(April 21, 2020)
How did you come to know Newt?
I
got to know Newt through the writing process. I’ve learned that I’m the
type of writer that will start writing one story, and it will morph
into something entirely different. I wish I was more efficient, and
maybe some day I will be. So far each of my books has started with an
entirely different plot but the main characters are static. I have to
find their stories through the writing process.
I
knew from the first page that Newt would be Latinx, struggling with his
identity, and from a working class family. As a kid I didn’t see a lot
of kids that shared my circumstances so I try to help feel that gap now.
I got to know Newt as I wrote.
What do you think is Newt’s most admirable quality?
I
really like the way that Newt sees the world. He loses his perspective a
bit when he’s struggling, but with time and support he gains the
ability to be open to the world and curious about the world around him
again. I really wanted to draw a parallel with water bears/tardigrades.
Kids are amazingly resilient. They struggle and hurt and get anxious
just like adults, but with the right tools and relationships they can
learn to adapt and thrive.
Is there anything you wish Newt would have changed or done differently in his story?
Oh,
gosh, at different points of the drafting process I had *very strong
feelings* about some of Newt’s choices and actions that did not appear
in the final version of The Water Bears. But that’s revision, and it’s
so important for finding the best version of the story. I’m happy with
Newt’s arc now.
Writing
is funny. There were times when Newt was being stubborn or frustrating.
A character shouldn’t always be perfect and likable because it’s not
realistic and it doesn’t make a very good story. If they’re like real
life people, they make mistakes and bad choices. As the writer, you
might be tempted to to make life easier for the character, but that
doesn’t make a very good story.
What do you think Newt can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
I
hope he can offer a little hope that they’re not alone. That’s the
primary purpose of any story, but especially a story like The Water
Bears. Sometime kids that go through intense experiences like Newt might
feel like they are broken, or will always be on the outside looking in
at those that have not had to go through the same experiences. It’s not
true.
How did you research Newt and the circumstances he found himself in?
Research
is one of my favorite parts of the writing process! For The Water
Bears, I got to research a lot of my own special interests and piece
them together like a jigsaw.
On
the heavier side, I don’t know what a bear attack is like, but I have
survived trauma. I worked at a children’s crisis center for years, so
I’ve got a good sense of the ways that kids deal with trauma, along with
the tools that can help them through it.
On
the lighter side, I researched keeping goats, tardigrades, marine
biology, food foraging, soap making, cryptozoology, and abandoned
vacation destinations. My curiosity took me in a lot of directions. I
tell kids I get to meet at school visits that the most important thing
you need to be a writer is curiosity. That’s it. Everything else you can
figure out. And one of the coolest things about being a writer is you
can research what interests you, and people will usually try to help.
It’s like a magic writer license. :)
Do you and Newt share any similarities?
We
are both Latinx. I grew up working class too. We are both animal lovers
and adore our large, wild families. I like to explore the beach. Murphy
Island has a flock of formerly captive parrots that were inspired by
escaped parrots in Los Angeles that would raid our persimmon tree and
wake me up. I spent a good part of my middle school and teen years in
artsy communities in New Mexico. Murphy Island is partly a mash up of
New Mexico and the Pacific Northwest, where I live now. This was a
pretty personal story close to my heart, so we probably have more commonalities than I even know.
What was the hardest scene to write about Newt?
It
always made me cringe when Newt struggled to cope with stress. it’s
hard to write scenes where our character’s are hurting. You care about
them and as the writer, it can make you feel a bit guilty. But on the
flip side, it’s great to watch them triumph too. The great Richard Peck
said, ""A children's novel ends not with happily ever after, but at a new beginning, with the sense of a lot of life left to be lived.” Isn’t that great? Without giving anything away, I
think the hardest scene might be a turning point at the end, when we
see him thrive and know that everything is going to be all right. I
wanted to get it right and give Newt and his friends what they deserved
after everything they’d been through.
Who do you think was Newt’s biggest supporter and why?
That’s
a great question! I think he had more support than he knew. One of the
themes of the book is community and found family. Just about everyone in
the story wishes him well and wants to see him survive and thrive, but
for a while he’s hurting too much to see it. Part of growing up
is recognizing that others also have problems. Newt needs to look
outward to find all the love and support he has from the imperfect
people around him. We recognize each others’ fragility and it bonds us.
Why do you think young people, like Newt, are sometimes more resilient
than adults, and are able to recover from “trauma” and able move
forward?
I
think it’s more that we hope they can be resilient, and we don’t always
see the long term effects. Their brains are still developing so trauma
can have a greater effect. We understand more about child development
now, so there are more resources and tools to help them navigate crisis.
With support, grown ups and kids alike have the potential to overcome
so much. One of the most important aspects is consistent, positive
relationships. When children don’t have that at home, they need it from
adults at school and the community. Resilient kids are made,
What do you think Newt is doing as the present time?
If
Covid-19 has reached Murphy Island, I hope he’s sheltering in place
with his family and animals. But we get to make a better world in
fiction, so I think he’s enjoying a peaceful, fun day exploring the
world with his friends.
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