An Inside Look with Alyssa Colman
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Emma and Izzy?
From the beginning, Izzy’s voice was clear and distinct. I’d spent some time crafting her backstory before I began writing, and her wants, needs, and past were all very clear. Getting to know Emma was more of a process. As this book is a retelling of A Little Princess, I had to walk a balance of keeping some of the beloved traits of Sara Crewe that readers would expect, while also making Emma a distinct and different character.
What do you think are their most admirable qualities?
For both girls, I think their ability to grow and change over the course of the story is one of their most admirable qualities. I admire Izzy’s strength and the vulnerability she learns to show to her friends. I admire Emma’s kindness and generosity, even in the face of adversity and hardship.
Is there anything you wish they would have changed or done differently in their story?
I wish Emma had packed her stuffed cat, Olive! I’ve had several readers write to me who were very upset (spoiler!) that Olive gets left behind. To those readers, I give this epilogue: Olive turns up in a local charity shop. Emma buys him back for a very generous donation to the charity, which benefits children’s education in the Tarnish. Everyone wins.
What do you think they can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what they went through?
Well, I certainly hope that no children and being forced into servitude by social climbing headmistresses of magical boarding schools! I would imagine that most kids will, at some point, find themselves working on a team with someone they think they don’t like. After reading this story, I hope they discover there’s always more to someone than what meets the eye and you never know where you might find a new friend.
How did you research Emma and Izzy and the circumstances they found themselves in?
I did a great deal of research into the setting and time period (Gilded Age New York) and the real boarding schools and servants at the time. New York was a fascinating place in the early 1900’s, with some of the richest people in the world living mere miles from the poorest people in the world. I created a magical world within the real world with Gem Row standing in for Millionaire’s Row and the Lowest East Side became The Tarnish.
Do you and the girls share any similarities?
Certainly! Like Emma, I can be shy when meeting new people and we share a strong love of books. Izzy received a healthy dose of my stubborn independence.
What was the hardest scene to write about them?
One of the hardest scenes to write is also one of my favorites in the novel. It’s the scene in which Emma and Izzy meet the school’s talking cat (a.k.a. house dragon), Figgy Pudding, and find the hidden library. The girls aren’t used to being allies at that point and certainly aren’t friends yet. I had to strike the right balance of bickering with begrudging acceptance that they had to work together in order to learn magic. There’s also a lot of worldbuilding that happens in that scene—and, of course, I had to keep Figgy Pudding’s playful humor from taking over everything!
Who do you think were their biggest supporters and why?
Hm, I think this question is actually a spoiler! One of the big themes of the story is kindness. Throughout the book, Emma continually wins unexpected allies to their side through her kindness. Though, Figgy Pudding would probably argue that they could never have succeeded without him!
Why do you think some young people who are completely different from each other can find common ground and become friends?
We live in a polarized world right now, but we all have the capacity to listen and learn. Maybe we’ll find ways in which we’re not all that different after all.
What do you think they are doing as the present time?
Well, to find this out you’ll have to read the second book! THE TARNISHED GARDEN comes out April 5, 2022. It picks up where THE GILDED GIRL leaves off and follows Izzy’s sister, Maeve, as she adjusts to her new life and ability to do magic. It’s a retelling of The Secret Garden involving a hidden space and a litter of house dragon kittens that need Maeve’s help.
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)
Interview #195 with Gillian McDunn (Author of These Lucky Stars)
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