Interview: Leonora Pruner, Author of In the Aerie of the Wolf

Joining us today is Leonora Pruner, author of In the Aerie of the Wolf. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, Leonora was brought to California by her parents during the Second World War, which has since been her principal residence. She graduated from Westmont College then earned an MBA from Pepperdine University. Having married in 1953, she has seen her family expand from two children to thirteen grandchildren and five great- grandchildren.

In the late ‘60s, an eighteenth-century English character on The Wonderful World of Disney, captivated her interest. The desire to create a variation of him, led to five years of extensive research, followed by the publication of two period novels in 1981 and 1987, Love’s Secret Storm, and Love’s Silent Gift. Feeling that all that research should be reused, eighteenth-century England continues as a setting for her work.

From 1987 to 1997, she lived in the Republic of Maldives collecting folklore and teaching economics and computer science. While there, she wrote the first drafts of Close to His Heart and The Aerie of the Wolf on her computer.

Welcome to The Book Connection, Leonora. It is a pleasure to have you with us. When did you begin writing?

It is hard to say. My mother once showed me some “stories” I had written in first grade or so which my teacher had said had more form and plot than was usual at that stage. I think of the beginnings when I was age 12. My mother and I had moved from Iowa to California to be with her parents. A friend and I corresponded, continuing an interesting story we developed in playing paper dolls. Other stories came to mind which I enjoyed writing by hand or on a very old typewriter -- it had 3 rows of keys instead of the now normal 4 rows. However, I never finished a story until in my mid-twenties. When I sent it off to Eerdmans, Mr. Eerdman wrote back that it was good, but not long enough for a book and too long for a short story.

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?

At irregular times when I can put together some uninterrupted time free of distractions.
What is this book about?

Basically, it is about relationships and the significance of trust, especially in a marriage. It is about having the courage to take a risk, to venture into the unknown and deal with fear, possible rejection, and uncertainty. It is about a person being freed from the crippling bonds of rejection through another’s acceptance. And, it is about learning to see past a person’s physical appearance to the qualities of character beneath the surface.

What inspired you to write it?

Probably stories of brides being escorted to wed a man they have not yet met (such as the German Charlotte’s arranged marriage to England’s George III) and the old tale of Beauty and the Beast. What if the man sending for his bride took great personal care to bring her safely to him? What if the magical kiss did not transform a person physically? What is the deeper meaning of “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”? Having spent 5 years in research for my first novel, in answering these questions, the setting that came naturally to my imagination was mid-18th century England where I am pretty much “at home”.
Do you have an agent or are you looking for one?
I do not have an agent and am sure one would be helpful.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

Copies may be purchased through www.Amazon.com and from the publisher, http://www.nordskogpublishing.com/. Click on the cover of In The Aerie of the Wolf to go to a page of book information and the way to order it.

Do you have a website and/or blog where readers can find out more?

So far, I am just on Facebook as Leonora Pruner.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

I found this was valuable after learning it in a writing class and have passed it on to many others. Find a book by one of the best writers in a genre you like, take out some scratch paper and a pen or pencil and proceed to copy it word for word (no abbreviations allowed), including all punctuation, paragraphing, etc. Concentrate on what you are writing. After 10 minutes, recycle the scratch paper and go about your life. If you do this for at least 30 days, it will impact your writing. I found I was writing my 4th draft as my first. You will not write like the person you are copying, but your own style will firm up and improve and you will understand better how to handle some of the mechanical details of writing.

What is up next for you?
I am currently working on another novel set in mid-18th century England, as are the others. Is a happy, satisfying life possible after being trapped in an abusive situation? How are other people affected? Where is the grace?

Thank you for spending time with us today, Leonora. We wish you continued success.

Blending History and Fiction, an Article by Leonora Pruner, Author of Close to His Heart

Today's guest blogger is historial novelist, Leonora Pruner, author of Close to His Heart.

In this eighteenth-century romance, a young and naive Grace Carstares plans a midnight elopement with a handsome stableman with suspicious motives. Their plans are thwarted, however, when Grace discovers a mysterious stranger lying guard at her bedroom threshold. All is explained the next morning when, to her dismay, Grace learns her nighttime guardian is young Lord Buryhill, a suitor approved by her father who caught rumor of her misguided romance and decided to protect her from ruining her life.

