Paula Chase is the cofounder of The Brown Bookshelf, a site designed to increase awareness of African American voices writing for young readers. She lives in Annapolis, Maryland. Her novels include the acclaimed So Done, its companion, Dough Boys, and Keeping It Real.
We chat with Paula all about her new release, Keeping It Real, along with writing, inspiration, and more!
Hi, Paula! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a Virgo and I take that pretty seriously…as Virgos are prone to do. Being a Virgo means I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist and by bit, I mean I am totally a perfectionist. That isn’t a brag. It can be a real problem! But it’s also likely what helps me maintain two very demanding professions, one of them being an author – which is my favorite of the two.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
Writing has always been the way I express myself best. My mom still has stories that I wrote in elementary school. I was on my high school newspaper staff (do high schools still have those?) and for a minute I thought I wanted to be a journalist. Then I got to college and took a journalism class and was cured of that thought very quickly.
Even though I’ve been writing a long time and it’s my strongest skill, I never thought about being a novelist until back in 2006 when I woke up with a very specific character in my head who ended up becoming Mila – the MC of my Del Rio Bay Clique YA series.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
I’m fairly obsessed with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. And as a kid, I never really thought about the book’s impact. But after I’d written a few books and reviewers would often talk about my “earnest” style of writing I realized that Mildred Taylor’s style of being very candid and honest with young readers without being graphic had very much influenced me.
Your new middle grade novel, Keeping It Real, is out October 19th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Fun
Fashion drip
Secrets (see, I only needed three lol)
What can readers expect?
Imagine being invited to do an internship at BET, MTV or Project Runway. Imagine having an interest in something like fashion and suddenly you’re one degree separated from a celebrity. But your still only 13 or 14 years old, so you can barely enjoy it because you’re still kirking out because your friend is shading you. That’s Keeping It Real. You can’t run from life. And the book will put readers into this really cool environment of the made up world of Flexx Unlimited, while reminding them that, at the end of the day they still have to figure out who they are and where they fit.
Where did the inspiration for Keeping It Real come from?
Books with Black characters are still begging to be unboxed. We’re seeing some progress, but the books that get the attention are still often the books about a very specific aspect of Black life. I’m always looking for an opportunity to write about the characters we don’t see enough. In this case it’s the upper middle class Black family and what that’s like when you’re rooted in both the Black culture but also in a very traditional and judgemental environment like Marigold’s private school.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
It was tough to write during the pandemic and while fighting to make it clear that Black lives matter and always have. Some days the world felt like it was on fire and writing didn’t put that fire out. Once I sat to write, I’d melt into the story eventually. But many days it was hard to get my butt in the seat.
What do you hope your readers take away from Keeping It Real?
My hope is always the same – I want readers to immerse themselves and have fun. I want them to pick sides. I want them to have empathy for all of the characters. I want them to walk away drained from the ride.
What’s next for you?
I have a Young Adult novel coming out in 2022 – Charm City Heights. It’s very Growing Up HipHop meets Tiny Pretty Things!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Please visit thebrownbookshelf.com. There are so many Black kidlit creatives and their work to discover.
