ReadWonder: An Inside Look #273 (Author INTERVIEW)

An Inside Look with Lisa Fipps

(Author of And Then, Boom)

*Season #ONE (June of 2016 to March of 2017)

*Season #TWO (Summer of 2017)

*Season #THREE (School Year 2017/2018)

*Season #FOUR (Summer/fall of 2018)

*Season #FIVE (School Year 2018/2019)

*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)

*Season #SEVEN (Fall 2019)

*Season #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)

*Season #NINE (Fall 2020)

*Season #TEN (Winter/Spring 2021)

*Season #ELEVEN (Fall 2021)

*Season #TWELVE (Winter/Spring 2022)

*Season #THIRTEEN (Summer 2022)

*Season #FOURTEEN (Fall 2022)

*Season #FIFTEEN (Winter/Spring 2023)

*Season #SIXTEEN (Fall 2023)

*I'm excited to present season #SEVENTEEN with brand new interviews/authors.

*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.

*This is the TWELFTH interview in which I'm calling Season #SEVENTEEN

*Thank you to Lisa for being the Two Hundred Seventy-Second author I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.

And Then, Boom!

by Lisa Fipps

(May 7, 2024)

How did you come to know Joe?
The bones of this book came to me eighteen years ago. Joe has been living in my head every day since. I often let characters stay in my head and get to know them well long before I start writing. I think he came to me for me to tell his story - which sounds a little odd, but it's how I see it - because his childhood and mine have a lot in common.

What do you think is his most admirable quality?
Eeek! I can't narrow it to one. I'll choose four: resilient, problem-solver, soft-hearted, and hilarious.

Is there anything you wish he would have changed or done differently in his story?
No. I think that readers will see throughout the book that life doesn't give you choices about what's going to happen to you. How we deal with each AND THEN, BOOM! shows who we are and what we're made of.

What do you think Joe can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
Hope. Knowing they're not alone. And the importance of reaching out to others and asking for help.

How did you research Joe and the circumstances he found himself in?
I grew up poor. My father died when I was 13 months old, and my mom did not have a job until I was in third grade. When she got overwhelmed, which she often did with three kids to raise, she would say, "If you don't stop, one of these days I'm going to get in that car and leave, and I don't know if I'll ever come back." That was so traumatizing to me, especially since she was the only parent I'd ever had. I was raised in a very dysfunctional home and endured a variety of neglect and abuse. So I didn't have to research the topics addressed in AND THEN, BOOM!; however, I did because I wanted to make sure that my experiences were not unique to me. Sadly, so many kids live the way I lived.

Do you and Joe share any similarities?
Getting hit with one AND THEN, BOOM! after another, and just when you think it's going to be okay or things are getting better - BOOM! Here comes something else to deal with.

What was the hardest scene to write about him?
Emotionally, the poem Leaning on Each Other. My grandmum died unexpectedly. When we were at her house, her stuff was right there, just like it had always been. Every object held a memory, a moment of my time with her. Logistically, the poems Can't Be All That Bad and Bad Beef Stew. I gagged so much.

Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
While Uncle Frankie, Hakeem, and Nick had his back from day one, I say Grandmum. She had dealt with AND THEN, BOOMS. Her love and Joe learning from her really got Joe through everything.

Why do you think some young people can show such resilience, strength, and courage during difficult life situations; sometimes even more than the adults in their lives?
Because they have to. Kids who deal with poverty, neglect, abandonment, and all kinds of hunger never choose that path. It becomes a way of life. It's all they've ever known. The not-normal is their normal.

What do you think Joe is doing at the present time?
Continually adjusting to life in a safe space as he works through therapy to undo all the damage and wrong thinking about himself and the world that the AND THEN, BOOMS! caused. And always remembering Grandmum.

Book Pages

Sunday, May 5, 2024

An Inside Look #273 (Author INTERVIEW)

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