Interview: May 2008
May 2008
Sarah Dessen is the author of eight novels for teens, including SOMEONE LIKE YOU, KEEPING THE MOON, THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER, JUST LISTEN and the newly released LOCK AND KEY.
In this interview with Teenreads.com's Amy Alessio, Dessen describes what makes the protagonist of her latest work of fiction different from her others, and discusses the ideas of home and family that she presents in the book. She also explains how her Southern roots have affected her writing, how she deals with criticism and rejection, and --- in the absence of sequels --- how she envisions her characters after their stories have ended.
Teenreads.com: Smart, independent teens star in all of your books, though they may struggle with big issues. Ruby from LOCK AND KEY is afraid to depend upon anyone and can't define who her family is. What was your inspiration for this particular novel? What did you enjoy most about creating Ruby and her story?
Sarah Dessen: In my previous books, the narrators have usually been girls from upper-middle class families, living in suburban neighborhoods. This time, I was interested in exploring a different kind of girl, someone who came into that world from somewhere else. There are so many books out there these days about regular girls who suddenly become celebrities, or princesses; this idea of a Dream Come True. I was curious to explore a girl who suddenly got everything you'd think she'd want --- a big new house, money, a fancy school --- and wasn't sure how to handle it.
TRC: The supporting players are as colorful as your main characters. Gervais, the obnoxious young genius who carpools with Nate and Ruby, is memorable in every way and provides lots of fun surprises in the story. When you begin working on your books, how do you plan the cast of characters?
SD: When I begin, I usually have only the narrator and the most important secondary characters --- Cora, Jamie and Ruby's mom, in this case --- in my mind. I like to give myself a little leeway with the rest, just to see what develops. What's funny about Gervais is that I'd written another book, which never got past draft form, where he played a small but somewhat important role. So when I needed a good character for the carpool, he just popped into mind. I was so happy to finally get to use him!
TRC: Many of your books have realistic and affecting themes. In LOCK AND KEY, parental abandonment and abuse affect many characters. What do you hope readers who may be experiencing similar struggles can find in your books? What do you think readers who are lucky enough not to be similarly challenged will take away from your stories?
SD: The main idea behind LOCK AND KEY, for me, is that family isn't any one thing. Just because you don't have a standard Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister setup doesn't mean you can't have the support and love and history that we associate with being part of a bigger group. So I'd hope that readers, no matter what situtation they find themselves in, and what home means to them, would find that you can create a family just about anywhere, whether it be with relatives or friends or anyone.
TRC: Jamie's obsession with the pond he builds in his yard is a fun thread in the story. Where did this idea come from?
SD: My husband was building a pond in our yard right before I began the book. It was incredibly hot and I'd see him out there, digging away, and I was sure he was going to collapse. But it was amazing to watch this entire little world --- fish, plants, and then baby fish --- grow from where there had once been nothing. I can see it right from my office window, so it gave me a lot of inspiration while I was writing.
TRC: You have lived most of your life in North Carolina. You mention on your website that you are reading Anne Tyler, a writer with a strong Southern voice and skilled, powerful themes of personal struggle and hope. Ruby reminds me a bit of Ian from Tyler's SAINT MAYBE (one of my favorite books), in that she accepts her life and tries to make the best of it. Your themes are similar. Do you think your life in the South has affected the style of your writing and your themes? Are there other Southern writers you enjoy?
SD: First off, I have to say how much I LOVE and admire Anne Tyler, so that is high praise. Thank you! In college, I was lucky enough to take classes with three other incredible Southern women writers whose work I adored: Doris Betts, Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle. So I would not be surprised if the Southern style rubbed off on me a bit. While I do aim for my books to take place anywhere, I think a lot of the Southern sensibility creeps in. There's an open quality, and instant friendliness, to many of my characters that I think is uniquely Southern.
TRC: Ruby struggles with wanting to know how to help others. It was so hard for her to accept help from Cora and Jamie after being on her own. When she has a friend who badly needs help, she does not know what to do, a realistic situation for many people. If someone had a good friend in a dangerous situation, what could he/she do to be supportive?
SD: I think the best thing is to just try to talk to the person about what they're going through, as well as encourage them to talk to others. I hear from a lot of girls via my website who are having problems and want advice, and I always tell them to talk to someone they trust: their parents, a teacher, a friend, a clergyperson. Often just the act of opening up to someone --- and finding someone to listen --- is the hardest part.
TRC: You have said that you are still friends with some people you knew in high school, and that helps you to draw new stories from past experiences. What feedback do you receive from them about your young adult books?
SD: It's a bit of a different experience for them, I think, reading the books, because there's so much they recognize. I don't use much of my own high school life for plotlines, but in settings and occasionally, secondary characters, I'll draw from my own history. So my friends will often notice certain places and people and know who or where I'm talking about. The best response, though, is the same one I love to get from other readers, which is that the books ring true to them. It's the highest compliment.
TRC: You also refer to Lois Lowry and Judy Blume as authors whose books you remember vividly from your teenage years. What young adult writers do you enjoy reading today and think your fans may as well?
SD: I'm a big fan of Laurie Halse Anderson and John Green. I also really like Sara Zarr, E. Lockhart, and the books Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written together. There's so much good stuff happening in YA right now! It's a great time to be both reading and writing.
TRC: What should teens who want to write be doing to work on their craft and enjoy it?
SD: My main advice is just to write. Write as much as you can, as often as you can. And read everything you can get your hands on. Classes are great, but really, the best way to learn is by reading how others handle things like plot and setting and dialogue, and then sit down and try to do it yourself. It's all trial and error, writing and revising. You just have to keep at it. It's not always easy, but it's the only way anything ever gets done.
TRC: Your parents were both professors, educating others about the joy of words. You wanted to write since you were little and have referred to the typewriter you used from grade school on. Do you think your daughter will be a writer? How would you encourage her?
SD: I would love for her to write, of course. It's a great job. I'm doing my part by reading to her a lot, and she already really loves books. If my husband has his way, she'll be a professional mountain biker, so I guess genetics will make the final decision. Maybe she can do both?
TRC: Many writers speak of piles of rejection letters or bad reviews. Did anyone ever try to discourage you? How did you handle that?
SD: Getting discouraged is just part of the job, I think. I had a lot of people, especially when I first started out, who thought it was "cute" that I wanted to be a writer, and were condescending about it. I think that's normal, though. Writing isn't like accounting. There is no set trajectory, a path that you follow to get there. You just have to kind of figure it out on your own. For me, the best way to deal with being or feeling discouraged was to just keep working. I tried really hard to keep the rejection-letter part of my life separate from my writing life. It's the same way I try to keep my reviews separate from my writing now. You can't let one affect the other. No good can come of it.
TRC: I know many fans want to see a sequel to SOMEONE LIKE YOU. If writing a follow-up title to that one is not in the picture, I can't resist asking how you envision the future for Scarlett and Halley.
SD: I put Scarlett back briefly in THIS LULLABY, because so many people wanted a sequel, just so everyone knew she was in college, and working, and Grace was doing great. In my mind, Halley's also in college, and happy, and dating someone who respects her a lot more than Macon did. Call me an optimist, but in my mind everyone from my books is doing all right, and all the couples are still together. If you're creating your own world, you might as well make it a happy one, right?
TRC: What are you working on now, and when might readers expect to see it?
SD: I am writing a new book, but I'm always insanely secretive, so I can't tell you anything about it. Sorry! It's hard to say when I'll have another book out. I've been on an every-two-year kind of plan, but with the baby, everything has changed. So we'll see. I'm just happy to be back at work.
