1. What drew you to write for young readers?
I love this question because there have been times when people assumed writing for young people was somehow less important or worthwhile than writing for adults; a second choice, but for me (and I think for all folks who write for young people) nothing could be further from the truth! I write for young people because the stories that live inside me are for people growing up and making sense of the world and themselves, because the impact of books on my life when I was a kid was powerful, incredible and beautiful, and because I love kids. My readers are honest and passionate, and getting to write for them is important, worthwhile and very much my first choice☺
2. What themes/message(s) do you want to explore and share about in your work?
Every time I write a book I’m grappling with something on my own life that plays out in the story. When I worked on I KNOW YOUR SECRET I was thinking a lot about what we hide, what makes us feel shame and how powerful it is to bring those things into the light. With I KNOW YOU’RE LYING I was exploring my feelings about the ways things in our past shape the ways we treat people in our present. And in all my books I touch on things that are important to me: being kind, being honest, being true to who we are, making mistakes and owning up to them, and the incredible importance of connecting to each other.
3. Please tell us about I Know You're Lying, as well as any other projects you'd like to share about.
I KNOW YOUR LYING is a mystery/thriller for middle grade readers (ages 8-12 depending on the reader) and a companion to I KNOW YOUR SECRET. But while both are set in the same town, at the same school and with the same tight time frame (a single day), each is a stand alone story. You will see a few of the characters from SECRET in LYING but it’s a year later and a whole new problem: early that morning someone broke into Sasha Saturday’s locker and the video footage shows four students entering the building before the first bell, which means one of them has to be guilty. When the principal puts them into a room alone, in hopes of forcing someone to confess, it is clear they all have reasons to dislike Sasha. But who is the thief and why did they steal from Sasha?
4. Where can we find more information about your work?
Please visit my website: daphnebg.com where you can also subscribe to my newsletter which I send out a few times a year with info on upcoming books and giveaways.
Dr. Jason, thank you for having me on your blog!!
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