An Inside Look with Louise Hawes
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
About three years ago, Hazel, aka Hazmat, appeared in my head and heart. This didn’t surprise me at first, since that’s the way most of my books start— with a character, not an idea or a plot premise. What did surprise me, though, is that she made it clear right away she didn’t want a book like the ones she’d grown up with—a story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. She wanted to keep right on going—with a new adventure every day.
What do you think is her most admirable quality?
Does it sound corny to say love? Because that’s what Hazmat does—she pays attention, observes closely, treats every person like an unopened present—isn’t that what love is all about? She loves living on the road, loves waking up to a new day, loves her dad and her role as his chief navigator. And she’s pretty sure, if robo trucks don’t take over, she’ll love being a driver with a truck of her own one day.
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
Nope. She was pretty much in charge from the first words. I tried to tell her about building slowly to create suspense; about rising action and climax and, of course, about resolution. She wasn’t buying those fancy writer’s terms; she wanted a story that had no happy ending—just a happy going on and on. That’s what she got, and that’s what make this book different from any I’ve written!
What do you think she can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
Mostly, I think Hazel can show young readers something they have NOT gone through. Very few, if any, kids long haul with a parent…okay, none that I met in three years of research. So what Hazel can give her readers is an exciting peak at something they might dream about, but never have a chance to actually experience—a full-time road trip!
How did you research Hazmat and the circumstances she found herself in?
I had my work cut out for me, from the day Hazel first popped into my heart. I knew nothing about trucking when we started our road trip. Since then, I’ve spent years interviewing truckers, eating more meals than I wanted at truck stops, and benefitting from the outreach of organizations like truckerbuddies.com and women in trucking.com.
Do you and Hazmat share any similarities?
At first, I was sure we didn’t. Until I “met” Hazel, I never had the slightest interest in trucking. I loved to travel, but for me, sailing or flying beat driving long distance. I wanted to “be” there, not “get” there. But Hazel has taught me to enjoy the journey and not focus on where it leads. And oh, yes, there is that stubborn streak we share; when we want something, we’re willing to keep going after it— no matter what others say!
What was the hardest scene to write about her?
What a great question! I think the ones where she’s reaching out to her mom, who died a week after she was born, were hard to write. Not because these scenes made Hazel sad, but because they made me teary. In fact, Hazel, who never really knew her mom, has learned so much about her from her dad, and the two of them have managed to include her memory in almost everything they do —her presence is a joyful one in most scenes. So I wanted to make sure I wasn’t giving readers the wrong, weepy impression! That was rough….
Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
No question here. Hazmat’s dad, who homeschools her, teaches her about trucking and Shakespeare (he is a former college English professor) is most certainly Hazel’s biggest supporter, comforter, and fan. The only problem is that he made a promise to her mother to take the absolute best care of her, and Hazel has to show him that the best care is NOT quitting trucking and moving into a stuck-in-one-place house!
Why do you think some young people, like Hazmat, show such strength, courage, and resilience; sometimes even more than the adults in their life?Another great question! I think because most kids haven’t decided what’s “best,” “appropriate,” or “right.” Their problems start with a cleaner slate, and the possibilities they’re willing to explore include options that many (not all!) adults would reject as “risky,” “wrong,” or “impossible.” Would Hazel’s dad ever write an actual movie producer and ask him to make a movie of their lives? Nope. Does Hazel do just that? Yes, indeed!
What do you think she is doing at the present time?
I free write with my characters all the time. So if you’ll wait just a minute, I’ll ask her to tell me….Okay, I’m back. Hazel says she smells the ocean, all salty and sharp. She says her father has promised they’ll start a homeschooling unit on Coral Reefs. She’s asked me if I want to come along…and I wonder how she knows I’m in the middle of a move across country from NC, so I can live near the cold but stunning, coral-filled waters of the Pacific Northwest!
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)
Interview #196 with Alyssa Colman (Author of The Gilded Girl)
Interview #197 with E.L. Chen (Author of The Comeback)
Interview #198 with J.M.M. Nuanez (Author of Birdie and Me)
SEASON #TWELVE (Winter/Spring 2022)
Interview #199 with Jamie Sumner (Author of One Kid's Trash)
Interview #200 with Chad Lucas (Author of Thanks a Lot, Universe)
Interview #201 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Where We Used to Roam)
Interview #202 with Rebecca Caprara (Author of Worst-Case Collin)
Interview #203 with Leslie Connor (Author of Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?)
Interview #204 with Caroline Gertler (Author of Many Points of Me)
Interview #205 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of Susie B. Won't Back Down)
Interview #206 with Shawn Peters (Author of The Unforgettable Logan Foster)
Interview #207 with Aisha Saeed (Author of Omar Rising)
Interview #208 with Adrianna Cuevas (Author of Cuba in my Pocket)
Interview #209 with Jennifer Swender (Author of Stuck)
Interview #210 with Brenda Woods (Author of When Winter Robeson Came)
Interview #211 with Danya Lorentz (Author of the Book Of a Feather)
Interview #212 with Saadia Faruqi (Author of Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero)
Interview #213 with Ellen Hopkins (Author of What About Will)
SEASON #THIRTEEN (Summer 2022)
Interview #214 with Nora Raleigh Baskin and Gae Polisner (Authors of What About the Octopus)
Interview #215 with Lauren Wolk (Author of My Own Lightning)
Interview #216 with Rebekah Lowell (Author of the Road to After)
Interview #217 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Honestly Elliott)
Interview #218 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Midnight Children)
Interview #219 with Melanie Conklin (Author of A Perfect Mistake)
Interview #220 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Different Kinds of Fruit)
Interview #221 with Tracy Edward Wymer (Author of The Great and Mighty Benjamin Teller)
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