Kristen Chandler is the author of “Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me” and “Girls Don’t Fly,” which hits bookstores this Thursday. Below is a complete transcript of her interview with Cracking the Cover.
Where did the idea for “Girls Don’t Fly” come from?
I usually get my ideas from dreams. In this case I went to a IMAX movie about the Galapagos Islands and then had a dream. The dream involved me sitting in a chair like I was a character in the trailer scenes of Raising Arizona looking out over the West Desert, looking for Galapagos tortoise. I didn’t see any, strangely enough, but I just kept looking. Finally someone in my family came out and told me I was getting sunburned. I woke up still looking. That scene isn’t in the book, but it kind of is the book.
“Girls Don’t Fly” is set in Utah, and some places are obviously real. How much of the landscape is made up and how much is real?
The setting is all taken from real places. Except Chicken Little, the fast food joint. I made that up. Of course I have my fun with reality.
The Great Salt Lake plays a large role in your book. How much time did you spend out there in preparation for your book? Were you ever tempted to mention the lake’s “unique” smell?
I spent a lot of time at the lake, bumming around with the staff there and goofing around at Antelope Island. I was a temporary vagrant in Magna. I went birding at the Refuge and I even got people to take me sailing. It was a blast. The smell didn’t bother me that much, but it is unique.
Birds also play a large role. Are you a bird-lover?
Yes I am. I’m not an authority, I’m a fan. I often go fishing and end up watching the birds fish instead. Working on this book made me a much bigger fan. An old high school teacher took me birding at Utah Lake a few times and after that I was hooked.
How much research did you need to do on birds, the Galapagos, etc.
I love to geek out when I do a book. I spent many hours studying birds in the field and in books. I assisted in an AP Biology class a few times. But going to the Galapagos Islands with my son, well, that wasn’t really research. That’s like going to heaven and then coming back and calling it research.
How long did you work on it?
The research took me about four months and the writing was about three or four. It’s all a little bit of blur.
Who is your favorite character in the book? Why?
I love Myra. She sews a yellow dress. She’s every girl I ever wanted to stand up for herself and see how amazing she is, including me. And Pete is, well, he’s a keeper.
Are any of the characters based on people in real life?
I Interviewed girls from my neighborhood with “boy issues,” including my own daughter. She was a huge help. The harbor master at the Great Salt Lake, Dave Shearer, is a bit of a pirate. I also have a house full of boys, so that part was easy.
What were the challenges working on “Girls Don’t Fly”? The highlights?
I was terrified of writing about Utah. Really! I didn’t know how to navigate all the “peculiar people” stuff that goes with the dominate religion. I was also afraid to write about dating and family situations that are fairly dark. But that’s why I wrote about it. It was satisfying to write about “my own backyard” and feel like I told the story I wanted to tell.
What do you hope readers will get out of “Girls Don’t Fly”?
Life is about choices. But I don’t think you always have to give up the people you love, no matter how flawed they are, to be honest, to be brave, to be adventurous. In some ways this story is a love letter to people trying to make that choice. I hope readers fall in love with their own lives by watching Myra fall in love with hers.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on… well, its kind of a secret. And I’m a few days from being done with the first draft. But I can tell you that its action packed!
“Girls Don’t Fly” is your second book. How has the experience differed from “Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me”?
My first drafts of WOLVES were a mess. I learned so much from working with the best editor and agent in the business, Tracy Gates and Jamie Weiss Chilton. They sort of raised me. This time through they wanted relatively few changes. This was also a deeply personal book, so there was more introspection involved.