The Candle Star - Review & Interview with Michelle Isenhoff

Title : The Candle Star
Author : Michelle Isenhoff
Genre : YA, historical fiction


Okay, I’m going to start this off by stating a quick fact. I hated history. It was my all-time worst subject in school. Ironically, it’s the only subject my fiancée, Mike, was good at. Anyway…I’m horrible when it comes to remembering dates, the only things I know about WWII was the stuff I’ve seen in movies and read in Anne Frank’s diary, all I can tell you about Napoleon was he was short, and I’m still not sure how many states are in the USA. Okay, so maybe that last part is an exaggeration, but you get my point. What does that have to do with anything you might ask…

The Candle Star, by Michelle Isenhoff, is a brilliant work of historical fiction. Slavery is, for me, always a difficult read, but Michelle does such a great job of not throwing it in your face, but making sure the reader knows it’s a predominant storyline. It’s detailed to the point where I could almost imagine riding Coal Dust, a neighbor’s horse that the main character, Emily, took care of as punishment for skipping school. The characters are believable, and fit well with the time period.

The Underground Railroad, for those of you who, like me, need a refresher course on All Things History 101, was a chain of safe houses used by slaves to escape to states that had already abolished slavery. It’s also the backdrop for The Candle Star. Emily is a southern girl, whose father owns a plantation, along with many slaves. That’s the only lifestyle Emily has ever known. She’s a perfect example of the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’ because she’s happy with the things occurring around her, and wouldn’t want it any other way, until she gets sent to stay with her uncle, who lives up north. Upon going there, she realizes it’s a whole different world – one where her uncle doesn’t own any slaves, and helps them on their way to freedom.

The Candle Star has a whole host of awesome factors, one of which is the characters. I really liked Zeke, the former slave that accompanies Emily on her trip to her uncle’s home. I felt Julia was very realistic, and some of the things she said to Malachi reminded me of things my mother has said to me, which made the story even better for me. Michelle Isenhoff does an amazing job of creating characters that makes the reader want to exist in that time period, just so you can shake their hand.

I’m so glad I got this for review, because it’s not something I would have picked up normally, with my former aversion to all things historical. Thanks to Michelle Isenhoff, I might just have been turned onto a new genre.

Now, for the interview!

I really appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions Michelle! It will be nice to have an interview to post with the review. Not to mention, it’s my first interview! So, here we go…

Q: I know you have a background in education. What got you started with writing? Did you have a specific moment in time where you realized this is what you wanted to do?

A: No, I never had that lightning moment when I knew I wanted to seriously pursue writing until I finished my first two novels.  I have always played at writing, even as a child.  It seemed to go hand-in-hand with my love of reading.  In college, I had a professor that strongly encouraged me, and I began submitting short stories to periodicals, but writing was still a hobby.  It wasn’t till I quit teaching to raise my kids that I thought I’d try a full-length children’s novel.  Soon after the first, I finished a second.  Over the next couple years I reworked both of them extensively, learning a TON about the writing process.   It was then I realized, this is what I want to do!

Q: The Candle Star is set during the time of the Underground Railroad. What made you decide this time period, and did you need to do a lot of research before writing?

A: I’m an casual historian.  In 2008, my family took a family vacation to Gettysburg.  Prior to this, I spent the winter reading about the battle, about the Civil War and the personalities caught up in it.  I read thousands of pages.  My husband teased me, saying we had no need of a tour guide.  It was true!

Somewhere in the middle of my reading, I came across a blurb about a man named Finney who owned a hotel in Detroit and hid runaways in his barn while housing the men who pursued them.  The Candle Star  was born.  After our vacation, my research narrowed to the information I would need for my book.  For me, research is half the fun.

Q: What sort of advice would you give to prospective authors?

A: *Stick to it.  Like any skill, writing only develops with practice.

*Find a support group, even if it’s just online.  Writing is lonely work without others who understand your passion.   

*Use criticism, don’t fear it.  Writers need more than just compliments from someone who loves them.  Find those who will critique your work (probably your support group) and take their advice to heart. 

*Don’t even bother if you hate spending hours alone or if you won’t commit to a long haul.

Q: And one just for fun – 5 favorite books and why!

A: Just five?  Okay, I’ll try!

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins – Because it’s the most exciting series I’ve read in a long time!

A Dog Called Kitty, by Bill Wallace – An old favorite I grew up with.  I was one of those kids who begged her parents for a dog and read about them till I finally got one.   I’m still a sucker for a well-done dog story (and a good dog).  This is one of the best, and now it’s nostalgic for me as well.

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London – same as the above.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by AVI – My favorite book by my favorite children’s author.  This one is textbook for suspense, conflicting and well-rounded characters, beautiful prose, dialogue, word pictures, setting, details, etc., etc., etc.  A perfect example of modern story-telling.  I study it. 

Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien – My absolute, all-time, no-one-can-ever-top-this-one favorite book.   I’ve read the trilogy a dozen times.  I’ll read it a dozen more.

Thanks again, Michelle! I look forward to reading your other novels.

Readers, her books can be found on her website! Everyone should check them out!