So even though I created challenges for Peggy Sue, it was a difficult for me to fully embrace sorrow on the page. It came over time, through zillions of drafts and a big aha! Could you talk a little bit about how writers can strike a balance between sorrow and hope in their novels?ĪB: Can I tell you that while writing those scenes, I had a catch in my throat, too, and maybe a few tears?įor me, the balance between sorrow and hope was an evolution. In fact, I found the ending deeply satisfying.

The scene where Peggy Sue has to leave her beloved cat, Howdy, in the quarantine center is heart-wrenching. So, I wondered, what if a reluctant newcomer’s initial entry was wobbly? And I went from there.īW: I confess, I had a lump in my throat from almost the opening pages of Anywhere but Paradise.

I worried all year long because an eighth grader threatened to beat me up on the last day of school, a day she and others called “ Kill Haole (white people) Day.” Nothing happened to me. I collected shells and beach glass with my cousins, celebrated special dinners with my grandparents, strung lei from flowers in our backyard, and took hula lessons once a week, culminating in a recital at the end of each school year. I was born in paradise and I spent most of my growing up years on Oahu. Please tell us what inspired you to write that particular story.Īnne Bustar d (AB): Thank you for your kind words, Shala, and thank you for inviting me to this conversation! I love to talk about books! Bustard and the other EgmontUSA Last List writers.īostonWriters (BW): Anywhere but Paradise is a beautifully written Middle Grade (MG) novel (with appeal to younger teens) about a twelve-year-old girl who has just moved from Texas to Hawaii, and the many difficulties she faces making those adjustments. Be sure to read through to the end for some exciting news about what’s next for Ms.

As I mentioned a week or two ago, in January, EgmontUSA announced that they were going out of business, and that this spring’s list would be their last. I signed up to participate in Cuddlebuggery’s Last List Blog Hop in hopes of offering at least one of the affected writers a little bit of free publicity.Īs part of that blog hop, Anne Bustard, author of Anywhere but Paradise kindly agreed to talk writing, books, and the travails of publishing with me.

Far Out! by Anne Bustard