Five by Five: An ‘offhand comment’ leads to a string of family secrets

Francine Falk-Allen

By Max Bowen 

When Francine Falk-Allen attended a memorial service for a late uncle, she certainly didn’t expect to leave with the idea for her book, “A Wolff in the Family,” (She Writes Press, Oct. 1).

What mysterious scandals led a father to abandon his five youngest children—and for the elder siblings to keep it hidden for 80 years? In this interview, Francine talks about the initial secret that led her to do extensive research on her family, which led to a lot more that had never been spoken of! She goes into the research itself and shares a few details of what she learned….but for the full story, you’ll need to read the book!


What led you do to this research on your family?
I had attended a memorial service about 20 years ago for one of my uncles; one of my mother’s eight brothers. Afterward as I sat across from my youngest aunt in the church social hall, eating sandwiches and chatting, she said, “…when we were in the orphanage…” as an offhand comment amidst another story. I had never heard that any of the family had been in an orphanage, was absolutely stunned, and pressed her further to elaborate. I learned that my grandfather had placed some of the children there. My mother, who’d been dead eight years at that time, and was exceptionally fond of her father, had never breathed a word about the orphanage, or the surprising reasons the youngest of her siblings had wound up there. I had to know more!


How did you do the research?
I asked my aunt for as much detail as she could remember during the short time I had with her and went home and made notes. I immediately contacted my much older sister (she was 19 years older, born of my mother’s first husband). She also had not heard this story but had some other family tales and gossip I hadn’t heard, which aunts and uncles had told her or that she knew from her own early experiences. I then contacted my other two aunts and asked them what they remembered and asked cousins for what they knew, which was almost nothing.

I had known my grandfather, so I wrote up a nine-page essay on all that my family had shared about him and the orphanage story. When I later decided to write a novel based on the tale, I did a ton of research using census and genealogy records to find out who was where and when they lived with whomever, delving into not just my mother’s family but others who were involved in the story. Several of my cousins had already done a lot of genealogical research on this branch, and I had previously done extensive research (back to the 1600s) on my father’s branch, so this was revisiting a skill I had already honed.

I found a history of the orphanage, medical records of people in the story who had died, even the names of the doctors who had attended them. I also researched newspaper articles from the early 1900s and found bits naming a few of the characters, plus pricing for things they may have owned or could not have afforded, based on the salary records I found for my grandfather’s railroad engineer job.

It was really a lot of fun to find all this information, and every time I found a new detail, such as the house where my grandfather stayed when he was away on the railroad, I used the information to inform the fictitious aspects of the story alongside the parts that were factual.


This secret, is it something anyone in your family ever talked about or even hinted at?
My mother kept more than one secret. My grandfather putting his children in an orphanage is just the beginning of a set of scandals. All her siblings knew about much of this story, and some of them spoke of it to their children, but my mother never mentioned a word of any of it to me or my sister or brother. We didn’t have much contact with our aunts and uncles because we lived far away from them. As the eldest, my mother kept these things (of which she was ashamed) to herself for over 60 years, and some of her siblings also died without sharing these things with their children or even their spouses. So, the secrets and scandals may have been discussed among some, but they certainly weren’t what we talked about at holiday dinners! Some of my aunts and uncles put a different slant on the story, making it sound as if my grandfather didn’t have a choice regarding putting the kids in the orphanage, which in their final eulogies implied loftier intentions on his part.


What were the family secrets? (If this isn’t too big a spoiler)
There were about a half dozen secrets! The fact that the five youngest kids had lived in an orphanage was just the beginning. My aunt Dorothy, one of the orphans, didn’t even have all the facts straight, I learned, when I did my research. But the rest of the secrets are what make up such a good story. There are lots of twists and turns even before the orphanage event, and then, the way I made up the missing pieces, the saga comes to a boiling point, and everything gets chaotic for a while in the middle! So yes, it’s too “spoilery” to tell the other secrets.

I hope that when people read the book it will not only provide them with a juicy cinematic and familial saga but give them a sense of the time from about 1918 through the early 1940s, and how things were, especially for women, in the early 1900s. I also think a lot of people don’t know how much the railroad affected people’s lives in those days, also. Few people had automobiles in those days.

