Today I’m shining the Author Spotlight on my friend, Catherine Matthias and her middle grade book WHEN THE SKY TURNED TO DUST.

Please, tell us a little about WHEN THE SKY TURNED TO DUST?

First, thank you so much, Trish, for inviting me to be part of your author blog.

When the Sky Turned to Dust takes place during two destructive events in America—the Great Depression, 1929-1939, and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, when a devastating drought and violent winds brought added hardship to the Midwest. It follows the journey of the Dolan family of central Kansas as they struggle to survive.

The story is told through the eyes of twelve-year-old Caroline, who steps into the adult role of keeping the household together when her mother must take the youngest, baby Nell, to New York for health reasons. Caroline tries to protect her brother, nine-year-old Daniel, from the worst of the hardships they face, but when the largest storm ever recorded during the Dust Bowl rages across Kansas, Daniel is separated from his family and swept away. With the fate of her brother in her hands, it’s up to Caroline to brave the treacherous conditions and save them both.

Ultimately, it is the sorry of individual, family, and community strength and resilience in the face of challenges and tragedy.

It’s always interesting to hear where authors get their ideas, but there’s something extra special about how an author comes to writing a piece of historical fiction. Could you tell us how the story and characters of WHEN THE SKY TURNED TO DUST came to you?

Ever since I was a child and learned about the Dust Bowl, I wondered why anyone stayed in such a harsh place. Nearly twenty-five percent of those living in the region left, but that meant seventy-five percent stayed. In the early 2000s, the last of the Dust Bowl survivors were being interviewed for news stories and videos. And, thank heaven, otherwise, these stories would have been lost. They were fascinating, deeply moving, personal stories. Again, I didn’t understand why they stayed, so I embarked on my journey to find out. I have to admit, when things aren’t working out, I’m a “cut-and-run” gal, and things certainly weren’t working out on the American prairie.

You have a great list of books and places that helped with your research at the end of WHEN THE SKY TURNED TO DUST. Could you tell us a little about your research to writing process with this book?

With historical fiction, a writer might learn ten thousand facts to choose a hundred that give the story a solid, authentic foundation. After reading the interviews and watching the videos, I turned to books, both fiction and nonfiction. I needed to immerse myself in the time.

Next, I turned to the internet. It is much easier now than just thirty years ago to find answers to questions such as, When was a Butterfinger first made? What kind of games did people play in the 1930s? What songs would they have heard? What was school like for Caroline and Daniel? What diseases were prevalent? My research gave me an appreciation of baseball.

It’s important, however, not to rely on AI. Even AI admits it makes mistakes, but AI can lead you to original, in-depth sources and to people who are generous with their time. For example, railroad buffs are passionate about railroads. They want to help. They want accuracy. So, when I needed to know how the mother and baby in my story would travel to New York by train, I sent a request to the contact page of a website. They told me where the train made stops, how long it took to travel to Albany, New York, and even the cost of tickets in 1934 (although I never used that piece of information). A farmer who raises pigs helped me understand what that entailed. I’m still in contact with the man who helped me understand the world of marbles during that era.

Finally, I realized I could not write the story I wanted to write without going to Kansas. In September of 2013, I flew into Kansas City, Missouri, rented a car, and spent a month driving from county to county across Kansas. I went to every museum and place of interest I could fit into a month, looking at exhibits and talking to people. I would not have had the detail about Caroline and Daniel holding a wet sheet between them and walking throughout the house, gathering the dust floating in the air if a museum volunteer had not shared that story with me. Another woman shared the story of her mother getting into trouble for breaking the buttons on a shirt by putting it through the wringer incorrectly.

A few weeks before my trip, I found out the Wichita Train Station had been shuttered and sold to a major local development company. I was brokenhearted. After further investigation, I learned that construction had not yet begun. I took a deep breath, ratcheted up my courage, and called the President of the company. He gave me two hours of his time as I took copious notes while exploring that beautiful building. Nothing could have given me the details of what Caroline and her family experienced without that tour.

I know from experience that you learn a lot of cool things while researching historical fiction, and that not all of them make it into the book. Is there a particular piece of research that you loved that didn’t make the cut?

My first few drafts contained a long section on Caroline’s and Daniel’s three-week stay with an Aunt and Uncle in New York. I finally realized it had to be cut as it took too much away from the central story. Their uncle wanted to give Caroline and Daniel experiences they wouldn’t get back home, so one of the places he takes them is the Palace Theater. The children are amazed by how many seats there are, the height of the ceiling, and the beautiful chandeliers. It looks to them as if rugs are hanging on the walls, but their uncle explains that they are tapestries, art made of woven threads, and that the murals on the other walls were painted by famous European artists.

Is there a specific scene or episode in the book that you particularly love? Can you tell us about it?

