Shannon Takaoka is the author of the new young adult novel The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne. She also has written the YA novel Everything I Thought I Knew. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Q: What inspired you to write The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne, and how did you create your character Gracie?
A: For me, inspiration almost always starts with a character, and for Gracie, I tapped into this feeling that I often had as a teen, where I was usually kind of awkward and unsure of myself.
It’s a feeling that I know a lot of us probably experience at that age, but at the time, I’m sure I believed that it was just me – that everyone else was way cooler, funnier and more confident than I was.
I also had a pretty big imagination so sometimes daydreamed about these scenarios where I lived a much more dramatic life than your typical suburban high school student – sort of like the teenage version of Walter Mitty.
Anyhow, that was the spark that got me thinking: What if you could revise your life story? What if you could somehow rewrite a “you” where, instead of being too shy to open your mouth in class, you were the center of everyone’s attention?
Or what if you could undo your most embarrassing mistakes with the stroke of a pen? Would the power to control your life like that make you happier? Or would it feel like a cheat?
The other inspiration for the story was my maternal grandmother. She lived with my family for a period of time when I was in high school because she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and could no longer care for herself.
It was an experience that has stuck with me for many reasons – and I wanted to explore how a situation like this impacts a family, and to explore the relationship of memory to our own stories.
Q: The Kirkus Review of the book called it a “warmhearted story that will resonate with anyone who has ever dreamed of reinventing themselves.” What do you think of that description?
A: Well, I’ve heard Kirkus can be an especially tough reviewer so I’m honestly thrilled with that description. I think most of us dream of reinventing themselves at one point or another, so I hope this means that my story will resonate with lots of readers!
Q: How did you research the novel, and did you learn anything that especially intrigued you?
A: The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1987, which makes it historical fiction…which is a little alarming to me because I grew up in the ‘80s! So a lot of the details from that era and details related to the location (I grew up in Pittsburgh) are from my memory.
In the story, Gracie is facing a big life change due to her family moving, so I wanted it to take place before smart phones and social media because it raises the stakes a bit more when she’s cut off from her previous life.
That said, the ‘80s were a looong time ago now, so I definitely did do some research on what was going on in the world and in pop culture in 1987. I remember the broad strokes but not all the specifics, so it was fun to revisit the music and some of the rites of passage of that era, like going to a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
My first book was a much heavier lift in terms of research. Because that one dealt with a heart transplant, I spent a lot more time reading and learning about the history and modern aspects of transplant surgery.
There’s also a parallel universe plotline, so I read books by Brian Greene, who is a theoretical physicist. So in comparison, Gracie’s story seemed a lot easier research-wise!
Q: Did you know how the book would end before you started writing it, or did you make any changes along the way?
A: Yes. I’m not a big plotter, but I do like to zero in on what the ending of my story is going to be pretty early on so that I have something specific to work towards.
Otherwise, my process is fairly free-form. I write out of order, and scenes and subplots change quite a bit as I’m working. I compare it to building a puzzle. I start with some key scenes and then spend a lot of time in revision rearranging it all into a narrative that makes sense.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m in the early stages of another YA novel. This one is set in the present day, like my first one, Everything I Thought I Knew, and it’s going to be about a girl trying to figure out her purpose in spite of all the unknowns in the world, and especially in light of some of the daunting challenges this generation is facing, like climate change. That’s all I can say for now.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Sure! My first novel, Everything I Thought I Knew, came out in paperback recently, so readers who enjoy The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne might want to check it out. It’s about a 17-year-old girl recovering from a heart transplant whose life becomes cosmically entangled with her donor’s.
Set in the San Francisco Bay Area, the story explores life, death, love, surfing, and the multiverse, combining contemporary themes with an otherworldly twist.
It originally came out in the middle of the 2020 pandemic when all the bookstores were closed, so I’m hoping that the paperback release gives it a new chance to find readers.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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