Holly Schindler
Books:
- A Blue So Dark
- Playing Hurt (March 1, 2011)
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Terrified that her mother, a schizophrenic and an artist, is a mirror that reflects her own future, sixteen-year-old Aura struggles with her overwhelming desires to both chase artistic pursuits and keep madness at bay.
As her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet keeps drawing Aura toward the depths of her own imagination—the shadows of make-believe that she finds frighteningly similar to her mother’s hallucinations.
Convinced that creative equals crazy, Aura shuns her art, and her life unravels in the process.
Summary from Goodreads
I have to admit I was amazed by some of the information in A Blue So Dark, especially the correlation between creativity and schizophrenia. What type of research did you have to do? Did you read case studies, or talk to actual family members of those suffering from schizophrenia?
The mind’s a fascinating thing, isn’t it? We just know so, so little about it…I did a bunch of research online, and at my local library. Spent a bunch of time in the YA nonfiction section, reading up on schizophrenia (because I wanted to know how it had been presented factually to teens).
I actually started OUT knowing that I wanted to write about the possible link between creativity and madness, though…I mean, is a hallucination really so different from the spark of inspiration—the vision an artist gets of a finished product? In both instances, only one person can “see” the image—they’re imagining something that doesn’t exist. You have to wonder—is what we consider “mental illness” really just an ultra-creative mind?
…Once I’d done some research into the disease—symptoms, treatments, etc.—I put everything away and started to write. I needed my characters to drive the book, after all, not the disease…
Music, Drawing, Photography…there are so many aspects of art and creativity present in A Blue So Dark, are you an artist of any sort?
Okay, seriously: Secret fantasy? That I’m a singer in a band. (Who DOESN’T have that daydream, though, right?) My heroes have honestly always been musicians…and the most talented person I’ve ever met in my life—just talking raw, natural talent—was the guy who taught me how to play guitar.
I do love my music (I play a little, and as far as singing, what I lack in technical ability I can more than make up for in sheer volume). But I think we’re always drawn to things that…elude us, a little. Love music, love drawing / painting. But do I EVER think I’ll be as good of a musician as the guy who taught me to play guitar? No, no, no. Will I EVER be a “great” artist? No way. I’m—a doodler. Since it eludes me, I’m fascinated by it—and I think that’s why I wrote about it.
There were parts that were difficult to read, what was the most difficult part of A Blue So Dark to write?
The one scene I spent the most time on was the burning of the mermaids—you know, when Aura comes home, and finds her mother’s yanking the mermaids from the kitchen ceiling and trying to burn them in the sink? It was actually the last scene I wrote, too—it came to life during the last revision process.
In all honesty, I do think that dramatic writing is REALLY hard. Metaphors come pretty easily to me…But to describe something that is physically happening in such a way that the readers can live it? That’s rough. I have enormous respect for anyone who writes thrillers, mysteries, action-driven books.
What are you hoping that readers will learn from reading A Blue So Dark… or what are you hoping they take away from it?
BLUE was written in late 2006 and rewritten globally about four times in the next two years. In those years, with each major rewrite, I was able to bring a new layer—a new theme or element—to the book. BLUE explores teens as caretakers, the mother-daughter bond, high school culture, mental illness and creativity…
I’ve always hoped that BLUE would be one of those books rich enough that every reader would be able to take something a little different from it…And the thing is, I think that’s how a book GETS to be rich enough for readers to look at it from their own angle, take their own meaning from it—with successive rewrites! Hard as it is to face rejection over and over, those rejections really helped me write a book with far more depth than I might have otherwise…
Who was your favorite character to write? I have to admit that I was a fan of Nell…especially with the guidance counselor scene!
I really love Nell, too! But one person I find myself being drawn to, now that the dust has settled and the book is finished, is Angela Frieson. I just think there’s so much that’s off the page with her…so much Aura didn’t ever get to see…Angela just kind of intrigues me…
Are you working on anything now? Can you tell us anything about it?
My second YA, PLAYING HURT, is set to release March 1, 2011. This next time around, I’m tackling matters of the heart:
Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration back home. Then she took a horrible fall during senior year. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.
That summer, Chelsea's dad hires Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player and "boot camp" trainer, to work with her at a northern Minnesota lake resort. As they grow close, Chelsea finds that Clint’s haunted by his own tragedy. Will their romance end up hurting them all over again—or finally heal their heartbreak?
Holly also wanted to mention:
Discovering the YA blogosphere was really one of the absolute best parts of selling BLUE…I’ve just adored getting to meet fellow YA book nuts. I’m always brainstorming new ways to interact with bloggers…Right now, I’m running a Flash Fiction Challenge on my blog—basically, you write the prompts, I write the fiction…The writer of the best prompt gets a prize in time for the holidays! I’m also in the very earliest stages of putting together the blog tour for PLAYING HURT…Check out my blog (hollyschindler.blogspot.com) to get in on both! Can’t wait to see you there…
Thanks so much Holly for stopping by! I absolutely loved A Blue So Dark!
I also have a signed copy of A Blue So Dark for one lucky winner!
Official Contest information:
- to enter, please fill out the form below
- entrants must be 13 years of age or older
- contest deadline is November 8, 2010
- contest open to US & Canada*
- ONE ENTRY PER PERSON!
- check out my Contest Policy/Privacy Policy
*Thanks Holly for providing the prize!