Herman H. White is a second generation fireman and speaks to young adults about fire safety. He also chose to write a great little adventure, Valley of the Flames, to convey the dangers of fire through young Joseph's relationships with family, his girlfriend, and his family dog. He lives with his family in Kentucky.

Have you ever written before?

Yes. I started to write in 1992. I never wrote anything before, though, I wanted or felt should be published.

What made you think you could write a book for children?

I didn't know I could write a book. I began writing with a basic desire to write. I wrote several sentences, assembled them into paragraphs and a sequence of events. I then realized I could write a novel.

Did you seek help through clubs, organizations etc, to learn more about writing?

I enrolled in a writer's course at The Institute of Children's Literature. I planned to write a book as my way of completing the course.

When did you begin writing Valley of the Flames?

May of 2000. Within one year, I had written the draft. I almost didn't finish the story. In June of 2002, I was diagnosed with Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkin's Disease, a cancer. I stopped writing to plan my death and funeral. After receiving eight months of chemotherapy and one month of radiation, I realized I wasn't dead yet. I went back to writing and finished the book around July of 2003.

What questions did you ask yourself when you began to write?

I asked myself questions about the components of a novel; type of book I wanted to write, working title, plot and subplots, conflicts, point of view, main theme, characters, readers and their age, number of chapters and words per chapter, setting, time frame, main story line, beginning, middle, climax and end of the story. Other questions surfaced that I had to answer along the way.

Did anything about the writing surprise you?

Yes. I was surprised how the characters help put a twist in my story, and how I was able to become the characters.

A manuscript is transformed in the editing and layout process. What surprised you about that?

The process didn't surprise me, but it was a learning experience. I was amazed at the hard work the publisher did and the ease I felt working with my publisher. This interview caught me off guard. I enjoyed reflecting back at my book and how I wrote it.

This is set in Kentucky. Did you grow up there?

Yes. At age sixteen, I leaped from the mountains and landed in Cincinnati, Ohio. After two years of living with my uncle and aunt, I realized I walked on too much concrete and asphalt. I moved back to the hills for a few months and then joined the Air Force.

Your lead character, Joseph, works, goes to school, fishes, explores, gets in trouble, is sometimes a jerk, and sometimes heroic, and throughout he moons over the girl. Are you Joseph?

I am not Joseph. I created a character profile for Joseph. I spent more time developing Joseph than any other character in my book. I went to youth ball games, Boy Scout meetings, church youth groups, and community gatherings. I recorded what fourteen-year-old boys said and did. I then coupled my research to my roots of growing up in the mountains, roaming the river banks, working, fishing, hiking, and exploring the caves. As I wrote, I became Joseph to allow the character to develop. Joseph's relationships and the characters are fictional.

The adults in this book are not always predictable. How did you create them?

I wrote a two-page name list of my friends and relatives. I took someones first name and matched it up with someone else's last name. I waited about two weeks thinking about the list of names and the ones I wanted for my characters. After I picked the names, I wrote a profile for each character: their work or school, hobbies, color of skin and eyes, weight and height, what they liked and disliked, their friends, pets and enemies, what they ate, and so on. My characters developed as I wrote.

One of the main characters is dog. Is he familiar to you?

The dog is familiar. My first dog was a black Retriever. As I worked writing my book, I wrote a profile for three different dogs that I knew. The Retriever didn't mind me well, and I didn't like the direction he took in the story. One day, about dark, I traded the retriever for a Dalmation.

Do you think the characters drove the story, or did the story determine the characters?

I allowed the characters to drive my story to see where they went. During revising, I inspected the plot, subplot, theme, and then I allowed the story to drive for a while. I revised many times.

What do you hope this book conveys to the reader?

Youth on fire. Experiencing and learning life. Many other messages are in my book. I hope each reader will find one.

What has been the most fun about writing for publication?

As I wrote, I didn't think about publication. I focused on the writings. Developing a character was the fun part, and becoming that character, especially Joseph.

Are you working on something else?

Yes. I have Joseph hiking back to Honeysuckle Valley and Water Box Mountain. I am excited about the possibilities of what he might discover and how he will react to it.