Christine Deriso - Then I Met My Sister

Maybe it was because my family was such a tight unit that I was a pretty introverted teen. I spent a lot of time reading and playing my guitar. I had a few close friends, but I hated forced fun, like parties. I wish I’d nudged myself a little more out of my comfort zone than I did, but I always sensed my best days were ahead, and I just wasn’t very interested in typical teenage stuff. Proms? Whatever. I had the great American novel to write! (I hadn’t quite mastered the finer points of modesty at that point.)

In the book, Summer is raised with a very different idea of who her sister was than the one she comes to find in the diary. Have you ever found your perception of someone challenged and been forced to change your view?

Definitely, both for better and for worse. We’ve all been disillusioned by public figures who have fallen from grace, for instance, and I think every example is a cautionary tale that we shouldn’t put people on pedestals. We’re all human and we all have the potential for the full range of human behavior. The better we understand that, both about others and about ourselves, the more compassion and insight we can bring to our relationships.

Of course, one of the great joys in life is changing your view of someone else for the better. That’s happened in my life too many times to count. When I was younger, for instance, my own insecurities led me to equate popularity with superficiality, or self-confidence with snobbishness. I wonder how many relationships I cut off at the pass with these silly assumptions.

The older I get, the more I realize how unreliable impressions can be. The jerk who cuts you off in traffic, for instance, may have just come from a doctor’s appointment with a cancer diagnosis. You just never know what people are going through. I hope as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown more understanding and compassionate.

If you had been in Summer’s shoes, would you have had the courage to read the diary?

I think I would have had the courage to read it, but I wouldn’t have had the courage to make the choice she makes at the end of the book. Like Summer, I tend to be pretty guarded, yet somehow assume people know what I’m thinking. My excellent and insightful Flux editor spotted that right away when he read the first draft of the novel. “Let us into Summer’s head more,” he’d tell me. “We need to know what she’s thinking.”

I thought, “What’s he talking about?” For instance, in my mind, Summer was clearly in love with Gibs; it went without saying … didn’t it? Uh … no, it didn’t. Forcing myself to reveal more of Summer was forcing myself to reveal more of myself to the reader. It felt like therapy … scary, but ultimately very liberating and cathartic.

In guiding Summer to strip away layers of secrecy and duplicity, leading to the denouement of sharing the journal with her parents, I became braver and more self-revelatory myself. I wish I’d learned Summer’s lessons earlier in my own life.

As a writer and as a reader, what types of stories interest you?

Authenticity is key. If a character’s voice doesn’t ring true, I’m not interested in reading further.

I also like witty dialogue. I love Scout’s irreverence and insouciance in To Kill a Mockingbird , the timeless charm of Mark Twain’s characters, and the sardonic edge of a writer like David Sedaris.

Imagination gets high marks from me as well. I’ve incorporated the supernatural into a couple of my novels because … well, in fiction, you can do whatever you want, so why not? I like being surprised and transported. For instance, I was gripped by the creepiness of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go .

I also value bravery in books. Writing can be like therapy. The more honest it is, the more it will resonate with readers. What teen can’t identify with Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye ? What dysfunctional family can’t relate to Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club ? The best writers never flinch.

Life lessons are fine in stories, but they should seduce the reader, not club him over the head. If a dose of nobility sneaks up on a reader, great, but it should never be at the expense of authentic writing or great storytelling. I hate preachiness and self-righteousness. We all have lessons to learn, and the more honest a writer is, the more evident that is. A writer’s agenda shouldn’t be to impart a lesson; it should be to let wisdom reveal itself naturally in the course of great storytelling.

Nicole Renee Photography

About the Author

Christine Hurley Deriso is the award-winning author of three middle grade novels. She has also contributed to Ladies’ Home Journal, Parents, and other national magazines. Visit her online at www.christinehurleyderiso.com.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

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Interview with the Author

About the Author

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

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Interview with the Author

About the Author