About the Book

Book: A Hundred Magical Reasons

Author: Laura DeNooyer

Genre: Biographical historical fiction, literary fiction, book club fiction

Release Date: January 7, 2025

Most fairy tales have happy endings, but is it too late for this one? After all, Mrs. Charlotte Rose Gordon, the disgruntled town recluse, is eighty-eight and has grown weary of fighting the dragons of her past—including the desire to clear her husband’s name of a 1918 crime.

Dragons of a different kind pursue Carrie Kruisselbrink.

During 1980, the summer of her private rebellion, Carrie defies parental expectations and pursues her café dream. While waiting for funding, she takes a job with Mrs. Gordon.

As Mrs. Gordon unfolds the story of her oppressive childhood and delightful friendship with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz author, L. Frank Baum, Carrie never expects to encounter her own fears and soul-searching.

In this modern-day fairy tale that weaves between 1980 and the early 1900s, Mr. Baum’s influence impacts each woman’s personal quests on a hero’s journey neither anticipates. Can Carrie and Mrs. Gordon find common ground in battling their respective dragons?

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About the Author

Laura DeNooyer thrives on creativity and encouraging it in others. A Calvin College graduate, she is a teacher, wife, parent of four adult children, and an award-winning author of heart-warming historical and contemporary fiction. Her novels are perfect for fans of Patti Callahan Henry, Erin Bartels, or Amanda Cox. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her reading, walking, drinking tea with friends, or taking a road trip.

More from Laura

Smitten!

That was me—smitten—after reading a biography about L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Baum was an innovative, larger-than-life personality—no surprise there, given that he created the Land of Oz.

He was also a family man with a keen understanding of children and a high regard for women. (His mother-in-law was a suffragist!) His humor and creativity gave him the capacity to bounce back from failure many times.

Having always wanted to write a novel set in the turn of the century, Baum fit perfectly into my plans.

Fun fact: The Baum family summered at the same lake where our family vacations yearly. Though we were at opposite ends of Lake Macatawa near Holland, Michigan—and opposite ends of the century—I felt a connection.

Unstoppable Imagination meets Doubt & Fear

Imagination plays a huge role in the story. My main character Janie is at odds with her rigid parents who have no use for fiction, fantasy, or fairy tales. She is only allowed to read The New England Primer, The Pilgrim’s Progress, and the Bible. Then eight-year-old Janie meets the inimitable L. Frank Baum who stretches her imagination in every way possible. This is a major tension throughout the story.

This ties to 1980, where my protagonist Carrie wants to run a literary-themed café against her parents’ wishes. They have their own goals for her. As grown-up Janie (now eighty-eight-year-old Mrs. Gordon) unveils her childhood troubles to Carrie, they both make startling discoveries.

Bonded by stories and baking Oz-inspired recipes, Carrie and Mrs. Gordon’s intergenerational friendship gradually grows and deepens—one facing fears about her future, the other living with regrets about her past.

Brains, Heart, & Courage

Whether you’re an Oz fan or not, I believe you’ll enjoy getting to know L. Frank Baum. Besides getting the facts straight, I wanted to create his essence on the page so readers experience what it was like to sit on the Baums’ Macatawa porch with him, whether running a printing press or drinking lemonade.

Baum’s stories are all about stirring the child’s imagination, and that’s a key element of my novel. Since we’re all made in the Creator’s image, everybody is creative in their own way. I hope this story inspires readers to use their own imagination to pursue dreams.

But dreams only grow in the soil of confidence. As Mrs. Gordon challenges Carrie, “Do you want to live by your passions or by your fears?” One of those fears is being yourself vs. wearing a mask.

Join the journey of two women who are hugely impacted by the wisdom, heart, and courage of the creator of Oz.

Interview with the Author

Do you read the genre you write? Why or why not?

Absolutely! As an author of both historical fiction and contemporary women’s fiction, I need to know the books readers are drawn to. I need to find comparable titles to know how my own novels fit into the genre, both Christian fiction and general market.

While I was writing A Hundred Magical Reasons, I needed to be familiar with L. Frank Baum’s stories. He wrote over 70 books, most of them for children, including 14 Oz novels. I read all fourteen, plus several others, and all of his newspaper editorials. Besides the biographies I read, the editorials gave me much insight into his thinking. Then I was better equipped to write him as a character.

