Ask the Author: Kristine Scarrow
Answered Questions (3)
Kristine Scarrow
Great question! I had recently lost my dad--he passed away unexpectedly and I found myself struggling with grief, and I wondered how a person with fewer resources losing the most stable thing in her life, the person she loves more than anything, would cope knowing she had so few options in her life.
I was also intrigued by the idea that we can idolize someone so much (in this case the way Jayce started out idolizing her dad) only to find out that the person who you thought they were isn't really who they are at all, that they have flaws. It's that moment when everything you thought was real isn't. That's a difficult experience and one that I wanted to explore. This is also something that we see with Jayce's grandma.
Ultimately, I wanted to see how an imperfect family might come together and forgive and love one another when it might be easier to walk away instead.
I was also intrigued by the idea that we can idolize someone so much (in this case the way Jayce started out idolizing her dad) only to find out that the person who you thought they were isn't really who they are at all, that they have flaws. It's that moment when everything you thought was real isn't. That's a difficult experience and one that I wanted to explore. This is also something that we see with Jayce's grandma.
Ultimately, I wanted to see how an imperfect family might come together and forgive and love one another when it might be easier to walk away instead.
Kristine Scarrow
Never lose sight of your dreams. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a writer. I was a voracious reader and I would sit under trees and fill notebooks with my (now cringe-worthy) stories. As I got older, I realized that I had never met a writer before and it started to feel like an out-of-reach career path in my prairie city. I went to university and chose a more practical career path; research papers took the place of any creative writing but my interest in writing never waned.
After I had my children, that little voice inside me started getting louder and louder--it was telling me to write again. Once I started, opportunities opened up all over the place; it was as though the universe was supporting my decision. But more importantly, my heart opened up. I was feeding that yearning in my soul again.
Follow that voice inside of you. Don't give up. Whether you write for yourself, for others, for publication or for all three: remain diligent, keep writing and believe in those dreams.
After I had my children, that little voice inside me started getting louder and louder--it was telling me to write again. Once I started, opportunities opened up all over the place; it was as though the universe was supporting my decision. But more importantly, my heart opened up. I was feeding that yearning in my soul again.
Follow that voice inside of you. Don't give up. Whether you write for yourself, for others, for publication or for all three: remain diligent, keep writing and believe in those dreams.
Kristine Scarrow
I’ve just completed the first draft of my second YA novel and am about to start the editing process. This book follows Jayce, a sixteen-year-old dealing with her mom’s terminal cancer diagnosis. Because her mom has been a single parent to her and her younger sister, Jayce must figure out her future and come to terms with the possibility of losing her mom.
I’m also at work on a memoir, highlighting the incredible relationship I had with my dear dad, who passed away unexpectedly this past year. This is without a doubt the most profound loss I’ve ever experienced. As a proponent of writing as a way of healing, it seems fitting that I write about the special memories I have of my dad and our unique bond.
I’m also at work on a memoir, highlighting the incredible relationship I had with my dear dad, who passed away unexpectedly this past year. This is without a doubt the most profound loss I’ve ever experienced. As a proponent of writing as a way of healing, it seems fitting that I write about the special memories I have of my dad and our unique bond.
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