Erry
asked
Katie McGarry:
Okay, I have a question. What do you feel towards the racial bending of your characters? I always envisioned Noah as having a Latino background. Like does it bother you or?
Katie McGarry
Hi Erry,
Once I turn my book over to my readers, my book becomes yours. It's yours to hopefully love or to not like. The characters become yours as well. You're free to envision them however you want. :-)
I have a shelf of books that are favorites. These are the books that are like old friends or a favorite quilt. When I'm stressed out, I pull out one of these books and read it. There's one book that I've lost count how many times I read. The book is worn, pages colored and torn. Needless to say it is loved. Recently, while doing a reread, I discovered that the main character that I had in my head for YEARS looked nothing like she was described on the page. The character described in the book had short, platinum blond hair and blue eyes. The character in my head had long black hair, dark eyes and was Latina. Somehow, my mind created a character that looked nothing like the character in the book and that image became so embedded in my mind that when I reread the book, I never picked up on that difference until recently.
When I was younger, I used to daydream about scenarios when I was part of a favorite book or TV show. In my head, characters would end up changing. Sometimes their looks, sometimes their personalities.
I think that is what is great about art--the ability for us to insert ourselves into the story and make it ours.
Thank you for the question,
Katie
Once I turn my book over to my readers, my book becomes yours. It's yours to hopefully love or to not like. The characters become yours as well. You're free to envision them however you want. :-)
I have a shelf of books that are favorites. These are the books that are like old friends or a favorite quilt. When I'm stressed out, I pull out one of these books and read it. There's one book that I've lost count how many times I read. The book is worn, pages colored and torn. Needless to say it is loved. Recently, while doing a reread, I discovered that the main character that I had in my head for YEARS looked nothing like she was described on the page. The character described in the book had short, platinum blond hair and blue eyes. The character in my head had long black hair, dark eyes and was Latina. Somehow, my mind created a character that looked nothing like the character in the book and that image became so embedded in my mind that when I reread the book, I never picked up on that difference until recently.
When I was younger, I used to daydream about scenarios when I was part of a favorite book or TV show. In my head, characters would end up changing. Sometimes their looks, sometimes their personalities.
I think that is what is great about art--the ability for us to insert ourselves into the story and make it ours.
Thank you for the question,
Katie
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