Ask the Author: Lisa Moore Ramée
Answered Questions (15)
Lisa Moore Ramée
Thanks so much! I've been asked a few times about a sequel--mainly I think because people want more Bernard--and never say never, but currently I'm not working on a sequel but on another MG contemporary that stars a character SO unlike Shayla. It's been fun focusing on a totally different aspect of middle school.
Lisa Moore Ramée
Thanks so much Isabel! I love the cover too. :) The most challenging part was developing each thread/plot point--giving them all enough heft to validate them being there. There was so much I wanted to say in one book! That was tricky. The other thing that was difficult is something that gets me every time. The timeline! School stories are hard because you need to remember what class is what period and what day of the week it is and make sure you don't have school go for eight days in a row. :) Most fun? Learning some mg lingo from my niece.
Lisa Moore Ramée
If the talent came along with it, it would be singing--alas, I cannot carry a tune so that's out. When I was younger I imagined myself as quite the artist and I have the horrible sketches to prove it. Lol. My father was incredibly talented and I had hopes I had inherited that gene. I think I like art because it's like writing in that you start with a blank canvas and can put anything you want on it.
Lisa Moore Ramée
Oh my gosh, don't you just LOVE it?! I do!! I can take credit for none of it except for all the squealing when I saw it. Oh wait, I did suggest the running shoe patch. Shayla is a girl caught up in such typical things: friendship, early crushes, ice cream :) and the we wanted that reflected, but she also is struggling to learn to jump the hurdles for track and is becoming aware of race mattering in a way she wasn't prepared for. So hopefully the patches bring together the idea of the simple and difficult problems kids can face and how all of it matters.
Lisa Moore Ramée
peanut m&ms! And during the day I can drink an endless stream of coffee, but later in the evening I wouldn't say no to wine.
Lisa Moore Ramée
I actually did have a two best friends in elementary school Paula--who is Puerto Rican and Alane--who is Japanese American who inspired Shayla's best friends Isabella and Julia, but Paula and Alane were nothing like the characters in AGKOT. The teachers in the book are inspired by teachers I've had, and the book club ladies are definitely my friends in my own book club!
And the unnamed officer who is on trial during most of AGKOT is based on the trial of the officer who killed Philando Castile, although the incidents in that case are different. I also included a mention of someone getting killed for selling cd's outside a store, and that character is based on Alton Sterling.
And the unnamed officer who is on trial during most of AGKOT is based on the trial of the officer who killed Philando Castile, although the incidents in that case are different. I also included a mention of someone getting killed for selling cd's outside a store, and that character is based on Alton Sterling.
Lisa Moore Ramée
I don't know if there was one particular incident. At one point it felt like every day that I woke up there was another reported case of a black person being killed by a police officer and it overwhelmed me. The back to back incidents of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were probably the tipping point. And it is the trial of the officer who killed Philando Castile that inspired the trial that is taking place in AGKOT.
Lisa Moore Ramée
I definitely share Shayla's lack of coordination. I was no kind of athlete! I also really wanted a boyfriend at that age. Possibly because I have older sisters who were already starting to date. But I was (and am) such a rule follower, I never would have broken the rules like Shayla does.
Lisa Moore Ramée
For sure it was how detailed copy edits were. I was expected copy editors to check for grammar and poor phrasing, I didn't know they'd look up maps of Los Angeles to see where exactly the school was and whether the street a character drives down would make sense. This was so cool to me that someone was spending so much time on my book!
Lisa Moore Ramée
I typically am working on three or four books at once, so if I get stuck on one, I will switch to another one. I also believe strongly in skipping ahead if I'm stuck in one particular moment or scene. First drafts can have lots and lots of "write big conflict here" and stuff like that. So far (where's some wood to knock on?) I haven't been stuck with not having an idea of a story. I have no clue what I'd do then. Probably take a walk. Do a lot of reading.
Lisa Moore Ramée
Creating characters. Creating entire universes.
Lisa Moore Ramée
Read! It's the best advice I have. Read as much as you can and as widely as possible. After that, connect with a critique partner or group and listen to their input. Don't get defensive. Don't try to explain why they just don't get it. Just listen and let it sit and think about it and then figure out how to use that input to make your book better.
Lisa Moore Ramée
I'm writing a book about an invisible girl--well, not truly invisible. She feels invisible, and the difference between her and many books I've read about characters like this, is she is fine being unseen/unnoticed. She prefers it. But then a new kid tries to befriend her, and worse, he tries to drag her into the spotlight. She has to decide if staying invisible is worth risking the first friend she's ever had. (It's also about history and school name changes.)
Lisa Moore Ramée
My biggest inspiration comes from other authors. Whenever I read a great book I want to try and approach that greatness! (Haven't managed it yet, but maybe one day!)
Lisa Moore Ramée
I've always wanted to write a book about how race starts factoring into children's lives right around the time they hit junior high/middle school. (At least that's when it became an issue for me.) When my daughter started junior high, it became an issue for her too and I realized things hadn't changed much. Lunch areas were still breaking down by color lines. And then with all the highly publicized police killings of black citizens and the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement, I knew a young black girl would be strongly impacted by these things. All this came together for Shayla's story.
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Apr 01, 2021 08:24AM · flag