ReadWonder: An Inside Look #147 (Author INTERVIEW)

An Inside Look with Ellen Hopkins

(Authors of Closer to NoWhere)

*Welcome to my favorite feature of my blog.

*Season #ONE (June of 2016 to March of 2017)

*Season #TWO (Summer of 2017)

*Season #THREE (School Year 2017/2018)

*Season #FOUR (Summer/fall of 2018)

*Season #FIVE (School Year 2018/2019)

*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)

*Season #SEVEN (Fall 2019)

*Season #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)

*I'm excited to be back for season #NINE 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 FIFTH interview in which I'm calling Season #NINE.

*Thank you to Ellen for being the One-Hundred Forty-Seventh author I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.

*Here is my Review of the Novel...

Closer to Home Review

Closer to Nowhere

by Ellen Hopkins

(October 6, 2020)

How did you come to know Hannah and Cal?

Getting to know my characters is the very nature of my prewriting process. Cal was easiest to craft, as there is a child much like him living under my roof. Still, I didn’t want them to be exactly the same, so I gave Cal different goals. Hannah popped up as I created a foil for Cal. She’s not an antagonist, but rather someone who spurs him into action.

What do you think is Hannah and Cal’s most admirable qualities?

Hannah knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to work really hard to attain it. She’s dedicated to her dreams, and also to her family. Cal is resilient. He’s been traumatized but refuses defeat. He’s funny, and though he’s wary of showing it, he has a huge heart.

Is there anything you wish they would have changed or done differently in their story?

Interesting question because I think the story unfolds as it had to, so not if you’re talking from my POV. From theirs, though, I wish Cal would’ve opened up a little earlier, rather than carrying so much pain and resentment locked inside. And I wish Hannah would’ve talked to her parents about the problems they were having. Kids tend to blame themselves (or in her case, Cal) for things far outside of their ability to control.

What do you think Hannah and Cal can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what they went through?

Hope, and the understanding that even when things look very bleak, very dark, there is light just beyond that moment. Also, the knowledge that families come in many blends. The common bond is love.

How did you research the two characters and the circumstances they found themselves in?

Primary research is always best. Anything I wasn’t familiar with, I reached out to my family, friends, and even readers, to learn more about.

Do you and the two children share any similarities?

Hannah and I are both strong-willed. We know what we want and aren’t afraid to reach high and go for broke. And, like Cal, I have a quirky sense of humor people might not always appreciate.

What was the hardest scene to write about them?

Probably the big climactic scene at the end. I keep thinking about what that would be like for anyone, let alone children. It’s something I think about all too often sending kids off to school every day.

Who do you think was their biggest supporter and why?

Hannah’s mom. She always supported Hannah’s goals, in deference to her own. And, though Cal was a relative stranger, she scooped him up and held him tightly, even when he struggled to make her let go.

Why do young people, and even some adults, often judge other people based on their behaviors and actions before they really get to know them on a deeper level?

I think it’s easier to judge someone else than to recognize personal shortcomings. Behaviors like Cal’s aren’t hard to make fun of, but looking for the “why” takes effort, with no promise of a reward. I do hope this book and others like it will help readers of all ages develop empathy, something that seems in short supply at this moment in time.

What do you think Hannah and Cal are doing as the present time?

I think Hannah has reached Level 10 and is headed to the Junior Olympic National Championships. And I think Cal is writing his first novel—a humorous sci-fi about an alien kid moving in with a problematic family.

*Here are links to the One Hundred Forty-Five interviews...

SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)

Interview #1 with Elly Swartz (Author of Finding Perfect)

Interview #2 with Jeff Zentner (Author of The Serpent King)

Interview #3 with Nora Raleigh Baskin (Author of Nine, Ten, A September 11 Story)

Interview #4 with Cammie McGovern (Author of Just My Luck)

Interview #5 with Kate Messner (Author of The Seventh Wish)

Interview #6 with Paul Griffin (Author of When Friendship Followed Me Home)

Interview #7 with K.A. Holt (Author of House Arrest)

Interview #8 with Abby Cooper (Author of Sticks and Stones)

Interview #9 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Counting Thyme)

Interview #10 with Claire Legrand (Author of Some Kind of Happiness)