We chat with Sabrina Kleckner, debut author of the upcoming middle grade The Art of Running Away, a tour de force featuring a 12-year-old girl called Maisie, a family-run art shop, two German Shepherds that are named German and Shephard and an estranged sibling relationship that adds new layers to the grumpy/sunshine dynamic. We chat to Sabrina about her writing journey, Shrek references, and upcoming projects!
Hi, Sabrina! Lovely to have you! Tell our readers a bit about yourself!
Hi, thanks for having me! I’m originally from New York City, but I’m currently an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher living in South Korea. I’m also the author of The Art of Running Away, a middle grade contemporary novel about family and identity. When I’m not teaching or writing, I’m pestering my family into showing me our three cats over FaceTime so I can squeal about how cute they are.
What sparked your writing journey? Did you always want to become an author?
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be an author—I’m pretty sure I wanted to write before I even learned how to read! I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but as a kid, my parents read to me every night. I loved listening to stories—at home, at school, at the library—so I think that’s where it all began.
Lightning round! What books do you think of when the following words come up: portrait, graffiti, estranged and hidden truths?
The Art of Running Away, of course! Jokes aside, there’s a book I haven’t read yet but am really excited for—Portrait of a Thief by Grace Li, which comes out in 2022. It’s about five college students attempting a heist to steal back stolen Chinese art from western museums, and it sounds fantastic.
Now, onto The Art of Running Away! What can readers expect?
Readers can expect:
- Estranged siblings with a ten-year age gap
- Discussions about identity and allyship
- A grumpy/sunshine character dynamic
- Two secondary characters who share one braincell (but it’s a very smart braincell)
- Possibly too many Shrek references
- Much angst! but also much humor!
The Art of Running Away is your debut novel. What were some challenges you faced during the writing/querying process? What memory do you look fondly back on?
Querying this book was difficult because although I truly felt like it was the best thing I’d ever written, it didn’t do as well in the query trenches as my previous manuscript. Although that other book never resulted in an offer of representation, it garnered a good amount of positive feedback from agents. The Art of Running Away is a quieter story, and its many form rejections reflected that. By this point I’d been writing for ten years and querying for four, and although that isn’t anything abnormal in the publishing industry, the lack of forward progression was really starting to take a toll on me. I’d actually decided to take a break from writing right before my agent offered me representation, so receiving that “can we set up a call?” email was by far one of the best moments of my life.
This book has got it all – a sassy main character, an adventure in Edinburgh and London and a sibling relationship that jumps off the pages. What inspired you to write The Art of Running Away?
I wrote this book as my senior thesis in college, which was right after I spent a semester studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh. Scotland is my favorite place ever—I absolutely loved living there, and I missed it the second my plane touched back down in America. When it came time to brainstorm ideas for my thesis novel, I knew I wanted to set it at least partially in Edinburgh. I’d also previously lived in London and loved it there as well, so I had the idea to write something that spanned both cities. I then needed to come up with reasons for why my characters would be travelling from one city to the other, and Maisie and Calum evolved from there!
Speaking of sibling relationships – I adored the grumpy/sunshine dynamic between Maisie and her brother Calum! Family secrets abound in your debut novel and watching it all unravel was amazing, in part because of Calum and Maisie’s relationship. How did you go about the sibling relationship? Did you do research or do you have siblings yourself that inspired Maisie and Calum?
The Art of Running Away is my first published novel, but the two manuscripts I wrote before it also centered around siblings. It’s a relationship with intense and often conflicting emotions—you can deeply hate and be jealous of a sibling while simultaneously loving them unconditionally—and I think that’s such a fun dynamic to play with. I didn’t do any research while developing Maisie and Calum’s relationship, but I do have a younger brother, so I’m sure that subconsciously helped (especially with the bickering and bantering)!
While this book sure does have its moments where tears are inevitable, there are also a lot of scenes that made me laugh out loud – in particular, those that included Shrek references. Without spoiling too much, what was your favorite scene to write for The Art of Running Away?
I loved writing every scene where Maisie and Calum are together. They have such different personalities yet both so desperately want to get to know each other, and the earnestness and hilarity that ensues from that dynamic was so much fun to explore. I also have to mention the chapter titled “My Brother Lied About Shrek.” When I first sent it to my agent I got an immediate, “SABRINA NO” response. But it did in fact make it past copy edits, so be sure to look forward to that!
With The Art of Running Away releasing soon, are you already working on another project? If so, can you share a tidbit about it with us?
To be honest I’ve had a hard time writing this year and haven’t made a ton of progress on new projects. But I recently decided to revisit an old manuscript and, although it needs a complete rewrite, I’m very excited about it! I won’t say too much yet, but like The Art of Running Away (and apparently everything I write), it’s a sibling story.
Last but not least, do you have some book recommendations for our readers?
For middle grade, I’m a huge fan of Ana on the Edge by A.J. Sass. I would also recommend putting Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith on your radar (no release date yet but it will be published soon by Labyrinth Road/Penguin Random House)!
Some other books I’ve read and loved recently are The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, and One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston.
This book is on my TBR! 😄