Q&A with Charis Cotter

 

Photo by Zoe Cleland

 

Charis Cotter is the author of the new middle grade novel The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall. Her other books include The Dollhouse. She lives in Newfoundland.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall, and how did you create your character Bee?

 

A: Camp was the highlight of my childhood. I loved it so much—I spent 11 months longing for the 12th month to arrive so I could go back to camp. It felt very adventurous to leave my family behind in the city and go to live in a tent under the stars.

 

I loved the rituals of campfire and chapel and early morning swims, and I loved being with my peers, sleeping in a sleeping bag, and the sense of order that came with the daily schedule. Most of all, I just loved being out in nature.

 

For a long time, I wanted to write a book about camp so I could relive that experience through my writing.

 

My favourite fairy tale has always been “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” by the Brothers Grimm. I am drawn by the tunnel, the enchanted lake, the golden, silver, and diamond trees, the 12 princes in their rowboats, and of course, the dancing.

 

I wanted to combine the fun of summer camp with the enchantment of this particular fairy tale. I had a lot of fun writing this book!

 

In some ways, Bee just appeared to me. I find that often happens with characters. They walk right into my mind and there they are, complete, with their own histories and opinions. It’s one of the joys of writing for me.

 

Bee came to me as a solitary figure who had closed herself off from the world around her in order to make her life work. She has always considered her extra-sensitive hearing to be a curse, something that makes her different and unacceptable to others.

 

But by the end of the story, she sees that it can also be a gift. Under the influence of the camp atmosphere, her friendship with Zippy, and the ongoing mystery, she gradually allows people and new experiences into her sheltered existence.

 

I also needed her to be resistant to camp at first, so that as she begins to love camp, her appreciation is more intense and unexpected.

 

Some of my own personality always seeps into the characters in my books. I drew on my own experience of being an outsider as I wrote about Bee, as well as my awkwardness with some of the physical demands of camp. I was never much of a swimmer, and I couldn’t dive to save my life, and my bathing suit never fit quite right. And yes, I wore Bermuda shorts!

 

But Bee is very much her own person and different from me in many ways. It’s fun to create characters and watch as they take on lives of their own.

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the novel says, “Cotter trusts readers with deep descriptions and a languid buildup to the action. Her writing is ethereal and evocative, evoking the dangers and glittering possibilities of summer nights away from home.” What do you think about this comment?

 

A: I just loved the Kirkus review. It was the first one that came out, and I was thrilled that the reviewer really understood what I was going for in the book.

 

However, that one word, “languid,” jumped out and I took issue with it. I just looked up “languid” in the thesaurus: why couldn’t they have said “unhurried buildup” or “slow buildup”?

 

Languid suggests a woman sitting in the sun who doesn’t have the energy to lift her glass of lemonade to her lips! And that’s not what the book is. There are deep descriptions and a gradual build-up, but there is lots of excitement along the way.

 

However, the rest of the review is so glowing, I really shouldn’t complain. “The dangers and glittering possibilities of summer nights away from home” is a perfect description of the excitement that Bee feels as she and Zippy begin to unravel the mystery.

 

I don’t write “thrillers.” My books all take their time to come to the action and I do trust that readers will enjoy the descriptions that set the scene for the mysteries and ghosts. I have had a lot of feedback that the book is indeed “evocative” of the summer camp experience, and that makes me happy, because that’s what I wanted to do: bring everyone to camp.

 

Q: What are some of your other favorite novels set at summer camp?

 

A: I can’t say that I have read any other novels set at summer camp. I would like to!

 

One movie that spoke to me was the original Parent Trap with Hayley Mills. This was one of my favourite movies as a child. I also really liked the remake with Lindsay Lohan.

 

Both these movies captured the camaraderie and excitement of living with your peers in the midst of nature. They also highlighted the many opportunities for getting up to mischief at camp, and I kept this in mind as I wrote The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: I hope readers are left with a feeling that they are just coming out of a spell that has enchanted them as much as it did the Hawks, that they feel a sense of delight, a bit of wonder, and a desire  to listen to some of those 1950s rock-and-roll tunes that came drifting over the water from the haunted dance hall.

 

I hope they are left laughing at Felicity and cheering on Bee and Zippy.

 

I hope readers end up feeling that maybe there is still some magic in the world, that everyone of us is capable of courage in adversity, and that friendship is a blessing.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am working on a really fun book that involves ghosts (surprise surprise!), a haunted house, a ghostly medium, a child magician and an astute cat named Shadow.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: This summer I was evacuated from my home because of wildfire that destroyed many homes in my community. It has been a devastating blow, and my heart goes out to all the people who have lost their homes.

 

My house is safe, but at the time of this interview, I’m still not home. My new kitten, Violet, and I have both found sanctuary with various friends. Friends always keep me going, but this summer in particular, I have been struck with the depth of my friendships, both new and old.

 

I have had so much loving support during this crisis, and I can only wish that everyone had such good friends as I do. Friendship is an ongoing theme in all my books, and this experience will surely deepen my understanding as I write about friendship in the future.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Charis Cotter.