*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Cooper?
As any author will tell you, we steal steal steal from the world around us! The genesis of Cooper's story was inspired by one of my best friend's own journey through divorce and family separation when he was Cooper's age. Also, I am the little sister of a big brother who found me quite annoying when he was 13 and I was 11! These were the two seeds I planted to get started. Then, through Cooper's friendship with Gus, I was able to get to know him as his own person and not simply a copy of these young men from my own life.
What do you think is his most admirable quality?
I think Cooper's most admirable quality is his compassion. He tries valiantly to deny that part of himself, thinking he'll be safer if he doesn't care so much about those around him, but it's too much a part of him to be kept down. Ultimately, it's also the quality that saves him.
Is there anything you wish Cooper would have changed or done differently in his story?
I wish he hadn't dug himself into such a hole of loneliness. He has much work still ahead of him to right his ship, but at least now he has the tools.
What do you think he can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
I have thought a lot about Cooper's situation as this book is released in the midst of a global pandemic. Though this story was completed long before any of us first heard the word COVID, and the specifics that rock Cooper's world are specific, there are some eerie similarities on these pages that we can all deeply relate to. Cooper and his sister, Jess, find themselves in a world they desperately wish was different. They want things to go back to how they were "before." They are stuck, and try as they might, nothing they do can move them back in time. It's hard, and it feels hopeless. Endless. We have all had to come to terms with a new world reality, and THE IN-BETWEEN speaks to that fact of moving forward--even when it looks wrong, even when you can't make it the way you want it--is possible. 'Different' can be okay, too. In fact, it can be great.
How did you research Cooper and the circumstances he found himself in?
I grew up in what felt like the era of divorce. I had so many friends whose parents split up. On top of that lived experience, I have a good friend who recently split from her husband. We have spoken quite a bit about not only how it affected her kids, but now differently it has affected them each. There is no "one" reaction to this. Each child's experience is very personal and can be the opposite of another. BUT, this isn't just a book about divorce! My favorite part of researching this book was the real events from the past: the Charfield train accident, the Triangle Shirtwaist fire and the collapse of the Sampoong mall in South Korea. I love adding historical elements to my books and all of these are woven into the mystery in which Cooper finds himself embroiled!
Do you and Cooper share any similarities?
We are both very stubborn, especially when upset! I, too, like to put on a pretty tough "nothing can touch me" exterior, but both Cooper and I have a soft underbelly that truly runs the show.
What was the hardest scene to write about him?
Well, if I go into too much detail, this answer will need a spoiler alert! So, I guess the safest answer is that it was hard to make Cooper lose something in order to gain even more.
Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
Definitely Cooper's mom. She sacrifices so much in her efforts to keep it all together, all fueled by a fierce love for her kids. Only as the story pans out from an intensely Cooper-focused perspective to a more holistic, family lens does Cooper see his mom and her love for him more realistically, warts and all.
Why do you think some young people, like Cooper, are able to find the strength and step out of their comfort zone to face difficult and challenging situations in life?
I think facing our own difficulties and challenges is incredibly hard, even as an adult! Our own pain is so personal, so white-hot, that it can feel impossible to tackle. But someone else's challenges? Well that sounds so much easier! That little bit of emotional space makes action possible. So, while Cooper can't bring himself to face his own heartbreak, directing that energy into solving the mystery of the girl next door is almost necessary. He can throw himself into that in order to do something. And the nice thing about writing fiction is that I can connect the two, and make one help the other :)
What do you think Cooper is doing at the present time?
I think he is hanging out with a gaggle of friends, sleeping over at one of their places, laughing a silly TikToks too late into the night, and then sharing them with Jess when he gets home.
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)
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