Interview with Greg Howard The Whispers
INTERVIEW WITH GREG HOWARD
THE WHISPERS
First, congratulations on the release of your powerful new novel, The
Whispers. It’s exciting to see it so
well-received by reviewers, and I wondered if there’s a line or two from a
reviewer that really captures what you’d hoped a reader would experience in the
book?
Brooks Benjamin, author of MY
SEVENTH GRADE LIFE IN TIGHTS wrote the blurb on the back of the book and I
think it captures the essence of The
Whispers. He said, “This book is a reassuring hug for any kid who’s had to
grow up a little too fast. It’s a reminder that magic is never more than a
light breeze away. It’s a story full of hope.”
I love that. Thank you. Can you share a bit about the evolution of
this book of hope? How it came to
be? The original seed for the story?
The inspiration for the story was
my mother. I had written a sort of racy gay young adult rom-com for Simon &
Schuster called Social Intercourse,
and although it probably would have been smart to follow that up with another
like it, I had this idea for The Whispers
that I couldn’t get out of my head. My mother was the original inspiration for
the book and what I went through as a kid after she died of cancer at the age
of twenty-six. My main character Riley’s story is quite different from mine,
but I did borrow heavily from my life and experiences. We didn’t have a
guaranteed home for the book and I’d never attempted to write middle grade
before, but my agent, Bri Johnson, believed in the idea and encouraged me to
write it anyway. Bri has amazing editorial insights, so after I sent her my
first (very rough) draft, she guided and advised me on how to make the story
better, stronger, and deeper.
In terms of later stage writing process did the book continue to evolve
after acquisition? Any surprises there
for you?
Well after acquisition is when all the heavy lifting begins. My editor
at Putnam/Penguin, Stacey Barney, is an amazing (and tough!) editor. Her
insights and direction were really spot-on, so there wasn’t ever any push-back from
me. She helped me round out characters, deepen the emotion, and fine tune the
story. The surprise for me was that after Stacey’s notes, I ended up adding
about ninety pages to the book. Now I can’t imagine the book without those
additional words.
Your book takes on subjects that include grief, sexuality, trauma,
religion, and more of course. Could you
share a bit about your commitment to these subjects for a middle-grade
audience?
It’s really pretty simple for me.
Kids in the middle grades are dealing with issues of grief, sexuality, trauma,
religion, etc., so why wouldn’t I
write about them? I think it does a disservice to those kids if we as writers
of middle grade fiction steer clear of tough topics that our readers struggle with
on a daily basis.
I feel the same. Can
you talk about any challenges?
I think the challenge you always
have when writing middle grade fiction is creating something that is entirely
authentic to the middle grade voice and experience, while also making it an
engaging read for adults. I think it’s important for adults to read middle
grade books (as well as young adult books) so they understand what their kids
are going through and are able to discuss these issues freely, intelligently,
and empathetically with them.
Thanks so much for writing this poignant and brave book, and I hope it
makes its way to many readers. We will
be cheering it on as it moves through the world.
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