An Inside Look with Sarah Everett
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
As a character, Kemi came to me fully formed. I was lucky to hear her “voice” right from the start, which isn’t always the case for me when I'm writing. I knew pretty quickly the way she would speak and the things she would like and dislike. Her character shares many similarities with my childhood self — we were (and are!) both science-loving kids with close-knit Nigerian families.
What do you think is her most admirable quality?
I love how she sees the world. Kemi’s world is hopeful, complex and predictable (except when it isn’t), and she has so much faith in facts and probability. Most of all, though, I think she is far more resilient and able to cope with change than she knows.
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
You know, sometimes the adult in me wishes she would have leaned a little more on her mother — that they might have found their way to each other earlier in the story as the world was ending for both of them. Kemi obviously has a very close relationship with her father, but I think she could have found a lot of strength in her mother too.
What do you think Kemi can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
I hope Kemi reminds all of us that what makes the world safe is not actually fact or science or probability, but the strength we carry inside ourselves and our ability to change and grow. I also think coping with the end of the world by doing research and focusing on memories (in her case, making a time capsule) are two great strategies for dealing with change or uncertainty.
How did you research Kemi and the circumstances she found herself in?
Most of my research went into the facts dispersed throughout the book. I learned a lot about random things like the birth rates of twins, gritstone, and of course asteroids. Thankfully, information like the difference between an asteroid and a meteor is easy to find online with just a quick search. (Fun fact: An asteroid is a Sun-orbiting rocky object. A piece of an asteroid or comet is called a meteoroid, and a meteoroid becomes a meteor when it enters Earth’s atmosphere.)
Do you and Kemi share any similarities?
Absolutely! I, too, love a good fact. I’m very interested in science. I grew up around Nigerian customs and didn’t always know where I fit in them. And, like Kemi, I’m very close with my family.
What was the hardest scene to write about her?
Without spoiling anything, I think the second half of the book was a lot more difficult to write than the first. Some of those later scenes are very emotional. If you’ve read the book, you probably know what I mean!
Who do you think was Kemi’s biggest supporter and why?
Kemi’s biggest supporter is definitely her dad! He calls her “Grit” so she always remembers her strength. He gives her statistics problems to solve for fun. I hope we all have someone who loves us as unconditionally as Kemi’s dad loves her.
Why do you think some young people, like Kemi, create alternative versions of their “reality” to cope and deal with difficult life situations?
That’s a great question. The idea that reality can be difficult to accept was really the starting point for Probability: what if something so incredible (good or bad) happened that you literally couldn’t wrap your mind around it?
We create alternate realities to cope all the time, not just during times of trauma. Young kids often invent imaginary friends when they are lonely. Even as adults we might pretend to have more friends than we do or pretend to have certain hobbies, or like things we don’t, to fit in. Social media is a great example of people creating realities that aren’t true, and the reason we do it might be so that we don’t have to accept the things we don’t like. It might also be a way of slowly learning to accept difficult things. Sometimes it takes time before you feel ready to face the truth.
What do you think Kemi is doing at the present time?
Ooh! Kemi is definitely in middle school, where she’s doing great in all her classes (though her art skills are yet-to-be-determined). She still loves probability and science, but she is also learning to embrace the fact that life can be uncertain. She remains best friends with Dia, who is closer to being a famous fashion designer today than she was yesterday. Kemi is a great big sister to Lo and Zaria, and she’s honoring her family every day by choosing to stand up against violence and injustice.
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 #250 with Sally J. Pla (Author of The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn)
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