California Author/Artist Interviews

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MEET KATHLEEN O'DELL
by Bonnie O'Brian

Did you write stories when you were growing up? at school? Or at home as a hobby? As a young child, or as a teenager, or both?

Kathleen O'Dell

I've been writing stories ever since I first learned to spell. Before that, I just made things up without the benefit of pencil and paper. I never confined myself to just stories, however. I wrote poems and plays and lots of songs. In high school, I wrote a running soap opera that was performed monthly. Choreography was also a pastime, although I had no idea how to dance. I never let my lack of qualifications stop me from making things up.

Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?

I submitted poems and picture books for years without success before I decided to attempt a novel. A writer friend of mine dared me to try a longer form. As it turns out, writing novels is something I wish I'd tried sooner. I have a degree in English, for goodness sakes! Why I thought novels would be more difficult than choreography, I have no idea.

Do you like to include humor in your stories?

Always. Even in the bleakest times, humor has served me well. It's actually kept me alive, I think. Sometimes I wonder if people are born with either a humorous or tragic sensibility. In any case, I inherited the ability to ?whistle in the dark.? It works for me!

What gave you the idea for AGNES PARKER?GIRL IN PROGRESS?

I had spent months researching the polio epidemic in Los Angeles for a middle grade novel. At the same time, I had been A GIRL FROM YAMHILL, the autobiography of Beverly Cleary. One afternoon, I took a nap, woke up, and had the idea to write a book about this sixth grader named Agnes Parker. Somewhere in my subconscious, I decided I'd rather go the Cleary route and write contemporary, slice-of-life fiction. She's the master, of course, and I've long admired her.

What are the topics are some of your books?

My books tend to be about kids' everyday struggles and triumphs at school, at home and with friends. I've written a historical novel about teenagers exploring the counterculture in 1967 (BAD TICKETS, Knopf), but even that book is heavy on family and domestic realities. An upcoming book I have coming out with Dial, THE DEEP END, is a contemporary fantasy about soul-switching girls. It's the furthest out I've ventured from realism, yet it is still grounded in family life.

Which of your books did you most enjoy writing?

I do have a favorite, but I think I won't name it here. That would be a little like announcing your favorite child. After talking to other writers, though, I've learned one thing: your pleasure in writing a book has absolutely no bearing on how it will be received. When you are deeply in love with a book and engaged in its world every day, it's fun to think that everyone else will adore it as much as you do. I try to keep that illusion alive during the first draft before reality intrudes and the hard work of revision begins.

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

I am right now. Actually, I'm switching back and forth between books. I'm taking a lot more Excedrin lately. My brain is on overdrive. I'm not sure I'll do two at a time again.

Do you write every day and do you have set hours that you work?

I write every day. Including weekends. Rather than following set hours, I have minimum word counts that I must meet. What helps me is to have a special treat that I promise myself if I sit down to work. Sea salt caramels, Coffee Nips, Red Vines? (Hmm. I wonder if I'd be craving the same sugary incentives if I were writing for adults?) In any case, sitting down to write is the hardest part. Once the laptop is opened and I've given myself a few minutes to re-read, my fears dissolve and I get down to the serious business of having fun.