An Inside Look with Hena Khan
(Author of More To The Story)
*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 SIXTH interview in which I'm calling Season #EIGHT.
*Thank you to Hena Khan for being the One-Hundred Twenty-Sixth author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.
*Here are links to the One Hundred Twenty-Five 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)
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)
More to the Story
by Hena Khan
(September 3, 2019)
How did you come to know Jameela?
I spent a lot of time thinking about Jameela before starting to write her! Since Jameela was inspired by my favorite character in Little Women, Jo March, I modeled aspects of her personality after her. That includes things like her passion for writing, devotion to her family, quick temper, and desire to be more than others have decided for her at times.
What do you think is her most admirable quality?
I admire Jameela’s commitment to her sisters and her family and the way she takes care of the people around her, even if she’s grumpy about it or gets things wrong sometimes. I think Jameela’s heart is in the right place and she wants to protect and defend the ones she loves.
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
Jameela could probably have saved herself some aggravation if she was more patient with her youngest sister and recognized what she considers brattiness as a need for attention. But I also think that she had to figure that out on her own.
What do you think Jameela can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through? I hope that kids dealing with challenges like Jameela will be able to relate to her emotional journey and appreciate how she finds a way to fix her mistakes and missteps. I think it’s important that Jameela learns how to channel her anger at something she has no control over, which is a natural response, into something more positive and constructive.
How did you research Jameela and the circumstances she found herself in?
I was very fortunate to have friends and neighbors that were extremely generous in sharing their experiences with blood cancer with me and answering all of my questions. With their guidance, I was able to write Jameela’s role in supporting a love one dealing with a serious illness, and some of the complexity around that very difficult circumstance.
Do you and Jameela share any similarities?
Unfortunately, I share Jameela’s quick temper, which is why it was something I chose to focus on. When I read Little Women as a kid, I found Marmee’s confession that she also suffered a bad temper so significant, and that is why I include a similar moment in my book between Jameela and her mother. I also share Jameela’s sense of responsibility for her family and the desire to take care of others and fix their problems, even when I can’t.
What was the hardest scene to write about her?
There’s a scene where everything seems to be falling apart for Jameela and she is feeling very alone. She can’t reach her father and her mother is in the hospital with her sister. She’s alienated her friend Ali, and she is filled with remorse. I wanted to capture the emotion but not dwell on it too long, and that’s probably why it ended up being the shortest chapter in the book.
Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
Jameela is lucky to have a lot of support in her life, between her family, friends and schoolmates. But she has a special relationship with her father, who recognizes her passion for writing and reporting, and encourages her to pursue her dreams. The support of her father is what makes her overzealous to make him proud, which backfires, but is ultimately what gets her back on track too.
Why do think some young people, like Jameela, are able to navigate their two worlds, balance life at home and school, and stand up for what they believe in?
I think kids and teens are incredible in their ability to juggle so much. They not only have to navigate home and school life but figure out what to make of the world and their place in it, all while physically growing and changing along the way. We’re seeing more and more how powerful young people’s voices are, and how they can turn their passion and sense of justice into eloquent advocacy. And I wanted to capture some of that energy in Jameela’s character.
What do you think Jameela is doing as the present time?
I like to think she is spending time with her family, writing her article about supporting loved ones dealing with cancer, fundraising, and building her friendship with Ali. And she’s probably still getting into arguments from time to time, because she is who she is!
I spent a lot of time thinking about Jameela before starting to write her! Since Jameela was inspired by my favorite character in Little Women, Jo March, I modeled aspects of her personality after her. That includes things like her passion for writing, devotion to her family, quick temper, and desire to be more than others have decided for her at times.
I admire Jameela’s commitment to her sisters and her family and the way she takes care of the people around her, even if she’s grumpy about it or gets things wrong sometimes. I think Jameela’s heart is in the right place and she wants to protect and defend the ones she loves.
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
Jameela could probably have saved herself some aggravation if she was more patient with her youngest sister and recognized what she considers brattiness as a need for attention. But I also think that she had to figure that out on her own.
What do you think Jameela can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through? I hope that kids dealing with challenges like Jameela will be able to relate to her emotional journey and appreciate how she finds a way to fix her mistakes and missteps. I think it’s important that Jameela learns how to channel her anger at something she has no control over, which is a natural response, into something more positive and constructive.
How did you research Jameela and the circumstances she found herself in?
I was very fortunate to have friends and neighbors that were extremely generous in sharing their experiences with blood cancer with me and answering all of my questions. With their guidance, I was able to write Jameela’s role in supporting a love one dealing with a serious illness, and some of the complexity around that very difficult circumstance.
Do you and Jameela share any similarities?
Unfortunately, I share Jameela’s quick temper, which is why it was something I chose to focus on. When I read Little Women as a kid, I found Marmee’s confession that she also suffered a bad temper so significant, and that is why I include a similar moment in my book between Jameela and her mother. I also share Jameela’s sense of responsibility for her family and the desire to take care of others and fix their problems, even when I can’t.
What was the hardest scene to write about her?
There’s a scene where everything seems to be falling apart for Jameela and she is feeling very alone. She can’t reach her father and her mother is in the hospital with her sister. She’s alienated her friend Ali, and she is filled with remorse. I wanted to capture the emotion but not dwell on it too long, and that’s probably why it ended up being the shortest chapter in the book.
Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
Jameela is lucky to have a lot of support in her life, between her family, friends and schoolmates. But she has a special relationship with her father, who recognizes her passion for writing and reporting, and encourages her to pursue her dreams. The support of her father is what makes her overzealous to make him proud, which backfires, but is ultimately what gets her back on track too.
Why do think some young people, like Jameela, are able to navigate their two worlds, balance life at home and school, and stand up for what they believe in?
I think kids and teens are incredible in their ability to juggle so much. They not only have to navigate home and school life but figure out what to make of the world and their place in it, all while physically growing and changing along the way. We’re seeing more and more how powerful young people’s voices are, and how they can turn their passion and sense of justice into eloquent advocacy. And I wanted to capture some of that energy in Jameela’s character.
What do you think Jameela is doing as the present time?
I like to think she is spending time with her family, writing her article about supporting loved ones dealing with cancer, fundraising, and building her friendship with Ali. And she’s probably still getting into arguments from time to time, because she is who she is!
No comments:
Post a Comment