ALAN Online

Chat Transcript for Mary Pearson Author Chat
4/25/07

 

Welcome! You have entered [ALAN Book Chat] at 8:59 pm

 [] 9:03 pm: The only guideline I want to remind people of is that Mary gets to type as long as she wants and we don't interrupt until she tells we can with a GA for go ahead.

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[] 9:03 pm: does any

[Mary Pearson] 9:03 pm: Hey Tinna!

[tmills] 9:04 pm: Hi!

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[Mary Pearson] 9:04 pm: You're a great kibitzer, David. : )

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[] 9:05 pm: Mary, I know you have two other teen books, which did you write first?

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[Mary Pearson] 9:06 pm: I wrote David v. God first–well at least that is the first one that was published. Before that I wrote a long historical that is still in a drawer. GA

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[tmills] 9:06 pm: OOOH, I LOVE historical stuff. Any plans to ever publish that one?

[] 9:07 pm: What era - historical?

[Mary Pearson] 9:07 pm: Maybe, Tinna. It had a lot of problems but it has a lot of heart too, and still the favorite of some of my first readers. My problem is I am always in the middle of something else so

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[Mary Pearson] 9:08 pm: I haven't gone back to it yet. One of these days I keep telling myself I will. It is set in California during the collapse of the mission system.

[Mary Pearson] 9:08 pm: GA

[] 9:08 pm: I know you have written a whole book on Zoe, but can you tell us more about her? She is such a strong individual

[tmills] 9:09 pm: male or female protagonist?

[Mary Pearson] 9:09 pm: Oh boy, I guess I could say that Zoe is a survivor, though at times while I was writing it, I wasn't sure

[Mary Pearson] 9:10 pm: if she would actually survive. I found her to be very soft in many ways–a soft spot ofr mama for sure–but she had that steel resolve to make it too. GA

[Hubby] 9:11 pm: If you were not sure

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[Mary Pearson] 9:11 pm: (tinna, it was a female protag)

[] 9:11 pm: I new she would make it! It was intriguing following her path!

[Mary Pearson] 9:11 pm: Also, on Zoe, a lot of people have asked me

[] 9:11 pm: There is such a wide range of character types–I loved Opal but would like someione to do a comparision between here and grandma

[Mary Pearson] 9:12 pm: if I am her, but no, not exactly thought certainly at times we shared similar viewpoints.

[Hubby] 9:12 pm: Sorry–If you were not sure, does that mean you didn't outine the book first, that you let the character dictate how the book progresses?

[] 9:12 pm: I wish Opal was my grandma! I think she had a history similar to Zoe. But Grandma is a piece of work!

[Mary Pearson] 9:13 pm: I loved Opal too! Another survivor!

[Rollie] 9:13 pm: Hi everyone…..I will try to catch up here.

[Mary Pearson] 9:13 pm: I think her and Grandma both had difficult lives, but the way the approached them were entirely different

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[Mary Pearson] 9:14 pm: Opal had a rough beginning like Zoe but was willing to move past it. I think Zoe could see that, whereas Grandma kept trying to reinvent and manipulate the past.

[] 9:14 pm: Its Grandma's connection to Mama that is unique, I think.

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[Mary Pearson] 9:14 pm: If I am missing questions as we go, forgive me, I am trying to read back and see what has passed by.

[] 9:15 pm: I think grandma connection to Mama is far too common

[bluemalibu] 9:15 pm: hello

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[] 9:15 pm: hi, welcome

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[Mary Pearson] 9:16 pm: Hubby, yes that is right, no outlining. I just tried to listen to Zoe and the story as I went. It is kind of a scary way to write. I tried not to allow myself to

[Mary Pearson] 9:16 pm: even think ahead, but of course, some times I did. At one point I imagined Zoe dying, but I was so glad she didn't. She was a survivor.

[bluemalibu] 9:16 pm: Mary, did you find after you wrote it, that you went back and outlined as a proactive strategy to see if it all played out, or did you just know?

[tmills] 9:16 pm: do you write all your books that way?

[Mary Pearson] 9:17 pm: CJ, I agree with you about that connection being too common!

[] 9:17 pm: Only one rule, let the author finish her thoughts, whe will signal with GA for go ahead before you ask another question

[bluemalibu] 9:18 pm: oh sorry!

[Mary Pearson] 9:18 pm: I have seen it so many times. Parents who cannot see their children for what they are because it is too painful, or they are willing to sacrifice a whole family so save one.

[Mary Pearson] 9:18 pm: GA

[Mary Pearson] 9:18 pm: Blue Malibu, No I didn't go back

[] 9:19 pm: Blue>

[bluemalibu] 9:19 pm: ?

[bluemalibu] 9:19 pm: ok thanks

[] 9:19 pm: Hmmm… I meant unique in the difference between Opal and Grandma. Opal didn't have that - I don't believe.

