Q&A with Marilyn Kaye

 

 

 

Marilyn Kaye is the author of the new middle grade novel Together for Never. Her many other books include the Gifted series. She lives in Paris.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Together for Never, and how did you create your characters Charlotte and Lily?

 

A: I’ve witnessed many “blended families,” with all their ups and downs. In most of them, the children of the couple were supportive, but I was wondering how hard it would be for the kids who didn’t think a relationship was a great idea — not because they didn’t like the parent’s prospective partner, but because of how it would change their own lives in other ways. I wanted the two girls to be very different from each other.

 

Q: The book has been described as “The Parent Trap meets Mean Girls.” What do you think of those comparisons?

 

A: I think it’s a good comparison — in The Parent Trap the two girls are trying to get a couple together while in Together for Never the girls are trying to pull them apart. And Charlotte definitely qualifies as a classic “Mean Girl.”

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: Yes, I always think through a story completely before I start writing, so I’m sure of the resolution.

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

 

A: I’d like them to see how sometimes even opposite types can end up sympathetic to each other.

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m not going to give away details, but I will say that it’s a middle-grade story with fantasy elements.

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I’ve written books for all ages, but lately I’m finding middle-grade the most appealing age range, most appropriate for the stories I want to tell.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Marilyn Kaye.