Author and Editor Interview: Julie Scheina Interviews Jennifer E. Smith

Nothing compares to the relationship between author and editor, so we decided to have Jennifer E. Smith, author of the middle grade fantasy novel The Storm Makers, answer 5 questions posed by her middle grade editor Julie Scheina.

What starts as an ordinary summer turns exciting and perilous for twins Ruby and Simon when strange occurrences begin happening on their farm — sudden gusts of wind, rainstorms, and even tornado warnings — that seem eerily timed to Simon’s emotions.Then a stranger arrives and tells the twins that Simon is a Storm Maker — part of a clandestine group of people entrusted with controlling and taming the weather — and that he is in great danger. Soon Simon and Ruby must race against the clock as they try to master Simon’s powers in time to stop a rogue Storm Maker’s treacherous — and potentially deadly — plans.

Read an excerpt of The Storm Makers here [http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/kids_books_9780316179584.htm]

1. The twin relationship between Simon and Ruby is so authentic that one of the editorial readers, who is a fraternal twin, was convinced that you must be a twin yourself. Why did you choose to have Simon and Ruby be twins, as opposed to simply brother and sister? Did your own family relationships impact this dynamic?

I knew right from the start that I wanted this book to be told from the point of view of the non-magical character. So many of these types of stories are from the perspective of the person with powers, the one who changes, or who experiences something miraculous, but I was more interested in the sidekick. I’m not a twin myself, though I do have a sister. We’re best friends now, but when we were younger, there was all sorts of sibling rivalry, and I figured that kind of thing would be even more heightened with twins. Simon and Ruby are used to going through everything together and at the same time, and then all of a sudden, there’s this seismic shift in all that they know to be true, but it’s only happening to one of them – I thought that would be an interesting story to tell.

2. This is your first novel with fantasy elements, so it was particularly fun to discuss world-building together. In creating the magical setting of The Storm Makers, how did you keep track of the various “rules” of the world—from Simon’s abilities to the structure of the Makers of Storms Society?

I think you kept track of the rules better than I did! This was definitely a challenge for me, and because of it, I found this book to be much trickier to write than my contemporary novels. I was always impressed with authors like J.K. Rowling, who do this sort of thing incredibly well, and now I’m just plain old astonished by the worlds they’ve created. To me, going from writing contemporary to writing fantasy felt like having someone toss me an extra ball when I’d only just gotten used to juggling with three. Basically, I fumbled around a whole lot and almost dropped it a few times, but eventually I guess I sort of figured it out…

3. Did you encounter any particular challenges in writing and revising The Storm Makers, such as the period when you had to revise part of the book ‘one-handed’?

Yes, coincidentally, I had something of a weather-related setback. My sister and I were traveling in New Zealand last spring when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch. We were right in the city center, about a block away from the historic cathedral, and I was jolted to the ground hard enough that I injured my wrist. It was a pretty frightening experience; there was horrible damage all across the city, including the collapse of the steeple on the cathedral, and almost 200 people were killed. We were lucky enough to find a Red Cross shelter, and were taken in for the night by some very kind local students, where we waited out the aftershocks – over 100 in the 24 hours following the initial quake. We ended up continuing our trip the next morning, and I eventually made it to a hospital when we reached Sydney a few days later. Afterwards, when we returned to New York, the revisions on this book were waiting for me, and they took a bit longer than usual because of the sling and the brace on my wrist. As you might have guessed, it was then that I added the earthquake scene. I actually still have a hard time reading it back – it makes me feel like the ground is moving!

4. Have you always wanted to write for younger audiences? How has your work with kids influenced your writing?

No, I sort of fell into this. The book started as an experiment, actually. A friend was asking why I always seem to write YA books for teen girls, and I found myself telling her that there were three things I’d probably never do: write for boys, write fantasy, and write middle grade. I didn’t mean for it to be a challenge to myself, but pretty much the moment I left the restaurant, I started thinking of the idea for The Storm Makers. But it’s been especially fun writing for this age group for another reason: on the weekends, I teach therapeutic horseback riding to kids with disabilities, and a lot of my riders are the right age for this book, so seeing them get excited about reading it has been really gratifying.

5. So, what’s next from Jennifer E. Smith? Any current favorite reads that you’d like to recommend (other than your wonderful books, of course!)?

I just finished my next YA, which is called This Is What Happy Looks Like and will be out in spring 2013, and now I’m taking a little break. Which means more time to read! The very best thing I’ve read recently – which includes adult, YA and middle grade – was Wonder by R.J. Palacio. It’s just so sweet and and funny and big-hearted, and I can’t stop talking about it. I heartily recommend that one!

Jennifer is also the author of the YA novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, a book reviewed here not too long ago.

I want to thank both Jennifer and Julie for stopping by There’s A Book today! It’s been fantastic to see a little bit behind what went into the writing of The Storm Makers. I’m definitely excited to read more and can’t wait to share my thoughts on the book with my readers here. Thank you!

Find The Storm Makers by Jennifer E. Smith at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

Today’s post is part of our month long celebration of all things Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Make sure to stop by the LB Teens Site for more information about this title and more. For more information about our Book Publishers 101 feature take a look at this month’s opening post.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, for coordinating many of this month’s features and reviews! Connect with them on Twitter and on Facebook!
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