Yes, when Wade Lyman overcomes his shyness to stand up for Daniel, who has inadvertently blurted out a private matter. Daniel’s papa comes down hard on him, thinking he was being rude, but apologizes after Wade explains the situation. I think it’s important for adults to apologize to children when they are wrong or mistaken.

I’ve always loved historical fiction. Do you have any favorite historical fiction books that you’d like to share with our readers?

For adults, Sara Donati’s Into the Wilderness series. For middle grade, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.

WHEN THE SKY TURNED TO DUST is not your first book. In fact, you’ve written nonfiction and picture books before this. Can you tell us a bit about them – and about how the writing process is different (or similar) across genres?

My first six books are the standard 32-page picture book for early readers. All were published by Children’s Press, now an imprint of Scholastic. Four are fiction: I Love Cats, Too Many Balloons, Out the Door, and Over-Under. Two are nonfiction: I Can Be a Police Officer and I Can Be a Computer Operator.

I believe daydreaming is an essential activity. The process of quietly letting one’s mind wander is important not just to the creative process, but to one’s well-being. It is in these moments that most of my story ideas come to me, whether they are adult nonfiction, middle grade or picture book. This is the common denominator for all of my books, including the ones still in manuscript form, except for the two nonfiction, early reader picture books. Sometimes you can be given an assignment with the parameters set.

The editor of my first four picture books contacted several writers and asked if they would be interested in working on a career series for children. She gave me a list of topics I could choose from. I chose the Police book because I wanted the challenge of writing it without using “policeman” or “he/she.” When I told the editor I’d like to do the Computer book, she said, “Oh, thank God. No one wants to go near it.” This was in the mid-1980s. I didn’t tell her I chose it because I had never touched a computer, and I wanted the challenge. Both of those books required an intense amount of research, something that the fiction picture books did not. A similarity is the defining length of the books. Picture books require precise language, and the writer has to let the illustrator do their part. In children’s picture book fiction, you have to have a theme, a plot, and interesting characters all within 32 pages, and, hopefully, 500 to 600 words, while in nonfiction, you have the same constraints, but you have to introduce the need or problem, the knowledge, and the solution.

With adult nonfiction, there is a great deal of leeway in word count and page numbers. The importance is in the research, the organization of ideas, the resolution of a problem, or the summation of new information or concepts. In The Word Gobblers – a handbook for parents working with children struggling to read, I introduce a condition called Irlen Syndrome. I point out that 1 in 6 people worldwide suffer from it, and that one third of those diagnosed with dyslexia do not have dyslexia; they have Irlen Syndrome. I explain the symptoms and medical causes, then give easy-to-follow instructions on how to ameliorate the symptoms so that learning to read is possible and enjoyable. I also give additional resources to learn more.

With middle-grade or adult historical fiction, details of a previous time are paramount, so that readers can imagine a period they have not lived through, while keeping the theme, plot, and interesting characters. For me, the similarities are stronger than the differences, despite of the age difference.

I’m a little dog obsessed here at www.patriciabaileyauthor.com. Normally I ask writers to tell me about their favorite dog. But, you have a photo of yourself with a skunk on your website – and – surprise – I’ve always adored skunks. Can you tell us a little about the picture and what’s up with skunks?

Sadly, that cute little skunk is a plush toy. I have a small collection that includes a river otter, giraffe, mouse, hippo, rabbit, lion cub, and three Teddy bears. Oddly, they all came into my life after childhood. They sit on a shelf above my writing chair and keep me from getting too serious. I have two wonderful cats in my life right now, but I have had dogs. My favorite was a sweet collie mix named Aurora. When I was in my early thirties, I was a volunteer with 4-H, training kids to train their dogs. Like most things, the key is gentle consistency.

 

I was an outdoor child—biking, swimming, endless nights of tag, hide-and-seek, and touch football. My book reading occurred at night, snuggled in bed, the light on past midnight, telling myself, “Just one more chapter.”

My newest book, When the Sky Turned to Dust, is a middle grade historical fiction published in June 2025.

My love of children’s books became deep and enduring in my early twenties, when I taught in a Cheltenham, PA, preschool (though teaching toddlers is more like being a Maypole, something for them to dash around and occasionally hold onto). That love continued to grow when I became a mother, and then a grandmother, reading aloud, and never minding repeating our favorites.

Presently I am working with artist Joan Gilbert on a picture book about a mischievous orange tabby cat named Jake, and a series of books about two bunny brothers.

I live in rural Joseph, Oregon, near the base of the beautiful Wallowa Mountains with my husband Stewart Jones, a snuggly, gray tabby named Mica, and a shy black cat named Jade.

You can find out more about Catherine and her books at her website, and you can pick up a copy of WHEN THE SKY TURNED TO DUST  at your favorite independent bookstore or online.

Thanks, Catherine!