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Photo by Erik Kvalsvik |
Ronald L. Smith is the author of the new middle grade novel Project Mercury. His other books include Black Panther: The Young Prince. He lives in Baltimore.
Q: What inspired you to write Project Mercury, and how did you create your characters Ike and Eesha?
A: Well, this project was a little bit different. All of my books spring from my own imagination, but this idea was brought to me by my publisher, Harper Collins, through Harper Collins Productions. They gave me an outline and I was able to put my own spin on it. I changed quite a bit to give it a unique voice. Hopefully it will be sold to a streamer or network! Fingers crossed.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between the two characters?
A: Ike and Eesha were just cardboard cut-outs when I first started, but over time, I was able to give them well-rounded personalities. They’re polar opposites, but had to come together to figure out the mystery of Project Mercury. It was fun to write for their two distinctive voices.
Q: What do you see as your character Mixie’s role in the story?
A: She’s a bridge between the future and our present-day. I wanted someone they could relate to (another kid) and make her just slightly different in terms of her outlook on life and the planet. I wanted a positive vision of the future in this book and Mixie is a good example of that.
Q: What did you see as the right balance between today’s world and the time-travel elements as you wrote the book?
A: I wanted to make sure the story was grounded in our present-day world, so that the time-travel plot elements would be all the more surprising. I wanted the readers to be just as surprised by future earth as Ike and Eesha are.
Of course, you want to keep the mystery going when you’re writing, so my job was to keep readers engaged until they make their way to the future.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: My first YA novel! Can’t share much now, but I’ll let you know more in the future!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Now is a good time to promote the right to read and to support libraries and librarians. See what you can do in your community to help.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Ronald L. Smith.
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