Author Interview: Meg Rosoff

Today I have the honour of welcoming one of my favourite authors to the blog, Meg Rosoff. She’s won prizes all over the shop and blown me away continuously with her novels. Picture Me Gone, Meg’s sixth novel, is a gorgeous look at how sometimes it’s the journey that provides the answers rather than the destination.

1. I never know what to expect from your next novel; each is so unique and different to the last. Is this something you aim for?

I have a bit of a horror of writing the same thing over and over so I really try to avoid repeating voices or themes of stories. I also have a lot of subjects I want to explore – gender, power, sexuality, parents and children...so I don't really need to repeat. Yet.

2. Mila’s realisation that adults don't always have the answers is an inevitable one, but not one that usually so clearly cut. Why did you decide to make it such a focus of Picture Me Gone?

YA novels nearly always get rid of parents or have terrible parents in them, and I was interested in a child who has a really good relationship with her parents – but still has to negotiate the limitations of adult wisdom.

3. The snowy landscape of upstate New York seemed to complement the feelings of all the characters in Picture Me Gone. Do you think that settings can be as important to a novel as the characters and plotline?

Definitely. How I Live Now opens with an amazingly beautiful springtime that contrasted strongly with the outbreak of war. In Picture Me Gone, winter is a time of burrowing in and wearing layers of clothing – maybe a time to hide secrets under many layers of stories as well.

A few quick ones!

4. Favourite story world?

Not sure what you mean by this. If you mean what story world do I most like to disappear into, it would definitely be stories of the early 20^th century explorers who climbed Everest and K2 and Annapurna. I find them riveting.

5. Dream holiday location?

The Suffolk coast, overlooking the North Sea.

6. Current read?

I’m reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, about the lives of rubbish pickers in the slums of Mumbai. It’s amazing.

Thanks so much Meg! I implore you to pick up one of Meg’s novels and discover what I love so much about them. Picture Me Gone is out now!

Sophie