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AN INTERVIEW WITH
7 READERS CIRCLE AUTHORS
Click on image for larger view.
Back Row: Jennifer Armstrong, BECOMING MARY MEHAN; Adam Bagdasarian, FORGOTTEN FIRE; Lois Lowry, THE GIVER and GATHERING BLUE; Louis Sachar, HOLES.
Front Row: Kimberly Willis Holt, WHEN ZACHARY BEAVER CAME TO TOWN; Ruth Pennebaker, BOTH SIDES NOW; Janet Tashjian, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY.
Recently, Teenreads.com sat down with seven authors of young adult fiction who are participating in the Readers Circle program. Jennifer Armstrong, Adam Bagdasarian, Kimberly Willis Holt, Lois Lowry, Ruth Pennebaker, Louis Sachar and Janet Tashjian discussed a wide variety of topics, including the process of writing a novel, the enthusiasm that young people share for reading, and their upcoming works.
Their Early Writing Days
Jennifer Armstrong wrote constantly from the first grade on. It was in the first grade that she identified herself as an author.
Adam Bagdasarian began writing when he was 15.
Louis Sachar was 17 when he started writing.
Janet Tashjian was a journalism major in college but, upon graduating, went into sales and marketing. She then read THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O'Brien and was completely blown away by its brilliance. Amazingly, she quit her job the day after reading it --- she knew that she wanted to become a writer. This one book therefore literally changed her life forever.
Finding One's Voice When Writing a Novel
Adam Bagdasarian believes that writers don't actually "find" a voice, because the voice of each writer is inside of him or her. He says that voice comes from writing about characters and issues that we care about very much.
Kimberly Willis Holt loves talking about voice, even though she can never explain precisely what it is. She has no idea where it comes from, but whenever she hears the voice, she begins writing immediately.
Ruth Pennebaker, on the other hand, prefers not to talk about voice. She compares it to talking about humor --- it makes her feel uncomfortable and inarticulate, since it is so difficult to explain.
Sources of Inspiration
Jennifer Armstrong receives inspiration all the time from the outside world. When she walks down a street, for example, she is constantly looking around and keeping her eyes open. She also reads a lot of history-based books, which inspires her to write historical fiction.
Lois Lowry is inspired by reading good books, because it makes her want to write better.
Louis Sachar's response is quite different from Jennifer's and Lois's. For him, inspiration comes from sitting at his desk and doing the best he can to motivate himself.
Janet Tashjian says that being alive is inspiring, since we are able to go out into the world, experience all that life has to offer, and then write about any topic in the world that we choose.
Censoring Material in Young Adult Books
Jennifer Armstrong writes strictly for herself, but accepts the fact that certain aspects of her book may be modified during the editing process. As long as they aren't enormous changes that would significantly alter the plot or meaning of the book, she has absolutely no problem with it.
Kimberly Willis Holt also writes for herself and prefers to let the editors do all the censoring.
Louis Sachar stresses that writers must be aware of who their audience is and then make decisions about what to write based on that information. This isn't necessarily censoring --- it's more a matter of using good judgment.
What Teens Like to Read...and Why
Jennifer Armstrong believes that many teens are looking for intense and emotional experiences because they feel that their own lives aren't interesting or exciting. As a result, they enjoy reading books that deal with serious, "heavy" topics.
Kimberly Willis Holt agrees, calling these kinds of books "a form of escapism" for teenagers who consider their lives to be dull and uneventful.
Lois Lowry feels that young people like reading "dark" books because they address many of the same problems and conflicts that the teens themselves are facing. Therefore, they can relate to the stories in a deeper and much more profound way.
Louis Sachar believes that teens like reading serious stories because they're a welcome departure from the books that they are required to read for school.
The Influence of Harry Potter on Readers
Jennifer Armstrong maintains that children who haven't read the Harry Potter books are at a social disadvantage, because so many of their friends are reading them. If these children are unable to participate in discussions with their peers about Harry Potter, they may feel left out.
Kimberly Willis Holt says that the Harry Potter series has made parents more aware of books in general and that they now enjoy reading with their children.
Lois Lowry believes that the series has turned kids on to reading, and it's much more "trendy" to read now than it was before the emergence of Harry Potter.
Memorable Experiences with Readers
Kimberly Willis Holt was appearing at a bookstore in Baton Rouge when a boy (who was probably 12 or 13 years old) and his parents approached her. The boy told her that WHEN ZACHARY BEAVER CAME TO TOWN was the first book he had ever read cover to cover, which made Kimberly quite proud.
Louis Sachar once heard a woman say that she had to bribe her son to read HOLES, offering to pay him a quarter for each page he finished. After reading the entire book, the mother was ready to pay up, but the boy wouldn't accept any money because he enjoyed the book so much.
Janet Tashjian is always fascinated when she learns about her works from readers. For example, a young person once asked her if the twin brother in TRU CONFESSIONS was named Eddie because an "eddy" is a current that moves contrary to the direction of the main current. Janet also received a five-page letter from a child who was explaining his thoughts on the origin of "Betagold", the name of one of her characters in THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY. It turns out that Betagold is the name of a hand lotion that just happened to be sitting on Janet's desk at the time.
Their Favorite Books as Teens
Adam Bagdasarian: MY NAME IS ARAM by William Saroyan
Kimberly Willis Holt: THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers
Ruth Pennebaker: THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger
Louis Sachar: NINE STORIES by J.D. Salinger
Their Plans for the Future
Jennifer Armstrong is currently writing another anthology of short stories --- music is the theme.
Adam Bagdasarian is writing a novel that is set in Colombia and India.
Kimberly Willis Holt's latest novel is KEEPER OF THE NIGHT, in which a girl's mother commits suicide.
Lois Lowry is working on revisions for a book titled MESSENGER, which will complete a trilogy that includes THE GIVER and GATHERING BLUE. It will be released sometime next spring.
Ruth Pennebaker is writing a sequel to her first book 30 years later!
Louis Sachar never talks about his work when it is in progress, but he is working on a new book.
Janet Tashjian's next novel is called FAULT LINE and will be released in September. Also, the sequel to THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY is due out next spring.
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