Kline, Lisa Williams 1954-

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KLINE, Lisa Williams 1954-

PERSONAL: Born July 31, 1954 in Richmond, VA; daughter of George Patteson (a physics professor) and Alice (a guidance counselor and social studies teacher; maiden name, Verra) Williams; married Bradford Bailing Dyer (divorced); married Jeffrey Michael Kline (a veterinarian), June 1, 1985; children: (second marriage) Caitlin Eleanor, Kelsey Rebecca. Education: Duke University, A.B., 1975; University of North Carolina, M.A. (communications), 1976. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Unitarian. Hobbies and other interests: Theater, running, golf.

ADDRESSES: Home—Mooresville, NC. Agent— Nancy Gallt, 273 Charlton Ave., South Orange, NJ 07079. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: UNC-TV, Chapel Hill, NC, writer/researcher, 1976-78; Arthur Andersen Video Training, Division, Elgin, IL, video training writer, 1978-81; Gaithersburg, MD, freelance writer, 1981—.

MEMBER: Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, North Carolina Writers' Network, Charlotte Writers' Club (vice president of programs, 2002-03; president, 2003-04).

AWARDS, HONORS: Peregrine Prize second place, 1998, for "Webs"; fiction prize, Plum Review, for "Under the Jello"; North Carolina Juvenile Literature Award, American Association of University Women, 2000, for Eleanor Hill.

WRITINGS:

Eleanor Hill, Front Street/Cricket Books (Chicago, IL), 1999.

The Princesses of Atlantis, Cricket Books (Chicago, IL), 2002.

ADAPTATIONS: Kline's short story "Under the Jello" was adapted as an audio recording by SIRS.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Leeni Green and the Burning Unanswerable Questions of the Universe; an untitled sequel to Eleanor Hill; The Summer of the Wolves.

SIDELIGHTS: Author Lisa Williams Kline came on the children's literature scene in 1999 with the publication of the well-received historical novel Eleanor Hill, based on the life of Kline's grandmother. A year later her contemporary novel The Princesses of Atlantis followed. Both novels contain a common element, as Kline explained to CA: "Everything I write, whether for young people or adults, ends up being about the emotional lives of girls and women. I find fiction about inner conflict to be the most interesting both to read and to write."

Like many novelists, Kline began writing at an early age. "I started trying to write in second grade," she told CA. "In my bedroom closet at home are 'The Adventures of Little Horse and Little Lamb,' one of my first series. I also wrote a novel in fourth or fifth grade about a brother and sister hiking barefoot through the North Carolina mountains in search of penicillin for a sick younger brother." Although she lost confidence in fiction-writing during middle school, Kline earned a college degree in communications. After graduation, she worked as a researcher and writer for a television station before striking out on her own as a freelance writer.

A chance event rekindled Kline's desire to write a middle-grade novel. "At the funeral of my grandmother, Eleanor Hill Verra, I learned that she was one of the first young women in New Bern, North Carolina to learn to drive a car," Kline recalled to Joanne Spataro at Fresh Air online. "I was impressed—she probably learned to drive about 1912, a time when it wasn't really 'acceptable' for women to drive cars, and cars were also much, much harder to drive back then." Kline began to wonder what it was like to have been a teenager at the time her grandmother had been one. "Later, my mother gave me my grandmother's photo album from about 1914-1918 and the letters she had saved over the years." Kline pored over those photographs of her grandmother, wondering about the life she had led and about what gave her such an independent spirit, one that allowed her to buck the expectations for women of her era. Eleanor Hill, a novel about twelve-year-old Eleanor, a girl growing up in a small North Carolina town during World War I, was the result.

Kline's debut novel caught the attention of reviewers, including a contributor to Plays, who found Eleanor Hill "engrossing," and Booklist reviewer Shelle Rosenfeld, who praised Kline's use of historical details as well as her "clear, descriptive prose, realisitic dialogue" and "appealing, dimensional characters." Voice of Youth Advocates critic Nancy Zachary wrote, "Eleanor Hill is refreshing in its candor, emotion, and truly adventurous spirit." Reflecting on her grandmother, the real Eleanor Hill, Kline told Spataro: "I hope that by writing about her I could soak up some of that spirit and pass it on to a new generation of young women."

Kline's second novel is set in contemporary times. The dual narrative of The Princesses of Atlantis tells the separate stories of seventh-graders Carly and Arelene, whose friendship changes as boys come into the picture, and of the twin princesses of Atlantis who exist only in the fantasy novel the sixth-grade girls had been writing together. The novel elicited comment from several reviewers who commented on the girls' characterizations and the portrayal of their relationship. For example, Beth L. Meister praised the "realistic depiction of adolescence" in addition to both main characters and "clearly drawn supporting characters" in her School Library Journal review. A Kirkus Reviews critic called the idea behind The Princesses of Atlantis "appealing," the language "sharp and lovely-," and the girls' friendship "nicely plotted." Writing in Childhood Education, Andrea Bartlett summed up The Princesses of Atlantis as "enjoyable" and a novel that "encourages many aspects of literacy."

Kline cites Katherine Paterson, Judy Blume, and Louis Sachar as her favorite children's book writers and Ann Tyler, Anita Shreve, and Elizabeth Berg as her favorite adult book writers. Offering advice to would-be writers, she told CA: "I try to write for a couple of hours each day. I would advise aspiring authors to practice their writing as a musician would practice scales or a basketball player would practice free throws."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2000, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Eleanor Hill, p. 1102; April 15, 2002, Sally Estes, review of The Princesses of Atlantis, p. 1401.

Childhood Education, winter, 2002, Andrea Bartlett, review of The Princesses of Atlantis, p. 110.

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2002, review of The Princesses of Atlantis, p. 494.

Plays, May, 2001, review of Eleanor Hill, p. 69.

School Library Journal, February, 2000, Lisa Prolman, review of Eleanor Hill, p. 122; July, 2002, Beth L. Meister, review of The Princesses of Atlantis, p. 122.

Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 2000, Nancy Zachary, review of Eleanor Hill, p. 266.