Yvette Clark is the author of the middle grade novel The House Swap. She also has written the middle grade novel Glitter Gets Everywhere. She lives in Manhattan.
Q: What inspired you to write The House Swap, and how did you create your characters Allie and Sage?
A: Hi Deborah, thank you for inviting me to your blog! The idea for the story of two very different girls meeting when a house swap doesn’t go entirely according to plan came to me after reading an article about how it is becoming increasingly popular to do home exchanges.
The article talked about the benefits and potential downsides of doing house swaps—there was no mention of anyone arriving at the house to find half the family and one sick dog still there!
The Parent Trap was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and The Holiday is one of my favorite films to rewatch at Christmas. I thought writing a middle-grade mashup of the two would be fun, and it was!
Allie’s character came to me first, relatively fully formed. I wanted her to be feisty, funny, and outspoken but still struggling to feel heard in her chaotic family. Of course, Allie had to have red hair and freckles!
I make a mood board for each of my books, and a photo of Lindsey Lohan in The Parent Trap is on Allie’s board, along with a picture of an enormous dog, an image of a top-secret diary, and a photo of her chaotic and crowded cottage in the countryside.
Writing the perspective of someone growing up in a tiny English village was easy for me as the setting is very similar to where I grew up.
Sage’s character was slower to emerge. I knew I wanted her to be diametrically opposed to Allie in many ways—quieter, shy, and more introspective, but I also wanted to show her inner strength and creativity, for example, when she confronts a bully who has been tormenting Allie for years.
Sage’s mood board includes images of her collection of crystals, her perfectly organized bedroom, her snooty Persian cat, and her family’s ultra-modern white house in California.
The House Swap is the first novel I wrote from a dual point of view, so it was critical from the start that the two girls had distinct personalities, ways of speaking, mannerisms, etc.
I used different chapter sub-headings to orientate the reader to whose point of view we are in—for Allie, an extract from her diary, and for Sage, a description of a crystal.
Q: The Kirkus Review of the book called it a “tender story of two girls navigating complicated family lives and two poignant storylines that illustrate the value of learning to have hard conversations.” What do you think of that description?
A: This was one of my favorite reviews of The House Swap. I thought it summed up the book perfectly. I love to write stories about complicated family lives filled with hope, humor, and heart.
Allie and Sage are opposites in many ways, but they are both struggling to find their voice. Their unexpected friendship leads to them being able to articulate their fears, which in turn leads to the resolution of these issues and a greater understanding of each other, the people who love them, and, most importantly, of themselves. I think they will be friends for life!
Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: I always knew how the story would end for both Allie and Sage. I wanted to tie things up for the two girls in a way that would feel both realistic and hopeful to readers.
I did make some changes along the way, though. The surf camp in California plays an essential part in the story. Initially, I had the family going to a Hollywood movie-making camp. I quickly realized that didn’t work for the plot! I also changed the Bletchley Park storyline, giving Sage the outcome I had initially planned for Allie.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: I hope that Allie and Sage’s stories empower kids (and parents!) to have those tough conversations that are crucial to making the messiness of family life work.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m working on my third middle-grade novel; this one is set in England in 1938. It’s about a group of girl’s adventures at an unconventional boarding school. The story explores themes of friendship, feminism, finding your purpose, and the importance of believing in the heroine inside you.
I’m having a lot of fun writing my first historical novel, although I find myself going down research rabbit holes and spending way too much time googling questions like: What kind of fabric was on train seats in 1930s England? Which deserts were eaten at that time? Was fencing a popular sport for girls in the 1930s?
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I love hearing from readers and doing school visits. Please head over to my website to contact me @ www.yvetteclark.com
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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