Today, I’m delighted to interview author Jennifer Blecher on the blog. Her debut novel Out of Place was recently published by Greenwillow, an imprint of Harper Collins.
Author Interview
Tell us about yourself and your road to becoming a published author.
My road to becoming a published author is long and windy. I wrote my first novel fifteen years ago, which is now in a box somewhere deep in my basement! But I loved the process of writing that novel and continued working on my fiction, as well as writing articles for newspapers and blogs. When I started writing OUT OF PLACE, I had this feeling deep inside that this was going to be my first published novel. So I kept pushing and rewriting and dreaming big. Finding an agent was a huge step in the process for me, and after that point things unfolded as I’d always dreamed they would.
I saw on your website that you drew from some real-life experiences to write Cove’s story. What inspired you to tell Cove’s story?
The real life experience that I drew from was my experience being bullied. When I was in fifth grade some girls at school thought I looked like a dog, so they barked at me in the school hallways and called me Rover. That was quite a tough time! When I started writing Cove’s story, I knew that she lived on Martha’s Vineyard and was sad for several reasons, one of which was that her friend had moved away. The island setting was a huge inspiration for me so I left Cove there because I really wanted to write about life on Martha’s Vineyard.
It’s rare for a middle-grade novel to feature a friendship with a large age difference. What led you to feature the friendship between Cove, who is twelve years old, and Anna, who lives in a retirement home?
I love Anna! To me she’s less of a friend and more of a mother figure. I think Anna is the kind of mother we all want – someone who sees who we really are on the inside and loves us for it.
Out of Place features several different characters who have a large impact on Cove’s life. Was there a character in particular that surprised you or was especially interesting to write about?
Cove’s mom was interesting to write about. In some ways, she plays the part of the villain. She doesn’t want Cove to leave Martha’s Vineyard and she’s very rigid in her approach to parenting. While I’m a very different kind of mom, I understand her motivations. She’s doing the best she can to protect her daughter and give her a better life than the one she had growing up.
Out of Place explores themes of actions and consequences, loneliness, bullying, and finding your voice. What role does Cove’s external journey play in her internal growth?
Cove’s external journey – which I don’t want to spoil for readers! – gives her the internal confidence to be proud of who she is, just the way she is.
What do you hope readers will get out of reading Out of Place?
I hope they’ll fall deep into the story and find themselves immersed in Cove’s voice. I hope they’ll feel less alone in their struggles to fit in and be inspired to pursue their own acts of kindness.
For readers who love Out of Place, what would you recommend they read next?
The Thing About Jellyfish, Wishtree, and Wolf Hollow.
What are you working on right now? Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
Yes! I’m working through edits on my second middle grade novel which is about the idea that everyone thinks you need a BFF, but sometimes a friend can come into your life for a brief period of time and have a huge impact. It’s another story about girls, friendship, and family. All my favorite things!
About the Author
Jennifer Ende Blecher is the author of Out of Place, a middle grade novel published by Greenwillow/Harper Collins. She lives outside of Boston and on Martha’s Vineyard with her husband, three daughters, and a dog named Winnie.
Visit her Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
About the Book
Twelve-year-old Cove Bernstein’s year has gone from bad to worse. First, her best friend, Nina, moved from Martha’s Vineyard to New York City. Then, without Nina around, Cove became the target of a bullying campaign at school. Escape seems impossible.
But opportunities can appear when you least expect them. Cove’s visit to a secondhand clothing store leads her to a surprising chance to visit Nina, but only if she can win a coveted place in a kids-only design competition. Cove doesn’t know how to sew, but her friend at the retirement home, Anna, has promised to teach her. And things start really looking up when a new kid at school, Jack, begins appearing everywhere Cove goes.
Then Cove makes a big mistake. One that could ruin every good thing that has happened to her this year. One that she doesn’t know how to undo.
Jennifer Blecher’s accessible and beautifully written debut novel explores actions and consequences, loneliness, bullying, and finding your voice. This voice-driven friendship story is for fans of Rebecca Stead’s Goodbye Stranger and Jodi Kendall’s The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City.
Danielle Hammelef says
I love to read middle grade books like this one. I rarely find them with multi-generational relationships, so this sounds intriguing. The message of this book will resonate with all readers, even adults like me who struggle to fit in. I seek out people who share my interests to find my place.
Crystal says
I agree. It’s rare to find an MG book with multi-generational relationships, much less ones that extend outside of the family. I love how MG lit features themes to which we can relate throughout multiple life stages. I hope you enjoy this one, Danielle!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction says
This sounds like a lovely book and the type of MG I love! Thanks for sharing this interview.
Crystal says
It sounds like a really cute read! I’m looking forward to reading it (waiting on my copy) 🙂
Aleen @ Lampshade Reader says
Children that age can be cruel. I was also bullied around that age. All because I was the new kid in school.
Crystal says
It’s scary how easy it is for children to be cruel, and there’s a lot of victim blaming at that age too. I remember seeing some students shove a boy that I knew into the lockers at school. When I tried to talk to him about it, he shrugged it off and went away. Now that I’m a teacher, I know that there are measures in place we can take when bullying occurs, but as a child I didn’t push the issue further or talk to a person of authority. Books like this are great for raising children’s awareness about the reality and effects of bullying – and to get the conversation started.
Dani @ Perspective of a Writer says
Out of Place sounds delightful!! I love when an older person befriends a young person. It’s such a neat sharing experience and really they have more in common than they think at first. I heard that getting an agent is the first step typically for those wanting to become an author. Bullying is such a blight on our society. Kids need books about it! ❤️
Crystal says
I agree. Older people and younger people do have more in common than they may think at first, and age-gap friendships provide the opportunity for the older person to mentor the younger person.
As a teacher, I see students treat others with casual cruelty and victim blaming, thinking that the individual has to stand up for himself or herself. Books like this are so important for raising awareness on the impact our words and actions have on others.
Ethan says
I love that Jennifer has been writing and perfecting her craft for so many years. Congrats on publishing!
Crystal says
I agree, Ethan. It’s wonderful that Jennifer has spent time writing and polishing her craft!
Sophia Rose says
Ahhh, love seeing this multi-generational friendship and the bullying theme in the story. Fun to read the interview, ladies!
Crystal says
The multi-generational friendship and the bullying themes are why I want to read this book. (I was supposed to get a copy a few weeks back, but it got lost in the mail. It got resent, so hopefully it’ll reach me this time around!) I can relate to the multi-generational friendship theme in particular since I’ve always felt comfortable talking to people older than me, and many women in my small group are old enough to be my grandmother.