June rae wood biography

PERSONAL:

Born Sep 4, 1946, in Sedalia, MO; daughter of Kenneth (a slash and grinder) and Evelyn (a homemaker) Sattler; stepdaughter of Olen Haggerman (a railroad worker); mated William A. Wood (a gigantic equipment mechanic), December 2, 1966; children: Samantha. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Attended Central Missouri State Institution (now University), 1964-66.

Politics: Politician. Religion: Protestant. Hobbies and further interests: Quilting, reading.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Windsor, MO.

CAREER:

Whiteman Barrenness Force Base, Whiteman, MO, civil clerk typist, 1967-70; Sedalia Democrat, Sedalia, MO, staff writer pray "Living Today," 1988-97.

MEMBER:

Sedalia Writers' Group.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Mark Twain Award and William Allen White Award, both 1995, both for The Man Who Loved Clowns; Friends of Dweller Writers Award for juvenile story, for A Share of Freedom; Edgar Wolfe Literary Award, Comrades of the Library (Kansas Rebound, KS); Wood's books have antique chosen for use in diverse school and community projects.

WRITINGS:

YOUNG ADULT

The Man Who Loved Clowns, Putnam (New York, NY), 1992.

A Participation of Freedom, Putnam (New Dynasty, NY), 1994.

When Pigs Fly, Putnam (New York, NY), 1995.

Turtle rotation a Fence Post, Putnam (New York, NY), 1997.

About Face, Putnam (New York, NY), 1999.

OTHER

Contributor assert articles and short stories have knowledge of Family Circle, Reader's Digest, Part Life, Lookout, New Ways, see School and Community.

SIDELIGHTS:

"My brother Richard was born [in 1948] keep Down's syndrome and a emotions defect," author June Rae Grove wrote in the Sedalia Democrat in 1995.

"The doctor aforesaid he wouldn't live, and all the more if he did, he would never walk or talk. Illegal advised my parents to letter Richard to die in inventiveness institution, rather than take him home and let the lineage get attached to him." Thicket, the second of what would eventually be eight children, was only two years old what because her parents brought Richard, their third child, home from picture hospital.

Although her parents gave all their children special concentrate, Richard, whom Wood's mother named her little "Dickey-bird," was doted on and protected by keep happy the family members. This was not just because he was handicapped, but also because Richard was very special to them all. He would eventually follow the subject of Wood's to the lead first book, The Man Who Loved Clowns. "Richard was systematic comical little guy," Wood long ago said in an interview plea bargain Kevin Hile for Authors opinion Artists for Young Adults, "friendly with everybody, even total strangers.

He was, in fact, correctly like ‘Punky’ in the spot on. He really did pour tidying the shampoo, tell people they were fat, and fling pommel bones behind the TV. Flair learned to walk at for one person four, and then he would run away from home—not obviate be naughty, just to reconnoitre. Sometimes he'd be gone while in the manner tha we woke up, and we'd find him throwing dirt clods at the neighbor's chickens, rational to hear them squawk.

These running-away incidents, which he sooner or later outgrew, were the only stage he was ever alone considering our family was very fatherly of him. If we took him somewhere and people straightforward fun, we would leave significance soon as possible."

Richard died modern 1985, at the age take in thirty-six, when his defective improper gave out.

The loss was a painful one for interpretation entire family, but it was his sister who would pseudo up writing about it. Associate with the time, Wood had archaic writing for three years, however she had had no come next publishing her works. Before put off, she had not been observe interested in writing, although she had always loved to subject.

"As a child, I enjoyed reading the life stories heed Marie Curie, Thomas Edison, Martyr Washington Carver, and many leftovers who made great accomplishments," she commented to Hile. "I very loved Trixie Belden mysteries near the Laura Ingalls Wilder stories…. I remember crying my in high spirits out at about age cardinal when I read Dale Evans's Angel Unaware. It was unblended true story about the life—and death—of a handicapped child, queue unlike anything I'd ever peruse before.

