We chat with author Shana Youngdahl about A Catalog of Burnt Objects, which is a powerful story of a girl struggling to figure out her estranged brother, a new love, and her own life just as wildfires beset her small California town—perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Kathleen Glasgow.
Hi, Shana! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure! I’m a novelist, poet, and writing professor in Lindenwood University’s MFA in Writing program. I’m the mom of two incredible girls. I’m stupidly in love with my dog and our big orange half-Maine Coon cat.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I had the great fortune to grow up in a household of book lovers. My mom wrote nonfiction and, to keep me entertained as a kid, my older sister wrote me books starring Shana-Bear. By the time I was in seventh grade, writing became something I did for myself, and something that I knew I wanted to be part of my life forever. In high school I had the incredible opportunity to attend the California State Summer School for the Arts where I met lots of other young writers who shared the dream. My understanding of the importance of creative community and writing work as a lifelong process really grew from there.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: On my own? Tiny Little Fly. But I have vivid memories of Pat the Bunny and Tiny Tiger Learns A Lot being read to me. And the first book I remember loving was Charlotte’s Web. I cried so hard.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Since I wanted to be an author since childhood, I’m not sure. I can say that David Arnold’s Mosquitoland helped me know that my first novel would be YA.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Your latest novel, A Catalog of Burnt Objects, is out March 18th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Family, fire, love, community, hope
What can readers expect?
A love story, and a sibling story about coming of age during a time of climate catastrophe.
Where did the inspiration for A Catalog of Burnt Objects come from?
When my hometown of Paradise, California was decimated by the Camp Fire in 2018—90% of the town’s structures were levelled in hours, and 85 people died—I tried to help in all the ways I could from afar. Nothing felt like it was enough, and the fire was all I could think about. As a writer, I always have to write through my questions and obsessions, and so questions of how we live in a world on fire, how we have hope, how we help one another, how we build a future that’s better than our present began to guide this book.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Caprice, the protagonist, and her brother Beckett are really the heart of the story. I love them both deeply and really enjoyed getting to write their relationship. I especially had fun with all of Beckett’s singing—it’s something he is known for but Caprice is bad at—and he often sings to really get her annoyed. Picking the songs for him to sing and the moments that he sings them was a whole lot of fun.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Almost everything about this project was hard. The subject was hard. Finding a story was hard. The fact that there is a huge external conflict that needed to emotionally line up with the internal conflict was hard. I struggled for a long time to find the shape of the novel— but then I started thinking about other disaster narratives with an external conflict and so of course I thought of Titanic. I pulled up the movie and realized that the iceberg hits at the midpoint, and the audience knows it’s coming because they are watching a movie about the Titanic, but that movie is also as much about the love story and the setting. Apparently James Cameron said that he needed a script that would “show off the ship,” and I was trying to do something similar. I wanted a story that showed off the town, and I needed a love story and a family story to bring everyone into that place. Once I started thinking in these terms, the project started to come together.
What do you hope readers take away from A Catalog of Burnt Objects?
People are mostly kind, innovative, and resilient. We must not give up hope. We must not give up on love. We deserve a better future.
What’s next for you?
I’m so happy you want to know! I’ve got some secrets brewing and hope to share news soon.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
There are many! But I’ll definitely be preordering Alexandra Villasante’s Fireblooms and Shannon Schuren’s Water In Her Veins.