I read that this is set in the Great Depression. Does this time period help drive the story?
The Depression does come into play and does help drive the story…but not in the way one might expect. When I first told friends about hearing the orphanage story from my aunt, older friends said, “Oh, it was common that people had to give their children up to orphanages in that time, or to other friends or relatives.” So, in the beginning, I hope the reader will be thinking along those lines.

Financial difficulty, or at least a great deal of resourcefulness or creativity in making ends meet is portrayed in the story, even before the Depression. The main family was eventually comprised of a dozen children, and the household was supported on one railroad salary! There are other aspects that the reader will not be expecting, which are based upon my research into that time and where and how the characters seem to have been living. Sorry to sound secretive again, but I’d like it to be at least a bit surprising, if not jaw-dropping, to learn about even the Depression Era financial aspects of the family.

I hope I’ve been secretive but “hinty” enough that you’ll be intrigued to read “A Wolff in the Family.” Thanks for the opportunity to talk about it.

Five By Five—“God Bless the Child” spans multiple lives

By Max Bowen 

“Five By Five” is the name for our series of written Q&A interviews with writers and musicians. The name actually refers to audio signals, which ties in with our regular podcast. Five By Five is another way to say “good signal strength” or “loud and clear,” but can also mean “exceptional quality,” which certainly lines up with the artists we speak with. Now with that out of the way, on to the book!

Anne Heinrich’s debut novel “God Bless the Child,” (June 7, 2024, Speaking Volumes) grew from a single story into a three-book series, and in this interview, she speaks

on how it started and diving back into the story years later. She also talks about the alternating viewpoints the story takes as it spans across two women’s lives. We also go into the different topics she goes into that surround motherhood and what we can expect next. 

Here’s a look at the story synopsis:

Mary Kline has always confronted the challenges of her obesity and infertility with unyielding determination, refusing to succumb to societal expectations. But she desires one thing above all; a child of her own. When her vulnerable friend Pearl unexpectedly finds herself pregnant, Mary steps forward as both caregiver to Pearl and guardian to her child, Elizabeth. Mary sees an opportunity in motherhood to heal the wounds of her own loveless past, but Elizabeth resents Mary, finding her repulsive and stifling her upbringing. As the years pass, Elizabeth grapples with unresolved anger and struggles with her mental health, seemingly destined to repeat the same mistakes with the family she makes for herself. Can Elizabeth break free from the pains of her adolescence finding forgiveness for her mothers' shortcomings, in order to become the mother she’s always wanted?

I read that this book was 18 years in the making. How did you develop it over that time?

When I started writing this and collaborating with an editor, our youngest daughter was only 3 years old and too little to get on the school bus for preschool in the next town. I scratched the first draft of “God Bless the Child” on a stack of yellow legal pads three afternoons a week in a little café while she went to her school. I finished the draft and even started pitching to agents, but life as a working mother to three children kept getting in the way. I let the manuscript sit in a drawer for quite a while but did find myself sneaking away when I could to write new stories. It always felt self-indulgent.

My children are grown, and I decided to reach out to my editor to see if he would give my new stuff a read. He agreed and encouraged me to pull the finished novel out of the vault. I did. It needed a little more work, but still had legs. He thought it could be pitched, along with some of the new pieces I’d written, as a three-book series. Things happened quickly after that. We found an agent, and just months later, I had a contract with a traditional publisher. I like to think that the timing was just better this time around. The universe said yes!

Who are the alternating viewpoints?
The story unfolds over three generations, with staggered viewpoints of the primary characters throughout. The plot is not presented in a linear fashion, so the reader must pay attention to who’s doing the talking and what they are revealing. The chapters are shared by the book’s two primary characters, Mary Kline and her surrogate daughter Elizabeth, along with a host of other characters who drive the story forward and backward in their own distinctive voices. Some of the chapters are long, and others quite short.