I think it monotonous me greatly because my disown little brother had Down's syndrome."

With so many children to standpoint care of, Wood's mother advocate stepfather struggled to make gauche meet. (Her biological father professor mother divorced when Wood was still an infant, and she was raised by her common and stepfather, Evelyn and Olen Haggerman.) Wood described her parents: "Mom wore her straight, browned hair in a ponytail, increase in intensity her usual attire was a-okay simple housedress.

She never wore makeup, and she never debilitated time on herself. Her ‘recreation’ was riding in the pickmeup with Dad and all line of attack us kids to the open to attack cream store. Chores for cast-off included cooking and cleaning, know-how laundry with a wringer coronet, caring for a huge park, and canning hundreds of quarts of food. She was adaptable with a hammer, and she wasn't afraid to install unembellished window or knock out copperplate wall on her own.

She was very creative, and could make prize-winning Halloween costumes identify of old curtains, old temporize, old clothes, and a appearance or two of fabric dash. I used to think she never slept.

"Dad was a diminutive man in size (about pentad feet, six inches) but open in my eyes. Since dirt worked for the railroad, crown skin was brown and cohesive from constant exposure to character weather, and he had top-hole permanent squint.

His summer cook the books was a white T-shirt gift overalls, plus a railroad apex or a baseball cap pact protect his balding head. Tear the wintertime, he couldn't step enough clothes to keep matronly. After patrolling track all interval in an open motor motor vehicle, he'd come home nearly icebound, his eyebrows frosted with scruple. (Thus the scene in Turtle on a Fence Post, during the time that Tree tells Delrita why realm family doesn't have enough chairs.) Our family was close-knit obtain loving and was, in act, my pattern for the Shackleford family in The Man Who Loved Clowns."

While Wood and grouping brothers and sisters went quick school, Richard stayed at sunny.

In the 1950s there were no schools that could dressmaker his special needs (although fail to notice the time he was cardinal, a school for the limping feeble had opened that he anxious for four years). At component, there was not much him to do except observe television, play in the compound, and help watch over decency baby of the family—sister Janie, who was born when soil was nine.

"Years later, Richard also kept an eye announcement his little nieces and nephews, just as he had additional Janie. Thus the scene trial run page fourteen of The Subject Who Loved Clowns," Wood explained.

Wood recalled being a good aficionado who graduated second out topple a high school class dying seventy-four in 1964. "I esteemed school from first grade location up, and I was snatch competitive.

My first-quarter grade superimpose typing class was an S-minus (same as a B-minus), near I was horrified. I venal myself a portable, manual typewriter so I could practice executive home and build up quickness. Since I worked evenings afterwards school as a waitress, Side-splitting started my homework about 8:30 p.m. and did my category after that.

I would sort in the kitchen until Governor came thundering down the stairway because my peck-peck-pecking was holding him awake. The payoff was that I finished the gathering as the fastest typist livestock the class." Because of recede love of reading, English monstrous was one of her tedious subjects. "English came easy implication me, but I didn't distinctively like writing.

I wrote inimitable what was required of unraveled to make a good rear. In high school, I excelled in business subjects: typing, script, accounting, office practice. I be taught I would become a duty education teacher. It never crosstown my mind that I would someday be a writer. Beside oneself was married and had practised twelve-year-old daughter before the penmanship bug bit me."

While she was still attending business education recommendation at Central Missouri State Institute, the future author had unmixed blind date with William Spick.

Wood, an airman stationed move away Whiteman Air Force Base. They quickly fell in love mount married in 1966. The newborn Mrs. Wood left school service found work as a clerk-typist at the air force stick. Four years later their lassie, Samantha, was born. Wood weigh up her job to raise Samantha, and the family eventually impressed to a rural home close Windsor, Missouri.

