An Inside Look with Rob Buyea
(Author of The Perfect Score)
*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.
*I ran a series of interviews for Season #TWO over the summer of 2017. It was great to get back to these conversations, that I decided to run Season #THREE during the 2017/2018 school year.
*Thank you to Rob Buyea for being the SEVENTH author of the third season. I truly appreciate it.
*Here are links to the first THIRTY-NINE interviews…
SEASON #ONE
SEASON #TWO
*I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book during ALA Chicago. I was reading it in August when we took our son to KU to move for his junior year. As I was finishing it at Walmart while he and my wife were shopping, I literally had tears in my eyes.
*Rob Buyea was kind, gracious, and giving with his answers to the questions. It is an honor to post his responses with my "Inside Look" feature.
*Here is a link to my review of The Perfect Score
*Thank you Rob for writing this story for readers and taking the time to share your thoughts with us here on the blog...
The Perfect Score
by Bob Buyea (Released October 3, 2017)
How did you come to know these five characters (Randi, Gavin, Trevor, Scott, and Natalie)?
Randi, Natalie, and Scott have been with me for quite a while. Parts of them were in other stories of mine that didn’t work out. One thing I’ve learned is the writing we do that doesn’t get published is still worthwhile and important. Sometimes it’s just a matter of finding the right place for that character or scene.
All five of these kids are bits and pieces of many
different people from my life, along with bits and pieces of me and my
imagination all glued together. This is true for most of my characters.
I should also mention that I often learn more about
my characters by doing the work. In other words, I get to know them better by
writing. For me, the first draft is about meeting my characters and discovering
their story.
What do you think are their most admirable qualities?
These kids have big hearts, even if they don’t show
it right away. They stand up for what’s right, even when that means doing
something that’s wrong. Is that ok? I hope that question gives readers much to
ponder and discuss.
Is there anything you wish they would have
changed or done differently in their story?
No. It takes a mountain of revising and rewriting to
get the book where I want it, so I don’t want to change any of it now.
What do you think they can offer to other
children that are experiencing similar situations to what they went through?
A way to start important conversations. That’s why I
write the stories that I do. Maybe things can move from talking about these
characters to talking about others in our life and even oneself?
How did you research these five
characters and the circumstances they found themselves in?
I researched by paying attention to the world around
me. Things I saw, experienced, heard about, read about . . . all of that is
important for a writer.
Do you and the “kids" share any
similarities?
As stated earlier, my characters contain pieces of
me. For example, like my character, Scott, recess was my favorite thing as a
kid—and as a teacher! And like Scott, I had an important grandfather in my
life. Wrestling is still my favorite sport, but I’ve always enjoyed football,
which is something that helped me with Gavin’s character. I played football
throughout school and enjoy rooting for my fantasy teams now. My wrestling
experiences—both as a competitor and as a coach—helped me with Randi’s
character, and the pressure she’s dealing with.
What was the hardest scene to write about them?
I recall getting stuck in the middle, so I jumped
ahead and wrote the ending. While working on the ending I figured out what
needed to happen in the middle.
I should also mention that when I first wrote the
story I only used four voices to tell it. One of my first major revisions was
adding the fifth voice—Trevor’s. So glad I did that because I love his
character!
Who do you think was the biggest supporter of
these five characters and why?
Mrs. Woods and Mrs. Magenta. Both are teachers who
put their students first.
Why do you think children can sometimes make bigger changes than adults when they aren’t alright with a situation (like state testing)?
Children can be more flexible than adults.
What do you think Randi, Gavin, Trevor, Scott, and Natalie are doing at the present time?
They are finishing their second year together in Book 2: The Perfect Secret, and getting ready to embark on another year in Book 3 of the series!
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