*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Alder and Oak?
This is an excellent question, and a very difficult one to answer. Characters are sort of the magic of storytelling. Actually, everything is. I am trying to recall where these characters came from, but the truth is that I don’t quite remember. Alder came first. I didn’t know anything about him when I sat down to write except for his address. And I knew he’d have a new neighbor, next door. When she had a tree name, too—Oak—I was as surprised as you. A big part of writing a new story is giving yourself space and time to be surprised, and taking the time to be delighted and grateful with the gifts your own brain gives you.
What do you think are their most admirable qualities?
Both Alder and Oak are kind. This doesn’t mean that they are always “nice.” But their hearts are pulled toward true kindness, like iron to a magnet. When they act unkindly, Alder’s and Oak’s hearts feel it, as strong as the pushing away of a reversed magnet.
Is there anything you wish they would have changed or done differently in their story?
I love this story, and I am deeply proud of it. Is it perfect? I’m sure it isn’t, but it’s a true thing that I made with love, a thing that people who love me helped me to make. It’s gently magical, and curious, and weird and full of wonder. The writing of it felt like I was being given a gift, either from the universe or from my own brain.
What do you think Alder and Oak can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what they went through?
Like Alder, I have often felt lonely and on the outside of things. Like Alder, I’ve lost people close to me. Like Oak, I’ve felt unheard, like my voice and vote didn’t matter. I hope that readers who are experiencing similar situations can find someone to share their feelings with. Even one loving, listening ear—a teacher, a parent, a sibling, a friend—can make such an enormous difference. And, there is deep comfort to be found in the company of animal companions, as well.
How did you research the two characters and the circumstances they found themselves in?
I did so much weird and wonderful research for this book! I looked at photos of taxidermied opossums. I read about Nikola Tesla and his cat Macak. I learned about other scientists and their feline friends. I researched the history of cats, the science behind teleportation, electricity, genetics, and more. Every book I write is held together by a sometimes-invisible webbing of research, and THE HOUSE THAT WASN’T THERE is no exception.
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)
Interview #163 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Halfway to Harmony)
Interview #164 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ground Zero)
Interview #165 with Lisa Fipps (Author of Starfish)
Interview #166 with Ann Braden (Author of Flight of the Puffin)
Interview #167 with Kimberly Willis Holt (Author of The Ambassador of NoWhere Texas)