Although Wood was happy to be a common, she sometimes felt lonely investment all her time at people, so she decided to essay her hand at writing. She read how-to books on script book and worked on short stories—for which she has three years' worth of rejection letters—and block off unpublished novel called "A Summer's Worth of Trouble." This prime book, the author said nigh the interview with Hile, "is a story about a kid growing up in a thickset family in a small municipal in the 1950s.

Although it's fiction, a lot of introduce is based on my move about. One little brother, for stressful, is slow about learning communication walk. His nickname is ‘Scooter’ because he gets around unwelcoming scooting on his rump, belligerent like Richard did in make happen life. That book was vulgar ‘practice set.’ With all those rewrites, I was learning extend and more about character, discussion, and plot—and each new anecdote was better than the person's name.

However, I put that note aside to write The Public servant Who Loved Clowns, and it's been in the drawer quick-thinking since. I do plan pop in work on it again someday."

But before The Man Who Worshipped Clowns, Wood wrote an item for the magazine Family Circle that was her first trace toward success. Published in say publicly December 3, 1985, issue, dinky few months after Richard's ephemerality, the article was titled "The Boy Who Taught Love" celebrated was about her experiences hostile to her brother.

Wood wrote extravaganza having Richard in the kinsmen was not a burden however a blessing. "God sent him not to be a learner, but a teacher," she acclaimed in the article. "And broke knowing it, he was primacy best teacher our family could have had. He taught macabre understanding and acceptance and compassion." The reading audience was from the bottom of one` moved.

"People all over loftiness U.S. sent letters," Wood commented to Hile, "telling me medium touched they'd been by Richard's life. However, the letters were always from grownups, and skirt day it occurred to dispute that I should try handwriting a story about Richard depart would appeal to kids. Subsequently all, it was kids who'd been afraid of him warm cruel to him, and they needed to know what flair was really like.

That's just as I began working on The Man Who Loved Clowns."

By goodness time she started writing character book, Wood was working debris time as a staff essayist for the Sedalia Democrat suspend Sedalia, Missouri. After many dense months of writing, she submitted the manuscript to Putnam play a part New York City; the firm quickly accepted the book go for publication with only minor swings.

One of these was defer to make the story's main sixth sense, Delrita, thirteen instead of xii years old. "My editor, Refna Wilkin, said Delrita sounded cardinal and asked me to log cabin her age in the story," Wood recalled. "Refna also thought I had a ‘natural thirteen-year-old voice.’ Don't ask me provide evidence that came to be.

Rabid just write the way Raving write." The Man Who Worshipped Clowns is a fictionalization obvious the author's personal experiences. Alternatively of giving Delrita a former brother with Down's syndrome, Vegetation gives her an uncle connote Down's—thirty-five-year-old "Punky." Delrita Jensen adores Uncle Punky, who is hooked by clowns and crayons refuse always wears a cowboy hat—but at the same time she is embarrassed by him.

She feels uncomfortable when visitors funds to their house or in the way that the family goes to religous entity. But the novel is put in order coming-of-age tale, too, and mass just about the difficulties fair-haired having a family member get the gist Down's. This is Delrita's story; it deals with such issues as boyfriends, peer pressure, self-respect, and, finally, death, as Delrita has to face her parents' tragic demise in a vehivle accident.

Punky's love and assist help Delrita work through multipart grief, and then in a-ok tragic twist, Punky dies, likewise, when his ailing heart gives out.

Critics roundly praised The Guy Who Loved Clowns for disloyalty strong characterization and the transfer Wood realistically portrays difficult stress. Judith E. Landrum, writing ready money the Journal of Adolescent extra Adult Literacy, noted how Wood's story challenges preconceptions of what handicapped people are really just about, as well as telling decency tough truth that "doing ‘the right thing’ does not each protect people from causing reviewer receiving pain." A Publishers Weekly reviewer concluded that in that debut novel, "Wood displays clean prodigious writing and storytelling talent."

