Authors In Conversation: Kathryn Erskine & Joanne Rossmassler Fritz

Joanne: I’m really enjoying LILY’S PROMISE. I relate to Lily, with her shyness and lack of confidence about speaking up. I was like that myself growing up. Were you like that as a child? I know you had an unusual childhood, and lived all over the world. Please tell us more about it.

Kathy: I was very shy and, like Lily, I’d sit in class, knowing the answer, unable to raise my hand or call it out. I was a little more comfortable in all-girl schools, which I attended in 6th, 7th, and 9th grades, the first in Scotland, the second in Canada. My father was in the Foreign Service so I ended up at eight schools in six countries. It was a gift to experience different cultures—and different school subcultures, given that I went to public, private, religious, secular, all-girls, co-ed, uniform and no uniform schools. Unlike Lily, I didn’t like wearing a dress, and I actually preferred uniforms because you didn’t have to think about what to wear. And, to answer what kids often ask, my favorite subjects at any school were English, Chemistry, and P.E., and my least favorite was math.

Joanne: I found the Libro chapters in LILY’S PROMISE, where the book itself is talking to the reader, to be a clever way to get kids to think about books and reading. How did you come up with the idea?

Kathy: I’m not sure where Libro came from but, being writers, we let our minds wander and I found myself wondering what the book itself would think of my story, and if it would like to have a say. I was an “Imaginer,” as Libro calls it, from way back, which is why I would get report card comments like, “Kathy needs to pay more attention in class.” Libro was also a fun way to give some humor, provide short chapters for reluctant readers, give teachers an opportunity to discuss the writing process, and tell kids a little bit about me and how I write, which they always seem to want to know when I visit schools.

Joanne: You’ve written two picture books and seven novels, most of them MG (my favorites are MOCKINGBIRD, which won the National Book Award, and THE BADGER KNIGHT, a medieval tale). Do you have a favorite among all the books you’ve written?

Kathy: It’s hard to pick a favorite book. I always say books are like our children and we love them equally. If I were to pick the one with a main character most like me, I’d have to choose THE INCREDIBLE MAGIC OF BEING. Julian’s anxiety and curiosity and observations are very much like mine were as a kid (and probably even now!). The only difference is that Julian is a chatterbox and, like Lily, I thought the questions or comments but didn’t say them. And thank you for reading my books, Joanne! THE BADGER KNIGHT was so fun to research—we could do a whole Q&A just on research, couldn’t we?

Joanne: Yes, we could! I still remember you crawling around on the hard stone floor in the Barn to demonstrate to our class at the Highlights Foundation how you got into your character’s head when Adrian was hiding under a pew in a cathedral! I have many fond memories of your mentorship at the Highlights Foundation. You made some insightful comments and suggestions that definitely helped make EVERYWHERE BLUE stronger. Thank you! What do you most enjoy about mentoring writers who are just beginning their journey?

Kathy: It was a pleasure working together at the Highlights Foundation, Joanne! I’m just delighted to hold EVERYWHERE BLUE in book form! What I most enjoy about mentoring is seeing people develop confidence in their voice. We all have a story, many stories, and we all have something important to say. We just need a little help shaping and clarifying our story so it speaks to others. I love seeing a draft come together into a story that has grown and deepened into something that truly comes alive.  

Kathy: I love the ending of EVERYWHERE BLUE because it’s both real and hopeful. That’s often the hardest part to write. Did you always know what your ending would be?

Joanne: Thank you, Kathy! Yes, believe it or not, I did. I can’t even begin writing a novel until I have at least a vague idea of how it will end. And since Maddie plays the oboe and wants a solo in the school’s Winter Concert, I always knew the book should end with the concert. Having said that, I’ll admit my editor, Sally Morgridge, helped me make it much stronger and more hopeful. I originally had an open ending, where the reader had to decide for themselves what happened to Strum. Several of the poems toward the end were late additions, giving the reader more details about Strum and where he ended up.

Kathy: Editors are the best! What was most challenging for you in writing this book?

Joanne: The verse, surprisingly enough, was NOT the most challenging part of writing it. Once I realized it needed to be verse instead of prose, it seemed to flow for me (for which I’m grateful!). This was possibly because I’ve always written poetry. I think the most challenging part of writing EVERYWHERE BLUE was making the secondary characters come to life in just a few poems. I did keep adding more poems so the reader gets to know Emma better, and Nico, and even Strum. I thought I already had enough flashback poems about Strum, but Sally wanted me to add even more.

Kathy: You have such alluring names for your characters. Besides the musical names of the three siblings, do any of the other character names have special meanings?

Joanne: Yes! Several of them do. I love researching meanings of names. The father’s name, Hunter, is pretty obvious, because of the Peter and the Wolf connection. And the father is one of the antagonists. But readers may not know that the family’s last name, Lovato, means wolf! That’s why I chose it (and not because of Demi Lovato!). The mother’s first name, Valerie, means “strong.”  If you’ve read the book, you’re probably nodding your head right now. And Mr. Rimondi, Maddie’s oboe teacher? Rimondi means “wise teacher” or “counselor” or “protector”!

Kathy: The cover of EVERYWHERE BLUE is striking. In particular, I’m curious about Strum and his shadow. Can you talk a little about its symbolism for the story?

Joanne: Isn’t the cover gorgeous? Elena Megalos created this work of art. My editor, Sally Morgridge, told me she loved the symbolism of Strum’s shadow. It took me a few weeks to realize exactly what she meant! If you look very closely at Strum’s shadow, it’s not behaving the way a normal shadow would! And no one has ever asked me about that! So thank you for this question. Strum’s shadow has a lot to do with Maddie’s theories about where Strum has gone. Could he have headed north to see polar bears? Or south to see blue morpho butterflies? Something to think about as you read the book.

You can purchase EVERYWHERE BLUE by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz, and LILY’S PROMISE by Kathryn Erskine, along with Kathryn’s other novels and picture books, wherever books are sold.