We had the pleasure of chatting with debut author Rebecca Thorne about her middle grade release, The Secrets Star Whales, writing, book recommendations, and so much more!
Rebecca will be donating 10% of every paycheck she receives from The Secrets Star Whales to the incredible charity Hungry for Music, who provide instruments to kids who can’t otherwise afford them.
Hi, Rebecca! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hey!! I’m so thrilled to be here! Well, I work as a flight attendant normally—although I’m currently furloughed thanks to COVID-times. So these days, I spend my time editing one of my books, writing something new, researching real estate, or working at my current day job. My weekends are spent adventuring in the Arizona desert. I also have a dog, an awesome little yorkie who’s the best writing companion ever! I love travel and optimism and the sound of rain on an umbrella.
After the chaos that was 2020, have you set any goals for this year? If so, how are they going so far?
My goal this year is to hike 2 new spots each month! February was a wash, but I’m on track to meet March’s goal. Arizona is too pretty not to explore!
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!
AH! Those are all different books!!! The first book I remember reading was the Berenstain bears, back when they were spelled with an “Berenstein” instead of “Berenstain.” (Don’t get me started. LOL.)
The book that made me want to become an author was probably Ally Carter’s “I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You,” because her writing style made me realize that books can be light-hearted and fun instead of heavy and intense. I modelled a lot of my writing after her!
The book I can’t stop thinking about is stupid Gideon the Ninth. No spoilers, but what the heck.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I was eleven, I think? And I remember my older sister sitting down to “write a novel,” and I got jealous at how she was like, so intently focused on our ancient computer. I wanted to try, so I wrote a short story about a boy who went camping with his dad. Then I started a book about a girl who found a dragon egg. Long story short, my sister stopped writing, but I couldn’t quit. Haha!
Your debut novel, The Secrets of Star Whales, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Teacher kidnaps class, adventure ensues!
What can readers expect?
Oh, definitely small town politics, gossiping kids, smoke bombs, pranks, the wonders of music, poor handling of grief, insanely bad decision making, and… yes… whales in space!
Where did the inspiration for The Secrets of Star Whales come from?
I’m not going to lie—I watched School of Rock and legit thought, “How could I tell this story from the kids’ point of view?” And then, to make it more unique, I continued with, “What if, instead of music, he’s chasing whales in space?” And then I just pushed the idea further and further. I definitely spent most of the original draft listening to the School of Rock musical on repeat, and an attentive reader should absolutely notice the similarities.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
This book was honestly fairly easy to write. I got the idea in August and had a working draft by September. My agent and I edited through March, then subbed it. By July, we had a book contract! The editing process was shockingly smooth, because Mari (my editor) really understood the purpose and heart of the novel. We did multiple editing passes, and each one made the book so much better. But overall, I can’t really complain about this novel. It wasn’t the roughest to write by any means!
If it’s not too spoilery, were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Oh my gosh, YES. I absolutely adore Mr. Hames, their quirky, Doctor Who-like substitute teacher—I think one of my favorite scenes was when Max starts to realize based on conversations around him that Mr. Hames has had like, inquiring one-on-one time with each of the kids. And through those conversations, he’s helped every classmate improve as a person. Until that point, Max assumed Mr. Hames was targeting him specifically, asking the tough questions about the loss of his father, and that moment really makes Max realize he’s not the only one with problems.
What made you want to write a middle grade novel?
I actually always used to write Young Adult, so this was my first true foray into a middle grade book. I’d attempted it earlier with the Fantasy that got me my agent, but it was very poorly done because I didn’t realize how distinctive MG needs to be. I still bounce between MG and YA, but MG has a really soft spot in my heart for how encouraging they are. They can be simple and silly and optimistic, and that’s perfectly acceptable. YA always feels so heavy now, so it’s a nice change of pace!
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Yes!! Oh my gosh it was long. I started querying at 22 years old, on my tenth novel? Star Whales was my thirteenth. I queried three novels (and amassed over 215 rejection letters) before Kaitlyn Johnson (Belcastro Agency) signed me—and then that book never sold on submission. I’m going to just barely squeak in under my “get published before you’re 30” goal—my 30th birthday is in June! So basically, publishing took ages. The only thing I can say is that I never once gave up, and neither should you!!
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
The best advice is to never, ever tie your self-worth to how your novel does in the querying trenches. Waiting for that magical lightning strike is like asking depression and anxiety to move in and ruin your life. Keep yourself busy in the meantime, and find hobbies outside of writing that truly fill your soul!!
The worst advice was probably a query critique I received at my first-ever writers conference. A veteran author there offered to take a look, and I was so bright-eyed that I agreed. She ripped my query to shreds and basically told me I wasn’t ready to publish. She was right, in the end—that book wasn’t the one that got me an agent—but the way she approached that always stuck with me. Don’t ever let ANYONE tell you that your writing isn’t good enough. Just keep trying to improve your craft and don’t get overly attached to one book, and you’ll do just fine.
What’s next for you?
Well, my sister’s wedding is in a few days, and I’m getting a puppy in the middle of April, so those are exciting! 30th birthday should be a blast, too!! As for writing, I’m working through an incredibly weird YA novel about an ultra-powerful witch that stops all death on Earth, and the other ultra-powerful witch who’s trying to stop him. It’s incredibly odd—I based the writing style off Good Omens, and it has footnotes, omniscient narration, and 3 timelines… one of which is told in reverse. We’ll see how it pans out.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
READ GIDEON THE NINTH.
And prepare to be horrified. I cannot stop thinking about that stupid book.
