Geraldine Neidenbach took extra special care to be sure her daughter, Jennifer, avoided any middle-child syndrome by scheduling daily reading sessions for the two of them. Those special dates paid off as Jennifer is now the bestselling author of the Elm Creek Quilts series.
Did you read to your daughter as a child? What did you read?
I made a special effort to read to Jennifer when she was a baby. She was born when her brother was 2-and-a-half-years-old and a year later her sister was born. I didn't want her to get lost in the middle, so I made sure she received one-on-one time and I read to her. I remember reading the Golden Books and Dr. Seuss to her.
How old was your daughter when she started reading?
Jennifer started reading at age 3 and when she was 4-years-old she was reading very well.
Did your child have a favorite series/author growing up?
Jennifer read the Nancy Drew books before she entered kindergarten.She enjoyed the Judy Blume and Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Later, Jane Austen became her favorite author.
Did you have any book or reading rituals in your house? (Examples would be: Going to the library or bookstore together, talking about the books you have read, sharing books, storytime)
I always read to my children before bed time and when they were older, they read in bed before going to sleep. We made many trips to the library on a regular basis and Jennifer would bring home a stack of books to read. She would read them all in a short period of time. When we we took road trips, Jennifer and her sister and brother read books for most of the trip.
When did you know your daughter was going to be a writer?
I knew Jennifer could do anything she wanted to do early on, so when she told me she wanted to be a writer, I knew she could. I knew she had a gift; even the letters she wrote to us from college were entertaining.
Can you remember your daughter writing as a child?
Yes, I do. I remember how amazed I was that she wrote such imaginative stories.
Do you read advance copies of your daughter’s work?
Jennifer sends me early drafts of her novels, so I get to read them over a year before they are available in book stores.
Do you have a favorite of your daughter’s books?
I love all of Jennifer's novels but I enjoy her historical novels the most. In each of her books, her characters seem like real people and when she sets a novel in an earlier time period, the history comes alive.
What kinds of books do you enjoy reading?
I enjoy reading anything about time travel, like THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger. I like thrillers like THE DA VINCI CODE by Dan Brown.
What authors, besides your daughter’s books, do you read?
I just finished reading GEORGE POLYA by Laura Taylor. Other favorite authors include Robert Crais, Michael Crichton and James Patterson.
