Barbara Pronin
Contents
Books
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Guest
Barbara Pronin worked as an actress, a probation officer, a news editor, and a substitute teacher, which inspired her first book, a guide to effective subbing. Her earlier mysteries, including three as Barbara Nickolae, earned kudos from best-selling writers Mary Higgins Clark and Tony Hillerman. Her latest mystery, “The Miner’s Canary,” was published last November. Her newest work, a World War II historical titled, “Winter’s End” will be released in early 2024.
The Miner's Canary
Touchpoint Press, 2022
"When I was 10, Scott O'Dell, the author of Island of the Blue Dolphins came to our school assembly. I was awestruck to realize that this real person, this flesh and blood man, who looked perfectly ordinary, had written this wonderful tale, and I was a real person, wasn't I?"
Credits
A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen to episodes on our website, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.
Past Forward is a curiosity company dedicated to educational accessibility. We work with community leaders from academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, private corporations, and public agencies to document today, with context from our past, and learn moving forward.
Transcription
Barbara Pronin: When I was 10, Scott O'Dell, the author of Island of the Blue Dolphins came to our school assembly. I was awestruck to realize that this real person, this flesh and blood man, who looked perfectly ordinary, had written this wonderful tale, and I was a real person, wasn't I?
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I'm Barbara Pronin, and I was one of the lucky ones. The first time I met Ms. Frances, a children's librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library, she appointed herself as my personal librarian. Ms. Frances guided me on a journey from Beezus and Ramona through The Adventures of Doctor Dolittle, the poignancy of Black Beautyand beyond. Oh, I love jumping rope on the sidewalk with my friends and biking to Dodger Stadium with my brothers, but what I loved most of all was curling up on my bed and losing myself in a story.
When I was 10, Scott O'Dell, the author of Island of the Blue Dolphins, came to our school assembly. I was awestruck to realize that this real person, this flesh and blood man, who looked perfectly ordinary, had written this wonderful tale, and I was a real person, wasn't I? My career as a writer began right then with a poem I wrote that was published in a Brooklyn bank newsletter. From the time I saw that first byline, I knew I was destined to write.
Along the way, I took a few detours as a stage actress, a probation officer, a news editor and a substitute teacher, using that last gig as a springboard for my first book, a guidebook for effective subbing that is still in print. Today, I am humbled to say I am the author of eight mystery novels, two nonfiction books, and a World War II historical novel, Winter's End, to be published in 2024.
Because books are my world, I see stories everywhere. A visit to an old abandoned gold mine in South Dakota sparked my latest mystery, Miner's Canary, in which a single mom who inherits her aunt's old Victorian learns it isn't easy to go home again. Winter's End, a moving story of love, faith, and determination, was born from a small piece I read about women resistance fighters in Amsterdam, courageous young women, who used their wits, charm, and muscle to help thwart Hitler's Nazis at every turn, surviving, and thriving to save themselves and countless of their countrymen.
Again, I'm Barbara Pronin. I thank you for listening. You can learn more about me and my books on my website, barbarapronin.com.
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