Why I wrote "ALLO"

[[deleted user]]

I wrote ALLON at the request of my daughter when she was in high school. She wanted a fantasy, but she didn't like anything too dark. Before this, I was writing historical fiction, (my first love), but she knew I also wrote for children's television, and had received several screeenwriting awards. So I took up the challenge.

The fact that I was going to write a story just for her, intrigued her friends and soon they expressed interest in what I was writing. Before long, I was having lengthy discussions with her friends, first about the story, then about their lives. They spanned the spectrum of backgrounds and the globe, from local kids to immigrant families of various nationalities and ethncities.

The most common issue I found among all the teens was the need for "hope". Books they were reading and their own personal situations, didn't give these kids the "hope" the wanted or needed. From that point on, I knew what had to be included in my stories, the theme of "Hope". If nothing else, that is what I want the readers of ALLON to see, the "hope" these kids needed and wanted, even from something as simple as a book.

[Thomas]

Interesting how this progressed for you, with the kids opening up so much to you about their lives. I found when I was teaching drivers ed that kids would often want to talk about their lives to an adult who showed interest. A number of passages in my book concern kids feeling overburdened with organization and responsibilities (SAT, sports, etc.)when they just wanted to "be." I like the way your book unfolded -- sounds like a cool group effort.

[[deleted user]]

Thanks. It was interesting and exactly what you said about them wanting to talk to an adult who showed interest. Not to mention the fact I was a stay at home mom and they could get something to eat. Food is a great ice breaker. lol