Well, I’m writing this from a hotel room in St. Louis, and I have to say right from the get-go (or maybe gecko) that Katy Perry was 100 percent correct when she wrote “That’s what you get for waking up in St. Louis.”
Debaucherous night, let me tell you. Not only was I in my hotel bed by 10 p.m. but I really pushed the envelope and watched one of those restaurants-are-filthy-but-an-Englishman-on-steroids-can-fix-them-right-up-by-yelling-at-the-owner-and-firing-a-line-cook-and-then-everyone-is-grateful-and-cries-shows. Such a transformative viewing experience. I’m thinking I may skip my reading tonight at Subterranean Books and just watch that show about Cajun people pawning things instead.
On the subject of readings, Chicago--look out. First time YA novelist Lisa Jenn Bigelow reads this Saturday at The Book Cellar. Her first novel, Starting From Here is out and Bigelow spoke with Our Town about creating a relatable narrator, balancing her work as a librarian with her passion for writing and why LGBTQ teens need to see themselves reflected in literature.
Our Town What was your initial kernel of inspiration for the book?
Lisa Jenn Bigelow It was two kernels popping together. There's an unfortunate stereotype in literature that all dog books end with the dog kicking it. Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc. I decided I wanted to write an "anti-dead dog book." Instead of the story culminating in the dog's death, a near-death experience would be the catalyst for the rest of the story. I had a side character from a short story I'd written—a girl who'd lost her mother, whose dad was away working as a truck driver, who was doing poorly in school. And I thought, she could really use a good dog.
OT How long did you work on it?
LJB That’s hard to answer. From the time I started writing it to its publication was about seven years, but most of that time I was waiting to hear back from agents and, once I found an agent, editors. Writing the first draft probably only took about six months, with several rounds of editing to follow. Publishing can be an excruciatingly slow business sometimes. Even after the book sold to Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books (which was subsequently acquired by Amazon), two and a half years passed before the book came out.
OT I want to compliment you on the very relatable voice. Did you go through drafts getting to know what your narrator sounded like, or did you sort of hear her in your head right away?
LJB Thanks! For the most part, Colby's voice was clear in my mind—outwardly sarcastic and tough, inwardly tender and raw. But there was still a lot of tweaking throughout the editing process. It was important to make readers sympathize with her in spite of her jagged edges. Humor helped, as did letting her vulnerability show. My editor was also meticulous in finding inconsistencies—places where Colby sounded too mature, too country, even too masculine. There's nothing like an inconsistent voice to rip readers out of a story.
OT How do you balance your writing work and your career as a librarian?
LJB It's a challenge. Finding the time isn't a problem so much as finding the energy, especially in winter when the days are so short. I'm extremely diurnal, and if the sun is down, I want to be asleep. I try to take an hour to write before or after work, but it doesn’t always happen. On the other hand, a plus to being a librarian—aside from simply enjoying the work—is that keeping up with industry news is part of the job, so it dovetails nicely with writing. And, of course, I'm constantly surrounded by inspiration.
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