Kimberly Behre Kenna is the author of the new upper middle grade novel Lola Gillette and the Summer of Second Chances. Her other books include Jett Jamison & the Secret Storm. She is also an educator and she lives in Connecticut.
Q: What inspired you to write Lola Gillette and the Summer of Second Chances?
A: During the pandemic, I took a trip to Gillette Castle State Park here in Connecticut. Despite the fact that it’s near me, I’d never been.
The park itself was so beautiful – wooded trails, rock cliffs overlooking the Connecticut River – I knew I’d be back for a tour of the inside of the castle that sits at the top of the hill overlooking the property.
The tour was full of details of William Gillette’s life that immediately captured my imagination. Since I write middle-grade books, I knew kids would find this place to be an engaging and exciting setting for a story.
William Gillette was the first actor to portray Sherlock Holmes on stage, and his life as an inventor is equally interesting. He built the castle, and there are 47 doors in it, each with a unique hand-carved lock! I urge you to read up on him. You can start here.
Q: How did you create your character Lola?
A: Lola’s character sprang from that trip to Gillette Castle, and she evolved into a grieving twin thanks to my younger twin sisters. I was always fascinated by their magical connection and wondered what they’d do without each other.
Lola isn’t an imprint of either one of my sisters, but she is a combination of many aspects of them and me, along with a few dashes of imagination.
Q: The writer Eva Silverfine said of the book, “Kenna gives an authentic voice to a young adolescent struggling to come to terms with a tragedy and whether that tragedy will define her.” What do you think of that description?
A: Eva’s comment gets to the heart of Lola’s story. Lola is convinced she could’ve avoided the accident that took her sister, Vinny’s life. That guilt infuses almost every aspect of her world. She believes Vinny was the better twin – smarter, kinder, and just plain old perfect.
Because of that, she feels she needs to live for both of them, to provide her parents with all that they’re missing now that they only have only one daughter, and the lesser of the two.
So Lola needs to step out of that guilt and poor self-image and into her true authentic and worthy self. She cannot let the tragedy of Vinny’s death define her because it lives outside of her, and though the tragedy and Vinny herself are a part of her life, she needs to go forward and reclaim life as Lola, an important and necessary person just as she is.
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 didn’t know the ending before I started writing this story, as is usually the case for me. I needed to get a handle on how Lola behaves and evolves within a setting that also changes.
From there it was a non-linear path toward the ending when Lola reclaims her life by stepping outside of her faulty self-definition. This allows her to realize her potential to impact others (and herself) in a positive way.
The ending couldn’t exist without a lot of missteps on Lola’s part. This stepping out of her own way, this building of inner strength and confidence, led to a satisfying ending.
Also, since my audience is young readers, I make sure the ending reflects hope. That is the only certainty for me when it comes to story endings.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m working on final edits of a YA manuscript as well as a new MG. Both feature immersive nature settings and lots of questionable choices on the part of the characters. None of my books tie up perfectly at the end. This is purposeful since I hope my books encourage questions, conversations, and debates.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: You can head over to my website to find out more about me, my books, curriculum guides, and my author events.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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