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Monday, May 6, 2019

An Inside Look #88 (Author INTERVIEW)

Inside Look with Lynda Mullaly Hunt
(Author of Shouting at the Rain)

*During the summer of 2016, I added this feature to the blog which was called "Season #ONE".  This first season ran from June of 2016 to March of 2017.  

*I started up the interviews again in June of 2017.  It was great to get back to Season #TWO.  This season ran throughout the summer.  

*Season #THREE ran during the school year of 2017/2018.  


*The next season (season #FOUR) of interviews took place during the summer and fall of 2018.  With each interview I became more and more impressed with the authors I was having interactions with.  


*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.

*This is the Seventeenth interview of what I'm calling Season #FIVE.

*Thank you to Lynda Mullaly Hunt for being the Eighty-EIGHTH author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing.  I truly appreciate it.  


*Here are links to the first Eighty-SEVEN interviews…


SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)

























SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)






















SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)












*Lynda Mullaly Hunt was kind, gracious, and giving with her answers to the questions.  It is an honor to post her responses here on the blog.  

*Thank you Lynda for writing this incredible and thought-provoking book.

*Here are my thoughts about Lynda's newest novel...

My Book Review


Shouting at the Rain

by Lynda Mullaly Hunt(May 7, 2019)



How did you come to know Delsie?
I have always known Delsie. And I have always known Ronan, the boy who becomes her close friend.

These two characters are the two sides of me at 13 years old. Delsie is naïve and kind. She tries to keep her chin up but she drags a heavy emotional block behind her that she tries to ignore.

Ronan is outwardly angry about the circumstances of his life. He uses his fists to express himself. In fact, he ends up in the back of a police car because he is unable to control his temper. But he is a good kid. He has a good heart. He’s just hurting. Hurting badly. And he doesn’t yet understand the nature of anger – that anger is a bunch of emotions we’d rather not feel such as sadness, loneliness, confusion, and betrayal – all thrown into an emotional blender. All mixed up and too hard to process. And what do we get then? Anger. Also, Ronan hasn’t yet learned that anger does not justify hurting others. “But I was mad,” is not a pass to behave any way you wish. This exploration of emotions is a journey that Delsie and Ronan will take together.

What do you think is Delsie's most admirable quality?
Delsie’s most admirable quality is that she is loyal. Well, she is loyal to others but learns to be loyal to herself as well.

She is also tenacious. And bright. And loving and sensitive. Oh, is that more than one?

Is there anything you wish Delsie would have changed or done differently in her story?
No. I don’t think so since she came around to seeing what was in front of her the whole time and was able to learn that, “It’s not what we look at that counts but what we see.”

What do you think Delsie can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?  
I think Delsie can offer another point of view. I think she can offer kids the opportunity to empathize with her and then hopefully apply her journey to their own lives.

Friends in threes is very difficult and Delsie’s journey of having a best friend outgrow her is a common one with humans of a great span of ages. As a reader standing outside of the experience many will wonder why she hangs on the way she does. Keeps coming back for more no matter how unkind Tressa becomes. But that is very human. The thought of being alone is a scary one (especially for kids) so we hang on to situations that aren’t optimal because it feels better than taking the risk of being alone. Delsie comes to the realization, “I realize that friendship is like boogie boarding. You have to know when to hang on and when to let go.”

Also, I know there are kids out there who have family structures that aren’t traditional and they see that as “less than.” (I know they are out there because I have met them.) I wanted kids to know that they have not been abandoned if someone stepped in to love them.

How did you research Delsie and the circumstances she found herself in?

I’ve lived over a half of a century with these feelings. That’s a LOT of research!

Do you and Delsie share any similarities?  
Yes! You will find them between pages 1 and 288. J

So, seriously, I do. I know what it means to be left behind as a kid. I know what it means to be outgrown by friends. I know what it means to have parents who are unavailable to me. I know what it means and how it feels to be mistreated. To be treated in ways that children should never be treated and to feel so much sadness and anger that I couldn’t process it. I know what it means to have every ounce of hope seep out of you.

