“In SAFEKEEPING, an orphanage in Haiti is an important memory for Radley. You visited a real Haitian orphanage. Was that the inspiration for this book?”

In fact I have never visited a Haitian orphanage. When I was in the process of creating Radley’s character I decided I wanted her out of the country when the U.S. began to unravel. Ever since I read a beautiful book by Frances Temple called TASTE OF SALT and the exquisite MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS by Tracy Kidder and the extraordinary work of Edwidge Danticat, I have been more than a little interested in Haiti. I decided to place my protagonist there at the beginning of SAFEKEEPING. By coincidence, a young Brattleboro woman, Mariam Diallo, was recognized in our local newspaper (the Brattleboro Reformer) for her volunteer work in Haiti. I contacted Mariam and she became an indispensable resource for creating Haiti with authenticity and power.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

There are many things I love to do in my spare time.

One is knitting animals and dolls to help support a small orphanage in Haiti.

When my friend, Julie Reimer, discovered this passion of mine she asked if she could help. Last year I set a goal for myself: to knit one softie for each child at the Orphelinat Foyer Evangelique in Haiti. That was a nearly impossible challenge. Work on Safekeeping consumed so much of my time. So Julie pitched in and knit several dolls to help me reach my goal.

Here is one of the children at the orphanage in Haiti with a softie made by Julie Reimer.

Today is Julie’s birthday. It seemed appropriate to show this image taken by Mariam Diallo. It is just one facet of the joy Julie brings to children every day.