What's the story behind This Girl is Different?
I’d just finished writing The Theory of Everything (which was actually published after TGID) and, after spending so much time with cynical, introverted, snarky Sarah --who, don't get me wrong, I LOVE-- I wanted to tell a story with a girl who was, well, different. Evie, our heroine in This Girl is Different, is self-sure, quick to laugh, generous, and makes no bones about her crusade to change the world. She’s all about justice, this girl.
So I threw Evie into Sarah’s old stomping grounds. Take someone who’s never stepped inside a school and see what the place looks like through her eyes. What are the first things she’d notice? How would Evie’s view differ from the other kids’? So many of us who’ve been somewhere forever, like going K-12 through public school, you get so used to it you stop seeing it altogether.
I also wanted to explore the notion of Freedom of Speech. You hear Americans talking about it all the time, the Right to Free Speech, like it means you can say whatever you want, period. End of story. Except, when you’re a human being in relationships with other human beings, it’s NOT the end of story. Your words have consequences. So I put Evie in a situation where she would do the brave thing and speak up for justice, and the responses would basically kick her ass. What would she do? How would she handle it?
Bullying is a hot topic right now, and the anonymity of the internet is making a bad thing worse. Things can go from ‘Freedom of Speech’ to hateful, hurtful bullying, and it can happen pretty damned quick. Even though that’s the last thing a girl like Evie would want.
And then there’s love. I love writing about love! Evie falls hard and fast for Rajas, and that is so cool. She’s super aware of power dynamics--as we know from her perceptions about school and a certain teacher!--but how does a strong girl handle it when love turns her knees to jello? What does strength mean, when it comes to falling in love? Does it mean being stubborn, always standing your ground? Does it mean allowing yourself to be vulnerable? Does it mean compromise? These are big questions for anyone, at any time of life.
I’d just finished writing The Theory of Everything (which was actually published after TGID) and, after spending so much time with cynical, introverted, snarky Sarah --who, don't get me wrong, I LOVE-- I wanted to tell a story with a girl who was, well, different. Evie, our heroine in This Girl is Different, is self-sure, quick to laugh, generous, and makes no bones about her crusade to change the world. She’s all about justice, this girl.
So I threw Evie into Sarah’s old stomping grounds. Take someone who’s never stepped inside a school and see what the place looks like through her eyes. What are the first things she’d notice? How would Evie’s view differ from the other kids’? So many of us who’ve been somewhere forever, like going K-12 through public school, you get so used to it you stop seeing it altogether.
I also wanted to explore the notion of Freedom of Speech. You hear Americans talking about it all the time, the Right to Free Speech, like it means you can say whatever you want, period. End of story. Except, when you’re a human being in relationships with other human beings, it’s NOT the end of story. Your words have consequences. So I put Evie in a situation where she would do the brave thing and speak up for justice, and the responses would basically kick her ass. What would she do? How would she handle it?
Bullying is a hot topic right now, and the anonymity of the internet is making a bad thing worse. Things can go from ‘Freedom of Speech’ to hateful, hurtful bullying, and it can happen pretty damned quick. Even though that’s the last thing a girl like Evie would want.
And then there’s love. I love writing about love! Evie falls hard and fast for Rajas, and that is so cool. She’s super aware of power dynamics--as we know from her perceptions about school and a certain teacher!--but how does a strong girl handle it when love turns her knees to jello? What does strength mean, when it comes to falling in love? Does it mean being stubborn, always standing your ground? Does it mean allowing yourself to be vulnerable? Does it mean compromise? These are big questions for anyone, at any time of life.
photo © Pacific Domes
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Evie's DOME HOME is cool! Do you live in a dome?
I love Evie's dome home too. But no, I don't live in one. I live in a small brick house in an old neighborhood in Durham, North Carolina. Like Evie, I'm fascinated with sustainable design, and I love to build things. Some time ago, I stumbled upon -and fell in love with- the eco-living dome kits available from Pacific Domes, which is what Evie and Martha used to build their abode. |
Why did you start each chapter with an epigraph?
I wanted to set the tone for each chapter, and I wanted to (re-)introduce readers to some amazing people, elevate the story into a bigger realm. And I've collected quotes since I was a kid. My walls are practically plastered with them.
The teacher-student affair in This Girl is Different seems realistic. Did you have an affair with a teacher?
Definitively, no.
Did you ever work on a Christmas tree farm?
No. But after college, I was lucky to have a wonderful and very healing friendship with a very kind builder / carpenter. He knew how to do just about anything; he taught me how to build things and cook dinners and change the oil in my car. He trusted me with all kinds of tools and expected me to be capable. It meant a lot.
I'm readingThis Girl is Different for school. Do you have discussion questions or ideas for essays?
Yes. Right here. And thank you for reading!
Where can I read more of your thoughts about This Girl is Different?
Here's an interview I did with Indy Week. And here's one from That [Book]Cover Girl.