*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Army?
Army was a sneaky one. I knew about the people around her—her parents and their occupation, a young neighbor in need of help, her best friend—before I really knew her. I had to spend a lot of time writing to create her. I did that by forcing myself to write scenes I didn’t feel ready to write.
What do you think is Army’s most admirable quality?
I was very surprised by her drive and determination to help her neighbors. I didn’t know where that even came from. And I admire it a lot—when I was her age, I don’t think I’d have put myself out there in the same way.
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
Something that has bothered some readers is the way Irene, the mother in the neighboring family, comes to rely a little too heavily on Army, and how Army’s parents are not really part of that. I agree that it’s uncomfortable. But it felt true to the situation, and while I think it’s important to keep hope in middle-grade fiction, I don’t think every single factor needs to be as we wish it was in real life.
What do you think Army can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
The reminder that even the most encompassing bleakness, the saddest sorrow, the darkest grief allows spots of brightness, and ultimately those dark times are not forever. You do come through to the other side.
How did you research Army and the circumstances she found herself in?
I had a lot to learn in writing Madison’s character. I interviewed parents of nonverbal children on the autism spectrum and also did a fair amount of research. The concept of elopement—children wandering from home/caregivers—just seemed like such a fraught and challenging situation for an overwhelmed mother like Irene. I read a lot about that. I also did research on service dogs, and how they help children on the autism spectrum.
Do you and Army share any similarities?
A soul-deep love of dogs. Appreciation of baked goods. And understanding of jinxes.
What was the hardest scene to write about her?
Oh, I still palpably remember writing the scene where the dog is sick and then dies. I know where I was sitting. My very-much-alive-at-the-time dog at my feet. My heart was racing, like really racing, as I wrote it. In earlier drafts of the book, that scene did not exist. The book started after Maybe had already died.
Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
Well, in the real world, her biggest supporter was my good friend and writing buddy Liz Garton Scanlon. In the fictional world of Clay Coves, New Jersey, I was so interested in the way Elsie Jenkins just showed up and refused to leave. Elsie was a very minor character, mentioned only twice, in my first novel, Water Balloon. Imagine my surprise when she marched into Army’s life! She was really determined to see Army through everything.
Why do you think humans and dogs have such a special connection?
A question for all times. Dogs act the way I wish everyone did when I return home. And some dogs are so intuitive while others are great fun but not all that intuitive. I’ve had all kinds and loved them all individually and deeply.
What do you think Army is doing as the present time?
Oh, Army, now you’re in a pandemic??? I never imagined Army masked! I would guess that Army talked her parents into letting her foster puppies for Service with a Wag all through her teen years. It will be interesting—the way she gets all that delicious time with puppies, but then has to say good-bye when they return to Service with a Wag for training, only to do it all over again. It’ll be made easier, I hope, by her trusty new companion, Band-Aid.
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
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)
Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)
Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)
Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)
Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)
Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)
Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)
Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)
Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)
Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)
Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)
Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)
Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)
Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)
Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)
Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)
Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)
No comments:
Post a Comment