chaz-hayden
Forum Replies Created
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What do you think is her favorite color? I always tell people that if they really want to know then they would have to hack into my computer and read earlier versions. For a lot of those drafts, I do reveal her favorite color but that moment never felt significant. Like, once she tells Harris, is he mad or happy? By the time she would tell him, those reactions didn’t feel right or important. But when I take away Nory’s favorite color she instantly becomes the main vessel for Harris’s personal growth and understanding that it really doesn’t matter.
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Who is your favorite author(s)?
Besides JD Salinger I don’t really have favorite authors but some of my favorite books are The Catcher in the Rye, Looking for Alaska, The Westing Game, The Giver, and Highly Illogical Behavior.
Who would you want cast as Miranda in Netflix’s adaptation of First Thing About You?
I think about who I’d cast way more than I probably should. For Miranda, I feel like Iris Apatow might be a good fit if I wanted to cast someone more well-known. But recently I discovered Kris Collins who acts a little but mostly makes TikToks. Honestly, she looks exactly how I pictured Miranda when I wrote the book.
Favorite flavor of ice cream?
Chocolate chip or cookies and cream. I’d also say vanilla and add toppings.
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I use the Tobii Eye Tracker 4C. That single piece of tech provides so much freedom for me to be creative. Without it, this book wouldn’t exist or would’ve taken me twice as long to write. In the past, I tried using speech-to-text software but words in your head sound a lot different when spoken. You tend to add extra words, create run-on sentences, or just ramble. Using my eyes gets me as close as possible to typing with my hands.
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Ooh, good question! I wouldn’t say any embarrassing moments but the “date” Harris goes on with Nory is similar to one I went on. I’d known the girl for a few years, so a lot longer than Harris knew Nory, but I was still just as nervous as him about getting fed and just being alone without a nurse or parent.
This was also my first date although, like Harris, I never defined it as that when I made the plans. I didn’t know what to expect but just like Nory, my friend made me feel really comfortable and was a pro at feeding me.
The only slightly embarrassing part of my date was that we went to a restaurant I was very familiar with and eat at frequently with my parents. The staff kept making eyes at me the whole time but played it cool. My parents ate there a few days later and the manager couldn’t wait to tell them I “brought in a beautiful girl and everything went fine” as if my parents didn’t know ????
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You’re exactly right about how Harris and Miranda helped each other! That was the takeaway and understanding I hoped readers had. But that’s also the reason Harris needed to move on. Miranda brought him out of his shell and now he has confidence going forward. And he helped her heal as you said. There wasn’t much left for their relationship because it achieved what it was supposed to. They are now better people because of each other and it’s time to figure out the rest separately.
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Dude, I think you totally nailed the dynamic between Harris and Miranda. This makes me really happy. A lot of people who aren’t disabled have a hard time understanding that their relationship is very, very personal. And Harris is 15! It’s so easy as an adult to keep things professional but as a kid, PCAs and nurses become your best friend in some cases. They are somebody you spend a lot of time with. That being said, their relationship is meant to be provocative. But I hope readers can understand that Miranda has a history of making bad decisions and Harris is just happy to have someone feel comfortable enough to confide in him.
And I appreciate your take on Miranda’s return and how that played out. That scene was worked on and revised the most during the editorial process. I tried everything from a hard no from Harris to even a version where he accepts Miranda back. My publisher and I felt that one of the big plots of the story is Harris’s growth as a person. Although Miranda isn’t to blame for everything she undoubtedly also doesn’t bring out the best in Harris and vice versa. Harris saying no felt too harsh and saying yes felt like he hadn’t learned anything. Him saying, “Maybe someday” is a middle ground that respects what Miranda has done for him and what she might be feeling emotionally as someone who thought she hurt him physically. Harris also follows up with, “You’re going to be a good nurse, just not with me.”
Stay hungry for more SMA characters. I’m not finished!
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Hey Mike, I’m glad you enjoyed how the texts were formatted in the book. That was really intentional and important to me for the page editor to get right so I’m happy you noticed and thought it made a difference.