An Inside Look with Lindsay Lackey
(Author of All the Impossible Things)
*The first season of interviews ran from June of 2016 to March of 2017.
*Season #two ran during the summer of 2017.
*Season #three ran during the school year of 2017-2018.
*Season #five ran during the 2018/2019 school year.
*During summer 2019, the sixth season ran.
*The seventh season of interviews ran during the fall of 2019.
*I'm excited to be back for season #EIGHT with brand new interviews/authors.
*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.
*This is the THIRD interview in which I'm calling Season #EIGHT.
*Thank you to Lindsay Lackey for being the One-Hundred Twenty-Third author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.
*Here are links to the One Hundred Twenty-Two interviews…
SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)
SEASON #TWO (Summer 2017)
SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)
SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
SEASON #SEVEN (Fall 2019)
SEASON #EIGHT (Winter 2020)
Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)
All the Impossible Things
by Lindsay Lackey
(September 3, 2019)
How did you come to know Red?
First of all, I love the way this question is phrased because it implies that getting to know a character takes work, just like getting to know a person—and that is true!
Years ago, a young girl walked into my head and got stuck there. She was quiet with a big interior life, and I knew she carried a lot of sadness. I didn’t know much else about this girl for a long time. And then the idea for a story about a girl in foster care came to me, and I suddenly knew where this mystery child belonged. As soon as I put my sad, imaginative little girl into the world of foster care, magic wind, and a giant tortoise, I knew I was on the right track.
After that, I simply did a lot of work to get to know Red. I got to know her by writing scenes between her and other characters. I even wrote letters to her, and journal entries in her voice to get to know her. And it was all such a pleasure because Red—Ruby—is full of such love, heartache, and magic!
What do you think is Red’s most admirable quality?
I think one of her most astounding strengths is her courage. Red is brave so often in the story. She faces the hardship of moving from house to house in foster care with a sense of determined resilience, certainly, but her true courage lies in her willingness to be vulnerable. She isn’t so willing at first—she has to learn this kind of courage. But Red wants so much to love and be loved that she decides to let people (and tortoises) in, and she responds so courageously and lovingly, even when people disappoint her.
Is there anything you wish Red would have changed or done differently in her story?
Well, if anything, I think Red would wish I wasn’t such a mean author who put her in so many difficult situations! I’m sure Red would prefer not to be in foster care in the first place. She may even prefer not to have such a complicated relationship with the wind. But the realities of Red’s life are what make her so uniquely her. Like any of us, Red may prefer to skip the painful parts if given a choice, but ultimately she knows that pain, like grief, can strengthen us and lift us to new heights.
What do you think she can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
I hope that Red’s journey will offer readers honesty and hope. I hope that children who identify with Red’s situations will come to believe in their own courage, and will learn to recognize what they truly need and how to fight for it.
How did you research Red and the circumstances she found himself in?
The circumstances of Red’s story were inspired by my own family’s experience with foster care and adoption. About ten years ago, my aunt and uncle became foster parents. Their situation was very similar to Celine and Jackson’s. It was a second marriage for them both, and they had grown children at the time, but still decided to open their home to children who needed a safe place. Much of my research came through conversations with my aunt, as well as other people in my life who are involved in foster care and adoption in some way.
Do you and Red share any similarities?
As a child, I had very BIG emotions. Sometimes it felt like my emotions would swallow me whole or come bursting out of me as some destructive force. The idea that Red’s emotions manifest as wind, as something that can be both destructive or soothing, is one that felt very accessible and real to me. I think a lot of kids feel things in a big way, but don’t always have the language to express their emotions successfully. I certainly felt that way, as does Red, and I love that her wind gives voice and visibility and even validity to her emotions in the story.
What was the hardest scene to write about her?
Emotionally speaking, many of the scenes between Red and Wanda were difficult to write, but particularly Red’s first reunion with Wanda. It’s a tense scene for both characters, but there is a moment in it that really defines their relationship in a heartbreaking way to me. It’s a quick moment—many readers miss it entirely—but it is fundamentally important. When Wanda first sees her daughter again after a long separation, she calls her “Ruby,” but Red reminds her that Wanda’s nickname for her has always been “Red.” Wanda then recalls how she long-ago decided that her daughter is not fancy enough to be called “Ruby,” which is why she started calling her Red instead. This moment—the idea that a parent decides their child isn’t special enough for their own name—defines so much about Red and Wanda’s relationship, and absolutely broke my heart in the process.
Who do you think was Red’s biggest supporter and why?
Ms. Anders is absolutely Red’s biggest supporter! She has been Red’s social worker for years, and as Red herself says, Ms. Anders is always there. She arrives quickly to remove Red from difficult situations. She provides candy as a form of comfort whenever Red has to change homes. And, most importantly, she recognizes and accepts Red for who she is—magic and all.
How do you think young people, like Red, are able to navigate their world when they are “torn” between their biological family and a “foster” family that may offer everything they wish for?
I have so much admiration and respect for the many, many young people who face this difficult reality. It takes so much courage to open yourself up to another family after you’ve experienced the pain of being separated from your biological family for whatever reason. Daring to allow other people to love you is scary no matter who you are. But the important and amazing thing about love is that it always makes room, it doesn’t take room. In other words, it’s possible to love and be loved by a family that isn’t biologically your own while still loving and being loved by your biological family. With love, there’s always, always room for more love. I think anyone who understands this is better able to navigate life, no matter what it brings.
What do you think Red is doing as the present time?
I hope she’s leaning up against Tuck’s shell, reading him a book in a patch of warm sunshine; and I hope the breeze is pleasant and calm!
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