Talking with Award Winning Writer Brian Katcher, and a Give Away of Almost Perfect

The Stonewall Book Awards were announced recently, including one for children's and young adult literature for the LGBT community. The book honored by Stonewall this year is Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher.  

This is the story of Logan Witherspoon, a high school student, track star, and recently dumped young man. He's obsessed with his ex, but when a new student shows up at his very small high school, he finds himself attracted to her despite her quirkiness. Sage is a little awkward, too tall, and strangely pretty -- and after being homeschooled for the last few years, needs a friend as much as Logan. As their friendship grows into something with potential for much more, Sage tells Logan her secret. She is really a boy.  

Mr. Katcher captures not only the struggles of growing up in a small town, but also of the fear, fascination, and confusion experienced by the people surrounding a young transgender teen. This book touched my heart -- and the hearts of readers everywhere. I was thrilled to know that Mr. Katcher's story was honored by not only Stonewall, but it was also listed as one of the Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association.

Mr. Katcher generously agreed to a short interview for Carpe Keyboard. Enjoy!

Carpe Keyboard: Congratulations on being awarded the 2011 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award for Almost Perfect! How were you notified? Did you faint, shout, or otherwise act like a crazy person when you heard the news?

Brian Katcher: I was at work (I'm a teacher in real life). Someone kept calling my cell phone, but I was with students and couldn't answer. By the time lunch time rolled around, I'd checked my e-mail and gotten several congratulatory messages. Of course, I was still at work. When I announced my good news at a staff meeting later that day, everyone cheered me until they found out it was a 'gay' award. Then they laughed.

I picked up a copy of Almost Perfect based on reviews (specifically the mention from our buds at FYA) and was addicted the moment I started reading. Logan is such a believable character. His voice is genuine in its struggle to make the “right” decision throughout, which I thought came across as such a real way for a young man to handle the situation he found himself in. Any words of advice for other writers about creating that believable teen voice? And such three-dimensional characters?

Thank you! I wish I had some kind of magical formula for writing believable characters. For me, it helps if I think of them as real people, not characters. It's not hard to imagine how someone you know would react in a particular situation. As for writing a teen voice, don't think of your characters as teenagers. Think of them as people.

Why did you choose to set your story in such a small town? The small school certainly plays a large role in how the story unfolds. I wonder how the story may have developed differently if Logan and Sage lived in a big city. Do you think there is more acceptance for all of our differences in either place?

Sage feels absolutely alone, like her sister is the only one she can talk to about her situation. Sure, there's the internet, but sometimes it helps to talk to someone face to face. That's why she needs Logan so much. He knows her secret, he's not obliged to like her, and yet he tries to understand. If Sage lived in a large city with an LGBT support center, she wouldn't have had to rely on Logan so much when she felt overwhelmed. Then they both might have decided to seek companionship elsewhere.

Plus, I live in the real life equivalent of Boyer, MO, so it was easy to write the setting.

 I’ve posted here on Carpe Keyboard before about parents and their role in YA and MG books. I just loved Logan’s mom. She was absent to an extent – with her job keeping her physically away; however, she was so present for Logan when he needed her. (I so want to go on about this, but don’t want to include spoilers!!) On the flip side, Logan has quite a few emotional/heated/tense encounters with Sage’s dad – the only father-figure that appears in the story. How and why did you create the parents in this story the way you did? Was it a conscious decision to surround Logan with emotionally available women, while giving Sage such a difficult (although real) father?

I think the reason I make Logan a product of a single mother is that I wanted him to be poor, which is a good recipe for having to grow up fast. And yes, his mother and Laura probably rubbed off on him, made him willing to see Sage's courage where someone else might have just seen a pervert. As for Sage's father, his reaction was pretty typical, unfortunately. 'Beat the gay out of him,' is a phrase I've heard more than once, from people describing their parents' reaction.  I didn't want to make him evil, but I wanted to give Logan yet another excuse to abandon Sage, one that he refuses to use.

I think this story is on the cutting edge of what the kids’ lit world often calls “edgy” YA books. Did you have trouble finding an agent or publisher willing to take a chance on it? I’d love to hear about your journey to publishing…

You really want the arduous journey? Okay, there I was in my mother's womb...

No seriously. I had spent a few years down in Mexico. My girlfriend and I were on the outs and it was going to be several months before I could return to the US. I figured I could either start drinking heavily or do something that I'd never once considered doing: write a book.

I decided to do both.

One day, back in the US, I realized that I'd actually finished writing the book. Not knowing what else to do, I sent query letters to a bunch of agents and editors. It was rejected with the traditional form letter. I was very close to shelving the whole project, when I decided to send it off to a contest. I didn't win, but it caught the eye of an editor, Claudia Gabel, formerly of Random House. She helped me with the many, many rewrites, and eventually my first book, 'Playing With Matches,' was born.

I think she was a little surprised when I introduced her to Sage, but she was very willing to take a chance on this unusual topic. It's funny, fifteen years ago, writing a 'gay' book for teenagers would have been scandalous. Now, they give out awards for the best one.

You mention in the author’s note at the end of Almost Perfect that you did quite a bit of research when you wrote this story.  What kind of research did you do? How did you go about making contacts with people who would give you the gift of their stories? (And what a gift! To share stories about their experiences being transgender must have taken courage…)

Well, that's thanks to our old friend the internet. Stories such as these are obviously very personal, not the sort of thing you'd tell a stranger. However, thanks to the net, people can unburden themselves without showing their face. Most of the time, I didn't ever have to ask a direct question, I'd just read message boards on transgender support sites. When I needed something clarified, I'd e-mail that person directly. Most people I talked to were very open and very helpful. It was emotionally draining, though. When Sage's father said he'd rather see her dead then acting like a girl, I was quoting one of my sources.

           When do you carpe your keyboard? What are your writing habits?

Well, I have a four year old daughter, so it's not very easy to write after work. I mean, how can you say no to 'Daddy, come dance with me!' On the other hand, I get a few hours in at night, and my wife is great about arranging time for me on the weekends. Plus, as a teacher, I have summers off. That, and caffeine, allow me to be prolific.

To win a copy of Almost Perfect, leave a comment below. You can increase your chances of winning by "following" Carpe Keyboard on Google or Networked Blogs (via Facebook) or adding Carpe Keyboard to your blogroll. Remember to leave a comment here to tell me of all the ways you have entered to win! I'll announce the winner on February 1, 2011 here. If I don't hear from the winner in one week, I will put the book up for another give away.