#absolute brightness

James Lecesne, author of Absolute Brightness and Michael Barakiva, the author of One Man Guy, got together to talk about theater, their books, and writing for young people.

In the transcribed conversation below, they discuss the importance of addressing difficult topics in YA fiction, gender politics, how commonplace young characters are in mainstream media, and the differences their books are making in the lives of their readers.

Michael Barakiva: 

One of the things that I love about Absolute Brightness is that it’s really unpredictable, in terms of context and genre. I thought that it must have been hard to write because there are so few literary predecessors for you to work from.

James Lecesne: 

It’s so nice of you to say that. I was performing solo shows for many, many years and I thought to myself, well… maybe I should just write a really long monologue.

And, I guess I knew I could write a monologue, because that’s what I do. I knew that I had a talent for being able to create character and story, so I came up with the idea of this narrator. I didn’t know I was writing a YA novel.

Oddly, it’s such a perfect fit considering my work with the Trevor Project. It’s great because it’s given me an opportunity to actually talk to young people and talk about things that I care about, as well as having the opportunity to listen to them and hear from them.

Michael

You’re a performer and a playwright, so maybe you haven’t had this experience, but as a theater director I don’t feel that kind of ownership over the material the same way at all. A 15-year-old from Brazil will email me say, “Thank you so much for the book, it really helped me come out.” And that feels more valuable to me than 500 people clapping at the end of one of my shows.

James

Yeah. It’s really about the depth to which something touches somebody and in a theater you don’t really know how deeply you’re touching people.

Michael

Exactly. And you can change things for a young reader with a book in a way that a show just can’t.

James

It’s like, in doing the Absolute Brightness show, I know everybody is very moved by it because the show is basically the same story. It’s just told from the detective’s point of view.

So it’s more adult and a darker story.  

But young people are the ones who actually see themselves in the characters when reading the book.

Michael

Was there anything specific, like a news incident that triggered you to write this story? Or did you do research for it?

James

I think part of it is that I’m always aware of what’s happening in the world to and for LGBT youth, and shortly before I wrote Absolute Brightness there were a number of crimes against that group that disturbed me. I couldn’t stop asking myself, “What happens to a town when somebody new moves in and challenges everybody's idea of what it means to be different?” In the book, it’s only when Leonard disappears that people actually begin to understand how unique he was, and what he added to their lives.

Michael

I think that’s mirrored in Phoebe’s experience really dramatically.

James

Yeah, and she also changed because of him… and in some ways she changed more because he was absent. But it required his disappearance--for her to ask certain questions and challenge herself in that way.

Michael

Why did you choose to set it in a New Jersey Coast town? I’m asking because my book is also set in the suburbs of New Jersey.

James

You know, part of what fascinates me about those towns are that they’re seasonal but there are people who live there all year around. And the Jersey Shore always had some kind of magic for me, when I was that age.

Michael

Yeah, I think it’s the proximity to that huge body of water. I grew up outside of Princeton and there was no magic there.

Another thing that I really admired about your book is that, while my book really consciously shies away from the dark, your book doesn’t. When I first began reading, I knew your book had clear themes but I didn’t know much more than that. I was really taken aback by the crime.

James

Like I said I really didn’t know I was writing a Young Adult novel so I was just writing. I was writing what could happen and what that would do to a young person.

Young people are exposed to all kinds of terrible things...and they have an enormous capacity to deal with it that they aren’t given much credit for.

Michael

That’s true. We underestimate all the time and miss-estimate the other half of the time.

But, I also really appreciated the characters’ frankness about sex, marijuana, and smoking cigarettes. I was too scared to write about that. I was really impressed that you were courageous enough to include those things.

James

Well, we’ll see about the next book I write.

Michael

Do you know what your next book’s going to be about?

James

I do. I feel like there’s a huge wave coming of young people who identify as gender neutral or gender queer, and I am exploring some of the challenges and difficulties of that.

Michael

I love that. When I was coming of age that wasn't an option. There was gay or straight, and everyone was angry at people who identified as bisexual. I think that young people now have a much more interesting relationship with sexuality and gender than I did at that age.

James

Yeah, rejecting the binary is becoming more and more common. I’m almost finished writing it.

Michael

That’s so exciting. I’m three chapters away from finishing the sequel to One Man Guy.

Yeah. It’s really about the depth to which something touches somebody and in a theater you don’t really know how deeply you’re touching people.

Michael

Exactly. And you can change things for a young reader with a book in a way that a show just can’t.

James

It’s like, in doing the Absolute Brightness show, I know everybody is very moved by it because the show is basically the same story. It’s just told from the detective’s point of view.

So it’s more adult and a darker story.  

But young people are the ones who actually see themselves in the characters when reading the book.

Michael

Was there anything specific, like a news incident that triggered you to write this story? Or did you do research for it?

James

I think part of it is that I’m always aware of what’s happening in the world to and for LGBT youth, and shortly before I wrote Absolute Brightness there were a number of crimes against that group that disturbed me. I couldn’t stop asking myself, “What happens to a town when somebody new moves in and challenges everybody's idea of what it means to be different?” In the book, it’s only when Leonard disappears that people actually begin to understand how unique he was, and what he added to their lives.

Michael

I think that’s mirrored in Phoebe’s experience really dramatically.

James

Yeah, and she also changed because of him… and in some ways she changed more because he was absent. But it required his disappearance--for her to ask certain questions and challenge herself in that way.

