loving families. Others experienced great abuse and heartache in their new homes.

While stories of the orphans who rode the trains have been told—and rightly so—the stories of the women who were involved in the movement are not as well known. One of the things I particularly like to do when telling my stories, is focus on women who have been overlooked by the pages of history. I consider it a great privilege to be able to bring forgotten women to life for our modern generation. Thus, throughout this series, I’ll be focusing each book on a different aspect of the Orphan Train movement, particularly from the perspective of women who experienced riding the trains in one form or another.

How did you come up with the idea for the first book in the series, With You Always?

For this first book in the series, I decided to base the story around the placing out of women that happened in 1857 as a result of a financial crisis and economic panic in the autumn of that year. Women laborers were already at a disadvantage with poor working conditions and low wages. In September of 1857, estimates of New York unemployment ran as high as forty percent. Female employment was cut by almost half. With prostitution already a main source of income for many women, the recession drove even more to desperate measures and the number of women in prison rose as well.

To meet the growing crisis, the Children’s Aid Society in New York, along with organizations in other cities, who were already sending children West, decided to set up special placement offices to find jobs for seamstresses and trade girls in the West. The associations only wanted women of “good character” and they were required to provide references. If the women met the qualifications, then they were sent on trains to towns in Mid-Western states, particularly central Illinois where the demand for cheap labor was prevalent. They were presented to western employers as “helpless females left without the means of support.” Placement of these women continued until the spring of 1858.

It was my hope through the first book in the series, With You Always, to give readers a glimpse into the disadvantage of women during this particular era by showing the heroine Elise Neumann’s struggle, first in New York City and then also the continued heartache and problems that arose after leaving her family behind so that she could attempt to start a new life in central Illinois.

What special research did you do in writing With You Always?

In the beginning phases of writing this series, I did a great deal of reading about the orphan train movement. In particular, I really loved Stephen O’Conor’s book, Orphan Trains, because he includes so many personal stories and details about real orphans, which are heart wrenching.

I also read, A History of New York City to 1898, by Burrows and Wallace, which gave me great insights into the lives of immigrants, particularly immigrant women. Masses of foreigners were arriving into New York City on a daily basis, and the book gave a detailed look into their pathetic housing situation, the difficult working conditions, as well as gang problems and the underworld.

Finally, another important aspect of the story that required a concentrated amount of research was the development of railroads. The mid-1800’s was an incredible period of growth for the railroad industry in the Mid-West. The new railroads aided the orphan train movement but also brought about the settlement of the Midwestern states, including Illinois, which is one of the settings of the book.

What do you hope readers take away from With You Always?

One of my hopes in telling this story is to leave readers with the reminder that God is walking with us in whatever dark valley we’re going through. Often, like Elise, we tend to pull away from God and let the bitterness of our circumstances drive us into a cave of isolation and self-blame and heartache. But God wants us to realize that even if we pull away from Him, He’s still there walking by our side, waiting for us to reach out our hand and grab ahold of Him. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He’s there waiting.

With You Always is the third book you’ve released in 2017.  How do you find time to write so many books?

I keep a very rigorous writing schedule, usually writing six days a week. I give myself a challenging word count goal—a certain number of words to write every day. Then, in the morning, I sit down and write until I meet my goals. It’s as simple . . . and as hard as that!

I like to compare being an author to a marathon runner. The person training to run a marathon doesn’t start off running twenty-six miles the first time she runs. Instead she begins with just a few miles, strengthens her muscles, builds her endurance, and slowly adds more miles.

Writing is the same way. Over the years, I’ve strengthened my writing muscles and built up my endurance so that now I can write faster and for longer stretches.

What are you working on next?

The second book in the orphan train series releases next summer in 2018. The story continues with Marianne Neumann. She gets involved in the orphan train movement as one of the placing agents and accompanies the orphans as they ride the trains west. I hope readers will enjoy Marianne’s story and also appreciate learning more about the orphan train movement from the eyes of the compassionate workers who tried to place the orphans into new homes.

 Do you have any parting words?

I love hearing from readers! Make sure you stop by one of these places and say hello!

I hang out on Facebook here: Author Jody Hedlund

I also love to chat on Twitter: @JodyHedlund

My home base is at my website: jodyhedlund.com

Find me on Instagram: instagram.com/jodyhedlund/

Come pin with me on Pinterest: pinterest.com/jodyhedlund/pins/

Thank you for stopping by Jody!  Please visit one of the places and say hello to Jody.  I recommend this book and already look forward to the second book.  Check out my review!

Take A Ride on the Illinois Central When You Read "With You Always " by Jody Hedlund

With You Always (Orphan Train Book #1) by Jody Hedlund is a very compelling book that will keep you going from the streets of New York to Quincy, Illinois.  This is a story about a young woman overcoming great odds and emerging as a leader among some of the poorest of  her time.  

The Neumann sisters, Elise, Marianne and Sophie lost both parents after emigrating to America. Life became just struggle after struggle for them. After the Financial Panic of 1857, Elise made the difficult decision to sign up with the Children's Aid Society, a group that worked under contract with many employers to offer women of good moral character employment opportunities. She left behind her sisters and two young orphan charges at a shelter in New York.  She reasoned they would all be reunited once she could save for their fares to Illinois.

This books is written about a time when so many immigrant women and children bore the brunt of poverty.  Poor working and living conditions made their plight deplorable.  An opportunity such as Elise seized, was a ticket out of poverty if she could earn enough to pay back her train fare, living expenses and other costs of employment incurred.  

  Along the journey to Quincy Illinois she encounters Thornton, a man she briefly met in New York.   He is handsome, attentive and takes her to dine at places she's only dreamt of. World's apart, and unknown to her at the time, he is the son of a wealthy man from New York. Along with his twin, he is racing to build a community along the Illinois Central Line, competing for the legacy of their dying father.  His job is to build that city and marry a woman he loves within six months!

While building the community in our story, Thornton discovers through Elise that under the facade of paperwork compiled by his assistant, there is real work for him to do.  Ledgers often tell a different story than what is beyond an office door.   Construction workers or Laundresses are much more than entries on a payroll list. What happens to Thornton as he really begins to build the community of Quincy Illinois is an uplifting transformation.  He deserves to be cheered on no matter who wins his father's competition if only for his willingness to learn from those who he worked shoulder to shoulder with.

I heartily recommend this book for so many reasons.  While fiction, it brings to life the colorful people who had the faith and courage to leave the comfort of what was known for the unknown in hopes it was ever so much better for their families.  Historical fiction such as this, written by Jody Hedlund is a catalyst for the reader to enjoy romantic fiction while spurring the desire to learn one more way just how our vast country was settled. A remarkable read, With You Always is a memorable story to read, and read yet again. Available June 6th, 2017 at your favorite booksellers.