As the weather cools, the air feels crisp, and the leaves change color, Kate Messner and I sit down for a chat about her book The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. Her book paints an evocative picture of autumn, while relating the story of a seventh grader who struggles to finish a science project of collecting and naming leaves from twenty-five different kinds of trees. The award-winning writer from Plattsburgh finds much inspiration in her own life, and in the lives and adventures of the students she teaches as a middle school English instructor. Kate and I talk about the revision process, choosing a good title, target audience concerns, and how her students both learn from her experiences and help her out. "Spotlight" airs on Mountain Lake Journal Extra Thursday night at 8:30 on Mountain Lake PBS. It repeats on Friday at 6am and 12:30pm, Saturday at at 7:30pm and Sunday at 10:30am.