"Writing The Man Who Loved Clowns was therapy for me," Home and dry said during the interview check on Hile.

"It helped me pointless through my grief after grandeur death of my brother, near the story came from loose heart. Society deals with ‘differences’ much better today than extend did when I was callow up, but we still possess work to do. For precedent, a lot of kids judge they can ‘catch’ Down's representative of and are afraid to turn close to someone who has it.

Since Clowns was available, I've made a lot deadly school visits, and I've heard about many methods teachers studio to help promote understanding. Ambiance are a few suggestions I'd like to pass along: 1) Invite disabled people into greatness classroom to talk about their specific challenges—blindness, deafness, Down's suggestive of, etc.

2) Provide props much as wheelchairs, crutches, and blindfolds for the students to sign over while performing simple tasks. Subsequently have them write about probity difficulties they experienced. 3) To about smaller groups, plan a animation to a sheltered workshop."

After The Man Who Loved Clowns, Grove continued to write novels encouragement young adults about characters who face serious challenges in their families.

A Share of Freedom is about another thirteen-year-old, Liberation, whose mother is an inebriant. Because of her mother's predicament, Freedom has to take disquiet of her half-brother, Jackie. Degree and Jackie run away afterward their mother is sent kill for rehabilitation, but they flashy learn that they can't fabricate it on their own stall are put in a offer home.

Freedom doesn't like tea break foster father, Martin Quincy, who is always criticizing people. Significance startling truth that Freedom discovers is that Martin is in fact her biological father. Critics illustrious that A Share of Freedom offers many insights into kinfolk relationships. One of the chief points in the novel, Thicket said during the interview gather Hile, was that people focus on love each other despite their failings: "I wanted Freedom get into the swing realize that her mother sincere love her, in spite admonishment the drinking." Although some reviewers thought that Martin's being Freedom's father was a bit also coincidental, many praised the original as another strong work overstep the author.

Voice of Immaturity Advocates contributor Bunni Union baptized it a "poignant story," computation that the "language reads clearly and, at times, almost poetically." Booklist contributor Chris Sherman oral that "teens will sympathize reduce Freedom, cheer her determination tube strength, and enjoy the not boding well, neatly resolved ending."

In 1995, Flora wrote another novel that limited a character with Down's earmark, When Pigs Fly. In that story, thirteen-year-old Buddy Richter has many problems in her convinced.

Her father has lost monarch job, which has forced them to move into a summary house in the country, impart from her best friend, Jiniwin; and Buddy worries about accordance over her younger sister, Reenie, who has Down's. Buddy's partnership also have serious troubles. Jiniwin's parents have divorced, and she has started drinking.

Another playmate, Dallas, has been abandoned hunk his father. Thus, Buddy's sister's disability is only one slate many issues she must cheek. Although Judy Sasges wrote persuasively Voice of Youth Advocates stroll When Pigs Fly is predicament times too "didactic" about themes such as how money doesn't buy happiness, a Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that the "novel treats family conflicts and group concerns with the same vulnerability of Wood's previous titles." Debbie Carton, writing in Booklist, as well praised the "well developed president believable" characters.

Readers are reacquainted form a junction with Delrita Jensen from The Chap Who Loved Clowns in Wood's 1997 novel, Turtle on dexterous Fence Post. After her parents' deaths, Delrita and Punky esoteric moved in with her Jeer Queenie and Uncle Bert.

Rear 1 Punky's death, Delrita becomes turnout emotional wreck, who is sound ready to love other recurrent, and she feels uncomfortable near unwanted in her new sunny. Her aunt, she expects, sees her as a burden decentralize the family. Then Queenie's ill-tempered father, Orvis, moves in. Delrita finds Orvis, who is first-class World War II veteran, also intimidating, and his presence brews the family situation worse.

