Plus, there are hurdles and milestones that no one in your real life will fully comprehend. I truly can’t imagine navigating this process without them, and as solitary an endeavor as writing is, being in a debut group puts you on a team that’s all working together for everyone’s greater good. If I could offer one piece of advice for debut authors, it would be to find a debut group the minute you get your book deal. They have been invaluable sources of information and cheerleading, not to mention moral support. Freeman: I’m so grateful to the middle grade and YA authors in The21ders and Classof2k21 debut groups. Since this will post just before Thanksgiving, and expecting tends to activate our emotions, what gratitude might you like to share? Of course my agent Deborah Warren and the East West Literary authors and illustrators are incredibly supportive, too, as are my writing and critique partners. And I think we can all agree that Pascal Campion’s cover art is simply sublime.
Everyone at Aladdin has been terrific, from Anna Parsons in the editorial office to Chelsea Morgan and the copyediting folks to Heather Palisi’s design team and all of the people working to get ALONE into the hands of booksellers and librarians. Freeman: I am lucky to be working with Kristin Gilson at Simon & Schuster/Aladdin. Who is your “Birthing” team–Art Director, Editor, Crit group, etc This allowed me to get inside Maddie’s head much more and explore the solitary and sensory nature of her experience. I rewrote the story in verse, using first person voice and present tense. After many rounds of revisions, submissions, and feedback from multiple sources, I began again, this time tapping into my experience and skill as a poet. I first wrote the book in prose, in third person voice, and in past tense. Freeman: The writing of the book took many iterations and many years.
Growth: How has the manuscript grown since conception? When it came time to choose a permanent title, we settled on ALONE because it captured the essential conflict of the story while appealing to readers of all genders. When I was writing and needed a working title, I used Lone Girl, since in my head my character was The Lone Girl of Colorado. It was believed she had lived there alone for at least eighteen years, and she became known as The Lone Woman of San Nicolas. In the 1850s a middle-aged woman, the last known survivor of the Nicoleño tribe, was discovered living on San Nicolas Island off the coast of Southern California. Freeman: I was inspired by the same historical story that inspired Scott O’Dell, so I did some research about the original events. Where did you get the title? How is it significant? Newbery Medal winner Island of the Blue Dolphins, HMH BfYR
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