[] 9:19 pm: tmills, your question

[Mary Pearson] 9:19 pm: and outline. Gawd, by then I was so exhausted I couldn't think of such a thing! ; )

[Mary Pearson] 9:20 pm: And I had also done a lot of rewriting as I went. Of course I had crits and revisions after that too–that helped shape it further. GA

[] 9:20 pm: How long did it take to write Lorelei Street?

[Mary Pearson] 9:21 pm: CJ, it took me two years to complete a first draft. During that time I had set it aside for a few months because my mother became ill, but for

[Mary Pearson] 9:21 pm: the most part it took two years, plus more if you count revisions.

[Mary Pearson] 9:21 pm: GA

[] 9:21 pm: As far as the setting, I loved the little town feeling, how much time have you spent in little towns?

[Mary Pearson] 9:22 pm: When I was growing up we spent every summer or a large part of it at my grandmother's house in Lake Isabella, which is a real small, fishing, cowboy town. That is where

[Mary Pearson] 9:23 pm: the aqueduct comes in. Scary to think about it, but we used to walk the beams.

[bluemalibu] 9:23 pm: wow!

[Mary Pearson] 9:23 pm: My grandmother was a bit like Opal–definitely on the quirky side. GA

[Hubby] 9:23 pm: Mary, where did the character of Zoe come from in the first place? How did she enter your imaginative world?

[] 9:23 pm: Did you get the rush that Zoe gets?

[Mary Pearson] 9:24 pm: Oh, no. I was scared to death. Actually, I was quite young and my cousin would CARRY me across. I don't think I breathed the whole time. It was a very dangerous thing to do. True that no

[Mary Pearson] 9:25 pm: one who falls in ever survives. That always stuck with me. GA

[tmills] 9:25 pm: Do you write all of your books w/o an outline or only Lorelei Street?

[David Gill] 9:25 pm: What are you working on now? :read:

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[Mary Pearson] 9:26 pm: Yes, I write them all without an outline. Actually with Scribble of Dreams I sort of mapped it out, but it ended up not going the way I thought so

[Mary Pearson] 9:26 pm: now I just go with the flow and listen to the character and the story.

[Mary Pearson] 9:27 pm: David, now I am working on another YA of course, very different than

[Mary Pearson] 9:27 pm: my others–sort of a quirky, larger than life type of story that deals with coincidence. And of course soon I

[Mary Pearson] 9:28 pm: will be working on copyedits for The Adoration of Jenna Fox which comes out next spring. GA

[Hubby] 9:28 pm: Mary, where did the character of Zoe come from in the first place? How did she enter your

imaginative world?

[Mary Pearson] 9:29 pm: Hubby, she came in bits and pieces. First I heard her voice and then

[Mary Pearson] 9:30 pm: I got an image of a girl looking at a house with a very tired resigned feeling about her. I let that image

[Mary Pearson] 9:30 pm: simmer for a while, because I don't just on every little idea that comes into my head.

[Mary Pearson] 9:31 pm: Since I know I will have to stick with it for a long time in order to finish the whole story, I want to make sure it

[Hubby] 9:31 pm: Do you think here's a way that English teachers can teach students how to hear voices like that?

[Mary Pearson] 9:31 pm: keeps nagging at me! A story must nag in order to make it for the long haul. Zoe did. I felt her ache and it wouldn't go away so I said,

[Mary Pearson] 9:32 pm: okay, I'll listen. Tell me your story, and she did. I am not saying that in a mystical

[Mary Pearson] 9:32 pm: sort of way. Just that I don't know exactly the whole mystery of writing and how it works–I am sure there is a scientific explanation about how ideas

[Mary Pearson] 9:33 pm: form in our heads, or maybe I was just giving my subconscious time to work, but however this whole process works, it takes time and a whole lot of faith. GA

[Hubby] 9:34 pm: I'm sorry I interrupted you before. I'll ask again: Do you think here's a way that English teachers can teach students how to hear voices like you do?

[Mary Pearson] 9:34 pm: Absolutely!

[Mary Pearson] 9:35 pm: I think one thing that we don't often give students (and I used to be a teacher) is

[Mary Pearson] 9:35 pm: time to let stories percolate. Of course in a classroom you have limited time, but one thing I would do is tell students not to think

[] 9:36 pm: lol

[] 9:36 pm: Hubby, I think kids need time to learn to listen to their imagination! They are soooo busy they forget to listen to the creative side! Mary you obviously have a gift and an imagination!

[Mary Pearson] 9:36 pm: about where a story is going, but just listen to HOW the character sounds, their unique

[Mary Pearson] 9:36 pm: voice patterns, phrases, sileneces, etc

[Mary Pearson] 9:37 pm: so that they can really get to know the character, and not be "putting words" in their mouths to fit the story that they envision. Listen. What would that character REALLY say?

[Mary Pearson] 9:38 pm: Teachers may not like this ; ) but an ipod and music could be a very useful writing aid. Truly. GA

[Rollie] 9:38 pm: It is a great book to booktalk to older teens, 10th grade and above. Zoe's voice when read aloud hits home.

[Mary Pearson] 9:39 pm: Thanks, Rollie. I agree about the 10th grade and above too.

