*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Sam?
I usually try out several partial versions of a novel before landing on the right voice. I have to write my way into a character, rather than outlining or making notes. I do those things too, but I can never really tell if my ideas will work until I write them out in narrative form. Sam, and the overall storyline, went through four or five 50-page versions before I settled into the ‘final’ first draft.
What do you think is Sam’s most admirable quality?
Sam is loyal, determined and ultimately courageous in the way he adapts to his new situation. We all have those times in our lives when everything turns upside-down. Sam loses his father, then has to move halfway across the country to live in Oklahoma with an aunt who’s basically a stranger. Even facing all that upheaval, he fights to get back what he lost, forges a new friendship, redefines his relationship with his aunt and, eventually, reaches a more balanced place in his grief journey.
Is there anything you wish he would have changed or done differently in his story?
Haha! I don’t tend to think of my characters as their own, sentient beings the way some authors do. In a way, I am all of my main characters, so while his actions weren’t perfect, they are totally understandable to me given the situation.
What do you think Sam can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
Sam is about so many things: new friendships, reconciling with family, losing someone you love and, ultimately, finding hope in the midst of grief. I want readers to journey along with Sam as he grapples with his grief, to experience the highs and lows, and to come away with their own new understanding. Books can be a beautiful, safe way for readers to confront difficult topics and form their own opinions about the world. They can equip us to emotionally tackle tough situations , and I hope Sam fills that role for readers. I see this book encouraging readers to be more understanding, to focus on friendships and, of course, to look at the world in a more magical way.
How did you research Sam and the circumstances he found himself in?
Sam is thrust from his life on the swamps of Louisiana to a small, dusty Oklahoma town. I have lived in both states at different times in my life and wanted to explore the contrasts and also the beauty of both locales. I’ve explored grief in several of my novels. In Skeleton Tree, I talk about the experience leading up to loss. In Bone Hollow, I tackle it from Death’s perspective. And Sam focuses on the aftermath, i.e. how do you get back to living after losing someone you love? That part didn’t require research so much as a personal exploration. When it comes to Aunt Jo, I had several expert readers assist me in making her as realistic as possible in terms of her addiction issues and her experience living with a prosthesis. I also volunteered as the overnight, live-in staff person at a drug rehabilitation center for a year in college, so I had some personal experience to draw on.
Do you and Sam share any similarities?
We’re both determined to get what we want, loyal to our friends and capable of adapting in difficult situations.
What was the hardest scene to write about Sam?
The ending always feels the most poignant for me, the moment when everything comes together and leaves you with a feeling of catharsis. It’s not the most difficult to write from a craft standpoint, because I’m so deeply immersed in the story by then, but it is the most important and so it carries the highest stakes.
Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
Sam has an amazing support system in the book. Aunt Jo is there for him from the day she arrives in her beat-up VW Bug, even though she’s been absent almost four years. Their relationship grows much closer throughout the book, but Aunt Jo was always on Sam’s side, even when she wasn’t physically present. Then there’s Mr. Redding, Sam’s teacher, who offers wisdom and gentle nudges, and, of course, Edie. Sam and Edie become fast friends, and that friendship never really wavers, despite their misunderstandings. Finally, there’s Pa. Even though he’s passed on, Pa remains a constant support and guide for Sam well beyond the last page.
Why do you think young people, like Sam, are able to move forward after a great loss when some adults get stuck and can’t seem to move beyond the loss?
Maybe it’s the same reason young people are more willing to believe in magic. There’s a beautiful hopefulness that comes with youth, when it’s allowed to develop, and that can make kids super resilient. That said, I think loss profoundly affects people of all ages, and it’s important to have books like Sam to help kids process and articulate their feelings.
What do you think Sam is doing as the present time?
Popping open an ice-cold Orange Crush and telling stories with Edie under their new favorite tree.
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)
Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)
Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)
Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)
Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)
Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)
Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)
Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)
Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)
Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)
Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)
Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)
Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)
Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)
Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)
Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)
Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)
Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)
Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)
Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)
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