When I was a teenager, books written for teens were in very short supply. Things kind of jumped from adventure stories about smugglers and dragons straight on to glitzy blockbuster novels for adults, with nothing very much in between... so for a while, in my early teens, I abandoned novels. Instead I was hooked on a popular British teen mag, which had lots of fiction and seemed far more in touch with the reality of my life. At 15 or 16, I discovered JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye and my love of novels took off again. I do think kids these days are very look to have such a great range of tween/teen/YA fiction to choose from!
Would you say your reading as a teenager has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?
I wasn't just a reader - spent a huge part of my teens writing stories and sending them off to the teen mag I loved so much, so yes, that had a huge impact on my writing. I learned to tailor a story for a particular market, and to write clean, concise fiction that would hook the reader in quickly. My first magazine short story was published at 16, so I was doing something right!
What did you do before you became a published teen/young adult novelist, and how did you come to write your first teen/young adult novel and get it published?
I went to art college and trained to be an illustrator... then landed a job on legendary UK mag Jackie (yes, the same one I'd plagued with stories throughout my teens!) After a couple of years I left and became an art teacher, freelancing as a writer and illustrator in my spare(!) time. As part of the freelancing, I was agony aunt for another teen mag for 12 years, and married and raised a family too. I've loved most of the jobs I've done (apart from a brief stint as a very clueless waitress!) but writing is the best by far.
I had been attempting to write a book length story for years, but it was only in 2003 that I managed to get past the first few chapters phase and complete something. A friend nagged me to send it to an agent, and the agent then had six children's publishers all wanting to buy it... real pinch-me-I'm-dreaming stuff. That's where my career as children's/teen author began.
How would you describe your style of teen/young adult fiction or your approach to writing teen/young adult fiction?
I write about the things that matter to me - friendship, family, feelings... and all in a real-life setting. When I am writing, I don't think too much about who will be reading it, I just focus totally on the character and their story. I write first-person present tense, which helps to keep me very involved in the character and story, and seems to do the same for readers also.
Who is another author whose teen/young adult fiction you admire and why?
There are many... I am a big fan of US authors like Sharon Creech, David Levithan and Jerry Spinelli and also Aussie YA author Jaclyn Moriarty. All write about emotions, and all have a beauty of prose and an ability to craft strong, powerful stories. I am also in awe of Aussie children's author Morris Gleitzman who can handle very difficult subjects with a unique sensitivity and humour.
How would you summarise one of your teen/young adult novels in one paragraph?
Hmmm... I am not too good at summarizing... that's why I write novels! I'll try, perhaps with my novel Gingersnaps. It is a novel about plump, red-haired Ginger Brown who has been bullied in primary school for her name and her looks. At high school she re-invents herself and befriends one of the cool crowd, but that friendship is threatened when eccentric new boy Sam Taylor decides he likes Ginger too. Ginger thinks she has solved all of her problems, but she still has a lot to learn about individuality, loyalty and being true to herself...
How would you describe the appeal of this novel to teen/young adult readers?
My readers can particularly identify with this book as many have felt unsure of themselves or on the edge of things at some point in their young lives. It's a school story, too, and they like that! The strongly individual boy character, Sam, is somewhere on the borders between cool and weird, yet my readers love him. This book makes them think again about popularity and fitting in, and encourages them to be individuals.
How would you summarise a chapter from this novel in one paragraph?
The first chapter was the one I would always read aloud to school/book festival audiences when I was promoting this book. In this chapter, Ginger looks back to her 11th birthday and a disastrous ice-rink party where only two of the long list of invited guests turned up. Ginger is overjoyed to see some of the cool girls from her class on the ice, and skates over to greet them, only to find they have turned up not to help her celebrate but to bully and humiliate her. Whenever I read this chapter, the kids would be silent, wide-eyed, listening to the story of that awful birthday and feeling Ginger's shame. It's a great starting point for school discussions on bullying, too.
How would you describe the contribution this chapter makes to the novel?
It is a flashback chapter and shows why Ginger acts the way she does in high school. The bullying may be behind her, but the damage has been done, and her self-esteem is shaky. Her journey to believe in herself and trust her own instincts and judgements is only just beginning.
To what extent would you say fiction written primarily for young readers is different from fiction written primarily for adult readers?
I don't think there is a huge difference, but then my favoured reading would always be children's or YA novels! There is a simplicity of language that I love about many teen books, too. Good writing is good writing - no matter what age group it is aimed at - and it's OK for adults to read kid's books. Who knows, they might learn something!
Author website: www.cathycassidy.com
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