What
genre do you write and why?
I write mysteries for readers
aged 8 to 12. There’s something so exciting about writing for kids right as
they’re discovering the joy of escaping into novels. When they love something,
they really love it. They’ll read it
over and over and be inspired to write their own fan fiction. I love that pre-teens are old
enough to understand larger truths about the world, but still have great
enthusiasm and a sense of wonder. It’s also fun to be a little silly! And let’s
face it: my
own development might have arrested at age twelveJ
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| http://amzn.to/2q3IFe8 |
Tell us about your
latest book.
My latest book is another funny mystery for
kids – a sequel to my debut, The Wig in the Window, which features seventh
grade best friends and wanna be spies, Sophie Young and Grace Yang. In this
adventure, Young & Yang must go undercover in their town parade catch a
murderer before he—or she—strikes again. It’s a bit like Miss Congeniality set
in middle school – with plenty of fast-paced action and a good dose of
silliness! (The alleged victim in the case was killed by a giant fake
marshmallow in the S’More animatronic feature of the Girls Scouts of America
campfire-themed float, if that gives you any sense of things…)
When
and where do you write?
I
constantly change writing locations. Am I confirming stereotypes about neurotic
writers? If the going was tough one day, the next I’ll pick a different chair
or view or entirely new location. There is one constant, though. I always bring
my “writing knight” with me. A dear friend’s father -- a writer and scholar I
looked up to --used to keep it on his desk when he was still alive. My friend passed it along to me when I sold The Wig in the Window. I like to think
it brings me luck.
What are you
currently reading?
I’m
currently deep into Ruth Franklin’s new biography of Shirley Jackson (Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life).
It’s a stunning reclamation of her legacy – and of writing that was sidelined
as mere “women’s” literature at the time. It’s chock full of great inspiration
for writers, too. I highly recommend it,
even if you’re not as big of a Shirley Jackson fan as I am.
What's your favourite
quote about writing/for writers?
“Writing is a friendship with your own mind” –
Natalie Goldberg. I highly recommend her books on writing, especially Writing Down the Bones.
What's the best thing
about being a writer?
Besides getting to stay in your pyjamas a good
bit of the day? Getting to surprise yourself over and over again. There’s
something purely magic about creating something where there wasn’t before, and
I’m addicted to it.
Are
you a plotter or a pantser?
A little bit of both. I didn’t outline my first book, The Wig in the Window up front but instead charged ahead blindly. I
made a mess of things, took ages, then wrote an outline after the fact that
helped me shape the story. I took the opposite approach with the sequel because
I do think that outlining saves a great deal of headache (and heartache?). I wasn’t
entirely right about that: having such a detailed outline might have helped
with the plotting of the mystery, but I lost some of the joy in the actual
writing and would sometimes be forcing illogical decisions upon my characters.
I had to toss that outline and “pants” much more to get it right!
Do
you believe in writers block?
I do, in the sense that if
you are having difficulty writing, there’s a reason for it – there’s something
you need to attend to. I had a great deal of difficulty writing after the
sudden death of my father. I pushed myself, which only made matters worse:
that’s when I realized that my mind was protecting myself and letting me know I
had to deal give myself space to deal with my grief.
I also think perfectionism
and an overactive inner critic can throw up a great deal of unnecessary,
imaginary obstacles. They need to be kept at bay!
Who or what inspired
you to become a writer?
While I always wanted to be a writer, my
seventh grade English students were my inspiration. It wasn’t until I imagined
writing a story that they would enjoy that I followed through on my vague
notions and actually wrote regularly.
If
you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
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