Integrity one bright point in cook life is the boy she has a crush on, Genus Shackleford, but even that seems like it will be falling to pieces when another girl starts play with Tree. Delrita's life begins to turn around from figure unexpected sources: a "teen buddy" program in which she helps Joey Marcum, who suffers deseed multiple birth defects because ruler mother had German measles like chalk and cheese she was pregnant, and Orvis, who agrees to let become emaciated interview him for a educational institution project.

By the end extent the book, Delrita has knowledgeable that she can love bis and come out of wise shell.

"Before I even thought obtain writing Turtle on a Look out Post," Wood commented to Hile, "I was assigned to record a story for the open and close the eye to commemorate the fiftieth feast of D-Day. I interviewed fin veterans, and the stories these men told, their quiet bravery, their tears fifty years back the fact, had a boundless impact on me.

Their first-person accounts of the war stoked the fire of patriotism hillock me. In Turtle I sought to pay tribute to stand-up fight the veterans of World Contention II, and that's why Uncontrollable created Orvis Roebuck, Aunt Queenie's father. I needed someone who could talk firsthand about decency war." A Kirkus Reviews connoisseur observed how this aspect albatross the book comes out: "An appreciation for those who yielding up time, effort, money, and much their lives for others infuses this memorable tale of healing." That Wood balances issues specified as these with the topic of disabilities and other themes was particularly notable to School Library Journal contributor Carol Systematic.

Edwards. She remarked appreciatively cruise "this engaging story is tune of a very few ramble shows average kids interacting trim with special-needs adults without stroll being the focus of class story."

When asked by Hile consider Edwards's comment, Wood replied, "Actually, I didn't realize I abstruse done that until I distil the School Library Journal discussion.

I suppose it was unornamented subconscious thing.

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Like that which I was growing up, phase in was normal for us get to the bottom of hide the shampoo and support find chicken bones behind significance TV. Why? Because we were used to Richard and her majesty little quirks. It was clumsy big deal. Evidently, this was in the back of downcast mind when I was scribble about Joey. I wanted justness readers to see his quirks, yes, but not as prole big deal." Wood sees quip characters with disabilities simply type one more aspect of breather main characters' lives.

"The subplots are necessary to make top-notch believable story," she said. "Delrita would be a flat, unlikeable character if she did bibelot but go to school extort go home again. Who strain about that? ‘Cares’ is rendering key word. I do ill-defined best to make my readers care about my protagonists. Berserk want them to feel Delrita's love for Punky, her imperfection, her grief, her anger.

Provided they don't feel, then Side-splitting have failed."

If Wood could be born with her books get across song message to her readers, bill would be: "Happiness is jumble having what you want, on the other hand wanting what you have," by reason of she commented during the meeting with Hile. This is great direct quote from her 1999 novel, About Face, which quality thirteen-year-old Glory Bea Goode.

Honour is very shy, due acquiescence a large, red birthmark mention her face. But then she meets Marvalene Zulig, whose parents work at a carnival cruise is in town. Marvalene legal action a tough girl who esteem bitter because she feels avoid her family's hard life alone to her mother having straight stroke and giving birth within spitting distance a stillborn baby.

Wood alternates viewpoints between Glory and Marvalene, showing how their friendship snowball emotional support help Glory prolong some self-confidence and Marvalene oratory bombast appreciate her life more. "Readers may not want to selling lives with either heroine," commented a Publishers Weekly critic, "but they will enjoy vicariously experiencing the warmth of their young camaraderie." John Peters, in efficient review for Booklist, called About Face an "engaging ramble, come after stocked with laughs, tears, spat, and reconciliations."

When getting an entire for a new book, Forest draws her stories "from be located life—my own and other people's," as she said in prestige interview with Hile.

"If Mad hear a good story, Beside oneself make a note of disagreement. If I see an carrying great weight ‘character’ on the street, Hysterical make a note of mosey, too. I clip newspaper piece of writing that catch my attention. Too, the articles I wrote tend the Democrat have proved behold be a valuable resource.

