An Inside Look with Elizabeth Eulberg
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Peyton and Melissa?
When I came up with the idea to have a present day character (Peyton) find a time capsule buried by someone in the past (Melissa), I had to figure out who these two characters were. Why Peyton would want to know what happened back in 1989. Why Melissa would bury something. Generally when I write a book I start with characters, but for The Best Worst Summer, I had to focus first on the differences between being a kid now and back in 1989 and that drove some of the plot. But at the end of the day, it's the characters and their motivations that really got me excited every day to get back to writing.
What do you think are their most admirable qualities?Peyton's a pretty curious person, but also very accepting and open. When she first meets Lucas, who uses a wheelchair, she doesn't treat him any different. Melissa wears her heart on her sleeve and is very loyal to her best friend, Jessica.
Is there anything you wish they would have changed or done differently in their story?
Both Peyton and Melissa make mistakes in this book, but nobody is perfect and sometimes it's the mistakes that make us stronger in the end.
How did you research the characters and the circumstances they found themselves in?
Since half of the book takes place in 1989, I had to do research on that time period. But it was a very fun trip down memory lane, listening to a bunch of different music from that time period and researching the technology that was popular "back in the day." I also did research, including having conversations and sensitivity readers for the characters of Lucas (who uses a wheelchair) and Jessica (who is adopted from Korea).
Do you and the girls share any similarities?
A lot of Melissa and Jessica's friendship in 1989 is based on my best friend and me. We'd go on bike rides, eat cheeseburgers, watch movies, make mix tapes, and talk about the New Kids on the Block A LOT. Like Melissa, I was a Joey McIntyre girl. :)
What was the hardest scene to write about them?
There is a misunderstanding and fight between two characters that broke my heart to write as both characters were really hurting. Authors generally don't like making their characters miserable (at least I don't!), but it would be a pretty boring read if everything always worked out.
Who do you think were their biggest supporters and why?
For Peyton it's definitely her new friend Lucas, who helps her with the time capsule and understands her a lot more than she originally gives him credit for. It was fun to write their burgeoning friendship. For Melissa, it's her best friend Jessica for being a source of joy and light in her life.
Why do you think people who may have a close relationship still withhold secrets and their "truth" from those who they may consider their best friends?
Melissa withholds a pretty big secret from her best friend. I think a lot of times there's an embarrassment when someone is struggling and they don't want to either admit the truth or have to face a harsh reality. At least for Melissa, Jessica was her happy place, where she could be herself. She didn't want to "ruin" that by bringing in her familial baggage. But life would be a lot easier for people (especially for Melissa and Jessica) if they didn't hide the truth.
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)
Interview #168 with Elana K. Arnold (Author of The House That Wasn't There)
Interview #169 with Erin Soderberg (Author of The Great Peach Experiment)
Interview #170 with Donna Gephart (Author of Abby, Tried, and True)
Interview #171 with M. Evan Wolkenstein (Author of Turtle Boy)
Interview #172 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Bea is for Blended)
Interview #173 with Jess Redman (Author of The Adventure is Now)
Interview #174 with David Levithan (Author of The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden)
Interview #175 with Chris Grabenstein (Author of The Smartest Kid in the Universe)
Interview #176 with Ali Standish (Author of The Mending Summer)
Interview #177 with Holly Goldberg Sloan (Author of The Elephant in the Room)
Interview #178 with Jeff Zentner (Author of In the Wild Light)
SEASON #ELEVEN (Fall 2021)
Interview #179 with Katherine Applegate (Author of Willow)
Interview #180 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of Born Behind Bars)
Interview #181 with R.J. Palacio (Author of Pony)
Interview #182 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Too Bright to See)
Interview #183 with Barbara Dee (Author of Violets are Blue)
Interview #184 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Troubled Girls of Dragonmir Academy)
Interview #185 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of We Could Be Heroes)
Interview #186 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Shape of Thunder)
Interview #187 with Joseph Bruchac (Author of Rez Dogs)
Interview #188 with Kathryn Erskine (Author of Lily's Promise)
Interview #189 with Elly Swartz (Author of Dear Student)
Interview #190 with Heather Clark (Author of Lemon Drop Falls)
Interview #191 with Veera Hiranandani (Author of How to Find What You're Not Looking For)
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