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.

Author Interview:

What questions do you ask yourself when preparing to write a new book?

Crucial questions for me when planning a novel are:
Do I have a passion for telling this story?
Why does this story matter to me?
Why should it matter to potential readers?
What unique slant or perspective can I offer?

Additionally, the story must sustain my interest for the long haul—through all the ups and downs of feedback, criticism, multiple revisions, obstacles, rejection, and fears.

Regarding A Hundred Magical Reasons, I also asked what I wanted to accomplish by bringing L. Frank Baum to life on the page. Due to his creativity, love for his family, courage to face obstacles, and resiliency after failure, he serves as an inspiration—which is what I show through his friendship with young Janie.

How are your characters like you? Different? In A Hundred Magical Reasons, Carrie is 22 in 1980 and just happened to attend the same college I did, have the same major, and finish the same year! We even had some of the same insecurities. Therefore, writing her seemed natural at times. Even so, we’re also quite different from each other. She’s a great cook and spurned a career in teaching, while I pursued an education degree and rarely find success in the kitchen.

I am nothing like L. Frank Baum (except for a big imagination), so he was my greatest challenge to write—but oh, so fun! He was outspoken and filled the room with his presence, whereas I am more of an observer, gauging the territory.

My purpose went beyond just getting the facts straight about his life. I wanted to create his essence on the page so that readers would experience what it was like to be with him sitting on his front porch, whether drinking lemonade, listening to his stories, or running a printing press together.

Why do you write in your particular genre? I love writing the kind of stories I like to read—complex and 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.”

Regarding genre, I’ve hopped all over the place. Story ideas call to me without regard for genre boundaries. All That Is Hidden is also Southern historical fiction set in western North Carolina in 1968. A Hundred Magical Reasons is biographical historical fiction—and a dual timeline novel. Both of those would be considered literary fiction. Another dual timeline story, The Broken Weathervane (September 2025) qualifies as contemporary women’s fiction (2015 and 1950s). My next two books are women’s fiction and Biblical fiction, respectively.

Perhaps the common thread in most of these is a small-town setting with multi-layered family drama that raises difficult questions. They all make good discussion for book clubs.

What is one thing you wish you could do? I would love to visit the setting for my books and meet my characters in person! That would be an absolute joy. More realistically, I would love to meet with book clubs for their discussions—not just to hear them discuss my book, but to engage and connect and find common ground.

I’m in a neighborhood book club which I thoroughly enjoy. We rarely agree on favorite titles, but each one stretches us as we poke, prod, and explore the stories and the questions they raise. Book clubs are a great way to grow and connect with others.

What was your favorite childhood book and why? In elementary school, I adored Pippi Longstocking because she was the opposite of me. I wished I had her courage—or was it audacity? Her antics made me laugh. I wanted to be Annika who lived next door so I could have regular adventures with Pippi.

In middle school, I relished Little Women and identified with Jo, the writer. I never forgave Amy for burning Jo’s stories! Destroying the irreplaceable is the worst way to hurt a writer. I’ve lost documents on my computer, but I blame technology and have learned how to back up my work. At least it wasn’t a personal attack.