I recently had the opportunity to interview the lovely Ingrid Law through email. Her bestselling book, Savvy, recently won the Newbery Honor Award. You can read my Goodreads review here.
1. How did you come up with the idea for Savvy?
I started with the very first sentence, not even knowing what I was going to write about, simply determined to write the craziest sentence I could think of without thinking too hard about it or judging it. As the story began to develop, I decided quickly that I wanted to write a book about magical children set in out of the way places in the United States without ever using the word ‘magic.’
2. Describe your reaction when Savvy won the Newbery Honor.
It was overwhelming and very exciting—and a day I’ll never forget! My daughter was the first person I told. I had to wake her up!
3. What Savvy character are you most similar to?
I’m probably a mix of all of them. I like to find places to hide out, like Samson. When I’m anxious, my shoulder twitches just like Lester’s. And like Mibs, I’ve had to learn how to listen to my own voice.
4. What is your savvy? And if you haven't found yours yet, which savvy would you like to have?
With a savvy, there is often the element of the ideal versus the reality—what you dream about versus what you get. If I could pick, my savvy would probably be the ability to fly or to breathe underwater. But if I were to declare what my real, true, everyday savvy is, I think that I would have to say that I smile a lot.
5. What are you working on now? Are there any plans for a sequel to Savvy?
I am currently working on a follow up to Savvy. The new book explores what it’s like to grow up and experience a ‘savvy’ birthday from the perspective of Mibs’s cousin--Aunt Dinah’s oldest son. The story takes place nine years after Savvy, but, while the main character is someone no one’s met before, there will be some familiar faces along the way.
6. Any advice for aspiring writers?
Trust your own voice—trust that you have something worth sharing and that your ideas don’t have to be like everyone else’s. Write what you love and don't try to write a perfect first draft--become friends with revising.
*****
Thank you so much, Ingrid! And congratulations on the Newbery!
10 comments:
Great interview!
Yay! Love the interview!
Thank you so much for your note today (you know which one I mean).
It meant a lot.
I never know how the Goodreads friend thing works. But one way or the other, we'll get there.
SUCH a good interview, Priya! I loved it--you asked very thoughtful questions, and I loved the author's replies.
Savvy is a terrific book. Thank you both for this interview. I hoped that "savvy" would be given more stories, so it was exciting to hear about the next book.
Beth- I felt the exact same way when I came to Goodreads. I added random people as friends without actually knowing what I was doing. But now, I think I understand most of the site. :)
Sherry- I'm so happy that there's a sequel coming out too. I really enjoyed reading Savvy.
Everyone else- thank you so much for all the compliments!
That was a great interview! :D Doesn't it just get you excited to talk with an ACTUAL published author?
GirlwiththeBraids- yes, it does! I was so excited to be able to interview an actual author and even more excited to see her replies!
*coughcough* Is there not a real, published author right next to you about sixteen hours a day? *cough*
You don't count, Maya. :P
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