The wonderful author of My Life Next Door so generously agreed to answer several questions that I sent her out of the blue. She so willingly gave her time to answer these questions - so please enjoy them! And remember - My Life Next Door hits bookstores June 14th!
1. Your biography said that you grew up in a sleepy New England town - were the characters and events at all based on your life?
I think all writers use little pieces of themselves and their past in every story, but MY LIFE NEXT DOOR was not autobiographical to a large degree. Like Samantha, I was a watcher who wondered about other people’s lives and tried a little too hard to look good. I did a lot of family-watching (and a lot of boy-watching).
2. Was forming the characters difficult? You must have had to really work on background stories, especially for characters like Samantha's best friend Nan, and Nan's brother, the drunken Tim.
The characters in this book came to me so clearly that it wasn’t difficult. Samantha’s mother was the only one who was a real struggle. To write someone you have to understand them and their responses to every circumstance and that was a challenge with Grace.
3. Was there ever a family like the Garrets in your neighborhood when you were growing up?
Only in my imagination! I grew up writing endless stories about very large families. For some reason, the dynamic of how they work has always fascinated me.
4. Who was your favorite character and why?
It’s hard to pick a favorite character—like choosing your favorite child. I have my favorite moments with almost every character. Tim and George were the most fun to write; Jase the most satisfying.
5. Do you plan on writing more novels? Will they be for teens or adults?
I hope I never stop writing novels. I’m working on Book 2 now, but have a few more already buzzing around in my brain. Writing YA seems to suit my voice. Maybe someday I will lose my fascination with those intense teen years, but it seems unlikely.
6. My Life Next Door was not an average summer romance novel. How did you put little spins on classic topics to make it unique?
I’m not sure. Summer has always been my favorite season, and looking back on my teen years and what romances there were then, the most intense times always seemed to happen during the summer. Maybe that came through into this story.
7. What is your advice to aspiring authors?
Read everything. When you find an author you love read all they have written, once for pleasure, then again to see how they worked their magic. Keep a journal in which you write your absolute truth. Record your thoughts, conversations you have, conversations you overhear, everything. Don’t be too critical of yourself. The only prerequisite for being a writer is writing.
8. How did you decide that you wanted to be an author for young adults?
I’ve always been a reader and I’ve always been a writer. Looking back, the books which affected me the most intensely seem to have been those I read as a teenager. Maybe that’s why when I returned to writing after a hiatus YA was the natural genre to turn to.
9. Tim was one of my favorite characters in the story. Can you tell me about your formation of TIm?
I’m so glad. I have a huge soft spot for Tim, even though he was an incredibly disobedient character. He was originally intended to play a small role, but every time I put him in a scene he never did what I’d planned. I had many a conversation with my best friend where I’d call her in frustration and complain that he was walking away with the book. In the end, I don’t think he did, but he certainly got a lot more page time than I’d intended. As for his inspiration, I think we’ve all known a Tim or two.
