Biography on katherine hannigan author wife

Katherine Hannigan talks about Ida B , her first novel for children, explaining what aspects are autobigraphical and which famous author inspired her to start writing. Where did Ida B and the idea for her story come from? She came from a love of laughter and being outdoors, a fondness for people with a good dose of punkishness in them.

I think in many ways Ida B has the life I would have chosen if I could have. You were teaching at a university when you started writing this novel. What made you think about writing a children's book?

Biography on katherine hannigan author wife: Hannigan was born in Lockport,

When I moved to Iowa, I decided that I wanted to write, on top of the teaching and making art and exhibiting I was doing. I wrote an article and a story, and I started a book a few times, but I always gave up after about ten pages because I didn't think I knew enough about what I was doing. I'd never read anything by her, but I thought I'd like to hear what an author had to say about the process and inspiration and that sort of thing.

The place was full of people who had obviously been deeply affected, in a positive way, by this woman's writing, and that moved me profoundly. That night, I went home and started writing Ida B in a spiral notebook. The serious themes in Ida B are interwoven with a good deal of humor.