Catherine Ryan Howard, a.k.a. Catherine Caffeinated has reviewed And By the Way.

You can read her review on her website.

I am posting the Q&A I did for her……

Denise was lovely enough to answer a few questions about me. Welcome to Catherine, Caffeinated, Denise!

This is your first book for teenagers; until now, you’ve written for adults. How is the process different? Which do you prefer?

For me, there isn’t a huge difference in the process. When I’m writing, the books tend to ‘come’ to me as dialogue. That’s how I ended up writing for teens. A voice came into my head. It was the voice of Alex Newman, a very angry, sarcastic yet vulnerable sixteen-year-old, who was letting her dad have it. It blew me away – especially Alex’s vulnerability in the face of the fury. I hadn’t planned to write for teens but I couldn’t ignore the voice. So I wrote it down to see where it would take me. It kept coming. I kept writing. And here I am…with a series of teen novels, The Butterfly Novels.

There are certain similarities between my adult and YA books eg the writing is pared down, fast paced and dialogue-driven. The books are reality-based and issues-led with a blend of honesty and subtle humour. That’s not a plan. Just the way it usually works out.

You ask if I prefer writing for adults or teens. In a way, I feel I’m writing for both. Many adults have read And By The Way and loved it because it made them feel sixteen again. I do actually prefer writing stories about teenagers though. I think life is at its most intense during that period in our lives. Everything seems so important – friendships, love, the environment, the future. Life is just more passionate.

One reason I love writing YA books is Young Adults themselves. I have NEVER before received the reaction I’m getting from teenagers to this, my first YA book. It is incredible. I’m getting texts, emails, Facebook notices, tweets. I spoke to some students from Sion Hill school, the other day and was blown away by their enthusiasm. I love young people. In all my adults books, key roles have gone to children and teenagers. People used to say to me that I should write for teenagers. Because, as writers, we are so sensitive to comment – at least I am – I used to think – ‘what are they trying to tell me?’ Turns out they were predicting the future.

You clearly know a lot about modern teenage life – there wasn’t one false note in the whole book! Have you spies reporting back to you or are you secretly a 16-year-old?

It’s funny but when I was with the girls from Sion Hill, I read from an article I’d written for the Irish Daily Mail about my own (sad!) teenage life. In addition to my somber warning – along the lines of, ‘let that be a lesson to you against shyness’ – I told the girls that writing about teenagers is like my second chance to do it right. When I sit down at my computer, I am sixteen again. And that, let me tell you, is a good feeling. Ever since I became a mum I’ve tried to see things from my children’s point of view, to just understand where they’re coming from. It has become a habit. They are now teenagers and I really hope I understand their world.

Did you have anyone in mind when you created the character of “The Rockstar”? Because I couldn’t help but think about Bono wearing wedge-heeled shoes and dark shades all the time….

I’m smiling because I wanted to originally call the book ‘My Dad Wears Wedges.’

I had finished the first draft of And By The Way and was editing it at an artists’ retreat. One evening we were all reading from our work. I read from an early chapter. Afterwards, an argument broke out as to who the rock star was – Bono or Bob Geldof. I think it’s natural for people to compare him to existing Irish rockstars and we really don’t have that many of that vintage. To me, The Rockstar, is his own man – a down-to-earth, regular, guy struggling to be a good dad in the face of major loss. He’s no way near as perfect and together as Bono!!

Catherine can also be found on twitter……