Sonia Gensler is the author of the young adult novels “The Dark Between” and “The Revenant.” The following is the complete transcript of her interview with Cracking the Cover for her middle-grade novel, “Ghostlight.”
Why do you write?
Because I am addicted to stories, and when I can’t find the sort of story I want to read, I have to write it.
Why specifically do you write for young people?
I actually think I write about young people rather than specifically for them. Young people deal with so much change, conflict, and drama that their narratives are compelling in a way that is both organic and familiar.
Your books focus on the spirit world and/or ghosts. Why are you drawn to this subject?
I am fascinated by the notion of an emotion so powerful that it survives bodily death. I like the idea of ghosts as emotional residue.
Where did the idea of “Ghostlight” come from?]
I’ve been fascinated by filmmaking for several years, but it took me a while to get used to the idea of writing a contemporary story. Once I had the idea of combining filmmaking with the paranormal, I decided to choose a setting very dear and familiar to me, which was my grandmother’s farm in Tennessee. Hilliard House is based on Lylewood Inn, a late-nineteenth century mansion that isn’t far from my grandmother’s house.
Was there much research involved or pure imagination?
Ghostlight involved significantly less research than my two historical novels, but I still had to read up on the history of the area and spend some time with medical research.
Take me through your writing process.
Usually I am inspired first by setting. Once I have a place for the story, I do a lot of thinking and daydreaming. Eventually I start working on an outline, and at that time I usually dive into researching the time and place. I love research—actually I just love the whole planning stage of a project. The first draft is my least favorite part because it’s truly painful and so very sloooow. Revision is much easier, and I enjoy it, but nothing is as fun as that planning stage!
“Ghostlight” is your first middle grade book. How did writing it differ from YA?
I loved writing from the “tween” perspective because I remember so well that feeling of being caught between the cozy activities of childhood and the more intense obsessions and relationships of teenhood.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a creepy Victorian Gothic mystery. I just can’t quit historicals!
Is there a book from your own childhood that still resonates with you today?
I recently re-read Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery and it truly resonated, mostly because she’s a writer but also because she’s a bit introverted. (I love Anne Shirley to death, but I am not at all like her.) Other childhood books that still hold a great deal of magic for me include the works of Edward Eager, C.S. Lewis, and Frances Hodgson Burnett.