Reading a variety of fiction keeps me tapped into the book world and also functions as a way to learn from other authors doing their craft, dissecting it as a storyteller. How is the author drawing me in and making me care for these characters? How is she keeping tensions high, raising the stakes? How does she incorporate setting details or include foreshadowing? How is this story resonating with me and why?

I read the kind of stories I write—complex, character-driven with complicated relationships and messy family dynamics. I like delving into the gray, murky areas of life, into false appearances and misjudgments. My stories serve food for thought as well as hope and second chances—tales that “redeem the years the locusts ate.”

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?

Over the years of penning stories, I learned how much my writing is cathartic as an exploration of the soul.

A Thomas Jefferson quote comes to mind: “I cannot live without books.” That’s true for me too, but I could add, “I cannot live without writing.”

Writing has served as a creative outlet, a catalyst for ideas, a source of solace, and a way to explore a myriad of confusing thoughts and feelings. I wrestle with difficult events and emotional challenges from my own experiences as these scenarios somehow wind up in my stories, bringing fresh insights, fostering empathy, stretching my limits and my faith. That makes story writing a form of journaling.

In particular, in A Hundred Magical Reasons, I explored themes close to my heart: imagination, courage to be yourself, intergenerational friendships, and the role of fathers—themes that I hope resonate with readers too.

I see writing as a journey, not just a means to an end. As a teacher, I always taught that the writing process—or any creation of art—is just as important as the product, if not more so.

We’re made in the Creator’s image, so we create—each of us in different ways. It’s a blessing. He delights in our creativity. I also believe He cares as much about our journey and process as He does about the results. So, I should too.

How did publishing your first book change your writing process?

I used to be very organized and showed up with a plan. Nowadays, I only know the direction the story is headed—with a premise and a couple of characters—but am not sure how it will get there. Ideas start percolating when I’m actually sitting down writing a scene. I see connections to other characters and situations that will increase the stakes and further the plot.

I start asking, “What if . . .?” But I also brainstorm, considering which juxtapositions of characters and situations would cause the most tension.

For example, in A Hundred Magical Reasons, I had to consider what could make a good contrast or foil for L. Frank Baum. Enter eight-year-old Janie whose rigid parents have no use for fun, frivolity, fiction, fantasy, or fairy tales. But the inimitable L. Frank Baum knows how to draw out her imagination. This is a major tension throughout the story.

From there I planned basic scenes based on his own family and career timeline and worked the story around those. The details and dialog came as I wrote the scenes.

How did you come up with the title for your book?

For years, the original title was was Fifteen Minutes with Mr. Baum. I liked my title, and I thought it fit. But an agent challenged me to change it. She said it sounded too much like non-fiction (such as Tuesdays with Morrie). She said the title needed to be more, well, “magical.”

To clarify, the story is not fantasy. It’s biographical historical fiction about L. Frank Baum, an over-the-top personality with an unstoppable imagination that invented the Land of Oz. The early 1900s timeline is about his friendship with a young girl and his lifelong impact on her, spilling over to the 1980 timeline. The title needed to reflect this somehow.

So back to the drawing board. I had no idea for another title until I dove back into the story and created a few more obstacles and tense moments for young Janie in the early 1900s timeline. While crafting another quandary for her, I stumbled onto the perfect title which comes right out of Aunt Sophie’s mouth.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?

When you come up against obstacles, ask yourself the question Mrs. Gordon asks Carrie in the novel: “Are you going to live by your passions or your fears?”

There’s much to fear in the writing world: hard work, criticism, and rejection, for starters. But if you love writing stories, stick to it, no matter what!

Be teachable. Join a quality writers group that will give you honest feedback with tact. You need to be challenged and pushed, but always with encouragement and kindness.

Read, read, read! Read books in and out of your genre. Read like a writer, not just a reader.

Write the story of your heart. Many pros advise authors to find their lane and stay in it to brand themselves. But I find that staying in my lane sometimes runs counterpoint to writing the stories that really matter to me.

The joy is in the journey! It’s about what we learn and who we meet along the way.