The winner of Jen Petro-Roy’s novel is …
Danielle Hammelef!!!
Blog
Welcome to my interview with cartoonist and author Michael Fry! He’s the successful cartoonist of the internationally syndicated comic strip OVER THE HEDGE. His website is full colorful imagery and loads of humor – two of the wonderful elements you’ll find in GHOSTED, his new heavily illustrated middle grade novel. The book beams with Michael’s amazing artwork. It’s absolutely delightful! In the words of Publishers Weekly, GHOSTED “balances a serious premise with a gleefully manic energy” and how “Fry’s black-and-white linework—vibrant and just a little over-the-top—adds hilarity.”
I’ve seen the book, and couldn’t agree more!
GHOSTED: The Book
From the best-selling author of the How to Be a Supervillain series comes this laugh-out-loud, heavily illustrated story of a shy boy, his best-friend-turned-ghost, and their bucket list of adventures and dares. Perfect for fans of the Timmy Failure and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
Larry’s got a few problems. In school, he’s one of those kids who easily gets lost in the crowd. And Grimm, Larry’s best friend in the whole world, has ghosted him. Literally. One minute Grimm was saving a cat in a tree during a lightning storm, and the next, he’s pulling pranks on Larry in his new ghostly form.
When the two best friends realize that there’s something keeping Grimm tethered to their world, they decide that finishing their Totally To-Do bucket list is the perfect way to help Grimm with his unfinished business. Pulling hilarious pranks and shenanigans may be easier with a ghostly best friend, but as Larry and Grimm brave the scares of seventh grade, they realize that saying goodbye might just be the scariest part of middle school.
For more: HMH Books
The Interview
We are very excited for your visit and super excited to hear more about GHOSTED. Please share with our readers what sparked the idea to write this story?
Ghosted is a work-for-hire. HMH came to me with the basic idea: Larry, his dead/ghost friend Grimm and the Totally To-Do List and I filled in the rest.
What about your two main characters, Larry and Grimm? Tell us about them.
Larry and Grimm are opposites. Larry is shy and introverted. Grimm is loud and outgoing. Grimm pushes Larry to be more than he is. Larry pushes Grimm, eventually, to realize WHO he is. Also, Larry is alive and Grimm is dead. So, there’s that.
Grimm’s realization gives me shivers. I love how these two play against each other, yet for each other. 💖
The subject of death is always in the background throughout the story. Share how you showed the internal growth of this unique friendship and how the character’s faced the inevitable.
I tried to write Ghosted as realistically as possible. I tried to imagine what it would be like, in the real world, to have a best friend come back as a ghost. On the one hand, it’s very cool. On the other, it’s very sad. Grimm exists, but he can’t touch anything. Nothing can touch him. He’s present, but he’s not really there. It’s an exaggerated version of losing any loved one. You feel their presence, yet they’re gone. At points in the story Larry wonders if what he’s experiencing is real. He wants Grimm to be there, but I don’t think he’s ever really sure if he is.
The way you worded this is so touching. I’m sure many young readers, as well as their parents, will ponder the truths of this tale. What was your favorite part of writing GHOSTED and why?
I liked writing the therapy stuff. I’ve had a lot of therapy and it gave me a chance write from experience. The bit where Larry cries when Dr Hank (as an adult) expresses sympathy is very personal. As a kid, you don’t always expect adults to be so sensitive. When they are, it can be overwhelming.
Is there anything about the story that surprised you while working on this book?
I was worried about mixing comedy and pathos. It’s hard to do well. Too much of one and not enough of the other is a danger. But I think it worked out. It’s silly and sad.
For our readers who might be interested in adding illustrations to their writing or those simply just curious, what differences do you find in being a cartoonist from telling a story as an author/illustrator?
Room to write! I’ve been a syndicated cartoonist for over 35 years and comic strips have gotten smaller and smaller. I’m of the age now where I can barely read my own strip in the papers. I really love stretching out with a novel. There’s plenty of room to wander around.
What are your processes for both?
I write the story in Word and leave blue boxes with notes for the art. Later I rough out the art as I rewrite. Writing is rewriting. My books go through dozens of drafts.
Insight🔮
Give us one aspect of publishing that most readers aren’t aware an author/a book goes through before release.
Not so much on Ghosted, but there can be a lot of back and forth worrying about taking offense. On a previous book of mine I had a kid super-hero character whose superpower was reading minds. The problem was he’s dyslexic. I thought it was a really clever joke. My editor worried that kids (mostly parents) would think I was making fun of kids with dyslexia. I argued that was certainly not my intention and I think my intention matters. I eventually won out. But, the truth is, whenever I would read that passage to kids on author visits it only got a laugh from the adults in the room (teachers, librarians). Not the kids. It’s really an adult joke. So, maybe my editor was right.
What written middle grade novel (or any novel, really) would you like to see told in illustrations or graphic novel format?
Huckleberry Finn. It’s my favorite work of American literature. I bet it would make a terrific graphic novel.
Fantastic choice! It would be wonderful to read Finn’s tale in the setting of a graphic novel. Hint, hint . . . Thank you for taking the time to stop by and for sharing GHOSTED with us! It’s been a pleasure.
Mixed-Up Readers – have a young reader who loves illustrated books or graphic novels? Check out this STEM illustrated book featured HERE.
🗒️The Cartoonist & Author✏️
Michael Fry is the best selling author of the Jimmy Patterson Presents How to Be a Supervillain series. A cartoonist for over thirty years, Michael is the co creator and writer of the Over the Hedge comic strip which was turned into a DreamWorks film starring Bruce Willis and William Shatner. He lives near Austin, TX.
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We’re very excited today to introduce you to Jen Petro-Roy’s newest middle-grade novel, LIFE IN THE BALANCE, which released this week and has already garnered a star from School Library Journal along with other great reviews.
