Q&A with Ciera Burch

 

Photo by Julia Xia

 

 

Ciera Burch is the author of the new middle grade novel Camp Twisted Pine. Her other books include the middle grade novel Finch House. She lives in Washington, D.C.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Camp Twisted Pine, and how did you create your character Naomi?

 

A: A few things inspired me! The most prominent was probably my desire to go to a sleep away summer camp as a kid that was never fulfilled. At least, not how I wanted it to be.

 

My mom wasn’t a fan of sending me away for weeks at a time with strangers, but my school had a week-long field trip for the entire 6th grade class to a place called Mt. Misery up in the Pine Barrens and the memory of that, my one and only camping experience, really had a lasting effect!

 

I like to say that all my characters come to me, like little people that pop into my brain out of nowhere, and the same is true of Naomi.

 

As someone who enjoys nature but not bugs or being hot, and who was a fairly indoor kid, I wanted to create a character, hopefully relatable to many, who loves the idea of nature but not the reality and, well, throw her into the reality.

 

Luckily, Naomi formed herself pretty easily in my mind with how responsible she was, a rule follower to the max, and somewhat isolated because of it.

Q: The novel takes place in the New Jersey Pinelands—can you say more about why you chose to set it there, and how important is setting to you in your novels?

 

A: I answered this a little above, but my own personal experience in the Pinelands was a wonderful time, plus it’s a fairly large area of protected land that’s important to New Jersey, where I’m from, and I wanted to highlight its beauty and uniqueness in some way, especially since, in legend, it’s home to the Jersey Devil, a little known but very interesting cryptid—at least to me!

 

I’d say setting is incredibly important to me because it’s the backdrop for everything and can affect how certain characters perceive or react to things.

 

For example, the Pine Barrens is fully out of Naomi’s comfort zone and it shows in most of her actions and thoughts and choices.

 

I also just love describing places, it’s one of my favorite things to do in writing, in the hopes of nailing down a certain image or emotion in my readers.

 

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

 

A: I hope they take away the importance of friendship and having people you can trust and confide in, and what a difference that can make in one’s life.

 

I also hope they take away the idea that nature is beautiful and sacred and should be upheld and protected for both our planet and ourselves…whether we’re indoor people or outdoorsy ones.

 

Q: Do you have any other favorite novels set at summer camp?

 

A: I really enjoy the graphic novel Lumberjanes, and Monster Camp by Sarah Henning, which is a fun take on a camp! Also, more recently, The Honeys by Ryan La Sala, which is YA.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m currently working on my next MG, about a girl who starts going invisible once she discovers some things about herself, and my next YA, about two friends turned rivals turned teammates who are grappling with their feelings for each other.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The Pine Barrens is a beautiful, fun place to visit, particularly if you enjoy hiking or kayaking! It also covers about 22 percent percent of land in New Jersey, which is a lot for a small state!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Ciera Burch.