Michael

Why did you choose to set it in a New Jersey Coast town? I’m asking because my book is also set in the suburbs of New Jersey.

James

You know, part of what fascinates me about those towns are that they’re seasonal but there are people who live there all year around. And the Jersey Shore always had some kind of magic for me, when I was that age.

Michael

Yeah, I think it’s the proximity to that huge body of water. I grew up outside of Princeton and there was no magic there.

Another thing that I really admired about your book is that, while my book really consciously shies away from the dark, your book doesn’t. When I first began reading, I knew your book had clear themes but I didn’t know much more than that. I was really taken aback by the crime.

James

Like I said I really didn’t know I was writing a Young Adult novel so I was just writing. I was writing what could happen and what that would do to a young person.

Young people are exposed to all kinds of terrible things...and they have an enormous capacity to deal with it that they aren’t given much credit for.

Michael

That’s true. We underestimate all the time and miss-estimate the other half of the time.

But, I also really appreciated the characters’ frankness about sex, marijuana, and smoking cigarettes. I was too scared to write about that. I was really impressed that you were courageous enough to include those things.

James

Well, we’ll see about the next book I write.

Michael

Do you know what your next book’s going to be about?

James

I do. I feel like there’s a huge wave coming of young people who identify as gender neutral or gender queer, and I am exploring some of the challenges and difficulties of that.

Michael

I love that. When I was coming of age that wasn't an option. There was gay or straight, and everyone was angry at people who identified as bisexual. I think that young people now have a much more interesting relationship with sexuality and gender than I did at that age.

James

Yeah, rejecting the binary is becoming more and more common. I’m almost finished writing it.

Michael

That’s so exciting. I’m three chapters away from finishing the sequel to One Man Guy.

In My Mailbox

Literary Starbucks by Nora Katz & 2 others 

Solemn by Kalisha Buckhanon

The Way Back to You by Michelle Andreani & Mindi Scott

Danger, Sweetheart by MaryJanice Davidson

    e-ARCs

The Curse of Tenth Grave by Darynda Jones Review to come next week. Didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I’m just a little bummed that it isn’t a 5 star read for me. I love this series! 

How To Make Out by Brianna Shrum

The Sound of Us by Julie Hammerle

Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne

  There are a few library books that I have already read, but I don’t have time to add them all. I know I’ve been somewhat absent around the blogosphere, but I’m just trying to sort out some stuff. Plus, weaning puppies is a full time job. We’ve now switched them to canned food mixed with milk and they are doing pretty well. They just like to play a lot and I’m tired all the time. And on top of that, one of my cats has been MIA for 4 days. 5 if he hasn’t shown up by the time of this post. My boyfriend has been trying to keep my spirits up about it, but I’m worried. I don’t have many neighbors, as I live outside the city, but I had to go knock on some doors so that they could be watching out or to check their garages and sheds. He could be dead somewhere and I’m freaking out. I have been drowning in books. That’s about all I can do to keep my mind off negative thoughts. Anyway, that’s all for me these past couple of weeks. Have you read any of these? Leave me links to your STS, and have a great long weekend! I’m just ready for some great BBQ on Monday. 

LGBT:

Deliver Us From Evie by M.E. Kerr || Told by her brother Parr, this is the story of 18-year-old Evie, her Missouri farm family, and the turmoil created by Evie's love for the local banker's daughter.

The Shared Heart by Adam Mastoon || Adam Mastoon's beautifully reproduced photographs of gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people are a revelation: each subject, posed yet casual, looks directly into the camera and invites us into his or her life. But the book is more than a photo gallery, and the personal statements written by each young person brings a sense of what it means to be a gay youth today. In a world in which gay teens are told that they either don't exist or should change their sexual orientation, The Shared Heart is a beacon of hope, clarity, and joy.

Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne || The mystery of Leonard Pelkey. This is the story of a luminous force of nature: a boy who encounters evil and whose magic isn't truly felt until he disappears.

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande || Your best friend hates you. The guy you liked hates you. Your entire group of friends hates you. All because you did the right thing. Welcome to life for Mena, whose year is starting off in the worst way possible. She's been kicked out of her church group and no one will talk to her—not even her own parents. No one except for Casey, her supersmart lab partner in science class, who's pretty funny for the most brilliant guy on earth. And when Ms. Shepherd begins the unit on evolution, school becomes more dramatic than Mena could ever imagine . . . and her own life is about to evolve in some amazing and unexpected ways.

Wide Awake by David Levithan || In the not-too-impossible-to-imagine future, a gay Jewish man has been elected president of the United States. Until the governor of one state decides that some election results in his state are invalid, awarding crucial votes to the other candidate, and his fellow party member. Thus is the inspiration for couple Jimmy and Duncan to lend their support to their candidate by deciding to take part in the rallies and protests. Along the way comes an exploration of their relationship, their politics, and their country, and sometimes, as they learn, it's more about the journey than it is about reaching the destination.

Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby || For Alex Ford, dressage is an oasis. In the stable, he can slip into his riding pants, shed the macho cowboy image, and feel like himself for a change. For Cleo O'Shea, dressage is a fresh start. She's got a new boarding school, absentee parents, and, best of all, no one to remember her past. . . . They're an unlikely pair. Cleo's looking for love, but Alex has a secret he's not ready to give up, and a flirtation with Cleo is the last thing on his mind. But you can't find romance before you know real friendship, and sometimes the last person you'd ever think of as a friend ends up being the one you need the most.