Interview with Kate Reynolds, Author of Pheemie’s War

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Pheemie’s War: Coming of Age in WWII?

I have always been drawn to stories about World War 2 because my dad was in the army, and my mother was a Red Cross worker, both stationed in England. My mother used to tell wonderful stories about her life in Minnesota before the war, and it sounded like she had such fun. The initial germ of the idea for Pheemie’s War came when I began to wonder what would happen if a couple of teenage kids went too far in their enthusiasm.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Pheemie’s War: Coming of Age in WWII, what would they be?

What a Feeling, the theme song from Flash Dance.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

Probably historical fiction, but I also love mysteries and literary fiction. I read almost anything.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Work Song by Ivan Doig; The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune; The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Phillip Sendker; The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese; The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, to name a few.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Without a doubt, it’s the scene towards the very end of the book when Pheemie faces the consequences of bad decisions.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

When finishing up my writing for the day, I always make sure to stop mid-scene. That way, the next morning, I start right off full of enthusiasm for writing the end of the scene.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Albert Einstein once wrote this: “The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.” This quote reminds me not to take the easy answers, but rather to reach for something new.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Reach for the very best that is already inside of you.

Kate Reynolds is the author of the new book Pheemie’s War: Coming of Age in WWII

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