Photo Credit: Matt Godfrey Photo
The National Book Awards announced last week that Middletown’s Erin Entrada Kelly is one of five finalists in the Young People’s Literature category for her book, The First State of Being. She’s received many awards for her work, including the 2018 Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe and a 2021 Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space. Erin sat down with Peter Osborne to discuss creating her characters, kids as her favorite reviewers, her love for Delaware libraries, and common themes in her writing. This interview was edited for space and clarity.
Was it a surprise to be named a finalist for this award?
It was very unexpected. When I heard I was on the long list [in September], I was putting a pizza in the oven and my phone started pinging and I looked at it and was shocked. I burned my pizza, but I still ate it. I thought being on the long list was really, really great and exciting, but I’m not going to expect to be a finalist I don’t write books expecting they’re going to be winning things. It’s nice of course, but you just never know. When I was announced as one of the five finalists in my category, I was sufficiently shocked. It’s still surreal to me.
Actors and actresses say it’s nice to be considered for an Academy Award, but they don’t think it’s a competition because each performance is different. In this case, I assume you view it the same way: T hey’re all great books.
I definitely agree with that. In many ways, awards are important, but they are very subjective. It sounds like a cliche, but it really is a pleasure being nominated. I definitely don’t see it as a competition at all, because we all write these books and put them out into the world and a group of people get together and judge them based on their own criteria, which you have no control over that as an author.
What got you into writing?
I started writing when I was probably 8 years old. I was an avid reader. I’ve always been an avid reader. Judy Blume was one of my favorite authors. I would read her books. One day I just realized that books are words on paper, and I have paper, and I have a pencil, and I have words. So I started writing my own stories and I’ve been doing that ever since.
Where did you get the idea for this book?
Most of my ideas start with a character. It’s not really like a light bulb moment, but I knew I wanted to write about a boy who is very anxious about Y2K. So, Michael kind of came to be. I also knew that I wanted to have a time travel element. I’ve always wanted to write a time travel novel, although this is kind of light time travel. So I figured out how can I bring all these things together, this wonderful character that’s living in my imagination, his anxiety about Y2K and this time traveler from 200 years into the future, and how can I bring them all together? And that became this book.
Do you put yourself into your characters or can you separate them?
I put a lot of myself in all of my characters. I have a author friend, Laura Ruby, who says, “I am everyone and I’m no one” when it comes to her characters. That’s how I feel about my characters. With Michael, when I was a kid, I was a worrier. I worried about what would happen tomorrow, what happened yesterday, what happened today. And that’s how Michael is, and he kind of has to learn how to accept that he can’t control the future, and he can’t change the past, so he has to live in the present. That’s a lesson I’m still learning, but when I was a kid, I was much like Michael.
Do you have a writing process – a time or place – and do you write every day?
I do not write every day. I have tried to do that scheduling. I’ve tried to schedule myself, but I’ve learned you have to lean into your own process. I’m really not a person who can structure my time that way because sometimes it may be the morning and I’m not in the mood to write, so I only write when I feel compelled to. The good news is I feel compelled to often, so I may write in the morning, I may write in the afternoon, I may write at night. It just depends. The good news is I write longhand, so all I need is my notebook and I can start writing wherever I am.
Is there a theme or topic that you find yourself returning to in your work?
A common theme in my work is very often there’s a main character who feels overlooked or not seen or doesn’t realize the power of their own voice. That tends to be a common theme in my books. And very often the books are about their journey to discovering their value.
In what ways does winning or even being nominated for awards affect your perception of your work and your approach
It doesn’t influence the books that I write per se. Some people talk about winning an award and then feeling pressure for the next book. I’ve never had that happen. On one hand, there is a sense of validation that comes with awards, but on the other hand, you’re also aware there are hundreds of amazing, wonderful books that never win awards. It doesn’t influence the things that I choose to write about or how I write them or how I feel about what I write, but there is definitely a sense of pride and validation that comes with it.
What’s the best review you’ve ever gotten?
I’m fortunate I’ve gotten a lot of wonderful reviews, but my favorite reviews are the ones that come from kids in letters and emails. One of the reasons I love writing for them is that they’re very, very honest and they mean no harm. They’re just always speaking from their heart. I got a letter from this kid and it said, Dear Erin Entrada Kelly, you are my favorite author!! I have read three of your books!! Two of them were amazing, and one was just okay. That’s probably my favorite piece of feedback I’ve ever gotten.
What’s it like for you to do book readings and see how the kids are reacting?
It’s incredible because it makes me think about when I was their age, and I was reading Judy Blume in my room and writing stories. I would imagine what being a writer was like, and it involved book signings and readings. I’m always reminded of that when I’m doing those things. I especially remember what it was like to be their age and what it would’ve meant for me to see an author come to my school.
Erin Entrada Kelly and husband Dan Eaker at a Wilmington Blue Rocks game (Erin says she loves Mr. Celery)
Have you ever met Judy Blume?
I actually met her a few years ago. She has a bookstore in Key West, and my husband and I went there for vacation, and we went to her bookstore and she was there stocking books. I introduced myself, immediately started crying, and then she had me sign my books that were in stock at her store. And then we went out to dinner.
