You just co-wrote The Future of Us with Jay Asher! How did this happen?

It all started on a panel at the New York Public Library.  I was speaking with several other YA novelists when someone asked what my dream project would be.  I didn’t know the answer until it came out of my mouth: “I want to write a collaborative novel.”  I was a big fan of Jay’s first novel, Thirteen Reasons Why, so I approached him about co-writing a book.  He said he’d be willing to give it a try.  We brainstormed and came up with the idea for The Future of Us.  Within weeks, we were writing the first draft.

What was it like working with Jay Asher?

We had so much fun writing together that most days it didn’t feel like work.  Part of that was because we were both supposed to be writing other books, so we wrote The Future of Us in secret.  It seemed like we were playing hooky from our day jobs.  The other reason is that we often got loopy, like the time we looked up all our characters’ names on Facebook and emailed their profile pictures back and forth.  All in a day’s work!

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always loved telling stories. When I was four or five, I used to tell stories into a tape recorder. As I got older, I began writing in my journal. I was usually obsessing about boys and making lists of all the guys I was lusting after and ranking my likelihood of ever going out with them. By the time I hit college, I began writing poetry and short stories. That’s around the time I realized how much I needed to get out the stories that were inside my head. Pretty soon after I graduated from college, I began writing an early draft of Love and Other Four-Letter Words.

Do you write every day?

When I’m working on a novel, I write almost every day. Even if it’s just for a few hours, it keeps the momentum going in my head. I do my best writing in the morning, right after consuming a cup of strong coffee. I don’t allow myself to write at night or else I can’t fall asleep. I’d lie in bed for hours, thinking, “Who are these characters? What motivates them? What will happen next???”

I want to write a novel. Any advice?

I have a speech I love to give called Carolyn’s Top Ten for Aspiring Novelists. I’ll do a “Five Greatest Hits” version of it here:

1. Write. Write what you love. Write what makes you excited. Be honest. Don’t be shy about putting in whatever you want (you can always edit later).

2. Read. Read and read and read. Read current books in the genre in which you want to write. Read about the marketplace. If you’re writing children’s or teen, check out the Childrens Writers & Illustrators Market. I found it very helpful when I was starting out.

3. Don’t Show Anyone. In Stephen King’s smart memoir On Writing, he says to write your first draft with the study door closed. I love that advice. It helps so much to keep the story in your head during that first draft, let it be in a world all yours, without positive or negative input from anyone.

4. Show Select People. Once you’re done with a draft, get out there and start talking with other aspiring authors. Take a class in novel-writing. Join a writers group. If you’re writing children’s or teen, check out The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. They have hundreds of regional conferences (plus a great national conference) that will connect you with authors, agents, editors, and fellow aspiring novelists.

5. Throw out, revise, start over. My agent always says that the strength of an author is in her/his ability to rewrite. That’s definitely true for me. I’ve thrown away thousands of pages (and a few entire novels) and while it’s painful in the moment, my books are always better for it.

Where do you live?

I live in Manhattan. My home is on the 8th floor of an apartment building, so it looks out over rooftops and sky.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a small village in western New York called Brockport. It’s near Rochester, near Lake Ontario, a few hours away from Niagara Falls. Whenever I need a town for a book or short story, I write about Brockport. I’ve lived in Manhattan for most of my adult life, so Brockport is the only town I know intimately. As in, where do you hang out at night, where do you shop, what does it feel like to live there. But even though Brockport is real, all my characters in it are made up.

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things is on the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom’s list of most challenged books of 2006. Were you surprised? What is it like to be the author of a banned book?

I’m not surprised to be on that list because I know The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things has had many instances of banning around the country, most notably one in a school district in Carroll County, MD, where 350 teenagers signed a petition demanding the book’s placement back in their high school. Then again, I’m incredibly surprised The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things has been the subject of so much controversy. 

I wrote a book about a plus-sized girl who learns to feel happy in her skin without having to lose weight or do damaging things to her body. Ever since this book’s publication, I’ve received hundreds of letters from teen girls telling me that The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things has helped them feel good about themselves, be more confident, and stand up to people who treat them badly. With a message like that, who would want to keep this book from teen girls? I find book-banning very frustrating because, even if a parent decides a book is not right for their child, they should not be allowed to keep it from every other teenager in town.

A book is being banned in my school or library. What can I do to stop this?

The first step is NOT being quiet about it. It is NOT okay to remove books from libraries and schools, so please don’t let it happen without a protest. Even if it’s not a book you love, you still want to protest it – it may be your favorite author next! It can be hard to protest a book-banning by yourself, so talk to friends about it, and gather group of people who all want to protest together. Here are some things to do for starters:

Go to the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom website . They have extensive resources on what to do if a book is being challenged. And be sure to report the challenge to them – they collect this information and use it to keep books in schools. Also, visit the National Coalition Against Censorship website. There's a button on the right where you can report a book challenge (again, do it!) and they've also created this wonderful toolkit for handling book censorship in schools. Also, post a message on the As If! blog . It’s Authors Support Intellectual Freedom (I’m a member).

Another step – report the challenges to your local newspapers. There are so many people who will work to keep books in schools, so your job is to make sure we find out about it. Good luck.

You dedicated The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things to someone named Jonas. Who’s he?

Jonas is my husband. He’s such an important part of my writing. He reads the first draft of every story I write and he always cheers me on. That’s so important to me because even if I’m frustrated or feel like I can’t write another word, Jonas will encourage me to keep going.

What are you doing now? Are you writing another book?

I’m raising my two young boys, which means my days are filled with half-eaten plates of noodles, paint splatters on the wall, eraser shreds on the floor, and sixteen trips to the library every week.  But I also squeeze in writing time four mornings a week, and during this time – yes! – I am working on a new novel. That’s all I’ll say for now.