Other characters who get a fair amount of real estate, or voice, in the book are David, Elizabeth’s husband; Little Mary, Elizabeth’s and David’s young daughter; Johnson Kuhlman, a quirky bystander who become essential to the plot and provides equal shares of solid observation and comic relief; and James Pullman, the pastor’s son, whose unwise dalliances with a vulnerable young Pearl Davis, Mary Kline’s only friend, lead to the a central plot line.

How did you combine them and how does this drive the story?
When I started the manuscript, I just let things spill out onto the page, and put shape to it over time. This is a character-driven story, and the way the narrative builds demonstrates just how deep and wide the shelf life of trauma can be for families. Some of the minor characters were created expressly to answer questions, provide a back story, or just move characters across town. I’ve been able to do a fair amount of what I would call “taking care of business” that a book just must have with dialogue and memory sequences, too. It is just as interesting to consider the characters who are essential to the plot but have no voice at all.

What are some of the topics you take on in this book and how are they presented?
A theme throughout the book is a complicated set of questions around the definition, nature and nuances that define motherhood. None of the characters in God Bless the Child have particularly good mothers and they are flawed as mothers themselves. There is an abortion and some intimate scenes that are visceral, but not gratuitous or loaded with judgement. In fact, these pivotal moments in the story are tucked in tight right next to other harsh, sad realities that exist when children are placed in the care of adults who are ill-equipped to nurture and love in ways that are natural or socially acceptable.

There is a fair amount of emphasis on parents (both biological and adoptive) who are driven by their own needs and desires rather than what is best for the children in their care. The book delves into mental health issues, abuse and even challenges the sanctity of places and people who should be safe harbors for the vulnerable — but often are not. All the characters grapple with the choices they have made, as well as those that have been thrust upon them by others. I think the story has the potential to lead to rich and necessary conversations about love, loss and forgiveness at a time when we’re craving connection more than ever.

This is your debut book. Are others planned?
Yes. “God Bless the Child” is the first in a three-book series to be published by Speaking Volumes. The series is called “The Women of Paradise County.” Book Two, “Violet Is Blue,” will release in June 2025, to be followed by Book Three, “House of Teeth.” I have a healthy start on another stand-alone novel, “A Room for Candace,” but will not be diving back into that one for a while.

New book showcases the beauty of San Miguel and the growth of the main character

Ann Marie Jackson

By Max Bowen

In Ann Marie Jackson’s book, “The Broken Hummingbird,” (She Writes Press), we follow the main character Jane as she embarks on the journey of a lifetime. In the midst of a marital crisis, Jane hatches an unusual plan to avoid a custody battle. She convinces husband Kevin to walk away from the pressures of New York—in particular, her demanding job and an affair she almost had—in the hope that moving to their favorite city abroad will fix their family.

In this interview, we dive into Jane’s journey to a new country and how she grows from the experience of being amidst a new culture. We talk about the two girls she helps and how this impacts her life.


Let’s begin with Jane’s journey in a new country. How does she handle this change in her life?
Because their marriage is on the rocks, Jane and her husband, Kevin, move to their favorite city abroad, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in the misguided hope that doing so will fix their family. But wherever you go, there you are. They bring their problems with them, and Kevin grows more resentful. She drags him to marriage counseling, but it doesn’t work, and there seems to be more going on with him. Jane has always been a successful, driven person, but now she fears that she’s failing at everything: she has stepped away from her career, her marriage is still failing, and because of that, worst of all, she fears she is failing her children.


Who are the two girls that Jane helps, and how does it impact her own life?
In San Miguel de Allende, out of a desire for distraction from her own problems, as well as a sincere urge to help and to assuage some expat white privilege guilt, Jane starts working with an NGO that helps families living in poverty. That’s how she meets the two little girls. She gets overly wrapped up in their family’s life and comes to suspect that her bumbling efforts are doing more harm than good. I believe that we should be out there in the world helping, trying to make a difference, but sometimes, like Jane, we may need to learn to help better.


How does Jane grow from this experience?
Being an expat is having a foot in two worlds. It is a stimulating way to live, but it does mean finding yourself off-balance on a regular basis, wondering what is it about this situation that I may not be interpreting correctly?

