Way back in 2013, I bought a random book on my Kindle that sounded good. I ended up loving it, and I continued to read the rest of the series. That book was Unwind by Neal Shusterman, and I’ve read (or bought, yet to be read) every one of his books since then. Scythe and Challenger Deep are particular favourites–I’ve read them multiple times and people are probably sick of me mentioning them at every given opportunity.
I can easily say by now that Neal Shusterman is one of my favourite authors. So when I was invited to join the blog tour for his latest book co-written with his son Jarrod Shusterman, I was beyond excited! Interviewing a favourite author is always exciting, but this post in particular has had me buzzing with joy.
Without further fangirling, let’s get to the Q&A!
Q&A with Neal & Jarrod Shusterman
One thing I really love about your books is the depth of the characters and the themes, and you deal with some really tough topics in ways that are often quite symbolic and metaphorical (I’m especially thinking about Challenger Deep, one of my all-time favourites!). What was your inspiration for the themes of this book, and how do you create these characters that feel so real and multi-dimensional?
Jarrod: For me the themes were all birthed out of necessity. A silent killer that has worsened during the pandemic is substance abuse. But the way it came about was thinking… “what would it be like to write a story through a drugs perspective…?” And my Dad added, “What if they’re gods who prey on the living?” And like that we had the concept.
Neal: The idea of giving these drugs personalities, and showing how addiction is like a toxic relationship, felt like a unique, and compelling way to give a new perspective on the problem. We’ve seen so many stories of drug addiction, that people can become numb to hearing another one. So if we were going to write a story with impact, it would need to give readers something new.
Is it hard to write about such intense and hard-hitting themes, and how do you make sure you’re writing about them sensitively while still making the story engaging and tense?
Neal: We both tend to be inspired by the challenge of a difficult topic. Unwind, Scythe – and together we took on climate change in Dry. The goal is to write something that is not just engaging, but that will ultimately make a difference. And we are keenly aware of being sensitive. Take, for instance, the character of Addison (Adderall). He is a nuanced, conflicted character, who clearly is here to help people, and does that job well… but he longs to be part of the “popular crowd”; the more deadly drugs that seem to get away with everything—and it’s true that as helpful as ADHD medications are, they can also be abused. Addison has to come to realize, and reaffirm the importance of what he does—and that becomes a positive affirmation for anyone who takes such medications.
Jarrod: The balance between tension, and sensitivity is one of the difficult things! Are we being sensitive enough, and there will always be people who are more touchy with a subject, so you just have to do the best you can. And if we inspire debate, then we think that’s a good thing because it means we’re provoking thought!
How does the process of writing collaboratively differ from writing on your own? What are some of the best advantages of writing together?
Jarrod: I rarely write alone, because apart I write with my partner Sofía. But with my dad things are really efficient and smooth. We’re on the same wavelength, so it’s easy and fun! And we rarely argue about the story because if we don’t like something, the rule is, that we have to come up with a solution that we both like.
Neal: And we always do! I suppose knowing that we’re always going to come up with a better alternative when we disagree keeps us from arguing, because we know that working together will lead us to something we hadn’t even thought of yet!
I read that you’re currently adapting your previous book you wrote together,Dry, for the screen! As a film nerd (I have a degree in Film & TV Production!), this makes me very excited! What is your favourite part of this process, and what’s the hardest thing?
Neal: The easiest thing is writing the script – because we both think so visually, turning it from prose into a script is fun. The problem is, where a book is a finished product, a script is just a blueprint for a movie or TV show that might never get made. I think the hardest part are trying to address studio rewrite notes, because studios need to balance telling a good story, with telling a story that will get the most people into those theater seats. And where an editor’s job is to help you see your vision, a studio’s job is to make it their vision.
Jarrod: I agree that the easiest thing is dealing with the script. Writing that was a joyous breeze. Hardest part would be the movie “business” aspect of it. Contracts, deadlines, notes, the ever changing politics of the Hollywood movie industry. Although it’s so exciting, the road to actual production can be a bumpy one.
How old would you need to be to understand the opioid references in the book, and does it matter if, for example, some of the drugs are not known by that name in the UK?
Jarrod: When it comes to age range, I think that the newer generations grow up fast because of their exposure to everything on the internet. I think that the main characters of Roxy and Addison will be pretty recognizable, and whatever readers don’t know will become education. We’re betting that our YA audience is smarter than people often give them credit for. As for drugs with different names between countries, well, a little guessing and a little google will always help 😉
Neal: You can pretty much tell what the drugs do by their personalities, and their actions. The ones that are helpful, the ones that are destructive, the ones that are a little bit of both. As characters, they, as well as the humans in the story, are relatable. It’s our hope that readers of all ages will leave the story with a sense of understanding of how dangerous it can be to “dance” with these drugs, because if you fall for them, you can fall quickly, and you can fall hard.
Do you have the whole story or series mapped out at the beginning before filling in the chapters, or do you write one book first and see if it lends itself to a series?
Neal: I generally know that if the story feels too big for a single book. When it’s a series I map out the arc of each book, so I know where the story is going, but the path to get there changes along the way, and is filled with surprises!
Jarrod: With Roxy and Dry we knew they were stand alone books, we didn’t really leave room for a second book but… who knows? Our next one will most likely be another stand alone.
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Follow the rest of the tour!
Thank you so much to Neal and Jarrod for answering my questions so wonderfully, and to the team at Walker Books for putting the tour together! This post concludes the blog tour for Roxy, so if you want to see some of the other posts and read some excerpts from the book, you can find the rest of the stops here:
- Monday 15th November: Roxy, Extract 1 – Hosted by kirstyes.co.uk
- Tuesday 16th November: Roxy, Extract 2 – Hosted by talesbeforebedtime.co.uk
- Wednesday 17th November: Roxy, Extract 3 – Hosted by readingbetweenthenotes.wordpress.com
- Thursday 18th November: Roxy, Extract 4 – Hosted by whisperingstories.com
- Friday 19th November: Q&A with Neal & Jarrod Shusterman – Hosted by wonderfullybookish.co.uk
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