We chat with author Neal Shusterman about Break To You, which tells an intense yet tender story of two teens, trapped in impossible circumstances and unjust systems, willing to risk everything for love—no matter the consequences.
Hi, Neal! Welcome back! How have the past 18 months been since we last spoke?
Great–I’ve been traveling a lot. Between my tour for COURAGE TO DREAM (my first graphic novel) and book 2 of my middle grade NOAH Files, SHOCK THE MONKEY, (with Eric Elfman) I’ve been all over the US. I managed to visit 43 US schools in 1 month on the tour. Speaking with all those students and their educators was truly inspiring and made me want to get right back to writing. I was also thankful to do quite a few international events–Brazil, Switzerland, Poland, Spain, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, to name a few. I couldn’t be more grateful that visiting my readers allows me to share and experience so many of their cultures and countries. It’s certainly been busy though–good busy as long as I’m meeting my deadlines. I just finished my first draft for ALL BETTER NOW, my novel due out in February, and I’m working on a prequel for SCYTHE.
Your latest novel, Break to You, is out July 2nd and co-authored with Debra Young and Michelle Knowlden! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Five words huh? Okay — how about: Romeo and Juliet in Juvie.
What can readers expect?
While BREAK TO YOU could be considered a romance, I always try to write stories that transcend genre. And while romance is marketed mostly to girls, my personal challenge was to craft a romance that would be equally appealing to boys. With a strong female character in Adriana, and a strong male character in Jon, it strikes a balance and will hopefully reach a broad audience.
Where did the inspiration for Break to You come from?
Michelle Knowlden, Debra Young, and I wrote a lot of BREAK TO YOU in the midst of COVID lockdown. This gave us a wholly new and intimate perspective on how isolation affects a person’s mental health, their connection to others, their hope, and their humanity. We began to develop a teen’s perspective and how the isolation of incarceration might affect a developing person on a much larger and lasting scale. Since I’d previously visited incarcerated kids and the educators who advocated for them, I immediately thought of those lives and the story I’d been longing to write for them. This book is our declaration that they are seen, they are not forgotten, and that the future is still theirs to shape! Once those dots were connected, we felt compelled to bring light and humanity to young people facing one of the most brutal forms of systemic isolation in our country–the juvenile justice system.
Break to You is co-authored with Debra Young and Michelle Knowlden. Can you tell us a bit about how that collaborative process worked?
From the moment BREAK TO YOU was bought in the concept stage, I knew I wanted to work with Michelle, and our mutual friend Debra. (Michelle and I have worked together on stories in UnBound, and Gleanings.) The best part was that we were able to contribute our independent strengths narratively, with each of us writing our share, weaving it all together like a braid. We all did loads of research together and leaned on each other when we were digging into the depths of what these characters were going through emotionally. Sadly, our co-author Debra passed away prior to BREAK TO YOU’s release, but I’m honored to speak about her last written work with the same level of admiration and respect as I’ve always had for her. I met Debra over twenty-five years ago in the Fictionaires, a critique group in Orange County, California. As a writer, she was brilliant, her work spanning multiple genres, styles, and themes. It was always a pleasure when she shared her writing. While I wish she could have seen the completed book, I know she’s there on every page.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I have a hard time playing favorites with characters I’ve created, so I will try to give you three spoiler-free moments from three POVs in BREAK TO YOU. There’s a turning point where one of the main characters, Jon, confesses why he’s there, a moment when the other main character, Adriana, speaks through lyrics, and there’s a moment when a secondary character, Silas, stands up to the system, and really comes into his own.
What do you hope readers take away from Break to You?
We hope our readers will realize how broken the juvenile detention system is and that the kids in these systems are still kids full of hopes and dreams. And we want everyone to keep in mind that, since we did as much research as we did, we can confirm that alot of the things we portrayed in BREAK TO YOU are really happening in detention centers. There was a point where our editor had to do some independent research because she couldn’t believe that what we wrote could actually be happening in real life–such as kids in foster care being incarcerated, because there are no foster homes for them. It was important to me to reach kids in detention, so every stop on the tour includes a visit to a Juvenile Detention facility.
What’s next for you?
After the BREAK TO YOU tour–which takes me to Southern California, New York, Connecticut, Miami, North Florida, Chicago, Dallas and Houston)–I’m finally taking a bit of a break to host an informal writers’ retreat for some colleagues and close friends. (Well, I guess it’s not really a break, because we’ll all be writing!) I have a little more time to get caught up on various projects, including the development of SCYTHE as a TV series–and then I’m back on the tour trail for Fall! My first stops are Tokyo, Beijing, and Shanghai!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I recently got to view an ARC of Lamar Giles RUIN ROAD, and I can’t wait for it to be on shelves. It’s captivating and suspenseful. Right now I’m reading a non-fiction book about mutiny on the high seas, called The Wager by David Grann. I’m also going to try… for the third time… to read David Foster Wallace’s INFINITE JEST. We’ll see if I make it this time!
