Q & A with Christine Fletcher

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Welcome to Christine Fletcher, author of

Ten Cents a Dance!

Visit Christine Fletcher’s Web Site

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BotH:

Welcome to Books on the House, Christine!  I’m going to jump right into the tough questions   You tackle some edgy subject matter!  How difficult is it for you to write about teens going through difficult times?

Christine:

It is hard. But as a reader, I don’t like it when authors sugar-coat things or gloss over them. So I try not to do this in my own writing. If a writer explores dark, deep, or difficult places, it’s then his or her job to report honestly from those places. In YA, especially, our readers expect this.

Still, though, my impulse is to tone down the difficult scenes—to pad the sharp corners, so to speak—so that my characters don’t get hurt and they come out winners. I always want to protect my characters! Which sounds nice, but it doesn’t allow them to grow. And it’s dishonest to the reader. So I have to let the characters stumble and find their way. The great thing about that is it brings all kinds of unexpected action to the story, stuff I never could have planned in advance.

BotH:

Your first book, Tallulah Falls (a title I LOVE!) has a character named Maeve.  How do you pronounce that name!  I’ve always wanted to know and now I have someone to ask.  =)

Christine:

Her name is pronounced “Mayve.” I’ve always loved that name; it makes me think of a girl who’s kind of untamed, who dances to different music than everyone else. In that way it really fits that character.

BotH:

Animals have always been a big part of your life.  Do they factor in all your books (and future books)?

Christine:

Animals are a big factor in Tallulah Falls, but not in Ten Cents a Dance. I realized early on that the main character in that book, Ruby, really isn’t an animal person. Plus, her family is so poor in the beginning that they can’t even afford their own needs, let alone those of a pet. So it really depends on the characters and their story. I did miss writing about animals, though. I’m very excited that my current project features a pug!

BotH:

How did you feel when your books received these awards?

Ten Cents a Dance–a Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and Tallulah Falls–a 2007 Book for the Teen Age by the New York Public Library

Christine:

I found out about the Top Ten BBYA award from a friend, who emailed me congratulations. I think I actually leaped out of my chair! I was beyond cloud nine…I was floating out by Mars somewhere. It took weeks for my feet to come back down to earth.

Writing is such a solitary activity, to receive recognition for the work is really thrilling. The fact that my books were selected for these awards by librarians, with input from teens, makes them even more meaningful. Teens are my audience. And I’ve adored librarians since I was an itty-bitty kid.

BotH:

What’s next for you?

Christine:

I’m doing something a bit different from either of my first two books. It’s a quest story involving a group of teens, one of whom is chosen to save the world. But the book is told through the eyes of a smarter and more talented member of the group, who finds herself relegated to the role of sidekick. Which she thinks is completely unfair, because Miss so-called Savior of the World is a self-centered diva who couldn’t quest her way out of a paper bag, which means the sidekicks have to do all the work while Miss Savior gets all the glory, and who in this day and age gets sent on quests, anyway?

Plus alternate universes. And an annoying yet irresistible ex-boyfriend. And a pug.

BotH:

Thanks for being here at Books on the House, Christine!

Christine:

Thanks for having me, it’s been a lot of fun!