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Ludwig on his Debut Novel, Ginny Moon
Written By Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Barrington writer Benjamin Ludwig found the voice of his character Ginny Moon while attending his then-teenage daughter’s Special Olympics games, years ago — though the way he describes it, her voice found him.
“The voice came to me and demanded that I express it, that I write it from that very distinct perspective,” Ludwig said via phone, a couple weeks before the release of his first novel, Ginny Moon, which he celebrates with a May 1 launch party at Water Street Bookstore. “I couldn’t keep her voice quiet! She kept talking, so I kept typing.”
The book, released officially May 2 by Park Row Books, is about a teenage girl with autism named Ginny Moon. For the most part, Ginny’s a typical teenager, playing the flute in the high school band, reading Robert Frost poetry in English class. But she also holds an obsession to reconnect with her abusive and drug-addicted birth mother, Gloria, despite the fact she’s finally found foster parents who care about her. Some of the book’s inspiration stems from Ludwig’s personal and professional experiences.
He and his wife adopted their daughter, who has autism and is now 21, in 2009, at which time they became part of a large Seacoast community of families with kids who have special needs through Special Olympics sporting events. Ludwig also worked in the public school system for years, his most recent job being as a teacher-mentor at Dover Middle School.
“I noticed very early through my own experience teaching … [that] children with special needs use language in a very different way than you and I might use it. We use language to express how we feel, and to think out loud. Very often, children with special needs will only use language to communicate immediate needs. A lot of their world is nonverbal,” he said. “It’s almost like they’re using language as a tool rather than a form of expression.”
But Ginny Moon is very different from anyone he’s ever met — particularly his own daughter, who was happy to hear he’d written about a girl with autism but appalled to learn Ginny was such a rule-breaker.
“Our daughter is on the straight and narrow all the time,” Ludwig said, laughing. “Our own experience with our own daughter was nothing like the experience in the book, thank goodness.” Because his protagonist’s voice came so naturally, Ludwig was able to write the entire manuscript in 2014 with little difficulty.
It was unlike any writing experience he’d ever had, which is saying something, as he’d written 10 other “bad” novels before this one. He’s been a self-described “writing addict” since the fourth grade. Every day, he wakes at 3:30 a.m. to write before his three kids and wife wake.
His book deal happened in 2016 while he was in the midst of earning his Master of Fine Arts at the University of New Hampshire. Ludwig’s position was unique; he’d finished the novel and found an agent before starting the program. His dream is to teach creative writing on the college level.
“For me, the MFA is a teaching degree. Anyone in an MFA program will tell you, you don’t need a college degree to have a book published. Most of our greatest writers do not have MFA degrees,” Ludwig said. “But they won’t let you [teach college creative writing] unless you have a book and also the degree to go with it. The degree shows you’ve studied the craft of writing, so I do think it’s beneficial.”
Until then, he’s busy promoting Ginny Moon. After the book launch, he steps on a plane for a cross-country book tour. He hopes readers have a good time reading Ginny’s story, but he also hopes the book raises awareness about the need for adoptive parents in the United States.
“My wife and I will definitely adopt again at some point,” Ludwig said. “There are kids out there who need homes. And a lot of them are teenagers. It’s something good to think about and reflect on, and maybe even consider.”
Meet Benjamin Ludwig
Where: Water Street Bookstore, 125 Water St., Exeter, 778-9731, waterstreetbooks.com
When: Monday, May 1, at 7 p.m.