interview

A Q&A with Rhonda Batchelor

Tell us about your book.
She Loves You is my first book for young readers and it was a pleasure to write. The main character, Annie, who is fourteen, is going through a rough time. At her high school some of the kids have started to call her a lesbian which, in 1969, is still considered an insult. At home, where she lives with her widowed mother, Annie retreats into her own world of reading and listening to music, especially music by The Beatles, a group she has adored since they became famous back in 1964. Annie’s one best friend, Zoe, has moved away and Annie has yet to find another. When the name-calling begins at school, Annie is sent to see the school counsellor who advises her to write about her problems. Annie isn’t sure that she’s the one with problems, but agrees anyway. She’s also surprised by the sudden attentions of Robert, a boy she’s known since elementary school, who seems to want to be friends with her despite her reputation. When she makes her own overture of friendship to a trio of local hippies who hang out in the town’s park, Annie feels she has a secret life that sets her apart, but it’s a potentially dangerous secrecy

How did you come up with the idea for this work?
When my two children were younger they seemed fascinated by how television and movies portrayed the sixties as a time of idealized love, peace and understanding — with long-haired, bead-wearing hippies flashing peace signs and saying “groovy, man.” Well, I grew up in the sixties, and I knew that was only one simplistic view of what was really a complex decade of social change. I thought about some of the issues, such as feminism, race relations, and gay rights, which would still have a long fight ahead, even though great advances were being made back then. It made me want to tell a story that would illustrate some of that. I selected the theme of homophobia and how it was still quite predominant.

How did you come up with the title?
She Loves You was one of The Beatles’ first hit songs and, since my character was a Beatles fan, it seemed like a natural choice. I think it works on a few levels: you can interpret it however you like.

Tell us a little about the overarching theme of your work, and why you felt compelled to explore it.
It’s no secret that kids and teens can be cruel to those who are “different” in some way — be it race, sexual orientation, or simply the way one dresses or expresses oneself. There seems to be such pressure to conform and be like everyone else, which is crazy when young people should be trying to find out who they are as individuals. I wanted to comment on this, but not to lecture about it. I also wanted to impart the message that everyone, and I mean everyone, has problems and that we all need to be able to talk to someone about our problems.

Did you have a specific readership in mind when you wrote your book?
I guess I was writing it for anyone who would like to understand a little more about what it was really like growing up in the 1960s, and for anyone who has ever felt “different.”

How did you research your book?
It was mostly a matter of just remembering a lot of stuff from my own life and adapting it to tell a fictional story. I did have to check some Canadian and world history for context and my own collection of Beatles reference books and music to make sure I had my dates correct

What was the creative process like for you?
This book began as a short story that grew very slowly. I kept putting the story away as I worked on other projects. Once I realized that it was actually a young-adult novel, I could free myself to flesh out the characters and take my time in telling a longer story.

Describe your ideal writing environment.
Any place that is quiet. I was lucky enough to be able to write the first draft of this book while house sitting for friends on Pender Island, B.C., one of the Gulf Islands. It was glorious to be away from ringing phones and to be on my own. I tended to work late into the night. The following summer I mostly wrote at my picnic table in my own back yard and that, too, was good; except for the noise of road construction nearby.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received as a writer?
The most important thing a writer can do is to READ

Describe the most memorable response you’ve received from a reader.
I once gave a poetry reading of some work that I felt was possibly too personal since it was about the death of someone very close to me. After the reading, several people came up to me, individually, to tell me how much they appreciated my words they, too, had lost someone. They knew exactly what I was writing about. It made me realize how connected we are as human beings.

Who did you read as a young adult?
I read a lot and it’s hard to recall specific authors now. I was in about the seventh or eighth grade when I began to read a lot of poetry, especially Dylan Thomas and Robert Frost. It was certainly not a “cool” thing to do and I didn’t tell many people my little secret. I think Lord of the Flies by William Golding was the first novel to really grab me and made me understand that literature could tackle darker themes and still be entertaining.

What are you reading right now?
Short Candles by Rita Donovan. I would recommend this beautifully written novel for any sophisticated young reader who is ready to try a more adult book. It is set in the 1970s and concerns a girl whose ability to predict certain events (usually tragic) is more of a curse than a blessing. Rita Donovan is a major Canadian talent who should be better known

What is your next project?
I’m working on another book for teens, but I’m afraid to talk about it because I don’t want to jinx it! I will say that I’m trying to make it a humourous book, because I like to laugh and I like to make others laugh in a good way!

© 2008 Defining Canada.