The BookKids Blog!

Sometimes the Book Kids staff gets a little overwhelmed. Luckily two great Austin area YA authors, Jessica Lee Anderson and PJ Hoover, agreed to help us out. Anderson and Hoover interviewed each other for the blog, answering questions about their new books Border Crossing and The Navel of The World.

Anderson: Congratulations on your newest book in The Forgotten Worlds trilogy, THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD Tricia! I really enjoyed your first book, THE EMERALD TABLET, and it was such fun to reconnect with the amazing Benjamin Holt and his entertaining friends. How did you get the idea for this book?

Hoover: Thanks, Jessica! Oddly enough, the classics (and I say oddly because classics are not my standard genre). When I started brainstorming on where the story should lead Benjamin in THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD, I decided on time travel. Time travel has always been one of those fascinating plot lines to me when well done. As to where to time travel, it was easy. When asked the question “which historical figure would you like to meet,” I always answer Homer. So what better place to travel in time than the Trojan War? Which brings us full circle to the classics. The Iliad and Odyssey are two of my favorites!

Hoover: Congratulations on the release of your latest book, Jessica. I loved reading BORDER CROSSING! Speaking of ideas, where did you get the idea for Manz’s story?

Anderson: Thanks too, Tricia! When I lived in Alpine, Texas, I learned about Operation Wetback, a government relocation program in the 1950s. This knowledge plus encounters with Border Patrol made me feel insecure even though I’m Anglo. These experiences led to the whispering of my protagonist’s voice years later.

Anderson: What type of research did you do for THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD?

Hoover: Sadly, I can’t time travel. But I can read other time travel stories, watch time travel television, and in general map out the specifics so it all makes sense. One of my favorite time travel stories is from a Star Trek episode I love: TIME’S ARROW. It’s the one where Data’s head is found in San Francisco hundreds of years later. When I can write time travel this well, I’ll be happy.

Hoover: I love the apples and the work Manz does throughout BORDER CROSSING. It makes him so human. What fun things did you do while writing to help with inspiration? Did you find yourself baking apple pies all the time or anything like that?

Anderson: I got some ideas after visiting Medina, Texas—a small town known for growing apples. Around the time I was writing the manuscript, my grandmother (on my dad’s side) sent me an old school apple peeler, corer, and slicer. I brainstormed a few times while peeling, coring, and slicing apples as well as baking apple crisps. I even tried making apple cinnamon couscous. Mmm…now I have a hankering for apple pie…

Anderson: For The Forgotten Worlds trilogy fans, what books would you recommend?

Hoover: The Forgotten Worlds trilogy is aimed at fans of the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books. I love mythology, and almost everything I write seems to be rife with it. So if you like fantasy or like mythology, then The Forgotten Worlds trilogy is for you! If you’re looking for other books in the genre, some I love include CITY OF EMBER, GREGOR THE OVERLANDER (the whole series), and FABLEHAVEN (the whole series).

Hoover: Let’s mention TRUDY, your first novel. I read it last night from start to finish and couldn’t put it down. With both books you have a wonderful way of making us care for the characters. Do you model your characters after people in your own life?

Anderson: You’re wonderful, Tricia! I’m so grateful we met at the Taylor Library Gala last year. Yes, I do model characters after people I know—this was certainly the case in TRUDY. The book is based on my family experiences, especially when my grandmother (on my mom’s side) was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Last thoughts!

We’re looking forward to having our book release party at BookPeople (Editor: this event occurred on October 18th) and are so grateful for the support from everyone. Kudos to you, Emily, Mandy, Meghan, Madeline, and Michael plus the whole gang! BookPeople is such an amazing bookstore, and we love visiting. It’s like supporting a good friend. The environment is cozy and welcoming, and the support BookPeople shows to Austin SCBWI and the writing community at large is phenomenal! Thank you!

Editor’s Note: Jessica Lee Anderson will be appearing at the Texas Book Festival on November 1st, and PJ Hoover will be at the Red Dirt Book Festival in Shawnee, Oklahoma from November 5th til the 7th.