An Inside Look with Chad Lucas
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Brian and Ezra?
I had Brian’s story in mind for a long time, but I couldn’t quite figure out how to tell it. Ezra came later—he had a small (though important) role in early drafts that kept expanding until I figured out that this needed to be his story too. That’s when the book truly came together.
What do you think are their most admirable qualities?
They both care deeply. Some of my favourite scenes to write were the interactions between Brian and his little brother Richie, when you see Brian’s protective and loving side shine through. For Ezra, his heart often shows up through humour; he’s always trying to make other people laugh and put them at ease. And they’re both brave in their own ways, though neither of them would probably describe themselves that way.
Is there anything you wish they would have changed or done differently in their story?
This is an interesting question to consider as an author! The parent in me wishes Brian had made a few different decisions along the way, but his questionable choices are authentic to his circumstances. He feels helpless and he’s trying to regain a sense of control, even if it’s not always in healthy ways. I don’t think any story would feel fully relatable if the characters never made bad decisions.
What do you think Brian and Ezra can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what they went through?
I received a message not long ago from a teenager who told me that reading Thanks A Lot, Universe helped them process some feelings that they didn’t even realize they were having under the surface. That’s pretty humbling to think that this book could help a young reader feel seen and understood, and help them understand their own feelings.
How did you research Brian and Ezra and the circumstances they found themselves in?
This book didn’t involve a ton of research, but I did do some research around foster care and the justice system to help me write about Brian’s experiences.
Do you and the boys share any similarities?
Thanks a Lot, Universe isn’t autobiographical by any stretch, but there is a bit of me in both characters. I was a kid who overanalyzed everything, like Brian. And I’m biracial and queer like Ezra, though he’s a lot more at home with himself than I was at his age a few decades ago.
What was the hardest scene to write about them?
Without giving away too much, the first scene where Brian visits his mom in the hospital still guts me.
Who do you think were their biggest supporters and why?
One thing both boys understand over time is that they have more people in their corner than they realize at first. But sometimes the question isn’t who’s supporting us, but who are we ready and able to trust for support? Brian’s gradually able to connect with Gabe—an older teenager who’s recently gone through a hard time of his own—in a way that he can’t with some of the adults who are trying to help him. Ezra has a similar experience with Brittany. That relationship between middle graders and older teens who are only a few steps ahead on their own journey is one of the angles I enjoyed exploring in this book.
Why do you think some young people are able to step out of their comfort zone and away from others, and do the right thing to help someone else; when many kids don’t because they are afraid of what others will think?
I think the factors can be different for everyone. Some kids can take risks if they’re coming from a place of security, whether that’s their own inner sense of self, or the knowledge that they have people who will support them no matter what. Some people have such a strong sense of empathy and justice that they can’t stand by. Some kids don’t spend much time caring about what other people think of them, which I think is an admirable quality. But I’m not sure there’s one right answer, either. Our circumstances and our environment can have a big impact on how we react in any given situation.
What do you think they are doing at the present time?
In a “real world” timeline, Brian and Ezra would be in their final year of high school this fall. I have some thoughts about what they’ve been up to between then and now, but I’m not sure that I’m done writing about them, so I don’t want to say too much here!
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)
Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)
Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot)
Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods)
Interview #161 with James Bird (Author of The Brave)
Interview #162 with Marcella Pixley (Author of Trowbridge Road)
Interview #163 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Halfway to Harmony)
Interview #164 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ground Zero)
Interview #165 with Lisa Fipps (Author of Starfish)
Interview #166 with Ann Braden (Author of Flight of the Puffin)
Interview #167 with Kimberly Willis Holt (Author of The Ambassador of NoWhere Texas)
Interview #168 with Elana K. Arnold (Author of The House That Wasn't There)
Interview #169 with Erin Soderberg (Author of The Great Peach Experiment)
Interview #170 with Donna Gephart (Author of Abby, Tried, and True)
Interview #171 with M. Evan Wolkenstein (Author of Turtle Boy)
Interview #172 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Bea is for Blended)
Interview #173 with Jess Redman (Author of The Adventure is Now)
Interview #174 with David Levithan (Author of The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden)
Interview #175 with Chris Grabenstein (Author of The Smartest Kid in the Universe)
Interview #176 with Ali Standish (Author of The Mending Summer)
Interview #177 with Holly Goldberg Sloan (Author of The Elephant in the Room)
Interview #178 with Jeff Zentner (Author of In the Wild Light)
SEASON #ELEVEN (Fall/Winter 2021)
Interview #179 with Katherine Applegate (Author of Willow)
Interview #180 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of Born Behind Bars)
Interview #181 with R.J. Palacio (Author of Pony)
Interview #182 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Too Bright to See)
Interview #183 with Barbara Dee (Author of Violets are Blue)
Interview #184 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Troubled Girls of Dragonmir Academy)
Interview #185 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of We Could Be Heroes)
Interview #186 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Shape of Thunder)
Interview #187 with Joseph Bruchac (Author of Rez Dogs)
Interview #188 with Kathryn Erskine (Author of Lily's Promise)
Interview #189 with Elly Swartz (Author of Dear Student)
Interview #190 with Heather Clark (Author of Lemon Drop Falls)
Interview #191 with Veera Hiranandani (Author of How to Find What You're Not Looking For)
Interview #192 with Elizabeth Eulberg (Author of The Best Worst Summer)
Interview #193 with Cathy Carr (Author of 365 Days to Alaska)
Interview #194 with Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard (Authors of REAL)
Interview #195 with Gillian McDunn (Author of These Lucky Stars)
Interview #196 with Alyssa Colman (Author of The Gilded Girl)
Interview #197 with E.L. Chen (Author of The Comeback)
Interview #198 with J.M.M. Nuanez (Author of Birdie and Me)
SEASON #TWELVE (Winter 2022)
Interview #199 with Jamie Sumner (One Kid's Trash)
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