“Middleview” Interview with Debut Author Elisabeth Dahl
Posted
by Tamera Wissinger
Today, Elisabeth
Dahl is joining Smack Dab In The Middle Blog for a guest “middleview” interview.
Elisabeth’s debut middle grade novel GENIE WISHES, Amulet Books/ABRAMS, releases in two days, on 4/02/2013!
Congratulations, Elisabeth!
Here is
Elisabeth’s official biography:
Middle Grade Author Elisabeth Dahl |
Elisabeth Dahl writes for children and adults from her home in Baltimore,
Maryland, where she lives with her family. GENIE WISHES is her first book. Her
shorter pieces have appeared at NPR.org, at TheRumpus.net, in Little
Patuxent Review, and elsewhere.
Here’s a description of GENIE WISHES:
This sweet, funny novel follows fifth-grader Genie
Kunkle through a tumultuous year. From the first day of school, Genie knows
there will be good, bad, and in-between. The good? She’s in homeroom with her
best friend, Sarah. The bad? Sarah’s friend from camp, Blair, is a new student
at their school, and is itching to take Genie’s place as Sarah’s BFF. The
in-between? Genie is excited to be elected to write her class’s blog, where
she’s tasked with tracking the wishes and dreams of her class. But expressing
her opinion in public can be scary—especially when her opinion might make the
rest of her class upset.
Elisabeth Dahl authentically captures the ups and
downs of a tween girl’s life, and the dramas—both little and big—that fill the
scary transition between childhood and adolescence.
Here are the links
to Elisabeth online: Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Website And as a special bonus, here is the link to
the GENIE WISHES book trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=etqOnGzE39Y
Now it’s
time to hear from our guest:
Smack
Dab Middleview with GENIE WISHES author Elisabeth Dahl
1.
What does your main character, Genie, want?
Genie
wants to do a good job as class blogger and get through fifth grade happily
without being forced to grow up faster than she's ready to.
2.
What is in Genie's way?
There's
a boy-crazy and kind of mean new girl in the class, Blair, who wants Genie's
longtime best friend, Sarah, all to herself, and that's a problem. But Blair's
arrival is just one of the many changes that are occurring within the fifth
grade. For instance, popularity is playing a bigger role than it ever has
before, and puberty (a word the whole class hates) is rumbling like an
earthquake beneath the surface.
3.
Did you know right away that this was your story, or did you discover it as you
wrote? How did the story evolve?
I
discovered it as I wrote it. The story began with a girl (Genie) and a scenario
(she's elected to be her class blogger) and my impulse to create line drawings
that would be Genie's. Originally, the story was rather episodic. I worked with
my agent and editor to give it more of a narrative arc.
4.
Was GENIE WISHES always for middle grade readers or not? If so, why did you
choose middle grade? If not, what had to change for it to be considered a
middle grade novel?
I
didn't know the term "middle grade" when I started the book (I
learned it as I prepared to query agents), but yes, this was always the age
group I was thinking of.
5.
What is the best part of writing for middle grade readers?
Oh,
they're just so charming and devoted. They disappear so deeply into a
story.
Thank you for joining us for a Middleview at
Smack Dab Blog, Elisabeth. Again, congratulations on the release of GENIE
WISHES! We’ll look for it soon on bookshelves!
Many thanks, Tamera...
ReplyDeleteI love "charming and devoted" as a way to describe MG readers. So true.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book! I loved reading about how the story evolved. Happy book birthday tomorrow, GENIE WISHES!
ReplyDelete