In Carmen Rodrigues' debut novel, Not Anything, she introduces the character of Susie Shannon. Right from the start, Susie holds nothing back from readers, yet keeps rather quiet around her peers and her father. Within a few paragraphs, readers will know that she hasn't smiled for a yearbook picture since she was in fourth grade and has been having panic attacks since the sixth grade. Within a few chapters, they'll also know that though she's never had a boyfriend, this sophomore has other kinds of love: music (she intends to be a songwriter when she grows up), organization, English lit, her best friend Marisol, her aging grandmother, her distant father, and her mother, who died in a car accident when Susie was nine.

At school, she has to tutor Danny, a junior who is far more laid back that she. His easygoing attitude and half-smile make her nervous and frustrated - and, though she's initially loathe to admit it, interested. At home, she and her father do the dance of strangers. They live in the same house but barely speak to one another, the distance between them having grown and grown after the loss of her mom. Susie would like nothing more than to feel as though, "just maybe, he might actually have room in his life for [her]," to have a real conversation with him rather than one just in passing. As the story continues, Susie tries to summon up the courage to tell her father and Danny what's really on her mind, and to figure out who she is, with or without others.

Look for the lyrics Susie writes - if only the music played as you turned the page! - as well as a visit to Wonderland on Halloween.

Susie's stories and songs continue in A Little Something, which will be released in 2009. While waiting for the follow-up, check out The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson and Adios to My Old Life by Caridad Ferrer.

Read the first chapter of Not Anything.

Read my interview with the author.

I recall standing in the library at a young age and reading a book jacket summary written in third person, then discovering that the book itself is written in first person. I furrowed my blow, feeling a little upset by the mismatch. (I like things that match. Always.) I am perhaps better able to express it now: If the story reveals what's on the character's mind, shouldn't the blurb follow suit? I also now understand why flaps and blurbs err on the side of third person, but I still prefer summaries that match the narrator in tone and style.

Therefore, the very fact that Not Anything's back cover blurb was written in first person made me happy. Shortly after reading the book, I was able to interview Carmen Rodrigues and find out what's on the author's mind.

You started writing this book after a personal loss. I salute you for being able to pick up that pen (or sit at that keyboard) and channel your grief into your writing. That must have been so difficult. How long did it take to write the first draft?

Not Anything took nearly two years to write and another year or so to revise. It was my first time writing a full-length manuscript, and I gave myself permission to take the necessary time to figure things out. By doing so, I created a story that feels organic, not contrived.

( Read more... )

Visit Carmen's website and MySpace page.

Read my review of Not Anything.