*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Walter?
I spend a lot of time letting my characters form and grow in my head before I ever put pen to paper. (And, yes, I write first drafts by hand.) I needed Walter to be a character that readers would sympathize with, but also be very different from Posey.
What do you think is his most admirable quality?
Patience! He was very patient and tolerant of Posey’s over eager behavior sometimes. He was also much more sympathetic to Banjo than Posey was.
Is there anything you wish he would have changed or done differently in his story?
I don’t think so. Sometimes I think it would be fun to actually see Walter and Posey in school with their new-found friendship/confidence….but I like to leave my stories with something for the reader to imagine.
What do you think Walter can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
Walter is true to himself and has a strong sense of right and wrong. But he also tries hard to keep his connection to his brother and he prioritizes his promise to his brother, admirable traits for children to see.
Do you and Walter share any similarities?
I’m afraid Walter is much more patient than I am. I would have been annoyed with Posey and Banjo on more than one occasion.
What was the hardest scene to write about him?
The hardest scene was when Walter began to understand the dream. It was just a logistically tricky scene to write. I needed the tie-in of the dream to make sense.
Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
Actually, I think Posey was his biggest supporter. She wanted to help him become a bully thwarter. She was eager to go along with his need to find the balloon. And once she knew about Tank, she showed her kind-hearted side.
Why do you think some young people, need that one or two people to help them become their true selves, when maybe they weren’t able to on their own?
I think none of us is able to see ourselves exactly as others see us. So having a friend or loved one who can focus on our qualities and help us see our worth is invaluable.
What do you think Walter is doing as the present time?
Ha! He’s probably out there in the barn polishing that truck before heading to the woods with Posey.
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)
Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)
Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot)
Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods)
Interview #161 with James Bird (Author of The Brave)
Interview #162 with Marcella Pixley (Author of Trowbridge Road)
Thank you for inviting me to your great blog.
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