Interview with Katrina Leno, Author of The Umbrella Maker's Son

Thanks for joining us at Smack Dab in the Middle! Please start with the obvious–a quick synopsis of The Umbrella Maker’s Son.

 

The Umbrella Maker’s Son tells the story of Oscar who is—of course—the son of an umbrella maker! Oscar’s family has been making quality, beautiful (and pricey!) umbrellas for generations and generations, and that makes sense, because it’s always raining where they live. But when a new competitor starts making low quality umbrellas at a very cheap price, the family business is threatened. And it’s only getting rainier and rainier in Roan. Could there be something behind the foul weather? Could there be…something causing all the rain?

 

This is such a fresh, original concept–what was the inspiration? Where did the idea come from?

 

I love the rain and I really love the idea of a city that has adapted to sustain a pretty intense weather cycle. I live in Los Angeles now, where it’s usually pretty sunny, but about ten years ago I lived in Scotland, where it rains quite a lot. I loved the experience of leaving my apartment on a sunny day and then, out of nowhere—rain! I miss the rain now and I just wanted to immerse myself in that world again. I look at it as similar to Narnia, where it’s always snowing. How do the townspeople deal with it? Are they happy? Sad? Always wet? It was such an interesting world to explore!

 

You’re no stranger to the writing world, but The Umbrella Maker’s Son is your first MG. Why write for younger readers this time? What about the book lends itself to being better suited for MG?

 

There is a quirkiness and a silliness and an anything-goes-iness that I’ve always loved about MG books. Some of my favorite stories in the world were made for younger readers, and I find myself, as an adult, revisiting them often, whenever I need a warm hug in the form of a book. Plus I think this age group has so much to offer. It was really a joy to write my first middle grade!

 

I’m a complete writing craft nerd, and I love to hear about process. There are so many drafting techniques available now–I’ve even heard from a writer who drafts while jogging, dictating into a phone! How do you draft? Plotter? Pantser? A mix?

 

I’m usually a pantser, but for The Umbrella Maker’s Son, I actually had a pretty good idea of the entire plot, from start to finish! I never really sit down and write an outline or anything, I like to just dive into the writing process and see how things evolve from the empty page. Of course there are downsides to that—a lot of editing!—but it’s always worked for me. And whenever we had a cloudy or rainy day in Los Angeles, I’d make sure to go for a walk for some extra inspiration. :)

 

What about revision? Some books require more than others–we’ve all faced enormous revision undertakings (tossing half the books, etc.) How much did The Umbrella Maker’s Son require? How did you tackle it? (I’ve even gone so far as to retype entire manuscripts in order to get through a major revision.) 

 

Yes, the dreaded revision process! Actually, I think The Umbrella Maker’s Son is unique because I first came up with the idea almost two decades ago (!!). Throughout the years, I’ve written various drafts and short stories and graphic novel pitches all set in this world, so it was really a story I was constantly thinking about, constantly tweaking, and constantly revising. At one point it was going to be a retelling of the Pygmalion myth! Because of all that behind-the-scenes work, once I sat down to write this version of the story, I had a pretty strong grasp on what I wanted to do. There are a lot of action scenes in the book, and I’d say those are the parts I spent the most time editing—because I’ve never really written action scenes before! It was challenging to get them exactly right.

 

Every book teaches the writer something–what was the biggest lesson of The Umbrella Maker’s Son?

 

I’d like to think The Umbrella Maker’s Son teaches people to trust their instincts and to never be explore where those instincts are leading you...

 

What do you hope that the reader takes from The Umbrella Maker’s Son?

 

There are strong themes of relationships in this book, because I love writing about people and their friends and family (and enemies!). I love to write about characters messing up and finding their way and apologizing and making up and growing and constantly learning how to be the best version of themselves. I hope my readers take that message away with them: that they can (and should!) constantly be evolving. We are here to learn and to grow, always!

 

What’s next?

 

I’m working on a few secret projects! I’d love to write another MG, return to YA, and maybe even work on an adult book (eventually!).

 

Where can we find you?

 

I’m mostly on Instagram (@KatrinaLenoBooks) because if I do too much social media, I start to get overwhelmed and anxious! So you can always find me there sharing photos of my new kittens (Moose and Seaweed) and working on my daily morning pages. And my website has more info about all my other books – KatrinaLeno.com.

 

Thank you for having me!

 

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