But I also know great love; I am blessed in that respect. And I know what it is like to find family outside your blood lines and family name. In fact, One for the Murphys (my first novel) came out of one of those experiences. I am blessed but it hasn’t been easy. Although, I don’t know anyone who’s had it easy. Everyone has a story to tell. Hardships can be gifts, though, if you look at them through the right lens.

What was the hardest scene to write about Delsie?

I think the hardest scene to write was Ronan and the horseshoe crab scene. Not because it was difficult but because I felt SO much of what Ronan felt. It broke my heart. I want to wrap that kid up in my arms some days. Actually, a lot of days.

Who do you think was Delsie's biggest supporter and why?

Well, I have to go with Grammy, I guess. Although Delsie is a blessed girl. She has many who love her.

And if I look long into her future, I see Ronan. He is always there.

Why do you think some young people, like Delsie and Ronan, can stand on their own two feet and truly believe in themselves, while other children struggle to be their own person and succumb to peer pressure; which leads to people they are not?    
Certainly, when it comes to standing against peer pressure, self esteem is vital. However, I don’t think that “believing in yourself” comes around like magic. True self esteem is made by impressing ourselves. Authentically impressing ourselves rather than merely reminding ourselves that we are unique and different than others, etc. Being different is not what makes one great. (I mean, malaria is different.)

I do think the confidence embers are fed by external sources as well, though. Part of being resilient is latching onto/listening to people who buoy us rather than tear us down. Choosing who we listen to. And becoming our own voice when called for. Out in the world there are always people ready to offer either perspective. Yet, when fed negative messages, some of us soak it all in like a sponge plunged into freezing water. We take on the negative opinions of others as a truth. Whereas, others get squinty inside. Angry. And cast off those messages with an “I’ll show you. You don’t know me” kind of attitude. What creates the difference? I really wish I knew.

A concern that has been developing as I travel around speaking with kids is that somehow kids have come to believe that when someone speaks something out loud it’s the truth. I think we need to tell kids that they are ALLOWED to weigh the opinions of others differently. The person on the bus or the cafeteria is not someone they love; they should be able to let words from those people bounce off. And, yet, so many struggle to do so.
And what is also essential for self-esteem and confidence? I think human connections make us feel like we have the ground underneath our feet. They make self esteem possible. They help us stand taller. Trust ourselves more. And therefore make us better able to stand up to peer pressure. 
I love my iphone and my computer but I do worry that technology holds too important of a place in the lives of children these days. True human connections are not made online; I wonder sometimes if it doesn't feel like a house of mirrors to kids. How kids are told to "connect" online yet it doesn't feel like connecting. Not really.  Kids socializing with each other via fortnight is a myriad of red flags. It’s interesting that tech executives allow their own children very little technology at home because they understand the repercussions of allowing kids too much screen time. They understand how very addictive technology is and its effects on the child’s brain.
The levels of depression and anxiety in kids is higher than ever. I think it’s time we adults start asking why. Personally, I have wondered if there are just a lot more lonely, unconnected kids out there. And, adults, for that matter. And, yet, we are falling over ourselves to provide each kindergartener with ipads. Perhaps we should buy them books instead. *Steps off stack of soapboxes*

In addition, authentic self esteem that is made by making one truly proud of self will help kids stand up against peer pressure. Self esteem will also help kids make connections to others which is another component of standing strong and trusting one's self. Humans of all ages strive to connect. To feel like they belong. Completely understandable, of course. This is a very basic need of humans. But, as adults, we should be paying attention. Paying attention to who our kids are listening to.   

We must ensure they have authentic self-esteem, connections, and confidence. I believe these are essential to stand against peer pressure.

What do you think Delsie is doing as the present time? 
Delsie is playing a long game on Monopoly with Ronan (Because neither will agree to sell property to the other) and dreaming of summer which is right around the corner. Making plans for cookouts and fishing for stripers off the coast of Chatham. Looking forward to spending time with Henry and Esme and Ruby. Even Olive. Delsie is thinking of Brandy hoping she is happy yet wishing it all could have worked out differently. 
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