The following is an edited conversation between Sarah Dessen, the no.
I tried to channel you while writing several scenes inLoveboat, Taipei.
I hope I was successful!
Credit: Seth Abel; Olga Pichkova
SARAH DESSEN:Hello to you!
And Im honored to hear that as Im really enjoying it.
You do a great job of pulling the reader in right from the start.
Harper Collins
ABIGAIL: Thank you!
And what makes a good romance really work in a novel?
An inside joke, a second of connection.
You build a lot of romances inLoveboat, Taipei.
How did you decide who would end up with whom?
ABIGAIL: I personally really struggled with this one.
Stephanie was so right.
It really forced me to explore what it was about Ever and each connection that worked and didnt work.
Chemistry is also important, and that cant be faked.
The characters either have it, or they dont.
And you usually dont know until you start writing whether its going to work or not.
Just like in real life, two characters canseemperfect for each other and then fall flat on the page.
You cant ignore that, you have to follow them and see what else they do.
Can you talk a bit about the inspiration behind your characters?
I had literally thousands of options for my main character.
But who would be most impacted by this immersive and unique experience?
Ever Wong from Ohio doesnt know who she is.
The Yale-bound prodigy Rick needs to blow off steam, but not for the obvious reasons.
Sophie is looking for love and Xavier is a player, but they all have their own unique journeys.
And as for you, youve written so many amazing characters and novels over the years.
The Rest of the Story is your 14th book, and I am so in awe.
Do you find yourself returning to a certain theme in your novels?
Finding your place and people.
In every book I am trying to work something out, for both my narrator and myself.
I feel like my characters do a better job than I do (sigh) but Ill keep trying.
ABIGAIL: I know what you mean.
My friends whove readLoveboattell me this theme resonates with them.
And I know it resonates with me!
SARAH: For me, the first step of every book is the narrators name.
Its where it all begins.
I love the name Ever.
How did you come up with that?
ABIGAIL: I met a girl named Ever in California and loved her name.
And speaking of Ever, she is a special character to me for another reason.
Their brilliant faculty set me straight, and thats when I began to writeLoveboat, Taipei.
What are your thoughts on what this means for young readers and how does it impact your writing?
SARAH: I agree, I think this is an incredible time for YA right now.
For so long, much of our stories and voices were white and straight.
Butallteens need books and voices, not just a few.
The rise of WNDB has shown so many teens that their experience matters and is important.
The greatest thing about reading is recognizing something from your own life on the page!
We all need that, especially as teens.
Its validating and reassures us of our place in the world.
ABIGAIL: Validating and reassuring that is so true, and so well said!