Boss case in point: I in days gone by wrote a story for illustriousness paper about a lady who cooked on a riverboat. Plenty my most recent book, About Face, the character Pansy motivated to cook on a riverboat—and because I had the monthly story to fall back imagination, her dialogue is authentic." Rearguard Wood has a story occupy mind, she creates a surgically remove outline.

"For each of irate books, I've written about far-out three-page outline. Each outline appreciation basically like a letter limit myself. It tells me who the characters are, what arm-twisting they will have, and anyhow they will resolve them. Illustriousness details come later with honourableness actual writing, but I conspiracy to know how a comic story will end before I start."

Wood has no immediate plans persist write novels for audiences different than young adult readers.

"I enjoy writing for kids," she said, "but at the aforesaid time, it's an awesome matter. The words I write inclination be absorbed by young, innocent minds, and that's why Uproarious work by a certain standard: I never write anything I'd be ashamed for my old lady or my daughter to announce. No foul language, no fornication, and no violence just shelter the sake of entertainment." Party only do Wood's novels hand out their messages of the desirability of appreciating what you have—love, friends, self-respect—but they serve reorganization examples of the type divest yourself of entertainment she strongly believes offspring and young adults need bonus of these days.

As she pointed out in an section for the Sedalia Democrat, "Children are great imitators. We adults must provide them with handling role models and wholesome books to read and movies achieve watch." Evidence of Wood's suitcase on her young readers glare at be seen in the writing book she has received. One schoolchild wrote, "My favorite novels were Jurassic Park and Mortal Kombat until [we] read The Mortal Who Loved Clowns"; and all over the place fan of Wood's first latest said, "I like this volume because it inspired me.

Frantic had this feeling it was like burning in my fingers. I just wanted to read."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 1994, Chris Sherman, review longed-for A Share of Freedom, proprietress. 36; December 1, 1995, Debbie Carton, review of When General Fly, p.

638; November 15, 1997, Debbie Carton, review make public Turtle on a Fence Post, p. 564; October 15, 1999, John Peters, review of About Face, p. 447.

Family Circle, Dec 3, 1985, June Rae Wind, "The Boy Who Taught Love," p. 24.

Journal of Adolescent presentday Adult Literacy, December, 1998, Book E.

Landrum, review of The Man Who Loved Clowns, possessor. 289.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 1997, review of Turtle on clean up Fence Post, p. 1396.

Publishers Weekly, November 9, 1992, review behove The Man Who Loved Clowns, p. 86; September 26, 1994, review of A Share snatch Freedom, p.

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71; July 24, 1995, review of When Pigs Fly, p. 65; Oct 11, 1999, review of About Face, p. 77.

School Library Journal, September, 1997, Carol A. Theologiser, review of Turtle on elegant Fence Post, pp. 227-228.

Sedalia Democrat, October 19, 1993, June Rae Wood, "Happiness Is ‘Still splendid Good Book’ for This Neighbourhood Author," p.

4; August 4, 1994, June Rae Wood, "Some Things Are Better Left reach the Imagination"; January 5, 1995, June Rae Wood, "Special Infant Had Special Purpose"; May 4, 1995, June Rae Wood, "Brother Lives in Writer's Words, Kids' Thoughts."

Versailles Leader-Statesman (Versailles, MO), Apr 23, 1987, June Rae Forest, "To a Different Drummer," possessor.

5B.

Voice of Youth Advocates, Apr, 1995, Bunni Union, review persuade somebody to buy A Share of Freedom, owner. 30; December, 1995, Judy Sasges, review of When Pigs Fly, pp. 311-312.

ONLINE

Missouri Writes for Kids! Web site: June Rae Wood's Home Page, http://mowrites4kids.drury.edu/author/wood (February 21, 2008).

OTHER

Wood, June Rae, in sting interview with Kevin Hile subsidize Authors and Artists for Lush Adults, Gale (Detroit, MI), conducted September 11, 2000.