(Jen has generously offered to send a signed copy of LIFE IN THE BALANCE to one lucky winner–US only. See details at bottom.)
Jen is known for writing “honest books with heart,” about kids who are strong, determined, unsure, struggling to fit in, bubbly, shy, and everything in between. Her other books include P.S. I MISS YOU, GOOD ENOUGH, and YOU ARE ENOUGH, all from Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends.
When she isn’t writing, Jen can be found reading, playing board games, belting out songs in the car to embarrass her two daughters, and working as an eating disorder awareness advocate.
Learn more about her at her website: http://www.jenpetroroy.com
On Twitter: @jpetroroy
And on Instagram: @jpetroroy
About the Book
Welcome to The Mixed-Up Files, Jen! Please tell us a bit about the novel.
LIFE IN THE BALANCE tells the story of Veronica Conway, who has been looking forward to trying out for the All-Star softball team for years. She’s practically been playing the game since she was a baby and her mom has always been her coach. OBVIOUSLY she’ll make the team. OBVIOUSLY it will be awesome.
Except right before tryouts, Veronica’s mom announces that she’s entering rehab for alcoholism, and her dad tells her that they may not be able to afford the fees needed to be on the team. Veronica decides to enter the town talent show in an effort to make her own money, but along the way discovers a new hobby that leads her to doubt her feelings for the game she thought she loved so much. Soon, Veronica has to learn balance right alongside her mom as she tries to discover what she really wants to do with her life.
What inspired you to write the novel? Did you play softball yourself?
I didn’t play softball myself, but I was a competitive swimmer when I was in middle school and high school. Competitive in the “I swam all summer, for the school team, and for a club team” but not necessarily in the “I was the best one on the team” way. I was one of those kids who really enjoyed sports, but no matter how hard I practiced, I was never amazing, which could get discouraging at times.
As a parent, it’s been interesting—and kind of depressing—to notice how serious and focused kids are expected to be about sports and activities these days. There’s a lot of pressure to specialize and thrive so early, which takes so much of the play and fun out of things. I wanted to explore that push and pull in this story—what does it mean when you love a sport but may not necessarily want to make it your whole life? Is that okay? Is that allowed?
Kids Dealing With Real-World Problems
There are very few middle-grade books about alcoholism and addiction. What made you want to write about the subject?
I think that people tend to underestimate the topics that middle grade kids can handle reading about. They are not delicate flowers that need to be sheltered from the world. Kids live in the real world—they have issues of their own, deal with mental health struggles and have parents who are having their own problems.
I was inspired to write this novel by my best friend, who’s a recovering alcoholic herself, with two young children. She’s been sober for years now, but it got me thinking about what it would be like to have a parent struggling with the same issue. Anyone dealing with an addiction and facing it head-on is so strong, but sometimes it’s overlooked how strong their family members can be, too.
As a former librarian, you must be very aware of what kids like. Are there certain types of books they’re looking for during these difficult times?
I think it varies for the kid! I know that even amongst my friends, we all turn to different things for comfort when we’re stressed out. Sometimes people may want to reread old favorites—I know that when I’m stressed out, I love to reread Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries series. Sometimes, it can be nice to escape into a fantasy world where the problems are completely different than anything a reader could experience in “real life”
But sometimes, too, kids may want to read about people dealing with issues just like theirs. It can be comforting to see that you’re not the only one struggling with anxiety or friend or parent problems. It can make you feel like you’re not so alone after all.
You’ve published four books in less than three years (P.S. I MISS YOU, GOOD ENOUGH, YOU ARE ENOUGH, and LIFE IN THE BALANCE). What is your secret to being so prolific?
Oh, man. I don’t feel that way, especially this past year. It’s been a struggle to balance homeschooling my kids, dealing with my own pandemic anxiety, and trying to write. But even before that, while trying to balance writing and being a parent, I think it’s so important to set aside time for my writing. (It sounds simple, but it’s way harder to actually do). For me, writing is important. It was my dream and what I love to do, and I try to make sure that I can have at least twenty minutes when I need or plan for it. Sometimes being strapped for time actually makes me more efficient.
I think it’s also important to be easy on yourself. I don’t write every day, and I don’t beat myself up for not writing every day. Sometimes we need those days off—weeks off, even—to let the ideas simmer and the story come to us.
You’ve mentioned that your first published novel P.S. I MISS YOU was actually the fifth novel you wrote. What did you learn from writing those other four novels that contributed to your current success?
Keep going and keep writing. I firmly believe that as much as talent is a part of this business, getting a book published comes more down to luck and perseverance. There are so many talented writers out there who may have gotten dissuaded by rejections and stopped writing. I got so many rejections along the way, both from agents and editors, but I think the key to finally getting a book published was to keep writing. With every book, you get better at your craft and improve in a different way. Every published writer out there is still improving and stretching themselves today.
Keep going and you’ll have a chance to get there. If you stop, that’s all there is.
What do you hope readers will take away from LIFE IN THE BALANCE?
My hope is that readers realize that it’s okay to follow their hearts. That no matter what they think people “expect” of them, they still need to follow their own hearts and their own passions. That speaking up and being honest is important. And that being yourself is the best thing of all.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently editing another middle-grade contemporary about Maddie, a competitive rock climber whose workaholic, always-traveling mother returns home to be a surrogate for Maddie’s aunt. It deals with friendship drama, the complications of the mother-daughter relationship, and finding out what “being brave” actually means.
Thank you so much for having me!
Thank YOU, Jen!
Please click the giveaway link below BEFORE SATURDAY MIDNIGHT and like, retweet, and/or follow MUF for a chance to win a signed copy of LIFE IN THE BALANCE. The winner will be announced on Sunday, Feb. 21.
