Q&A with Author Julie A. Jacob

Bicentennial Eve: A Wisconsin Novella is a gentle, slice-of-life tale of a family gathering for the fireworks on the eve of Independence Day in 1976. As the cast of characters go about their day, each of them struggles with their own passing of time. Read about author Julie A. Jacob’s process for writing the book.

Why did you write your book? What inspired you to write it?

I was about the same age as the character Skye (13) during the Bicentennial in 1976. It made an impression on me. My parents hosted a big Bicentennial party, tall ships from around the world sailed through New York Harbor, numerous Bicentennial programs aired on TV, and stores sold all sorts of Bicentennial merchandise—ornaments, glasses, plates, etc. It felt like America was shaking off the anger and discontent of the past ten years—the political unrest of the late 60s, the Watergate scandal, Nixon’s resignation, stagflation and so on—and indulging in a big, happy national celebration.

It was a huge deal, yet in the years following the Bicentennial, it seemed like people just forgot about it. I thought, hmm, I’d like to write about the Bicentennial someday. I wrote an article for Wisconsin Trails magazine in 2006 about how Wisconsin celebrated the 200^th birthday of our country, and that sparked the idea for a novel. Originally, the novel was going to be set on the Fourth and chronicle a big, wild party, but then I realized I was more interested in a slice of life of an ordinary family the day before the big celebration.

What was your writing process?

Since this was my first novel, it was definitely a learning process! For the longest time, I had no process at all, I’m embarrassed to say. I would just sit down at my laptop and start to write. But that didn’t work very well. I couldn’t get beyond the first few pages. Finally, I did what I should have done at the beginning and sketched out the plot and used that as a guide. The writing went much more smoothly after that.

How long did it take you to write your book?

That’s a tough question! I wrote the first two chapters—the scenes with Skye and Grace—several years ago, but I couldn’t push beyond those two brief scenes and so set the book aside. About two years ago, I decided to try again and wrote a few more chapters, but then I got distracted by other commitments like teaching and freelancing and set it aside once again. But last year I decided that 2025 was going to be the year when I finished it. I wrote a little bit every morning before starting work. Once I committed to writing the novel, it took a few months of concentrated effort. The support and encouragement of my writing group was immensely helpful, as was correspondence with a writing friend.

What was your favorite part about writing your book?

It was challenging and fun to develop the characters and think about what they might say or how they might behave or react in different situations.

I also enjoyed reliving my 70s childhood and fact-checking my memories. For example, I did research online to find out what type of video camera Skye and her friends might have used for their movie, and I looked up the Brewers schedule for 1976 to see if they played a game that day.

What inspired your characters?

Writers are like squirrels. We’re always taking notes of things we observe and experience and storing it away as nuggets for articles and stories. Or maybe creating characters is like making a cake—even though I can’t bake! 😊—because it’s like mixing together bits and pieces of people you know or simply come across in day-to-day life and then adding in several cupfuls of imagination to create a character.

Do you have a favorite character, scene, or message in the book?

It was fun writing the scene where Skye and her friends act out the writing of the Declaration of Independence for a history class assignment. I kept thinking back to when I was that age with all that painful self-consciousness and the confusion of budding romantic feelings. I also enjoyed writing the book club scene where the ladies are laughing and having fun and supporting one another.

The characters are like kids—I don’t have a favorite. I did especially love how Kitty, a grandmother, was determined to finally pursue her dream, though, because it resonated with me finally writing a novel.

Regarding a theme or message—well, I think each of the characters is exploring new possibilities in life and realizing they don’t have to keep treading the same old path. Also, they all do love and care for one another, even when they may disagree and, in the end, they want the best for each other.