As much as I love terra’s young adult books, I did a happy dance when I found out her next book would be for middle grade readers. so i was excited to talk to terra about writing for a younger audience, friendship, road trips, and of course going crazy.
ja: after writing so many wonderful books, what made you decide to try high school?
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tem: I’ve wanted to write in middle grade for a long time, in part because books were especially vital to me during that stage of my life. I also thought that changing things up a bit would help me continue to grow as a writer. Before now, all the stories I had in my head were aimed at teenagers, but finally the right project came along at the right time!
ja: how is the process of creating a mid-grade voice different from a ya voice? Was your research different in any way?
tem: For me, the biggest difference is that there is definitely a lot less self-analysis in the middle grade. when lana is scared, she’s just scared, she doesn’t have a big monologue with herself about why. if cassie is angry, she is angry and doesn’t try to rationalize or justify it. plus, there’s a lot less romantic turmoil, and that was comforting.
Since this is for slightly younger readers, I also needed to make the stops and activities lively and kid-friendly. this wasn’t something I was used to thinking about, but once I got used to it, it was a lot of fun. I researched real places in California that might be interesting (hearst castle, for example), but I also had fun inventing things like a music-themed restaurant!
ja: what inspired this particular story? Which character did you come up with first?
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There were a lot of things that inspired and drove me crazy, but three relationships in particular get the most recognition. The first is the connection I have with my editor, best friend, and writing collaborator, Anica Rissi. Every novel I’ve done, including this one, stems from some conversation (probably multiple conversations) we’ve had. drive me crazy grew specifically out of a talk about middle grade books, and what my writing might look like. anica told me a horribly embarrassing story of her own about a girl whose diary had been found and read aloud on the bus, and it seemed like too good a story not to be used in some way. Luckily, she was sweet and generous enough to let me go on with something that came from her real life, and we went from there.
There were other relationships we thought I could work with as well, including the close one I have with my cousin Meg. there’s a special bond that they have, being cousins, and I wanted to explore that, at least a little bit. Similarly, I had a story to work out with my oldest and dearest friend, whom I met when we were in second grade. in high school we broke up for a while (quite a while, until our senior year, actually), because she wanted to be one way and I wanted to be another. although cassie and lana are quite different than we were, the tension between girls going through changes at that age was interesting to me. Fortunately, I knew from experience that it can be solved and was interested in going through a similar arc in a book.
all the characters started as descriptions or initial ideas, and then slowly evolved, but i think the first one to emerge as her own person was grandma tess. she is so feisty and unpredictable, so much fun to write!
ha: lana and cassie are very different characters. Do you identify with one more than the other?
tem: it’s funny, throughout the writing of freaking out I went back and forth between the people I most identified with. When I was in high school, I think she was more of a wool: serious, very concerned about my friends, close to her family. but i also loved clothes and was obsessed with fashion, so i kind of ached to be stylish, sophisticated, and culturally savvy like cassie too. I struggled with both identities at the same time, and somehow I still do!
ja: what’s the best road trip you’ve ever taken?
Hands down, the best road trip I’ve ever taken was from San Francisco to Tallahassee, Florida with my good friend Tom. i was moving back to my hometown after a fantastic year living in san francisco and i needed someone to help me carry all my stuff. tom met me in california, and we drove across the state, through arizona, to a petrified forest (we saw an amazing sunset there) and all the way through texas, to louisiana. we stayed in new orleans for one night, and we were tempted to stay! when we crossed the border into florida, i wanted to see the gulf right away, and tom suggested a detour to pensacola beach. Seeing the coastline, plus the beloved familiar green of the Florida panhandle, was a wonderful welcome after all the desert we had traversed, and it was a great homecoming.
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ja: do you think you will do more middle school studies? Any clues about what your next project could be?
tem: Like I said, I’ve been interested in the middle grade for a while now and I’m really excited to be working on the companion book to drive me crazy right now. This Is All Your Fault Cassie Parker is due out in the summer of 2016. It is the story of Fiona Coppleton, Cassie’s former best friend. they have a really nasty break at the beginning of drive me crazy, and while we hear a lot about fiona from cassie’s perspective, this is all your fault, cassie parker narrates everything from fiona’s side.
I also have another mid-grade idea up my sleeve, but it’s nowhere near book form yet. however, I must say that I really enjoy writing for these two different age groups.
ja: what recent middle grade is on your shelf? Any favorites to recommend to our readers?
my current stack of books to read is filled with a lot of young adults at the moment, but one middle grade that has crept in is rules for stealing stars by corey ann haydu (released september). i’m also reading rebecca stead’s strange goodbye, a novel based on tweens coming out in august. its medium grade when you contact me, it’s definitely one of my favorites, and if you haven’t read it, you should: perfect combination of realism with a touch of magic. Amy Timberlake’s One Came Home also has one of the most powerful narrative voices I’ve ever read (in any age range), and Katherine Applegate’s Home of the Brave is one I think almost everyone should read. Of course, I still defend my favorite classics, like the Ramona, Mrs. piggle wiggle, peter pan or any adventure in oz!
thanks for your time, terra, and best of luck with drive me crazy.
And now it’s your turn, dear reader. Tell us about your favorite road trip in the comments below and you’ll be entered to win a copy of drive me crazy!
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