Greetings, I’m Lewis Buzbee, guest-blogger for the day.
Guest blogger: Lewis Buzbee.
It’s true, I’ve hi-jacked James Preller’s blog to bring you a very cool conversation with Mr. Preller (he makes me call him that) about his newest book, Before You Go (Macmillan, July 2012), which is his first Young Adult novel. I’ve taken control here because Mr. Preller is a very generous writer who frequently trumpets and supports the work of his fellow writers, and I figure it was time to hear from him. James has interviewed me twice, and our conversations have been so enjoyable, so thoughtful, I wanted to turn the tables, see what he had to say.
Before You Go, I must tell you, is a deliciously good book, whether you call it YA or not. It centers on a tough summer in the life of Jude, who has to face all of the toughest questions — what is love, what is death, what comes next? It’s everything a novel should be; it’s funny, moving, troubling, smart, and illuminating. Forget the labels, it’s a beautiful novel, and you should read it.
James, you’ve written picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels; Before You Go is your first Young Adult novel. Why now?
Before You Go was the most logical step in a haphazard career path. You could argue that writing older and longer has been a gradual process for me, roughly parallel to the growth of my own children (Maggie, 11, Gavin, 12, Nick, 19). But you asked, “Why now?” and frankly I don’t have an easy answer for that. Except: opportunity. I’m lucky to have an editor, Liz Szabla, who doesn’t look to put me in a box or turn me into a brand. She supports my randomness.
How was writing Young Adult different?
I felt that writing for young adults came closest to my natural voice. I loved going back to my 16-year-old self, tapping into that rich and vigorous vein. So many ideas and feelings and memories bubbled forth. First love, big emotions, friendships, wild times, painful times, all of it. Location became central to this story, and I set it in my hometown, including real places I’d been. That trip out to the Amityville Horror House, for example, that’s something many of us Long Island kids did in our boredom, in our driving-around-looking-for-something-to-do lives. I am instantly transported back into that car with my high school friends, Kevin, Eric, Billy, and Jim –- a bunch of guys, a little lost, trying to figure out Saturday night.
Similarities between our time and the Great Depression era are extending beyond the fiscal crisis.
My latest New York Times Magazine mini-column looks at a sandstorm, “Steinbeck-ish in its arrival,” that rolled through Lubbock, Texas last month, as a harbinger of a possible impending (and permanent) Southwestern Dust-Bowlification. “I expected at any moment to see a line of Model Ts coming through headed to California,” a city councilman said. “It really did look like pictures I had seen of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.”
See (and hear) also a tour of Grapes of Wrath country as of 2009 and Woody Guthrie’s “Talking Dust Bowl Blues” (above).
Thought a celebration would be a great way to return from vacation! I'm celebrating my daughter's birthday today. Who knew so many years ago when I held her for the very first time that we'd be living on opposite coasts when she grew up. I'm so proud of her and all the adventures she's had in her life. She's truly happy and that makes me happy too! A mother's dream come true.
I didn't go anywhere on my blogcation this year. As we are in perpetual motion these days, it was vacation enough to settle into this new place and enjoy where we are here and now. I had adventures and learned new things about myself and about my dreams which is what all good vacations are all about.
I love Summer. Although I am missing the hotter than hot weather and that sort of light-headed, simpler-time feel I would get walking down Big Sur's wildflower-lined dirt roads, there's something special about walking down to The Bay and the feel of such an historical place. A friend gave me a great book about Steinbeck called JOHN STEINBECK, WRITER, A BIOGRAPHY by Jackson J Benson. It talks about the people who lived on the streets where we live. It talks about what went on here when Joseph Campbell [who would become one of the foremost authorities on mythology] had "decided to see something of the world and ended up broke and without any resources in Monterey" during The Great Depression and became friends with John Steinbeck and Doc Ricketts and the parties they would have. Their discussions were a form of recreational escape, during the time when Steinbeck was gathering material for TORTILLA FLAT and CANNERY ROW. In fact the book indicates that the party scene in CANNERY ROW might have been inspired by the party cooked up by John and Ed as Joseph's first drinking party.
It's good to be "back." Hope you all are having a wonderful Summer, filled with quiet moments and celebrations too!
