From debut author Charlene Allen comes Play The Game, a captivating YA contemporary mystery and coming-of-age story, celebrating the power of friendship, first love, and exploring the criminal justice system from the lens of restorative justice.
Hi, Charlene! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
In addition to being a writer, I’m an activist, a mom, a partner. And I like to play. I grew up playing cards and board games, and then married a serious gamer and gave birth to another one. Unfortunately, I don’t get to play as much as I’d like, these days. That’s one reason why my book, Play the Game has gaming as a central theme. It was so much fun to create a whole game! On the activist side, I do a lot of work around community-based restorative justice, which I think is a better way to respond to violence and conflict than prisons or other forms of punishment.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I didn’t write a lot when I was a kid. I really loved reading, then. And I played stories – I played “pretend,” and made up stories and characters all day long with my sisters and any friend I could get to do it. It wasn’t until much later that I found the courage to write down the stories, and the worlds and characthers, that were always forming in my head.
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!
It was a picture book called The Contented Little Pussycat. No lie. It was the most zen book – all about how this cat knew better thatn to worry about things ahead of time, so it was always happy while the other anmals were lost in clouds of worry and impending doom. It delighted me every single time I read it, and yes, I still think about it!
Your debut novel, Play The Game, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
- Fast
- Fun
- Surprising
- Honest
- Healing
What can readers expect?
I hope they can expect the unexpected. There’s a lot of action and also a lot of emotion in the book. It’s a different kind of mystery, where the characters aren’t so much figuring out who did it, as who didn’t do it. And I think what they discover makes for an interesting twist.
Where did the inspiration for Play The Game come from?
I had a lot of inspirations for the book. The game idea was definitely one. I wanted to write something fun, and literally engaging, meaning the reader could actively play the game as they read. I also wanted to write something that would portray and be appealing to young Black men, because there isn’t enough literature that reflects their lives. And I wanted to write something that gave young people the chance to grapple with what it means to take control in their lives, even when the odds, and the sysems that are supposed to protect them, are working against them.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There are moments in Play the Game when the main character feels let down or betrayed by his friends and he has to decide what to do about it; confront, let go, pretend? Trust anyway? I love to write moments like that because we all have them, but in real life they go by quickly, and we may not have time to really think them through. Books can give us the chance to slow down and conider what it means to make that kind of choice.
What do you hope readers take away from Play The Game?
I want readers to walk away remembering – or realizing – that they can change the rules of the game, sometimes, when the rules aren’t fair. This can happen in big ways, like taking on systems that try to control us, or small ones, like insisting on authenticity in our relationships. I also want readers to walk away satisfied, because they’ve experienced a good story and they’ve felt a range of emotions along the way.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey of getting Play The Game published?
I finished Play the Game a year before I sold it. After an unsuccessful round of submissions to literary agents, I took a break, then revised the manuscript with fresh eyes. When I submitted again, I promised myself I woulnd’t get discouraged after a handful of rejections, as I had the first time. I created a spreadsheet with more than seventy relevant agencies and their guidelines, then reached out, one by one, until I found a fantastic agent. After that, the process moved quickly. I got a wonderful editor and have really enjoyed working with him to make the book stronger. It’s important to mention, I had help. I got an amazing mentor from the Author Mentor Match program, and had family support for spreadsheet development and handholding!
What’s next for you?
I’m working on my second YA novel, which is due out from HarperCollins in 2024. It’s realistic fiction, but very different from Play the Game. The protagonist in the new novel is a girl from small town New England who’s searching for her long lost, and deliberately hidden, family, in New York City. Like Play the Game, it’s been a lot of fun to write.
Lastly, are there any 2023 book releases our readers should look out for?
I’m currently reading This is Not A Personal Statement by Tracy Badua, which just came out in mid January. I’m loving it and highly recommend!