[Mary Pearson] 9:39 pm: GA

[] 9:39 pm: anyone sitting on a question?

[Mary Pearson] 9:40 pm: I know I missed a few that wer racing by. Sorry. GA

[] 9:40 pm: I really liked reid. I taught 10th grade and he fits right in.

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[] 9:40 pm: I was hoping that the Carlos connection would work.

[] 9:41 pm: I didn't think Zoe needed another person to take care of her just yet.

[Mary Pearson] 9:41 pm: Poor Reid. He had a crush on Zoe. I like him too. And Shelah, maybe Carlos will show up in Brownsville. who knows.

[] 9:42 pm: Boy, I hope so, But can he forgive her?

[Hubby] 9:42 pm: Mary, have you received any criticism for including the prostitution scene in the book?

[Mary Pearson] 9:42 pm: I agree, CJ. Her life was so full of complicated relationships, she needed some time on her own to sort everything out.

[] 9:43 pm: Her teacher, who refused to say her name correctly> seemed like another grandmother type. tell us about her?

[Mary Pearson] 9:43 pm: No, Hubby, not one word of criticism. Funny, even though I know teachincally it was

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[Mary Pearson] 9:44 pm: prostitution, I never thought of it that way. This was just blind survival in Zoe's eyes. And maybe because the scene fit, it didn't raise the ire of anyone.

[David Gill] 9:45 pm: Oops, looks like the server hiccuped.

[Mary Pearson] 9:45 pm: Oh boy, CJ, now Mrs. Garrett was one of those people with her own agenda.

[] 9:45 pm: Did everyone just leave for a parrty?

[Hubby] 9:45 pm: There's no doubt that it fits. But you know how censors are–logic is irrelevant.

[Rollie] 9:46 pm: I think an underlying theme is "control" Teacher, creepy diner guy, grandma….

[Mary Pearson] 9:46 pm: She was so focused on control of her classroom, she couldn't see the fabric of students who were part of it.

[] 9:46 pm: well said

[Mary Pearson] 9:47 pm: I think we have all met "Mrs Garretts" who have forgotten what teaching is all about. GA

[Rollie] 9:47 pm: But Zoe is struggling to control her own life.

[David Gill] 9:47 pm: Mary, what effect, if any, has having a blog and a website had on your career?

[] 9:47 pm: I think everyone can relate to the control issue… I can remember a time of rebelling only her's was for survival.

[Mary Pearson] 9:47 pm: Ha, CJ, I think American Idol is on–maybe they have bounced someone ; )

[] 9:47 pm: What about mama? Did her husband's death break her?

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[Mary Pearson] 9:49 pm: Absolutely, Rollie. So Zoe and Mrs. Garrett were at complete odds. But I give the teen a little more slack than a grownup who should know better.

[Mary Pearson] 9:49 pm: David, I am not sure how a blog has affected my writing career, although recently when I was strugging over whether

[Mary Pearson] 9:50 pm: to include a prologue in JENNA FOX, it sure came in handy when I polled people on their thoughts. Blogs are like a water cooler too, a place to chat because writing can be very lonely.

[Mary Pearson] 9:51 pm: CJ, that is how I felt. That Mama already had a drinking problem, but when her husband died, it put her over the edge. And who knows what demons she was living with since she threw him out on the night of his death. Lots of guilt at least. GA

[Hubby] 9:52 pm: Boy, I want to read Mary's blog tomorrow to see what she says about all the strange questions she was asked from all us weird people tonight!!!

[Hubby] 9:52 pm: :cat:

[] 9:52 pm: Mary, we only have a few minutes left. Anything you want to say or plug/

[Mary Pearson] 9:53 pm: ha! No strange questions! ; ) But a warning, it you come to my blog I may put you to work with questions of my own!

[Hubby] 9:53 pm: Oh-oh.

[Nadean] 9:54 pm: thanks for sharing and allowing us to send so many questions at once

[David Gill] 9:54 pm: Want to post a link to your blog, Mary?

[Mary Pearson] 9:54 pm: Yes, I hope you will all watch for my next book THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX. We have already had some early excitment about this book–some film interest–and I personally

[Mary Pearson] 9:54 pm: love this story a lot.

[Mary Pearson] 9:54 pm: And thank you all for taking the time to read

[tmills] 9:55 pm: it was our pleasure

[Mary Pearson] 9:55 pm: AROLS. I don't take it lightly when someone parts with three or four hours of

[] 9:55 pm: I can't wait to book talk it!

[Mary Pearson] 9:55 pm: their precious time. And thank you for caring about Zoe.

[David Gill] 9:55 pm: :beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap::beer::clap:

[] 9:55 pm: Mary, your blog link?

[David Gill] 9:56 pm: http://mary-ohhh.livejournal.com/

[Mary Pearson] 9:56 pm: http://www.livejournal.com/users/mary_ohhh/

[David Gill] 9:56 pm: beat ya!

[Mary Pearson] 9:56 pm: thanks David : )

[] 9:56 pm: Thank you Mary for the interview and your books