Pretty good moment.
And you know what? I didn’t bring up writing at all. We just hung out and talked like we were old friends. I didn’t want to pepper her with writing questions.
Do you still talk to her periodically?
No, I wish we became best friends, but it was just that one dinner and that’s it.
You told me about the best review. Can you describe a piece of feedback or criticism you got that changed how you write or just has stuck with you over the years?
It didn’t really change how I write, but I feel like I often get labeled with “writing quiet books,” and I kind of have a love/hate relationship with that word. It’s not meant as a criticism per se, it’s just talks about how my books are very quiet, which is another way of saying they’re largely focused on the internal journey of the characters. There are no big action scenes, explosions, dragons, or all this stuff. And sometimes I start thinking, should I have explosions, dragons, and chases? I don’t know if chases would make sense in a kid’s book for 12-year-olds.
I don’t want to get into the mindset of writing for good reviews. I have to write what’s in my heart, and so that’s what I do.
When Did You Know…
Did you always know that when you decided to become an author or try to become an author, you would write for kids or young adults?
I didn’t know until I was in my mid-to-late twenties. I actually started writing short stories for adults, and those started getting published. And then I realized that all my short stories had a character who was usually either 8 or 12 and they were all coming-of-age stories. And then that’s when kind of a light bulb went off. And then I started reading books for young adults just to get familiar with the world, and that’s kind of what kicked it off. I went from Judy Bloom to Stephen King, you know what I mean?
You grew up in southern Louisiana and have lived in Middletown for five years or so. How does that impact what you write about or your settings, characters or plot?
When you leave your hometown, you have an increased appreciation or awareness of the setting because you have perspective, because you are distanced from it. A lot of my books are set in Louisiana or around here in the Northeast, so I get the best of both worlds. There are a lot of parts of Delaware that look similar to where I grew up: long distances between towns and cities, flat and marshy.
What do you love about writing for kids?
Young people, kids, have so much energy. Their imaginations are boundless. They’re curious, honest, and forthright.
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When you last spoke to us, we were coming out of the pandemic, and you talked to Betsy Price about liking the Delaware Art Museum and your post-pandemic bucket list. How have you done with that?
I want to visit every library in Delaware because I love our library system. It’s one of my favorite things about Delaware. At some point I’m going to just make a list of all the libraries and just visit each one. So that’s one thing that’s on my bucket list.
Another thing on my bucket list that I have not done is to try to do community theater. I haven’t done that yet because it’s a big-time commitment. I do get the emails for their auditions, but it never lines up because I always have a book coming out or I’m teaching or something like that. Another thing I love about Delaware is our state parks, and I want to visit all of them.
What do you love about the library system in Delaware?
I love that you can check out and return a book from or to any library in the state. The library system feels very intimate, for lack of a better word. And the libraries themselves, each of them have their own different vibe. The staff is always friendly. I’m a huge lover of libraries, not surprising, and I’m a very active library patron.
Erin Entrada Kelly and Imposter Syndrome
What’s a belief or perspective you held at the beginning of your writing career that’s since changed?
In the beginning, I didn’t think I would have imposter syndrome once I got published. And now I know that’s not true. It kind of follows you. I thought I’d feel validated when I got an agent, and I wouldn’t have imposter syndrome. And then I got the agent, and I thought, well, once I get a book deal, it’ll go away, but it still hasn’t gone away. I’ve learned to accept that it will always be in the back of my mind.
It’s amazing how many people, including some very successful people, feel that way.
I’m glad people talk about it too, because I think that in the past, people didn’t want to admit that they had imposter syndrome.
You said a lot of your main characters are versions of you or have some of your traits. How do you approach creating characters that are different from you?
I try to find something that connects me to them, even if it’s not a reflection of one of my personal character traits. For example, I have a book, Those Kids from Fawn Creek, and there’s a character in there, Janie, who’s kind of a mean girl. I wasn’t a mean girl, and I’m not a mean girl, but I think there’s a mean girl inside all of us who has these little thoughts even if we don’t share them or say them aloud. So I tapped into that part of me. I try to find a way to connect in some way with the character, even if they’re very different from me.
Erin’s Favorite Books
Not counting your own, what’s your favorite book?
Oh, boy, that’s a hard one. I have so many favorites, but I will say that one of my favorites, since we’re talking about children’s literature, is a Kid Lit book, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.It’s a time travel book, and The First State of Being is actually dedicated to a character in that book called The Laughing Man.
Is there a book that you come re-read at least once a year?
This will feel like a left turn, but I read Wuthering Heights every year. I collect rare books, and I love gothic fiction. I have about 52 different editions of Wuthering Heights from different years and of varying value. I read that every year at least once.
What’s next?
I have a few things cooking. I have a book coming out in April I co-wrote with my friend, Kwame Mbalia. It’s my romcom for young adults called On Again, Awkward Again about two very awkward teens who are in love for the first time. And then in May, my first nonfiction book will come out, and I’m very excited about that. It’s the story of a [Filipina] woman [with leprosy] named Joey Guerrero, who was a spy for the Allies during World War II.
If readers want a signed or personalized copy of one of Erin Entrada Kelly’s books, they can order them through the Hockessin BookShelf.
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