An Inside Look with Gillian McDunn
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Annie? For Annie, I was inspired by the quote “Be kind, for everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” I loved the idea of writing someone who had kept her “battle” so private that those around her really didn’t know what she was grappling with.
What do you think is Annie’s most admirable quality? Annie speaks her mind, no matter what--this is sometimes a challenge, but overall I think it’s something wonderful about her. She’s actively engaging in the world around her and trying very hard to understand it.
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story? Not exactly--but one reader really enjoyed the perspective of Annie’s brother, Ray, and wished that some of the book had been from his perspective as well. It’s not something I would change, but it’s interesting to think about!
What do you think Annie can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through? One of life’s great challenges is communicating our “battles” to those around us. Annie may be outwardly brash but she’s hurting on the inside. She has accepted some parts of her story so wholeheartedly that she isn’t fact-checking with those around her--I’m thinking of Dad, JoJo, and Ray--who can all give her some more pieces of the puzzle she’s trying to sort out. I hope that readers think about the people around them who can offer support and help.
How did you research Annie and the circumstances she found himself in?Like Annie, I had a difficult childhood. As I got older, I had to learn how to sort out the pieces of the sometimes confusing family I grew up in. Sometimes there is a story we tell ourselves about who we are--and sometimes those stories are more accurate than others. Annnie has been viewing life through the lens of being unlucky. In some ways, this has been a way of holding onto a piece of Ma. But throughout the story, Annie changes her relationship with that story and therefore changes how she views herself.
Do you and she share any similarities? There are quite a few things--from our shared love of checkerboard Vans to the way we both feel about the mountains. But I would have to say that the biggest similarity is that we both have a strong point of view.
What was the hardest scene to write about her? The hardest scene to write was between Annie and her dad at the end of the book. For most of the book, their relationship is hurting. I hope it’s apparent that there is a lot of love there, but Annie and her dad are very different people. I hope their conversation at the end helps a few pieces of the puzzle fall into place for Annie--and I hope it feels like she understands how much Dad loves her.
Who do you think was Annie’s biggest supporter and why? Annie has a lot of supporters in this story--sometimes she doesn’t always see exactly how much support she has. I think my favorite connection is the bond that grows between Annie and Gloria. Gloria seems to see Annie for who she really is, and I think that’s really important.
Why do you think some young people have the spirit and ability to not only improve their own lives, but the lives of others? Young people tend to have buckets of enthusiasm, energy, and hope--these are the building blocks for connecting with others and getting things done to improve the world!
What do you think Annie is doing at the present time? I hope she’s continuing the different friendships in her life, feeling more secure, and maybe being a little more open to seeing others’ points of view.
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/Winter 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)
Interview #192 with Elizabeth Eulberg (Author of The Best Worst Summer)
Interview #193 with Cathy Carr (Author of 365 Days to Alaska)
Interview #194 with Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard (Authors of REAL)
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