Determined to marry this particular young woman, Lord Henry Buryhill comes to deeply love Grace and hopes to win her love in return. Yet buried beneath this determination is his own abandoned hope that he would meet a woman who might share his commitment to God.

Henry wins Grace’s heart as well as her hand in marriage. But Henry cannot overcome his nagging fears that Grace clings to her affection for the stableman. His distrust darkly clouds their wedding night and shatters their hopes for a joy-filled union. Unaware of the reasons driving her husband’s suspicions and jealousy, a devastated Grace withdraws from Henry, busying herself in gardening and taking solace in God’s love.

An ensuing pony-cart accident, through which Grace loses all memory of former things, presents both Grace and Henry the opportunity to either abandon their shattered marriage or begin anew. A guilt-ridden Henry is determined to win Grace’s heart once again, but Grace must decide whether to accept the courtship of a complete stranger or continue her life in the small community among the people who found her and nursed her back from a head injury. Will Henry’s determination, forgiveness, and tender care be sufficient to rebuild a foundation for their marriage?

"Blending History and Fiction" by Leonora Pruner


People seem to read fiction more for a vicarious experience than learning facts as in non-fiction.

In writing fiction that takes place in a previous century, I think we owe it to the future readers to be pretty accurate in presenting life like it was then. That is, to avoid describing modern things that were not yet there, like a bridge not yet built, or using current American expressions, like “step on it” in a time in Europe when there were only horses for transportation, or current expressions like “no problem”.

A certain amount of “license” is permissible in placing a historical person in a place where he might have been, but may not have been at that precise moment. Fiction is not limited to the bare facts in telling a story that brings out Truth in a different dimension. It is not strictly limited to what did actually happen (although the facts may be given a very biased presentation). A great deal of history is based on surmise. Fiction goes beyond that.

In reading historical fiction, I like to have the experience of seeing things as they were, better understanding that time, how people lived then, and the things they might have experienced. Iain Pears recreated the 1600s in a fascinating way, from several perspectives in his “An Instance of the Fingerpost” and opened my eyes to a part of English history that was very vague to me. Kenneth Roberts did the same with “Oliver Wiswell” helping me understand the American Revolution from a non-revolutionary perspective.

When I was writing Love’s Secret Storm, I only read novels and history of that period or about the flowers and geology of the south of England and studied old maps of Oxford. The pleasure of reading anything else was denied. In so doing, I tried to soak up that time and place and those people’s lives in order to recreate it realistically.

Also, with dialog, I try to reflect different dialects without becoming burdensome to the reader. Since I could not remove a certain book on library loan from my library, I copied the entire dictionary of Sussex dialect to insure the correct use of terms and phrases. In addition, I asked a friend of mine who was born and raised in Yorkshire to review the text of a novel soon to be published for local dialog so the spelling would be correct.

Mentally and emotionally, I tried to “live” in that period of mid-18th century England and record what my characters experienced, saw, and thought. It was enjoyable and challenging. Imagine my surprise when I emerged after typing “THE END” of the first novel to see women’s shoes advertised with heels under the arch, like they had worn then and to observe men’s jackets in wide plaids and patterns as in the 18th century instead of plain black, dark blue, or brown. The past had become the present.



Leonora Pruner was born in Dubuque, Iowa, but has lived most of her life in California. Writing has been an important activity since junior high. She graduated from Westmont College in 1953 and earned an MBA from Pepperdine University in 1981.

Fascination with a possible eighteenth-century English character led to five years of extensive research, which resulted in the 1981 and 1987 publication of two period novels. That time remains of great interest to the author, and she continues to use eighteenth-century England as a setting for her work.

Leonora married in 1953, and her family has expanded from two children to thirteen grandchildren and five great-grand-children.

She lived in the Republic of Maldives from 1987 to 1997, where she collected folklore and taught economics and computer science. While there she wrote the first drafts of this book.

Other books by Leonora Pruner include Love’s Secret Storm and Love’s Silent Gift. The title of her next novel is The Aerie of the Wolf.

For more information please visit
http://nordskogpublishing.com/book-close-to-his-heart.shtml