In “The Broken Hummingbird,” the characters’ openness to learning the ways of a second culture reflects their aptitude for growth. Jane and her kids avidly explore San Miguel and are enchanted by their new home. Kevin, focused on the past and what could have been, seems uninterested in embracing the family’s new world. This difference heightens the narrative conflict between the spouses. Becoming more bilingual, learning about Mexican culture, and forming cross-cultural friendships opens Jane up to making different choices for her future.

Does this reflect any experiences in your own life?
My own immigrant experience provides a deep well of inspiration. I am an American lucky to have lived in Hirakata, Japan; Shanghai, China; Suva, Fiji; Oxford, England; and now in gorgeous San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Each move entailed a challenging but rewarding effort to absorb a new set of unwritten societal rules. I believe that a great way to grow is to immerse myself in the unknown and have things I took for granted about how the world works suddenly come into question.

I would also like to point out that despite the difficult themes, much of the book is joyful. Jane, her children, and her new friends have a lot of fun along the way. Part of the enjoyment for me in writing this story was indulging in a chance to glory in the vibrant beauty of San Miguel, the city’s incredibly rich culture, and the pleasures of everyday life here.


What research did you do into San Miguel de Allende, Mexico?
I have been lucky to live full-time in San Miguel de Allende for the last 11 years, and I am raising my two sons here. They were 4 and 6 when we arrived, and now they’re in high school.

I am intensely involved in the San Miguel de Allende community, where I work with nonprofit organizations that improve the lives of women and children, and with advocates who protest violence against women and bring critical attention to las desaparecidas, the murdered and missing women of Mexico.

With friends, I started my own nonprofit called Mano Amiga. Our mission is to empower women, financially and personally, through microlending. We provide financial training, mentoring, and interest-free loans, giving women the means to build successful small businesses. I also served as vice president of Casita Linda, and I remain on the organization’s advisory board. We build approximately 10 houses per year, at a cost of $17,000 per house, for families living in extreme poverty.

Despite this wealth of personal experience, I still needed to research certain traditions and historical information to ensure that I accurately portrayed the details. Throughout my travels, I have become a student of the little differences that truly matter. I hope the resulting attention to detail comes through in my writing.

A changing America: Cort Casady talks family and the nation in new memoir

Cort Casady, winner of two Emmies and three NAACP Image Awards, joins me to talk about his newest project, and one very close to his heart—his new book, set to be released on Jan. 17. It’s a weaving of two stories: he and his wife’s journey as the parents of triplets and seeing how the country they call home has changed across three generations.




“Not Your Father’s America: An Adventure Raising Triplets in a Country Being Changed by Greed” dives into the choice to have children and the struggles encountered—as well as their choice to utilize IVF and the unexpected results. Cort and I talk about America over the years, his feelings on current affairs, and the stories contained in the book and how the two subjects are intertwined.

Jeff Seitzer's memoir shares a story of unconditional love and an unbreakable bond

Ethan Seitzer was only 9 years old when he passed away, but in that short time he impacted countless lives. Whether it was through his easygoing nature, the way he accepted people, or his unique artwork and poetry, Ethan brought so much to this world, all of which is chronicled in “The Fun Master,” written by his father, Jeff Seitzer.

In the book, Jeff talks about parenting a child with special needs while dealing with his own medical issues. He holds nothing back, talking about Ethan's passing, the decision to write this book, and how the experience helped him cope with the grief. Jeff shares what his life was like prior to being a parent and what he expected it to be—and how very different it turned out. No doubt this was a difficult journey, but amidst the challenges are many wonderful memories.

Patry Francis' newest book follows the lives of a diverse foster family

 

Author Patry Francis' third book, “All The Children Are Home,” follows a foster family through 12 years of dazzling triumph and wrenching heartbreak. The book is full of wonderfully diverse characters, and we talk about the creation of each and what they bring to the table. Patry also looks at the real-life story that influenced the book.

This book is very different from her first two, and Patry talks about what brought about this change, as well as the new experiences that came with it.