An Inside Look with Will Taylor
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Jeremy?
Initially, Jeremy was based on my own experiences at that age. My parents got divorced right around the same time, I experienced my first crush on another boy around the same time, and I share his general fear of being seen. Once I started writing, though, Jeremy really surprised me. He is much braver than I was, and way more willing to let other people see his emotions (under certain circumstances). So I guess you could say I came to know Jeremy by writing his story.
What do you think is his most admirable quality?
Jeremy is a sweet kid, and one thing I noticed is he sees the grownups around him as people, not just powers. He's curious about them, even while he might be a little wary or scared. I think that genuine interest in other people will serve him well in life.
Is there anything you wish he would have changed or done differently in his story?
Honestly, no. I spent three years on this story and it was the best I could do at the time. There are a few fun scenes that got dropped--a day-trip out on the ocean, for instance, or the dinner night at Gloria's--and maybe the book would have benefited from being a bit longer with them included. But overall, I'm content.
What do you think Jeremy can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
What I hope the whole book offers is an early vision of how things can go well for queer kids. When I was young I had literally zero images of people like me being happy. I didn't even know how to picture it. It wasn't until I reached my late teens that I began seeing queer people in media, and a lot of that late-90s representation was about trauma and dramatic emotional hardship and not exactly helpful for a quiet library nerd just looking for someone to hold hands with. I hope Jeremy's story can offer a template, or the building blocks at least, for queer kids today to picture themselves being happy now and in their futures.
How did you research Jeremy and the circumstances he found himself in?
Here's where it gets super personal: I didn't need to. Not everything that happened in Seabirds happened to me, but every element is drawn from my life.
Do you and Jeremy share any similarities?
See question 5. Plus we're both caught in the same awkward position of simultaneously craving to be understood and acknowledged, but also being super afraid of being seen or looked at. It's something I've realized all my main characters share across my books, and obviously a character trait I'm exploring through my writing. Jeremy and I also share a love of seabirds, fashion magazines, and beach glass. And sometimes running.
What was the hardest scene to write about him?
The fight at the diner, by far. That one chapter took a full month to get right. I didn't like putting Jeremy through that, but I knew from the very beginning it was coming. I have such a hard time reading scenes like that in other books, so I hope I tucked in enough gentleness and ended with enough hope that readers can make it through to the end proud of both themselves and our boy.
Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
Ooo! No one's ever asked this before. . . I think his biggest supporter is himself. That might sound like a cheat's answer, but it's certainly neither of his parents, and Uncle Becker is gone for half the book, and while Evan is a precious cinnamon roll he doesn't really know what Jeremy's going through, so Jeremy's all that's left. And honestly I really like that. Evan has his back, which is new and welcome, but Jeremy calls up his courage by himself, and chooses his happiness by himself, and pushes through awkwardness and fear by himself. I think one of the main changes through the books is that he has that confidence in himself by the end, and that is such a huge win.
Why do you think young people, like Jeremy, still have such a hard time being their true self to family and/or friends; even though we are in the year 2023? Have we not come as far as I think we have?
I've visited schools and heard from plenty of readers--kids and grownups--since this book came out, and I think while the nature of the difficulty may have changed, basically yeah, it's just as hard to come out now as it was when I was young. Growing into an understanding of your own romantic orientation is confusing and embarrassing for all kids, I think, and no matter how open or accepting a family may be, an emerging understanding of queerness on top of that can just be more than some kids feel comfortable sharing. Also it can take a long time to figure out what your "true self" even is! I was still settling into my own queerness in my late 30s.
In addition, I think part of the problem is not that some young people don't share their "true self," but that there's an assumed default of cis-het-ness that forces queer kids to announce themselves in order to be "true" while straight kids get a pass. The queer kids are just kids, growing up like any other; it's society that creates the idea that being cis-het is somehow "normal" and anything else is "other" and must be interrogated and declared. Being queer is exactly as normal as being cis-het, and there's no reason in the world any kid should have to talk about who they are or who they like if they don't feel like it.
What do you think Jeremy is doing at the present time?
Haha! Right this minute? I honestly couldn't tell you. But I have started a sequel that picks up the story of Seabirds six months later, in the wet, cold, Oregon gloom of the end of winter break. Jeremy and Evan find a way to see each other for the first time since the summer, and adventure ensues. That's all the hints I'm giving for now, though! Fingers crossed I'm able to get it past my publisher someday.
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)
Interview #222 with Louise Hawes (Author of Big Rig)
Interview #223 with Paul Acampora (Author of In Honor of Broken Things)
Interview #224 with Shannon Doleski (Author of Gabe in the After)
Interview #225 with Jennifer Ziegler (Author of Worser)
Interview #226 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Hummingbird)
SEASON #FOURTEEN (Fall 2022)
Interview #227 with Celia C. Perez (Author of Tumble
Interview #228 with Greg Howard (Author of The Visitors)
Interview #229 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Daredevils)
Interview #230 with Sashi Kaufman (Author of Sardines)
Interview #231 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of The Real Deal)
Interview #232 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of New Kids and Underdogs)
Interterview #233 with Amanda Rawson Hill (Author of The Hope of Elephants)
Interview #234 with Jasmine Warga (Author of A Rover's Story)
SEASON #FIFTEEN (Winter/Spring 2023)
Interview #235 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Thirst)
Interview #236 with Torrey Maldonado (Author of Hands)
Interview #237 with C.C. Harrington (Author of Wildoak)
Interview #238 with Margi Preus (Author of Windswept)
Interview #239 with Dayna Lorentz (Author of Wayward Creatures)
Interview #240 with Katrina Nannestad (Author of We are Wolves)
Interview #241 with Anika Fajardo (Author of Meet Me Halfway)
| Interview #242 with Chrystal D. Giles (Author of Not an Easy Win) Interview #243 with Gregory Maquire (Author of Cress, Watercress) | ||||
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